Short Rolls?

[Slamdunkpro]

Anyone ever actually measured a roll of banner (or any media for that matter)? I opened a roll of 164' banner yesterday and ran 4 4 foot banners, 1 9 foot banner and 1 15 foot banner. By my count I should have had 124 feet of banner left on the spool (116 - 120 with cutoffs). I had to run 2 27 footers and 2 21 footers today (96 feet) and the roll ran out 4 feet from the end of the last banner . By my count that makes this roll at least 10 feet short. This is not the first time, nor the first media I've experienced this with.

I've spoken with multiple vendors and manufacturer's reps and I always get the same answers "We don't measure it we weight it" and "You must have miscalculated". "You need to tell us your roll is short before you use it (huh??)"

How do you know that your 75', 100', 150', 164' roll is what they say it is without unspooling every damn roll? If a manufacturer is shorting every roll 8% that really adds up over time.

 

[GypsyGraphics]

There have been times when I've felt certain a roll was short, but like you, by the time I'm questioning it, most of the roll has been used already.

What the hell kind of answer is "we don't measure it, we weight it." We're not buying this stuff by weight.

 

[StopSignGraphics]

I've felt your pain. At the old job we ran a ton of banner. Every manufacturer tended to have a short roll now and then, especially when it was over 100' wide and especially when it was cheaper banner material. I was told the same thing that it was weighed and not measured. Personally that just doesn't seem to be accurate but what can you do? You would expect that you would occasionally get a roll that was a little long but I can only think of a couple of times that may have happened in twelve years.

Ultraflex seemed to be more consistent in my experience but they tended to cost a little more on their banner.

 

[jscarl]

An older merchant taught me several years ago to take a felt pen and write on the side of the box, the new footage. Each time i used material, (banner or vinyl) to subtract it from the number on the box. This gives me a running total of how much stock is left on a roll inside the box. Therefore you will know if you are shorted. I too had this problem before. After showing the merchant the box, and anount left, i received a roll at no charge. I think it was the mfg that goofed, but the merchant was rewarded with several years of service.

 

[DRamm76]

Just out of curiousity, have you experienced this with more than one manufacturer? If you don't want to disclose the info publically, shoot me a PM, I'd love to know which brand you're having issues with?

 

[wildindian]

Someone posted a formula for determining the amount of material on a roll. Anyone have a link?

 

[signage]

Wildindian try searching for inventory!

Here you go for a link to a calculator!

 

[Slamdunkpro]

Just out of curiousity, have you experienced this with more than one manufacturer?

I've noticed it across several manufacturers both print media and laminates. There is one "specialty" brand that I'll never use again because I'm convinced that they routinely short their rolls.

What's irritating is that you buy 164' of banner, anymore the first 4-6 feet is usually trash (sometimes more) as is the last 4 feet or so, and now you can't trust that the roll isn't short by 10 - 15 feet. My 164' roll is now effectively a 130 foot roll. When you're running quantities of 25' banners it's pretty easy to tell that a roll is short when you only get 5 1/2 banners out before the roll ends.

 

[phototec]

formula for determining the amount of material on a roll

Someone posted a formula for determining the amount of material on a roll. Anyone have a link?

Here is a formula that I reveived from a member on this fourm when I asked:

(pi*outer_diameter-pi*core_diameter)/media_and_backing_thickness

And for those educated in public schools pi=3.14159265...


BTW: It works great!

 

[Just Another Sign Guy]

not banner material but vinyl i have counted and checked literally hundreds if not thousands of rolls when i sold sign supplies. the shop i was at would sell by the yard and at anytime anyone was in the store and a customer came in it didnt matter who you were from the VP of the company down you went and rolled off vinyl. the only time i ever encountered a short roll was from us being lazy and not writing down what we had rolled off correctly (or just not writing it down at all) or from people giving the customer more material than they ordered...i did however find a high percentage of rolls that had between 2-6yrds of additional material on the roll from both arlon, 3m, and gerber brand materials.

 

[signage]

If you click on the link I provided (post #7) above all you need to do is measure the core Diameter, the material diameter and enter the thickness and it will give you the length!