Banners

[ams]

I hope this is a typo. If you think that 25 banners a year is a decent amount you probably shouldn't be investing in a printer and outsourcing instead.

I've been outsourcing, and it's time for me to have my own. I had another sign company for 3 years, but this new one is only 1 year old, still generating clientele. I don't only do banners, I do vehicles, magnets, aluminum, coroplast, etc. Usually 3 out of 5 jobs need to be printed, sometimes 2 out of 5. So this will be a great help.

 

[HulkSmash]

Yeah I charge $55 an hour, another two other shops in town charge $75 and $90 an hour. I do a decent amount of banners, maybe 25 a year?

25? A Decent Amount?
I'm not so sure 25 a year will justify a cost for a printer.

 

[HulkSmash]

I hope this is a typo. If you think that 25 banners a year is a decent amount you probably shouldn't be investing in a printer and outsourcing instead.

I have to agree with this, i just printed 30 banners this morning.

 

[ams]

I have to agree with this, i just printed 30 banners this morning.

That's great, you're a big sign shop with a list of customers a mile long. I am just a little guy. I am moving up fairly quickly tho.

 

[PromoGuyTy]

Cut vinyl for banners....that's so 1980's...

As far as them being "quality"...please remember folks, that generally, banners are TEMPORARY signage...

As far as your pricing being consider high by some...and cheap by others... that's Exactly where you wanna' be!

Consider Fred's method.

If you're getting almost every job...you're too cheap. If you're getting none, you're too expensive.

Price at "what the market will bear"....assuming it's over your direct and indirect production costs.

 

[visual800]

in my eyes you still have to BUY a blank banner and your better off getting it printed. I no longer cut any vinyl for banners because of this, in this day and age its just uncalled for. blank banners are the same if not more expensive than printed ones.

 

[Jillbeans]

Banners are temporary signs but I do use 13oz hemmed and grommets and Oracal 651.
I only produce cut vinyl banners.
And every once in awhile I actually paint one. (gasp!)
I've even done gold leaf on banners for fancy Letterhead meets.
I don't go into pricing out in the open forum but I will say that I get good money for my banners.
$98 for a 3'x8' cut vinyl banner? Maybe 15 years ago.
Love....Jill

 

[ams]

One additional question. How do you create 2" pole pockets on a banner? A university wanted 80 banners with 2" pole pockets, of course I couldn't do the job, as I don't have the printer yet and they were full color. But wanted to know for the future.

 

[John Butto]

The way banner pricing is today I make more money installing them. Years ago when you could order a banner through Fellers and put cut vinyl on, the price was from anywhere from $6 square to $15 a square as to copy and how many colors. Now you can get complete package from $1.25 square for quantity. I would not like to be running a shop doing 25 banners ($4 square) a year and small signs with just a plotter unless my SS check could cover my expenses and I just needed something to do.

 

[Jillbeans]

You can order custom banners thru USBannerCorp via N Glantz.
(in reference to the pole pocket question)
They make 'em to exact spex.

 

[HulkSmash]

One additional question. How do you create 2" pole pockets on a banner? A university wanted 80 banners with 2" pole pockets, of course I couldn't do the job, as I don't have the printer yet and they were full color. But wanted to know for the future.

You have to hem into the banner at the tops and bottoms. So leave bleed. Also - Why not just sub them out to a Merchant member on here? You could have made a pretty hefty profit

 

[signswi]

Yeah if you're a tiny shop outsourcing should be your bread and butter. 80 banners is a great order I'm sure there was profit room on it after outsourcing costs.

 

[ams]

I don't want to be in the business of outsourcing everything, I'd like to learn and grow and become one of these merchants. I am more interested in learning how to do it for experience and for quick turnaround time. If my customer needs it in 48 hours, I can't order it or ship it off and wait a week.

 

[Mosh]

fold them over and sew them, simple...unless you don't have commercial equipment, them call Fellars...

 

[HulkSmash]

I don't want to be in the business of outsourcing everything, I'd like to learn and grow and become one of these merchants. I am more interested in learning how to do it for experience and for quick turnaround time. If my customer needs it in 48 hours, I can't order it or ship it off and wait a week.

You make no sense!! You said you turned down 80 banners because you dont have the ability to do it, and you REFUSE to outsource a job. So you rather turn away a job, then outsource it? Your business won't grow if you have that frame of mind. You could have easily got those for 1.25 a sqft, and sold them for 5-6 each.

 

[Circleville Signs]

I don't want to be in the business of outsourcing everything, I'd like to learn and grow and become one of these merchants. I am more interested in learning how to do it for experience and for quick turnaround time. If my customer needs it in 48 hours, I can't order it or ship it off and wait a week.

This is one of the dumbest things I have ever read.

So, what you are saying, is that in the interest of learning and growing, you flushed a job that would have put 4 figures into your pocket? Are you on meds?

If your customer needs 80 banners in 48 hours, and you are a 1 man shop, that isn't happening anyways. There are merchant members on here who could have had that job in your hands in 2-3 days, and if your client needs that many, that fast, then you tack on a hefty rush charge.

I'm going to pull a Mosh here real quick. YOU DON'T NEED TO BUY A PRINTER. And if you insist on doing so, please call me when you go out of business in 6 months so I can buy it from you really cheap.

Thanks.

 

[John Butto]

learning process: buy an industrial sewing machine, thread, banner material, printer...am I going to fast, will wait until after lunch and get to the grommet machine...

 

[ams]

STOP ARGUING. Geezzz it's getting to be a pre-school in here.

I am paying $5 per sq ft locally to have printed banners made, which is insane. He can't do 80 banners. The quote was a quick quote for a turn around time of 7 days.

Next it's a bid process, I'd be bidding with like 20 other sign shops. There is a low chance I'd actually get the job. You have to price very low to get contacts.

If I got the job and they don't mind waiting 7 - 10 days for delivery, I would outsource them, no problem. But also I need my SwaM certification to be allowed to bid which is in the process.

Now I want to learn how to do pole pockets for the future when something like this comes up. I know how to hem banners, easy, but trying to add a pole pocket I've never done and never seen done. I thought this forum would be helpful and link me to a tutorial or something, but I guess I will have to find it myself.

 

[John Butto]

lunch over, open up your computer and google "sewing pole pockets" and it will give you a lot of information, howsthat.

 

[Circleville Signs]

Arguing? Really? You come into a forum of sign professionals, the vast majority of which have learned their craft over many years, from apprenticing on up, and when you are given good advice, you scoff at it and say non-sensical things. Then you have the gall to get huffy when you are called out on it?

Give me a break!

I'd tell you that you are MASSIVELY overpaying for your digital prints, but it would fall on deaf ears. Good luck, and like I said - when you go out of business in 6 months hit me up - I'll be interested in buying your printer...