[Dave Bruce]

Hi Reiss, you need to stay in more and get online, great choice, much better than walking round crowded shopping centres,apart from a bit of people watching ofcourse. 😀

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

I used the T card system with the following headers,
Enquiry, Quoted, Design, Cut, Make, Install, Invoiced
I also had file trays with similar headings and moved the individual file and T card as the job progressed. I and anyone else in the office could see at a glance what job was where in the progress. The cards had the customers name at the top with the enquiry date, then underneath details of the job and when I had invoiced them.
I did quite a few different types of jobs s I had different coloured T cards for each type of job, Red was for print work (stationery), Blue for clothing, Yellow for vehicles, White for signs.

I found it very effective and as I was always moving cards and files as the jobs progressed, it gave me a mental note of every job in the process and thus an over-all view of the work.

Hope you find something that works for you.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Kustom Kit for me too, did some in 2005 with my logo and they are still like new, worn every day (obviously I had a few to rotate every coupe of days).

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Hi Colin I have version 7.1 Vinyl Pro sitting idle, Pm me an offer.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Here is a simple one

Cheers

Dave

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[Dave Bruce]

Hi Robert, what you do is fill you data base with every price for every material you use and your hourly rate for each type of work so I had a price for design work for travelling, for fitting, for weeding/cutting etc. You can even have the price of screws/bolts, absolutely every item you might use to finish a job and add new ones as you go to build up your data base.

When you come to price a job you just pick from the data base as you work through making the sign and fitting it then you end up with a quote to send to the customer. If something changes with the job just go back in to the quote and alter the details that have changed really really easy. You can go back to a finished job and see what materials were used and what profit the job made

It links with Sage too so invoices can be sent direct to your accounts and it will also keep control of your stock as you will say how many metres of vinyl used for each job and it will deduct that from the initial stock input. It did far more than I ever used but I loved the simplicity and flexibility of the pricing, it kept it constant instead of some jobs being over priced and other being under priced as I had seen in other companies. It even has a printing section for working out Gerber printing/weeding, just give it the measurements of the job and away you go.

Great piece of sofware.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks Myles just checked them out online, I passed that Ind.Estate on friday could have dropped in for a chat 🙁

Thanks for all the contact, should get sorted one way or another.

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Touch systems with their Clarity software.

Cheers

dave

[Dave Bruce]

Baltimore south of Skibbereen.

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks guys, Print Solutions don’t stock Oracal 751 or Avery 700 infact they said nobody in Ireland stocks the 700 series!

Ordered panel and some Avery 600 and we will see how it goes.

Gavin, Robert Horne won’t deliver to me that’s why I am looking elswhere.

Thanks again

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

When I got big jobs in during a busy time I used someone else to do the design work, fortunately for me , I used to work for them so knew them well and they knew the local clients even though they then lived the other side of the world!

Good luck

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Excellent job Martin, I miss doing that type of work 🙁

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

I am aware of that Robert, but RHG have to order Oracal from UK whereas they have Avery in stock, so I am told!

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

quote Timmy:

Try fasttyre material.

What’s that? Link?

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Just worked it out on Clarity (which hasn’t been updated since I left Scotland 2009 so prices may be wrong)

£392.20

Cheers Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Yep, I have used Etch effect vinyl on various vans, looks great. I can see how matt clear would work, but would have thought gloss was too subtle! Still I know what you mean about the effect on bus. cards etc.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Nice neat job John well done. Only thought is the Mizu logo in the fish tanks, I would have had it facing the customer when seated, that way it acts as a subliminal thought while they are getting the pedicure, but the customer probably wanted it that way, and they are always right!. Just saw this fish pedicure thing the other day on the tv must be all the rage down south at the moment!

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

I used Clarity when I had my sign shop, great bit of software and yep I paid the £18/mth sub and yep they solved any problems very quickly. I used it mainlt to price jobs and produce invoices/quotes but it does a load of other stuff too.

For keeping track of orders I used the ‘T’ card system split into enquiries/quoted/design/cut/installed/invoiced, and it worked great, easy to see where jobs were at a glance but as with any system it is only as good as the person operating it. I even had different colour cards for the type of job, so clothing was red, vehicles were green, printing was yellow etc.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

You sure its not just a dirt issue? I used to get the odd line too, but when I cleaned the vinyl and around print area(on machine) using IPA they disappeared until it sat for a while and dust collected. Kept vinyl in plastic wrap to help.

Cheers

Dave

PS I sold mine recently (southern Ireland)as I stopped doing signs full time, only got half your asking price but it was the GX15 plotter.

[Dave Bruce]

what about a cut out cross in the middle, effectively showing the van colour (can’t tell if it is white or silver)

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

There is one called Kids Plain.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Brilliant work Shane, lovely to see, thanks for showing and lets see some more please.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Hi Craig, I have Omega for sale but think it is 2.2, don’t suppose that is any good?

Dave@bluefish-designs.co.uk

[Dave Bruce]

Sorry but I have been splitting my sides at this all evening :lol1:

Watch this… Hilarious

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfprIxNfCjk

Thanks Stephen

logo, logo, logo

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks Derek very helpful! 🙂

Cheers Chris but that is their new font, otherwise would have been perfect.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

brilliant Steven Murray :lol1:

[Dave Bruce]

they look pretty cool Mike and David, it is something I have looked at in the past but thought the same as Chris. Didi you follow some specific plans, do you have a link?

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

An excellent piece of kit I am missing it, far superior to my Graphtec. 🙁

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Even in the middle of cutting? Surely if it set up correctly before the blade rests at the origin point, after checking the width, it should be correct?

Taken me far too long just to cut some small clothing vinyl.

Anyway done now, thanks for your input.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

sorted now thanks, ordered from Wrights of Lymm and cheaper than others too.

Thanks for the Irish contacts guys.

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

They look great Derek, bet they are cheap! 🙂

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks guys, I phoned Phil but they don’t do the grey I need so will try the others.

Yep Harry I moved to CoCork, but I have some jobs to do back in Scotland, so heading back next week, along with a few court visits still chasing money!

Thanks again for your help.

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks guys.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Hi John, I have done a few stone/slate signs before and just applied vinyl to it after a thorough clean. My own house sign is on a stone with Nikolite and it has been there for 7 years and just starting to show signs of weathering. Also done gold leaf on slate using vinyl as template.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Hi Chris Just seen this maybe too late, but if you are still looking give me a shout, dave@bluefish-designs.co.uk

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

I see the Money Claim site only works in England and Wales, no use in Scotland 🙁

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

I agree with Jason on this. The thing that you have to consider is, the customer paying you to design a logo, or paying you to put graphics on his van? There is a designer near me who does not do graphics of any sort just designs logos and he sells that design for £500 so then the customer comes to me to have the design put on his van, I charge him £275 (for example). If the customer came to me and said, I need a logo to go on my van with what I do and phone number, I will design the logo and layout, then apply to the van, I charge him £275, and theerfore he hasn’t in effect paid for the design aspect. Now when he comes back and has another van done I still charge him £275 so over time he will eventually pay for the design (unknowingly).

Can you imagine charging £775 for designing and applying graphics to your customers vehicle! 😮

I have had customers ask me for their design because they want to get stationery printed or put it on their website etc, I tell them that I actually have the copyright and would have to charge them to allow them to use it elsewhere, this has not been a problem to them or me. What I charge depends on how much work they have had done by me.

Clear as mud 😀

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks Brian

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

I know where you are coming from David, but I have said no to at least two companies that wanted me to do their work but I knew another company had done the design. My reply was, " if you can buy the copyright from the other company, I will do the work if not sorry I can’t help". Yes I lost the work, but one came back a year later and asked me to change the design so that I could do his vans. I can honestly say I have never copied another companies design without their permission.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Well done Peter gives us all hope.

I have just found out that a new company in my old area has copied a logo I did but changed it slightly to avoid copyright. Also another well established company has copied two logos exactly as I had done so I was thinking of doing something about it. The cost of the court case and the fact that I am now not local to the companies is putting me off, so any help in this matter would be great.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks Peter, I can’t quite get the same effect but it is close.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Hi Neil,

I have been using the Gerber for some years now and find it indispensible. I have been printing the usual car stickers both self cling and adhesive, which are printed on clear then white printed behind. I did a big job using gold ribbon (which solvents cannot print) onto brown banner vinyl and the results were brilliant.

For printing spot colours they a great but the resolution using CMYK is not as good as a solvent, having said that the distance you normally view the images from makes this differnce insignificant. I use Signlab to run mine but have Omega software to run it if need be. I use a GSX15 plotter with the Gerber to contour cut any stickers.
I buy my ribbons from Printone at a very good price, also get vinyl from them.
Hope this helps.

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Hi Gareth,

Sorry to see you are having teething trouble getting the communication right , there is nothing worse. When you get there though it will be well worth the trouble.

Sorry I can’t offer any constructive help, but I am missing my Roland 🙁

Cheers

Dave
PS the vinyl will still be here for a couple of weeks yet.

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks George, I have emailed and been waiting for a response.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks Chris, I have tried all those types that my system has and no match 😥

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

SOLD

Thanks

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Hi John, I have a Javelin 3m and heading over the water next week if delivery was needed.

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Go on Dave pleasantly surprise me 😀

I bought the Roland in November 2003 at 18months old, it had only been used a couple of times which is why it was for sale. I started using it in January 2004 and it has only been used by myself in my one man band operation. I spoke to Roland who say they sold the CX500 for £3499 new so if it what someone is looking for then anything up to £2000 is possible.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Actually Kevin I have one of the converted ones and it never misses a beat and produces first class prints, the only negative side is the slow printing but I am not a large company doing hundreds of metres a week.

Actually it might be the SC500 can’t remember now 😳

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Very nice job on the chocolate BMX cant believe you got it so neat on the welds and join to bottom bracket.
Isn’t the chain pin on back to front? 🙂

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks for your input guys, much appreciated. The Epilog seems to be the winning one at the moment.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Hi Marcella, have you gone into the driver window and deleted it from there, same place you update driver from?

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Just phoned Graphtec and they diagnosed the problem. The head had been knocked out and the plate holding the top two rollers had moved, undid the screws and it sprung back into place 😀

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Hi Paul, thanks for that, I had a look but my wheels seem to be mounted on a thick aluminium lug, quite sturdy. There are some file marks on the aluminium frame, so I think someone has been tampering!

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks Jamie, it is very close and the original does look stretched.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks Jill, you are a star.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Sorted now with a Graphtec C5000

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks Macky, I will try that for next time.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Same as Peter, I use a Buffalo Link Station, have done for 4 years, no problems, and you can actually copy to a separate usb drive off the Buffalo to take off site.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks Tim, I had no layout on the right click! 🙁 I have set to the back already. Just had someone phone and sort it out, I needed a new text box over the image 😳 I don’t really use word so it is all new to me.

Thanks for your help

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

yep orders coming in thick and fast, was up on last year for January but Dec was normal. Pitty I am leaving.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks guys. Graeme, the job was originally to have magnetic aper behind the vinyl so we could make magnetic flames, but the price was too much and they wanted a cheaper solution. The board is up now so difficult to make the area magnetic.

I will try that Lorraine thanks.

Spoke to Dorotape and they are sending a sample of a vinyl which does exactly as I want, so they say, we will see. DFP41 :: Clear Ultra Removable Film

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks guys, Gill that looks pretty good, I will call them in the morning.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Hi Martin, by encapsulation I mean the print is embedded in resin on a fibreglass base. Usually seen at nature reserves castles etc where the panel needs to be weather resistant.

I had a look in the sign mags and did a Google search but no joy.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Has nobody on here used such a company?!

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Where are you based Peter?

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Very impressed, lovely work and thanks for showing

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Brilliant work….

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Nice Mini Paul, I am selling mine now as I don’t have time to get it back on the road, so if you know anyone interested 😀

Look forward to seeing the final result of yours.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

James, try Touch Systems Clarity Professional, I have been using it for 6 years now and it is brilliant, a real time saver and you have all your figures at the touch of a key, profit on each job, turnover, job material list, quoting letter, invoicing etc etc.

Despite what Ali says it is a tremendous help to any business and is used by Signs Express franchises throughout the country.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Hi Martin, sad because I am selling a business I have built up in to an excellent business.

Moving to Cape Clear, where I have lived before and always wanted to go back. I think Angelica (from the boards)lives not far away and there are two other sign shops in Skibereen. I am keeping all my sublimation heat press stuff so I can potter away with that.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Oil radiator at computer, infrared over worktable and at printer. Plenty of layers on me 🙂

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Here is one I did years ago, all cut vinyl

Cheers

Dave

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Attachments:

[Dave Bruce]

Hi Frank, I just tried that and got a HPGL error 1, any ideas?

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks Graeme, I will give them a try

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Hi Martin, I did a search, but wanted people who use lasers to engrave items to offer advice. I remember reading Rodney’s essays years back and found them very interesting, in fact I think he said in one of them, that you would be better buying a laser than a printer as they are more versatile.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

In the trade it is know as ‘a broken edged rectangle’ for those who’s brain is not in gear yet.

:lol1:
Dave

Ow and I don’t have one

[Dave Bruce]

How about this, font is Bison

Cheers

Dave

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Attachments:

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks Nick, I tried them, but just sorted it by increasing the VM size (whatever that is)

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Hi Paul, good to see you back here, we have done business a few years back. We discussed doing light covers for my X99 kit car, remember.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

You are getting old and miserable :lol1:

I had MBNA offer the same for £5+/Month and you get free access to Experian. I got all the figures thrown at me too, when I declined.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Hi Ian, I have free broadband from Orange, comes with my mobile package and has been brilliant. I believe that Aol (which takes over your computer) and the likes of Tiscali can get bogged down with traffic in high demand times, but you may not been using it at those times so may be ok.

By the way I am looking to sell my Dell Zeon processor computer if you are interested?

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Jonny, I thought it was always done wet! If the window is curved you will need to put the tint on the outside, back-to-front and heat the material to conform to the window curve, remove them apply to the inside.

I am no expert, but that is what I understand you do.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

I did one to rendered wall and just ran a conduit along the bottom of the letters. Do the same and paint it brick colour or grey to match the mortar.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Yer thanks Gavin, printed fine eventually after the polygon conversion, just don’t understand how you printed it ok from the original file and I couldn’t, makes me think SL is a bit suspect.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

All sorted now, see other thread.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to offer advice, just another example of how this site is invaluable.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Steve you are a genius 😀 when I converted it to Polygon the file changed to look like the ‘pinched’ printing and new nodes appeared!! changed them to straight and thats it sorted.

Thanks to all who took the time to look into this and offer advice.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Dave please read all the thread, I created the file in Signlab sent the signlab file to another sign company and they printed it OK (so they say) but don’t know how they printed it, ie from Signlab or through another rip.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

such is the problem of having two threads on the same problem!

Created in Signlab 7.1 using rectangle/circle tools to create the lines curves etc, welded as it was going to be cut in vinyl initially, then when I checked for any stray nodes it changes all nodes to a different type (curve) that you cannot change back to straight(and this maybe the problem) but if you sent to cutter it cuts straight!!!

It has been printed in diferent areas of the printer, vertically and horizontally and it always appears in the same place on the file, hence not the printer. As can be seen from the pic of the converted file the problem seems to be in the file make-up.

I have had someone else print it and it came out fine on their printer (hot)
Sent the file to Nick who is looking at it.

Going in today to redraw all the lines, as I need to print it today.

Thanks for all the input and help so far guys.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Ok back at it again, I converted the file to PDF from Signlab and look what happened 😮

It came out looking just like the printed job, so whats doing that?

Dave

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Attachments:

[Dave Bruce]

already done that Claire, made no difference.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

oblong with fill then welded to the curves

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

I have tried it on clear and white, different makes. sent it to someone else who printed it fine.

dave

[Dave Bruce]

tried everything now Chris, but no joy

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

I have moved the print to the other end of the printer and tried printing it horizontally instead of vertically, but still no joy

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

Just done another and checked for flatness, infact there was a couple of ‘bulges’ but not where the pinching print was!!!!

🙁

[Dave Bruce]

I did a couple for customers as a freebee went down very well. I bought them of Ebay, and I do a lot of stickers for a guy who does them for birthdays etc.

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

created in Signlab 7

File on its way

Cheers

Dave

[Dave Bruce]

That’s interesting it seems to be at the same point on the file, but not the printer, so there must be a communication problem, is that right?

Dave

scan in portfolio thread

[Dave Bruce]

Thanks guys, I cleaned the encoder strip and tried again, but still no joy. The narrow points are on both horizontal and vertical lines, printing bi directional 8 passes.

Cheers

dave