[James Boden]

Thanks for the info Rob and taking the time to reply. I have worked out a system to meet the football clubs request to just hang it on the fence and remove it when they don’t need it. I think they want to do this to avoid paying an advertising fee to the owner of the football club so the methods above would be too fiddly for them. Good to know for the future tho

[James Boden]

Hi Chris, exactly the same here. It is very stressful trying to stay on top of it all. It’s like the starting gun has been fired and people are just push push push

[James Boden]

Thanks for the replies Rob & Dave those clips from signgeer look great and good to know for future jobs. Have worked out how I’m going to do this job now, so all good. Many thanks

[James Boden]

Thanks for the reply Simon but needs to look tidier than that.

[James Boden]

Hi Chris,

If you’re buying second hand I would go to the top of your budget. Try and buy the newest one that you can afford and one that has been using genuine inks. saying that there are decent third party inks around, it’s just you may not know the difference between the bad and good ones.

Always request they print off a head/nozzle check in front of you. Don’t make the mistake I made many years ago when I arrived at the premises with a nozzle check pre-printed (most likely from another machine) and put into the printer to look like they had just run it off!

[James Boden]

Thanks for the reply Peter but I’m really looking for solid colours rather than printable vinyl

[James Boden]

I agree. I always go off the sill.

The Ford Custom, it really does play tricks on the mind when your laying the graphics. Especially on the driver & passenger doors. The graphics always look off when you’re right up to the vehicle but when you stand back they’re fine

[James Boden]

Why don’t you advertise the position for someone to solely run this side of the business Kevin. They can be their own manager/boss so to speak but the equipment & company still belongs to you. You could set a fairly average salary with incentives and bonuses should they hit targets. Maybe set up a sister company so that brand can be built upon. Once it’s been running a number of years you may even be able to sell it on to that person when you are looking at winding down.

[James Boden]

I’ve booked them in to have this re-fitted. A lesson learned, nothing worse than doing a job twice, but hey.

I guess this post highlights there’s more than one way to skin a cat. Will be flood filling with clear in future Kev :thumbsup:

[James Boden]

Thanks for the reply David.

It turned out that the optical eye was clogged with ink. All that time avoiding working it out and it was just a simple case of a deep clean!

[James Boden]

Thanks for the reply Simon, much appreciated

[James Boden]

Cheers Guys, food for thought there. Think I’ll re do if they can bring the van to me.

Must remember these cleaning types generally suffer from OCD!

[James Boden]

What’s the advantage of the Epson over other solvent printers Jamie?

Speed/quality? Both?

[James Boden]

Nailed it, thanks Kev. Much appreciated :thumbsup:

[James Boden]

Thanks Kev, will try those out tomorrow. Fingers crossed

[James Boden]

quote Kevin Mahoney:

Hi James, are you laminating over the cropmarks?

Hi Kev, thanks for the reply. No I’m doing a practise run before lamination. I have heard that the laminate can cause a reflection and to mask over crop marks then cut away. Is that correct?

I’m thinking there may be a fault with the scanner/sensor as I’m doing everything to the letter. Do you think that’s a possibility?

[James Boden]

Instead of using masking tape to hinge I now use these wrapmags from signgeer on majority of vehicles. Shaves at least 30 mins off a job

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Attachments:

[James Boden]

Some great points in here James

quote James Bateman:

few useful things I’ve picked up over the years:

Quoting:

Itemise the following (or variations of) in your quotes automatically and delete when necessary. It’s easy to forget one of these items when in a rush:

1. Dispatch method/option:

“24hr Courier/Tracked and Signed For.” Stop messing around with standard 1st class post and just quote for Courier by default (a tracking number and signature is worth the extra 5 quid for most orders).

“Installation Incl. Travel Time and Consumables.” Understandable justification of price.

“Customer Collection.” Don’t get stuck with that awkward conversation after the quote has been approved.

“Rush/Priority Charge” or “Service Level Charge”. Either itemise it to ensure transparency, or include within the Courier cost. Obviously use at your discretion.

When challenged, try the following objection handling with confidence: “Priority charge puts you at the top of the queue”, “Pays for the overtime”, “We’ll drop everything else and put you first”. Use whatever seems appropriate for the client relationship, but stop losing out because of less organised customers.

2. Delivery address:

Most customers assume we are a mind readers. Didn’t you know this order should be going to the swindon branch? They did mention it in an email (in a different thread, unrelated title, about 17 messages ago). :smiles:

3. Artwork and Site Visits:

Bit of a grey area for some, but these can be small costs redeemable against the job if approved. It’s just enough of a barrier to ensure the customer is genuine and committed.

Manufacturing/Production:

Save all your artwork in Dropbox, that way you can access from home, have a cloud backup and potentially share anything, anywhere, anytime.

Small vinyl letters: Cut a weed box, just weed the middles from the letters first, apply the box and letters to the panel, then peel carrier off, then the weed box off. Keeps the letters from looking like alphabet soup.

Dibond swing sign panel (or projecting sign): You can use standard banner grommets to reinforce the eyelets (a hand eyelet punch is fine).

Shadow board, compartments and drawers: When it’s quiet… 😆 organise and systematise the production environment with agreed definitive locations. Stick to it, but don’t be afraid to improve it. This simple change alone has saved us from so much unnecessary stress and time wasting.

Invoicing and Accounts:

Do yourself a favour and if you haven’t already, transition to a modern, browser based accounting software. Xero is currently the leader in this industry, but there are others out there. Automated chasing is fantastic, your overdue debtors and stress levels will decrease exponentially!

Remind repeat offenders before the invoice is due for payment. I can’t tell you the amount of times this has ironed out the excuses early… before it’s too late.

Get used to sending invoices before the end of the month. If you haven’t unified payment terms across all your customers yet, get those invoices out regardless of delivery date. Start small and work your way up to the bigger boys (if you have a purchase order number, you can usually get the invoice in before the job has even dispatched).

If you find yourself asking; “The accounts show I did 30K in sales last month, so where is all my money then?” you’ll find it tied up in those bigger organisations ‘bankrolling’ off your credit terms.

Hope some of these help!

[James Boden]

quote Michael Cunney:O and air release vinyl, it changed my world :praiseyou:

Amen to that Michael :bigsmile:

[James Boden]

Cheers Iain :thumbsup:

quote Michael Cunney:

What are you looking for it to do James? Just give you some presence or online store / online quoting?

Hi Michael, I’m looking for more online presence and also a more professional look. I don’t need an online store. A lot of companies seem to using wordpress which I thought was a no no? I have experience in creating simple websites myself but I’d rather employ someone to do a proper job.

[James Boden]

quote Iain Pearson:

Forgive me for sounding a bit thick, but im struggling to see what the real problem is.
I agree that if I found out one of my trade suppliers was trying to undercut me directly to the end user, then they would be dropped like a hot stone.
In my experience however, a trade supplier of materials is one thing, but DIY kits and end user supplied trays etc is another.
can you honestly see an end user having the skill and experience to install a 15 meter sign tray, or a full van wrap ?
Logically, if I was an end user, and I was looking for some branding, first thing id do is google local sign companies (unless I knew of one personally) – gives you a list in your area which you can then select at your leisure. I think far too many on here worry about what might happen instead on concentrating on promotion of their own business etc.
|am not in the slightest worried about what a “trade Supplier” is doing, as there is more than enough work out there, and there always will be.
if anything, id be more concerned with the wannabe “Sign & Graphics Business” which is nothing more than Joe Bloggs working out of his mums conservatory ( Which again, im not worried in the slightest)

In my opinion, Be strong, have faith in your own business and ability, use social media to strengthen your name out there, don’t be a busy fool like Kevin says, but after all that, if you can’t believe in yourself and your own ability, then its time to put the scalpel away and take a shelf stacking job in Aldi.

Mine is but one opinion, but ill never be afraid of competition, I welcome it, because it will inevitably show what a great Job we are doing :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Have to say I’m with Iain on this. I’m not worried about the larger or smaller companies. I’ve put in the work and have found my lane. People keep coming back and coming back so I must be doing something right.

The trade companies can never offer the level of service of small company. How many times have you had a proof approved by the client only to double check it and find a spelling mistake just before printing.

It still amazes me how many people ask me for business cards when there are so many companies offering these for peanuts. But they do constantly, because they don’t want the hassle.

[James Boden]

Thanks Phill

[James Boden]

I’m technically self employeed/sole trader. Do I understand it correctly that I don’t need to do anything at this point and that HMRC will contact me in due course?

[James Boden]

I’ve come in today to tie up all loose ends clean the printer and shut things down.

Just been to the shops to get food and I don’t fancy doing that again in a hurry. Bought enough to last a while. The shops seem well stocked mostly so one big shop should do people.

Everyone on the trading estate seems to be taking the same view, I think common sense is prevailing.

My plan is to make up lost time and work over Christmas, assuming we are on top of this situation by then.

[James Boden]

Thanks for all the reply’s. much appreciated.

Have sent Ashby an email, thanks Phil

[James Boden]

I actually think this travel ban from Europe to the States is going to put us at more danger than before. European flights will be diverted to the UK and the handful of other countries excluded from the ban increasing our exposure to the virus. Great!

On a plus note I see they are considering low cost loans to small businesses. Anyone have any more info on this?

[James Boden]

Thanks Andy, much appreciated

[James Boden]

Thanks Seun, I’ll give this a spin

[James Boden]

+1 for the SumUp. Ordered mine a while ago and haven’t looked back. Great machine

[James Boden]

quote Phill Fenton:

Ah..that would have been the secret initiation ceremony involving a goat and a monkey ..

Ah Phase 1 Phill, I remember it well. Wait until you get to phase 3 with the Sperm Whale, Dolphin & raspberry jelly

[James Boden]

Thanks guys. That grafityp sounds just the ticket Chris

[James Boden]

I saw the original post and can confirm Daniel was in full rant mode 😆

[James Boden]

+1 for the IP5700 from me too. Been using it since I started. Probably on 80% of my jobs.

I shell out a bit more for the PA (perfect apply) version which makes life 10X easier. Less colour range but great stuff.

[James Boden]

Venture Banners Vince

[James Boden]

Thanks Luke. I’ll take a look at that

[James Boden]

quote Luke Culpin:

I found I had to move away from this material when they changed the adhesive and made it the HTG. We would for example mount a full 8×4 panel of small signs, then guillotine them down, only to find all of the edges seemed to lift. Never happened with the old adhesive which had loads of tack.

Thanks for the feedback Luke. Yes, that did cross my mind as the glue on the older version was steadfast. What do you use now in it’s place if you don’t mind me asking?

[James Boden]

Hi Daniel,

I have one at home I’m going to bring in the office this year to see if it makes a difference. Can’t hurt

[James Boden]

quote David Stevenson:

quote James Boden:

Thanks guys, this will make my life a heap easier. Thanks for the offer David but I should be able to work it out [emoji106]

Let me know how you get one James. We’ve been doing like this for years and have it down to a t. If you set your sheet up approx 1m long then cut them either manually or using the sheet cut feature you can stack 5 sheets on top of each other and rip 5 sets out at once

Will do mate, thanks again.

[James Boden]

Thanks guys, this will make my life a heap easier. Thanks for the offer David but I should be able to work it out :thumbsup:

[James Boden]

quote David Stevenson:

quote Alex Crosbie:

A stand-alone cutter would remove the bottle neck….. print and cut machines are good at space saving but painfully slow, you could get rid of the XR and replace it with a cutter.

The ej will happily print multiple rolls of material per day and a stand-alone cutter will be much faster than the XR.

Unless I’m missing something! Always happy to be proved wrong

It’s hard to see Alex but there a GR640 cutter hiding in the corner. It has a really useful but annoying feature. When we make stickers we normally gang up as many as will fit on a a4 sheet or there abouts then add a perf line around the outside edge. This means when we remove them from the sheet we’re left with a very well presented sheet which also saves man hours by having the machine cut them. The problem is that the GR has 2 blade positions. The 1st is for normal cuts and puts the blade down on the cutting strip. When you ask it to perf you have to change the blade position which allows it to go into a channel which avoids destroying the cutting strip as your cutting right through. To keep accuracy up the max sheet length recommended is 1.5m. It’s like playing the bloody hokey pokey moving the blade about. No way to bypass this really annoying feature which is a real pain in the ass. We don’t have to change the cutting strip very often on the XR and it perfs thousands of stickers!!!

David, how do you perf stickers? Is that an option only on the XR or can I do that in VersaWorks with my VSi?

[James Boden]

Hi David, I would say all this area would benefit from being in a insulated/heated area. You’d also gain extra storage on the roof of the structure. I guess it depends how long you’ll be in the unit for I guess

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Attachments:

[James Boden]

Hi David,

Depending on space, could you not build a designated small room for the media, insulate it and put a dehumidifier in there?

[James Boden]

Hi Mark,

Yes, I’ve just received this also. Does this mean the service will improve?

I’ve been holding off buying from them for a while because of the negative feedback I’ve seen on the forum.

[James Boden]

Hi Chris,

Try the Ultraview from papergraphics. Virtually optically clear and a piece of cake to install. Good price too from memory..

[James Boden]

Thanks Martin, This grafityp tape sounds just the ticket

[James Boden]

Thanks guys

[James Boden]

Thanks David, will give these a look up

[James Boden]

I think you may have answered my question Peter.

Can you use this table or similar application tables for lamination as well?

[James Boden]

Cheers Chris

[James Boden]

+1 for Sign Elite. It does seem to be a more tailored service and they are very helpful.

Thanks for the post Karen, I’d be keen to hear from more people who have actually had to claim as you never really know the level of service until you claim.

[James Boden]

quote Simon Worrall:

quote James Boden:

Emails for payment are always ignored and when they are finally paid it always comes with “I have two new vans to do, when can you book them in?”

Excuse me, is he blackmailing you with non payment unless you do another two vans?
That is creepy and rude. Totally unacceptable, he sort of has you in an armlock.
Or did I get that wrong?

Hi Simon, no. He pays his last invoice late and then asks for more work to be done.

[James Boden]

quote Daniel Evans:

I had one of these customer, always took about 3 months to pay. At the end of last year I did 3 vans for them and they failed to pay with me eventually threatening with court, they still wasn’t interested in paying so I took them to court and won. They eventually got in contact and paid just before it goes against their name.

It took 9 months to get payment including the court time.
I no longer deal with the customer and from that point I take 50% up front.

Lesson learned

That’s my worry with him Daniel. I’m guessing cash flow is a problem for him, it’s only a matter of time before it comes to a head and I don’t want to catch that hot potato

[James Boden]

Thanks for the replies, plenty of differing views.

I think this guy will be pro-forma going forward. It may put him off initially as I’m guessing cash flow is a problem for him. We’ll see..

I don’t feel the need to charge clients upfront. 95% of the time people pay on time, I’ve never had a problem in 6+ years operating like this. Also I find once I’ve received the cash upfront I’ve lost interest in the job. Knowing I have to do a good job to get paid keeps me on my toes.

Of course jobs over a certain amount with a high material cost I usually take 50% deposit upfront to reduce any risks.

That’s a useful bit of info about the letter Vince, thanks. I’m sure I’ll be needing that one day, hopefully not any time soon tho

[James Boden]

quote Iain Pearson:

quote James Boden:

Great work Iain. Loving the silhouette of the forest on those doors mate

It was a quirky one James, we eventually did the whole storage area with the same design, really looked good when it was done 🙂

Looks fantastic, was it printed on matt?

[James Boden]

Thanks guys. The Lg is interior. I’m looking for exterior so will check out William Smith & Walsh

[James Boden]

Great work Iain. Loving the silhouette of the forest on those doors mate

[James Boden]

I feel your pain Hugh, an almost impossible task to juggle!

[James Boden]

Thanks Andy.

You’re right Kev, the van would become a light aircraft 😆

[James Boden]

Thanks Kevin, will give them a call mate

[James Boden]

That’s great news David. I’m also looking at a new unit tomorrow, onward and up upwards.

Just thinking, wouldn’t your printer be better flush against the wall? (if it will go)

[James Boden]

quote Andrew O Brien:

Not so bizarre now?

Thanks Andrew, lol. Guess I’m just behind the times!

Cheers also David :thumbsup:

[James Boden]

Thank you Dave, more than helpful :thumbsup:

[James Boden]

Thanks David, that’s really helpful

[James Boden]

quote Jon Marshall:

Most places don’t even stock the non air release version anyway..

Spandex seem to have plenty in Jon.

Looked into it a bit more and it seems good stuff. Wasn’t keen on having to pay for a 3M swatch book, although I hear they have a great range of colours.

[James Boden]

Thanks for all the replies.

quote Iain Pearson:

Could it not be done out of 3mm black forex with 3M tape on the back ? – just a suggestion

Iain, what is the 3m tape called? Would it be strong enough to hold letters long term?

[James Boden]

I have the same machine as you and switched from Max 3 to Nazdar inks some time ago. So far so good

[James Boden]

Hi Daniel,

Sorry to hear this. What’s the name of the 3rd party inks your using?

[James Boden]

I went yesterday but my expectations weren’t high so I wasn’t that disappointed. I do agree, year after year it has less buzz about it.

[James Boden]

Try ultraview from papergraphics. Optically clear and no adhesive. Think you can buy a 5m sample roll if you need to test it first.

[James Boden]

Is that yellow masking tape Iain? What’s it like?

Just about to buy a box of 36 of the IPG tape as I’ve found it good to use. Be open to trying something else though.

One thing I’ve started taking with me everywhere is a chamois cloth. Has come in really useful for a multitude of jobs.

[James Boden]

That’s cool Mark, been meaning to get one of those

[James Boden]

Great work David, especially the Lemonade & Rancho :thumbsup:

[James Boden]

Thanks Hugh, the skintac is just the ticket :thumbsup:

[James Boden]

Thank you Andy, will give them a shout! :smiles:

[James Boden]

quote Martin Cole:

ooh James, an hour each :puppyeyes: I hope you charged accordingly

I’ve always found the best way to weed small text is to get someone else to do it 😉 😉

Yes Martin, I charged well because I knew it was going to be a bit of a nightmare. My heart sank when they accepted the quote tho 😆

I don’t have the luxury of delegating work yet 😉

[James Boden]

I feel your pain. I did this the other week which drove me close to the edge of insanity. X 4 graphics, each one took an hour plus to weed. All I can recommend is buckets full of patience!

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Attachments:

[James Boden]

My version is 57 or 58 so that should be about right. Much appreciated Phill, thanks.

[James Boden]

Thank you for the replies guys

[James Boden]

Well done Kev, it’s always a good feeling when you work it out yourself :thumbsup:

[James Boden]

quote Warren Beard:

I just have logo and a web address on the back, 5 vehicles all looking the same, brand identity and awareness trumps lots of info.

Warren, that is really slick. Love it!

[James Boden]

Hi Daniel,

I’d try a head soak on this. If you search youtube or the forum you should find the info you need.

[James Boden]

Steamer all the way :thumbsup:

[James Boden]

Just an update on the VionVP3000 I purchased. It prints quite well and is fairly nice to apply. Price is good too. Can’t comment on shrinkage yet

[James Boden]

Great work Hugh, bet your glad to see the back of that job 😉

[James Boden]

quote Kevin Busby:

Allprint are the main LG uk agent and i’d be very surprised if they were out of stock, there are a couple other agents that stock LG as well but much higher cost.

Papergraphics do a monomeric grey back air release and matching gloss or matt laminate which comes out a little cheaper than the LG, its very good but I prefer the higher stick on the lg. The Reference is GBF1 gloss vinyl and you want the stickbits 2 monomeric gloss vinyl to match.

Hi Kev,

Yes, Allprint is who I use. But completely out of stock of both monomeric & polymeric LG!!

I love the LG vinyl but I’ll see how this Vion works out. So far, so good.

[James Boden]

Wow, this looks great.

[James Boden]

Thanks for the reply guys. It’s good to have some options for the future.

Went with the Vion, David, so we’ll see how I get on with it. Cheers

[James Boden]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all the replies, some great advice. Just to clarify, I’m not looking at trying to do the wrap for cheap, I learned the lesson of working for nothing when I started out.

I think Phills suggestion of the fancy graphics will fit the bill on this job.

[James Boden]

Hi David,

It’s silver

[James Boden]

Thanks, guys. Placed my order with Venture so let’s see how it goes.

[James Boden]

Thanks, Omnis

[James Boden]

Thanks for the replies. Will definitely look into these adjustable ladders, Dan and Iain. Think I’ll give the wood prop a miss Neil 😆

[James Boden]

Thank you guys, really appreciated :thumbsup:

[James Boden]

Thanks, Kevin and Iain,

Iain, that sounds like a great idea! Where would I get the dry wipe laminate from?

[James Boden]

Hi, thanks for the replies.

Think there’s a bit of confusion as the Subject line was modified by admin.

I’m looking for the best tracing software on the market for dealing with low res images. I currently use unique art service and can’t knock them but looking to deal with this in-house. :thumbsup:

[James Boden]

Thank you Stuart :thumbsup:

[James Boden]

Thanks Kev, your a star :thumbsup:

[James Boden]

Hi Neil,

Welcome to the board.

It really depends what market your aiming for. In the Sign & Van Graphics arena the main contenders are Roland & Mimaki (Solvent) & HP (Latex).

I could be wrong on this but I think the Epson printers are better for internal printing jobs for the retail market. I started printing with an Epson 9600 and don’t have a bad word to say about them.

If you can be more specific in the work you want to carry out it will help people answer.

[James Boden]

Ha, thanks for the feedback fellas

[James Boden]

Hi Gary,

Get a steel rule and a Stanley knife and score one side as deep as you can. Then break in two over your knee