-
I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...
anyone remember the Gerber 4b
- Thread starter gabagoo
- Start date
Craig Sjoquist
New Member
wow .. remembers it coming out in the early 80s, seeing what it did watching being done, in Mpls. ..I thought that would be great for smaller copy.. but paying that kinda money was out of reach dream, and still is today
but these days ya can spend less, and get more.. so hope to get a good plotter soon
but these days ya can spend less, and get more.. so hope to get a good plotter soon
heyskull
New Member
I started my sign career just as these came out in the UK they were marketed by Spandex.
We went right through all there machines IV, IVB, Sprint, Supersprint. We had all the digitising tablets and add ons. The 80s were some of the most innovative times.
I remember having all the latest machinery from Spandex.
We even did a bit of development work for them. We even had plastic knife blades to test!!!!
I remeber setting a job of on Friday night on the IVb and it only finished on Wednesday afternoon!!!! It was so slow compared with our machinery now...LOL
SC
We went right through all there machines IV, IVB, Sprint, Supersprint. We had all the digitising tablets and add ons. The 80s were some of the most innovative times.
I remember having all the latest machinery from Spandex.
We even did a bit of development work for them. We even had plastic knife blades to test!!!!
I remeber setting a job of on Friday night on the IVb and it only finished on Wednesday afternoon!!!! It was so slow compared with our machinery now...LOL
SC
gabagoo
New Member
They were slow but you also made more money off of them. Today we have to jam out stuff so much cheaper. In the end I will suppose we all produce more for about the same at the end of the day.
synergy_jim
New Member
I am glad I missed that era....
Greetings 4-B owners. I thought mine had finally given up. The blade would wander as it was cutting, so much that it would tear the heavy sandblast stencil. I adjusted everything I could, even though I wasn't sure what I was doing. It now cuts as good as ever. I do have another problem though. My LED panel's lights are starting to go out. I was told that the LED's don't burn out, the IC chip degrades sometime. Does anybody know which chip should be replaced? I was told they cost about 20 bucks. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Big AL
Richard Flint
New Member
Ah, the machine that had a major impact on us 'ol paint slingers!
Here's my story about the 4B. I've been hand lettering since the early 70's but a major change happened sometime in late 1984 when I added computerized sign making to the mix with the purchase of the Gerber 4B. That noisy 'ol dinosaur was a true workhorse from the first day (which actually was several days later) You know....that whole learning curve thing! Anyways, it served us well right up until the day we sold it. We have upgraded since then but I can honestly say it was a wise purchase way back then.
Speaking of Gerber, seems David Gerber is in the process of writing a biography of his late father, Joseph Gerber who started Gerber Scientific, Inc. A truly remarkable man who is credited with over 650 US and foreign patents for his inventions including the GSP Signmaker.
According to what David has told me, a portion of the book will include a description showing the broader impact of the changes it's had on the sign industry. He asked if I could provide some photos of signs before and after computerization which I have agreed and am more than happy to help out. As for the book, I believe it should bring some recongnition to a man who, for the most part is virtually unknown to the general public. Yet those who know of his achievements quite rightly consider him one of the great American inventors of the 20th century.
Here's my story about the 4B. I've been hand lettering since the early 70's but a major change happened sometime in late 1984 when I added computerized sign making to the mix with the purchase of the Gerber 4B. That noisy 'ol dinosaur was a true workhorse from the first day (which actually was several days later) You know....that whole learning curve thing! Anyways, it served us well right up until the day we sold it. We have upgraded since then but I can honestly say it was a wise purchase way back then.
Speaking of Gerber, seems David Gerber is in the process of writing a biography of his late father, Joseph Gerber who started Gerber Scientific, Inc. A truly remarkable man who is credited with over 650 US and foreign patents for his inventions including the GSP Signmaker.
According to what David has told me, a portion of the book will include a description showing the broader impact of the changes it's had on the sign industry. He asked if I could provide some photos of signs before and after computerization which I have agreed and am more than happy to help out. As for the book, I believe it should bring some recongnition to a man who, for the most part is virtually unknown to the general public. Yet those who know of his achievements quite rightly consider him one of the great American inventors of the 20th century.
Service Sign Co
New Member
He was awarded the National Medal of Technology by Clinton
Bobas Kalobas
New Member
In 2022 I still use my 4b about every day. I also have all the new equipment, but nothing beats this work horse! My brother has one of the first ones, The serial number is only 3 digits.
Our shop had a Signmaker 4B in the 1990's. The unit had around a dozen or so font cartridges. We had an interface connected to the 4B so it could work passively as a plotter/cutter controlled by a PC running CASmate. We sold the machine to a local gravestone/monument company after buying a 36" wide Allen Datagraph plotter/cutter. The 4B had a strong maximum level cutting force, letting it cut through sandblast stencil with no problem. Obviously that was a valuable feature for a monument company.
Scootershooter
New Member
I have 2 available in Janesville, WI.
I still have a smc4 (before the 4b)
I run simple jobs on it, just did a couple sponsor boards last week
Notarealsignguy
Arial - it's almost helvetica
The sprint was a huge improvement over the 4B. I wonder if signs would look better today if that is what everyone still used. My friend still runs his 4B, it is painful to watch.
ChicagoGraphics
New Member
Does anyone have the 4A?, that was the first Gerber vinyl cutter that came out in 1980-82
Ziklag
Passion for SignGraphics!
Another so very late reply but couldn't help reading these posts about vintage sign making machines that I gravitate to. Recently purchased a late 1988 Gerber Sprint, ones with a CRT amber monitor and a 15" plotter on its own stand. All original parts of course being that Gerber is a proprietary manufacture all parts and accessories are Gerber made. Yes, as the machines back then were pricey (understatement lol) it paid off itself well in no time. These machines were huge investments for a sign painter like me but back then, some not all of us, were anti-technology thinking these will never have an affect in the sign market. But man was I wrong! However, a friend that decided to leave the sign making business few years ago to pursue something else gave me his 4B that's still cranking out simple signs for a client that places orders every-other month ($1,100.) So it has its place in my shop for those kinds of signs that are easy and not due till 2-3 weeks after the orders are placed. Perfect machine for the situation that keeps on cutting and remains to champion as a money-maker till this day (2026). It will beat any hobbies type of cutters and I not dare to even consider making comparisons. Now concerning creativity verses something that's simply keyboard then sent to a cutter. Depends on the person using it will determine how creative you can be even with cut vinyl letters. I'm glad that I started in graphic design then later went into large scale signage. Being I started as a graphic designer then later using computer graphics that apply design principles to signs rather than just pumping out stale cut letters from a cutting machine I realized that Gerber provided the right tools for what and how I design signs along with other leading edge machines helping me to stay competitive within the times. But I will always have an appreciation for the old that made the sign business what it is today. Gerber is totally an industrial tool for the profession of sign making.
Last edited:
kcollinsdesign
Old member
If you are 63 then you were 21 in 1984. Just a whipper-snapper!
kcollinsdesign
Old member
I had two of them back in the mid eighties. I also had a 4a before that. We MacGyvered a plug in card (fit in a font slot; we cannabalized a "Commercial Script" font card and were able to cut vector art created on Illustrator 88). In order to convert Postscript fonts to vector art we used a program called "Typestyler". Converting Postscript fonts to vectors (outlines) in Illustrator was not an option at the time.
Macintosh computers were the computers of choice for graphics professionals. As DOS based computers running Windows became available for a cheaper price, vinyl cutting programs for sign makers became available and the industry shifted. I stayed with Adobe and Macintosh and still feel it is a better creative platform, but everything is standardized and inter-changeable today. Use whatever you are comfortable with.
The old Gerber cutters (I had many throughout the years, including a Gerber Edge printer), and they all still work. I occasionally will use one to cut thick reflective vinyl and rubber masks for sandblasting (the blades were tangential to the cut and the feed was sprocketed).
Macintosh computers were the computers of choice for graphics professionals. As DOS based computers running Windows became available for a cheaper price, vinyl cutting programs for sign makers became available and the industry shifted. I stayed with Adobe and Macintosh and still feel it is a better creative platform, but everything is standardized and inter-changeable today. Use whatever you are comfortable with.
The old Gerber cutters (I had many throughout the years, including a Gerber Edge printer), and they all still work. I occasionally will use one to cut thick reflective vinyl and rubber masks for sandblasting (the blades were tangential to the cut and the feed was sprocketed).