r/signshop

Hey, I'm trying to do something with the front windows at our shop because the afternoon glare is brutal but I still need to be able to see outside when customers walk up. Pretty sure those are called perforated decals or one way window graphics or something like that.

Idea was to put big promo graphic on the outside without completely blocking the view from inside
I've been comparing Signs and Printrunner for it but I can’t tell how legit the one way effect actually is especially at night when the lights inside are on

also I'm unsure how annoying these things are to remove later if we swap promotions every couple months.
and if anyone’s installed these before would you recommend dry or wet install? doing this whole thing solo on Sunday so trying not to completely screw it up lol

I am looking to make some panels with bent flanges out of 3mm ACM for a personal project, not looking to break the bank. They are pretty large panels (roughly 52x58") with bends along the entire length. I've been working with a local sign shop and they told me that they have had better success with bending the "thicker" aluminum material (i.e. DiBond) that has a 0.3mm skin thickness. They said the thinner-skinned panels tend to crack/break.

Because of the size of the parts I need, a 5x10' sheet is necessary. The 5x10 sheet in DiBond is SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive than a 5x10' sheet with thinner aluminum (0.15-0.2mm).

Does anyone have experience bending ACM panels? Can I get away with the thinner-skinned pieces? I feel like I could potentially heat the outside of the bend a bit to help it bend more easily (obviously have to make sure I don't melt the plastic too..).

Edit: sorry, for some reason I can't see/reply to comments even though I can see them in my inbox. I am planning on v-grooving and bending 90*. I'm hoping I could do this with the thinner-skinned panels because it is $125 vs $500 for the thicker ones.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been in the sign industry roughly 5yrs. I work at a shop now that has its own printer, laminator, plotter, attached shop where we fab cabinets and do local installs.

My boss is hinting that he wants out and wants to do owner financing with me. However, I’m not interested in doing the shop/install side of things. I don’t want to be in debt to my boss for another 10years paying for the building and business.

Recently we’ve started using trade websites to fulfill larger orders and I realized that I could just branch off and start my own shop and run almost exclusively off a trade site and a small office. I would do that and buy a plotter for in-house cut vinyl orders. The only thing I would miss is doing ACM orders. Theres good profit in those and I can’t find a trade site that does ACM.

My main goal is to start my own business, make extra income from something I enjoy and have experience in, low overhead and I would LOVE to get away from walk-ins. I just need to figure out order pick ups. Unless I just ship straight to the customers business. Any ideas?

Anyone have some tips or experience in doing this? This would be a part time venture for me at first so not super critical that i won’t be full service.

Hi guys.

I got a 4x8 acm panel.

I need to add something like U-channel to hold a smaller sign panel.

I'm looking to find the easiest solution for this, and hope you can help me with a solution.

Thank you in advance

Hey! We currently make name tags, but we are just lasering them. It has been working as an easy, inexpensive way to identify people. However, we think the trend is going toward nametags with a photo or something more than just basic text.

What machine/software are you using for name tags? Seems there are pretty simple setups available, so we are looking into it in order to offer more options.

I am noticing in my reverse uv prints I am seeing some lint under that first layer(which is then magnified when lit up). I clean the acrylic with a clean microfiber cloth and never notice anything on it before printing. Since I’m reverse printing and not building ink on top of the acrylic I notice every little spec that is getting stuck under that first layer.

Anyway what else can I do to prevent this? Any tips?

*unless of course I should be just printing straight on for backlit instead of reverse and on the inside? That would solve my problem but it offers no protection to the image.

Preface - I handle estimating and art files for the wide format department at a printing company, so we are not a full sign company per se. We have a flatbed cutter for acrylic/ACM/etc, but can't do fabrication or channel letters and that sort of thing. Our installs are mostly limited to standoffs or stud mounted, nothing involving wiring or electrical.

Recently quoted a flat cut metal logo install for a new cafe, which is no problem, but now they are asking about including some kind of backlighting. I see that I can get various LED modules from MBS, but zero experience working with these and what it might entail. I imagine they do not want obvious wires going between words or running to an outlet.

If you were able to pick a large format printer for your business, what would you go with? We currently have a Mimaki jv150-160, and are considering upgrading. In a perfect world, where you don’t have to consider budget, what would you all recommend? Same with a plotter. We currently have a mimaki as well.

We are definitely already looking in to a flatbed printer as well, but I was curious what yall recommend.

Going through some old paperwork over the weekend and came across this Gerber price list. If I had to guess, (and I do), I would say this is from around 1990.

A Signmaker IVB (9,950 in 1990) would be $25,138.64 in today's dollar. Wow.

https://preview.redd.it/mub3tjfptr0h1.jpg?width=1848&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=611217254a5c47e68248083bb9291bf41df3c344

Hi all,

I’m a Signage estimator/ PM in NewZealand with about 10 years under my belt and experience with estimating/ tendering for projects $100-$150k+. From fleet branding to multi level/ high level commercial fit outs.

I’m looking at moving overseas for a year and wondered if any signage companies around the world currently use remote estimators and if there is even a market for this? Would it be per job priced, retainer, or hourly earning?

Would love to see if this is a viable pathway and if anyone has had experience with it.

Thanks!

Our shop is in the market for a flatbed cutter with light routing capabilities. We currently have 2 flatbed printers, 2 roll-to-roll printers, 2 plotters, and a CNC router with print/cut functionality. We're up against the limits of what that CNC system is capable of in terms of print/cut work so we're seeking a user-friendly flatbed cutting system mostly for board work (foamcore, coro, acrylic, ACM) with occasional vinyl work. This will help reduce the workload for the CNC, which will be better utilized for fabrication work (aluminum, thick acrylic, etc).

I'm wondering if anyone here has any experience that they'd like to share with the following manufacturers:

Kongsberg (Specifically the Entro 24) Colex (Sharpcut SXC 1732) CutWorx (Apex M 3516)

I had considered Summa as well, as we have a Summa plotter that is fantastic. Ultimately, though, Summa's router capabilities and belt driven head architecture are probably too limiting for us.

Not sure if this is the right spot to post this but hoping it is or someone can give me some insight.

I make smaller size signs that I travel a bit around with to sell at trade shows etc. I originally bought some 1/8” and after leaving it outside for about 20 mins (it’s not even real hot out yet in my area) it started to warp. Now it was in the direct sunlight as I was just curing some UV ink, so maybe that had something to do with it.

Anyway I feel like I need to go back to the drawing board. For signs (roughly 15”) that will sit in my car in the summer (packed away in boxes but stacked on top of each other in the boxes) would it be better to use 1/4 or can I get away with 3/16?

I am going to assume the 1/8 will bend in the summer heat just being inside a car without direct sunlight?

Any help or guidance. Thank you!