Nifty Tips - Measurements from your desk

[Texas_Signmaker]

To measure a pole or pylon sign...

To measure a sign on a wall....

To measure vehicles
Get customer to put a dollar bill on the vehicle and take a straight photo. Size up the image in flexi to the dollar bill and everything should be to scale.

With the exception of a vehicle, these methods will not produce exact measurements but will give you enough info to bid. The dollar bill on a vehicle is close enough to trust if all you're doing is cut vinyl graphics.

 

[TimToad]

There are magnetic yard sticks that we place on vehicle sides when photographing them for quoting purposes. Dollar bills are reserved for rolling and snorting meth off the client's rigs.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/MASTER-MAGNETICS-36-in-Flexible-Magnetic-Measure-Tape-96714/203613208

Also, a standard commercial door is 36" wide x 84" tall.

 

[Gino]

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

There are magnetic yard sticks that we place on vehicle sides when photographing them for quoting purposes. Dollar bills are reserved for rolling and snorting meth off the client's rigs.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/MASTER-MAGNETICS-36-in-Flexible-Magnetic-Measure-Tape-96714/203613208

Also, a standard commercial door is 36" wide x 84" tall.

Will you get your mind off drugs for a moment? The glass part is 76 x 30.5. The dollar bill works because customers dont usually walk around with magnetic rulers

You're trying today...but failing. Keep at it though, you might get a moment of clarity.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

You can also download Google Earth and that gives a better version of Satellite view

 

[Evan Gillette]

Quick addition to speed up the sizing in flexi...

1. draw box over sign
2. select box
3. Arrange > resize (CTRL+K)
4. Type in actual width measured from map
5. Check the "apply scale to all" box and click the check mark

A few notes: This will only scale EVERYTHING in the document. Sometimes I do this in a separate flexi file if I am working with a bunch of other designs on the artboard already and then copy past the scaled version in. This is also handy when scaling vehicle templates too.

Hope I just save someone 30 seconds...

Oh and for some locations a great resource is the county assessors gis portal (if they have one), usually the quality is great and there is almost always a measure tool. Just google "county name property information" and there is usually a "view map" link somewhere

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Quick addition to speed up the sizing in flexi...

1. draw box over sign
2. select box
3. Arrange > resize (CTRL+K)
4. Type in actual width measured from map
5. Check the "apply scale to all" box and click the check mark

A few notes: This will only scale EVERYTHING in the document. Sometimes I do this in a separate flexi file if I am working with a bunch of other designs on the artboard already and then copy past the scaled version in. This is also handy when scaling vehicle templates too.

Hope I just save someone 30 seconds...

Oh and for some locations a great resource is the county assessors gis portal (if they have one), usually the quality is great and there is almost always a measure tool. Just google "county name property information" and there is usually a "view map" link somewhere

Thanks!!!

 

[WhiskeyDreamer]

If you stretch out your fingers (like a surfer), this distance between your thumb and pinky finger is roughly seven inches. I've used this for many things other than signs. An old tin knocker taught me this ages ago.

 

[TimToad]

I used to have a wooden yard stick with a hard drive magnet taped to the end. It worked great. Even if you run into something aluminum, odds are you can find a screw to slip a washer onto and use the magnet still.


I think this may be a more individualized tip. That is to say, my pinky to thumb is about 9', two fingers is about 1.25"-1.5"

Yup. Mine is about 8.5" pinky to thumb.

 

[Gino]

 

[AF]

Trumps hand measure by the tariff?

Or are those the hands he uses to slap tariffs about?

Thems be his grabbin’ hands.

 

[WhiskeyDreamer]

I used to have a wooden yard stick with a hard drive magnet taped to the end. It worked great. Even if you run into something aluminum, odds are you can find a screw to slip a washer onto and use the magnet still.


I think this may be a more individualized tip. That is to say, my pinky to thumb is about 9', two fingers is about 1.25"-1.5"

Strange. Everyone I've told this to had the same measurement. You're not supposed to stretch it out as far as you can. It's more relaxed. And apparently, easier to show in person.

 

[TimToad]

Strange. Everyone I've told this to had the same measurement. You're not supposed to stretch it out as far as you can. It's more relaxed. And apparently, easier to show in person.

We're just playing with you a little. If I DON'T stretch them out fully, I can make them fit anything under 8.5" which might affect accuracy.

If we digress too much, the thread Nazi will get his shorts in a bunch.

Bottom line, we and most potential clients have SOMETHING or a set of tools that can be used to provide measurements to help us provide a quote. We present our clients with as many options to work with us as possible. If they want a quote right away and aren't right down the street or can't bring the vehicle to our shop, we instruct them to take some square on photos and overall width and height measurements of the sign, truck, etc. If they can.

In most cases, its enough to give us a good enough idea of what we're quoting on, but we're careful to Qualify our quote as being subject to change once we physically see the object, sign, installation conditions, surface, etc.

MOST are Happy to do so if it speeds up the process and possibly save them money.

 

[untitled]

Have you tried the Spike by Ike? Close enough for flexfaces or estimating material usage. Double checking required for production!

Skip the Spike by Ike and buy the Stanley Smart Measure Pro instead. I think The Spike by Ike is made by Stanley anyway and then marketed to us by our suppliers. I brought it up to one of my supplier's sales guys who was advertising it a lot and they couldn't believe it. They wanted me to bring it in and compare it and it was exactly the same. If I remember correctly, I didn't see them advertising it anymore after that. They still sell it but were not pushing it anymore.

 

[TimToad]

Skip the Spike by Ike and buy the Stanley Smart Measure Pro instead. I think The Spike by Ike is made by Stanley anyway and then marketed to us by our suppliers. I brought it up to one of my supplier's sales guys who was advertising it a lot and they couldn't believe it. They wanted me to bring it in and compare it and it was exactly the same. If I remember correctly, I didn't see them advertising it anymore after that. They still sell it but were not pushing it anymore.

It looks like Stanley has discontinued it.

 

[Gino]

I'd like to know who the thread Nazi is.................. ??

Is this section now considering using derogatory terms and slurs towards other members ?? Or has someone gotten a little carried away with their language ?? ​

 

[JTBoh]

This is my all-time favorite tool for estimating measurements.

https://www.calculatorsoup.com/calculators/math/ratios.php