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My problem with Lustreboard is with the factory finish failing after a few years. If you paint the boards or cover them with a vinyl print they work okay (still wood, water will eventually find its way in through the edge trim or, especially, the holes where the clips are attached). I've used...

Osmo makes a nice line of finishing oils that would be worth taking a look at. Regular old tung oil would be a second choice. The wood will turn gray from UV exposure. Amber tinted spar varnish will preserve the color longer and provide a thick, gloss finish. All of these will need to be...

I would weld a steel or aluminum frame with engineered attachments to the post (which also must be engineered correctly before I will agree to use it). Spending $300.00 – $500.00 for stamped drawings is a small price to pay if you do not understand the material qualities, environmental...

I could care less about UX design. Since the advent of no-code development anybody who cares to can develop their own app. The bar to entry is so low that it is not worth my time. Back in the day, you needed to grow wheat, thresh it, store it, and mill it before you could bake a cake. Now...

You can buy a Cricket (or even better, a Silhouette Cameo) for under $300 (Cameo on sale right now for $279.00 and can cut 12" x 10', 15" available). A 28" U.S. Cutter ( a much better choice for sign making) can be had, new, for $329. Any of those things will smoke a 4b (I had two and spent...

Before the internet and peer-to-peer sharing, font licenses were purchased by printers and typesetting companies. You couldn't just find a font on the internet and download it for nothing (note: most "free" fonts you find on the internet are not licensed for commercial work). With the advent...

I guess if the customer will install the sign, they can remove it as well (and take accurate measurements of the aluminum frame so the new sign fits). Take a picture of it square on with a telephoto lens, use that photo to inform the profile vector. Print the sign on 10mm PVC using UV inks...

The advantage of AI (artificial intelligence) generated art is that now anybody can create awesome sci-fi and fantasy images, or Pokémon style graphics. Relieves us of the burden!

Laminated adhesive vinyl. It will work great for a "presentation" puck, but for actual match use nothing will hold up! I would order these from a jobber (around $10 plus shipping for a page of twelve 2.5" x 2.5" stickers, much less if bought in quantity).

For most local jobs, we will build the survey expense into the price estimate (if we don't get the job the expense is added to overhead). For some complex jobs (wayfinding systems, jobs requiring extensive analysis and /or engineering, etc.) we will sometimes charge for the service up front...

You are going to have do a lot of printing to cover your costs. Working from home, it seems unlikely you have a crew of installers. Also a home is not the best place for customer visits and picking up and paying for printed materials (to say nothing of the fumes of vinyl off-gassing and the...

All the info for a job is in a manila folder placed in tickler file (filed by date the next action is needed). Every morning I sort the files (only takes a few minutes). All digital info is stored in an A – Z directory. Estimates are prepared in Quickbooks (a paper copy is printed and put in...

Less than $55.00 cost for a vinyl version, add $25.00 for a double-sided direct print 18x24 ACM sign, $25.00 for shipping and you come up with a total $105.00 cost. I can sell these, finished, for about $175.00 (and so can, and do, my competitors). The cool thing about the ones I get (4Ever...

I use EX-Cel exterior grade PVC and either glue it to an ACM panel or build an aluminum frame (you can use Alumawald and a propane torch if you don't have a welding rig). Lexel is a good adhesive to attach PVC elements; I will usually drill some small holes on the glueing surfaces to create a...

When I vectorize a logo for a customer, I charge for the work and offer the customer all rights. It is a line item on the invoice. I send them the artwork in a logo package which includes the source file (usually vector art but sometimes a combination of vector and bitmap files). It becomes...

Makes no sense. By the time you clear coat it you can paint it. More importantly, better check with the trade show venue before doing anything. Most have union contracts requiring all assembly to be done by union carpenters. You can't even bring in a screwdriver! That's why all these clever...

If you can isolate the bitmap image that can be re-sized to the required output resolution and re-placed into the file.

The vinyl graphics will cost more than just getting a finished banner from a wholesale printer, and that is before you add the cost of the banner material and finishing costs. Plus, you can drop ship the banner and save the customer the cost of driving across town and picking it up!

Welded extruded aluminum, then paint with MAP. When the paint dries, put on the U.L. sticker (required by City).

Acrylic polyurethane (Matthews is very good) is the way to go. You will need a proper spray booth and air supply. It is very likely your municipal code will have a lot to say about installing a paint booth and exhausting the fumes. It won't be cheap, but if you are doing a lot of painting it...