Keeping track of what vinyls used on jobs?

[Lorraine Clinch]

Hi Daniel, that is a very real issue, and one which I have never got around, as I am too unorganised to record the vinyls used. It would help to note the manufacturer and type (MD3, MD5 etc) in case of vinyl failure/fading further down the line. Not that MM vinyls fade, they were just easy to type!
I had a customer in yesterday who said that one yellow vinyl I used 5 + years ago is still great, and a yellow I used later has faded and gone speckled. I have no idea what vinyls I used, but I wish I did!

[Daniel Warren]

i’m on a bit of a roll today with bright ideas. This may or may not be one – seems a bit obvious to of been overlooked.

You could keep small sections, say 50mmx50mm offcuts from the job of each vinyl used. You could then clip/stick them to a jobsheet and attach that and file it away with your records. If you used small offcuts which weren’t an identifiable brand – scribble it on the back, or if you have stuck them down, write underneath what it is.

There may be a valid reason why this isn’t common practice, but as I have yet to really get much of a portfolio I haven’t needed to think of solution.

I am of course presuming here that people have a phyiscal file for each job, people may do it all electronically. I’m open ears about this as I would like to get it right from day one.

[Harry Cleary]

I use Corel and when I save there is an ‘options’ tab on the Save As dialogue box, click that and it allows you to add ‘Notes’ to the document; Fonts used, Vinyl used etc.

[David Rogers]

Put the codes for the vinyls used on the artwork file as text…simples.

[David Hammond]

I write it on the job sheet, sometimes on the invoice, or sometimes keep a small sample of the colour, or sometimes don’t do any.

[David McDonald]

Hi

We put the vinyl colour codes in the artwork file as suggested above, and also cut & paste a screen print of the Versaworks screen into the artwork file as well so we know what media / profile settings we used (always assuming the right media was loaded in the printer!)

Cheers
Macky

[Chris Windebank]

Same as David and David. Where you cut files are kept a record there on screen especially as you only use 751 series you only need add the 3 digit code. (also if its cash keep a note on screen what you charged)

[Martin Pearson]

Same as others above, just save the vinyl code with the jobsheet if you get into the habit of doing it when you have finished a design like I now do it helps you remember to do it :lol1:

Because most of what I do is cut vinyl I also have the oracal 551 swatch loaded as the default pallete so if I still have the customer artwork saved I can easily sort out what colours I’ve used.

[Stephen Morriss]

All my cut vinyl goes through Signlabs so I keep a track of colour codes with sign labs swatches, not infallible but has worked so far.
Any special vinyls I write on the cut file (signlabs)

Also I’ve only used 3 manufacturers of vinyl for my normal colour range, Mactac, Oracal and 3M, so it’s easy for me to keep a track of.

Steve

[Warren Beard]

I just use an excel spread sheet with a column for – customer – make – code, then sort all from A-Z and it’s always alphabetical.

Sometimes I change the actual colour tab in Illustrator to the name and code of vinyl used, make it a spot colour and call it what ever you want.

I got caught out very early on and so have been doing the spread sheet for years now and has saved my but many times.

[Daniel Evans]

Thanks for all the input, i’m a bit unsure about keeping a hard copy only just incase of the file getting destroyed, I always back up my hard drive so that seems safer to me.

I’ve decided to make a job sheet that will get included in each file i setup for clients, it’s very simple, it tells me the job number, company (Just incase) and then the colour code and type (i.e. thread, vinyl as i do embroidery also)

I think i’ll put a cut off in the job bag also this way i’ve got both.

Once again thanks.

[Mike Grant]

I just take the centre of a letter, typically an O and stick it to the job sheet. I only use Hexis vinyl so no problem recalling which supplier it came from.
Simples!

[Neil Davey]

Agree with David, David and Chris.
Just make notes in the actual file.
Mike G’s is fine too, we pretty much use one supplier for our materials.