Vehicle Graphics: Police Cars

[drogers4]

Here’s another squad car (we cater to many police departments in the area). This particular car was actually featured in a Hollywood movie (I feel pretty stupid that I can’t remember the title).

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[Lorraine Clinch]

Doyle

Nice work. I’m really envious of all you lucky so & so’s with digital printers. They look great!

I do like the truck, everything looks very ‘clean’, nicely spaced etc.

[Jayne Marsh]

Lovely stuff! Good work 😀

[David Rowland]

Good stuff Doyle, but surely Police cars get smashed up a fair bit and need replacement panels/car/graphics? Or am I watching too much Holywood movies! :lol1:

[Carrie Brown]

Nice work Doyle, thanks for taking the time to share with us!!

Its a bit strange seeing your police cars … ours over here look so different and bright!!

😀

[drogers4]

We rarely do replacement graphics for the squad cars, as I am located in a very quiet rural area, the police don’t see very much action around here. :sleep: Thanks!

[steve geary]

Nice jobs Doyle….
Were’ you doing cut vinyl before you got your versa camm? I thought you were new to the business.
Lay out is very nice… Great work !

Probobly a topic for a new thread, but I’m trying to figure out if a printer’s worth the investment for me. Marketing.. volume.
Should i just buy prints wholesale until i have enough volume..
any thoughts?

[drogers4]

I’m not new to the business, I’ve been doing signs since I was 13 when my dad started the business in 1996. I’m now 22 and have owned the business for 2 years. I was doing almost all cut vinyl before, except for the occasional prints which were outsourced (mostly for billboards and applications where print was a must).

I cannot possibly say that I am the best candidate for lending advice for your business, because at times I feel that I don’t even know how to run my own. But I had been wanting to go digital since I first saw the Colorcamms at the trade shows a few years ago when my dad was still running the biz. I can only speak for the past 2 months that I have had the machine, but it has already paid it’s own payment for 8 months. I have a pretty wide customer base and I had a months worth of printing work lined up before I even got the machine. It has definately been a worthy investment so far, but lets see how things go through winter. Thanks for all the compliments, critisism is welcomed, I will not be offended, as I am constantly wanting to improve my layout skills.

Doyle

[steve geary]

Thanks for the input Doyle, It IS helpful.
I’ll try and start a new discussion on it soon….
I’m looking at dropping 18k for the set up I’m interested in, so if I do, i figure it should be working pretty much every week to return that money in a few years time.

Wish i would’ve started my business when I was your age, I was 34 when i started.

What part of the states are you in?

[drogers4]

I am in SW Michigan, right in the middle of a cluster of resort villages on Lake Michigan. I’m right on the very sw tip of michigan, almost indiana, and only 90 min from chicago. Our area is based on tourism and the heaps of chicago residents on our side of the lake (those who can afford a $1 Million second home), so work around here is seasonal, winter time is pretty bad. If you have any questions about the versacamm, I can lend as much advice as I have learned so far, and after another 6 months I can really tell if it was a wise purchase or not.

Also, if you get a printer, you might want to look into leasing it (something that I never even thought of before). By leasing my versacamm (it’s actually a 60 mo. lease with a $1 buyout) I didn’t need a big down payment, and the lease doesn’t count as a credit liability on my credit report (which is a big deal to me) leaving my credit open for other things.

Where are you at in the US?

[Brian Little]

hi Doyle ….great work ….surely the movie the car was featured in has got to be SIGNS with mel gibson 😀 😀

Brian

[drogers4]

I like that movie a lot, but unfortunately, the movie the squad car was in was a flop, and now I am remembering that the title was “Reanimation” but I may be wrong. Either way, the movie sucks.

Thanks!
Doyle

[Brian Little]

😀 😀 😀

[Shane Drew]

Nice work Doyle.

I have had my roland 540ex for over a year now. In that year my business has moved into new areas that I had never serviced before, even tho I had a HP3500 for 3 years before that.

Now, I may only do vinyl cutting a few days a week, but my printer goes everyday of the week, 6 days a week most times.

Being a small operator, I find I get business that the other printers miss because I can turn it around quicker. It is a service industry we are in, and service is what people really look for in the end.

I am also in the tourism area (queensland gold coast) and we are very seasonal too, but with the new markets available to me now, I can concentrate on other areas in the digital print field, instead of being tied down to the vinyl only side.

My machine cost me over $50K, and I was more than a little nervous I can tell you, but in hindsight, it was probably the best investment I have made in the last few years.

Cheers, and thanks again for sharing.

[steve geary]

Thanks for the input Doyle… and Shane.
I have considered leasing a versacam, but lately i’ve benn considering a mutoh from another company and haven’t gotten figures for leasing.
Anyhow good info that i need….. thanks again
I’m in Central Pennsylvania..

[Bryan Cabrera]

quote steve geary:

I have considered leasing a versacam, but lately i’ve benn considering a mutoh from another company and haven’t gotten figures for leasing.

Steve I have been eyeing the signwarehouse rebrand of the Mutoh as well which was available as EcoSol. Just got a new catalog and now they are offering a 64″ in Eco Solvent or Solvent but price is 36K! I think that is print only where the set up I was looking at earlier included a graphtec cutter and was over 10k less.