Why is it that 80% of the posts are "issues" with digital printers or printing?

[The Blind Signman]

way back when there were no printers ...the days of hand lettering you needed talent and had to use an airbrush gun to create graphics ( I DID) and when the flexi 4 came out (1993) I had to "go with the times" and still then had to use my airbrush graphic skills for"images".....and fast forward....the wallpaper hangers and lawn mowers decided ..i get me one of those expensive digital printers! ( no layout skills required) and when the "Art" and "Graphic Arts" schools realized that "print" media and "computers" are doing all the graphics...they decided to "teach" there students "The Sign Business"....and now we have the digital printers and the problems that come with that

 

[caribmike]

Yup. We were originally a commercial offset printer specializing in forms. Those digital printers transformed my business into a full color operation. No more costly Pressman! Then I learned how to mount vinyl and make banners and signs watching YouTube videos. Along came Direct To Garment digital printing so I started selling shirts. During this 20 year journey, I learned how to be a graphic designer with Adobe software. Don't need a designer anymore!

Now, I don't even have to make ANYTHING and I'm still competitive!

Gotta love technology!

 

[netsol]

we are all surprised that our printers are more complicated than, say, a toaster...

 

[SightLine]

I think a good many are just naive thinking these machines are just as simple to run as their home inkjet printer so buys in thinking this will be an easy business. Then another group who buys older used ones thinking they can buy that 15K+ printer for 2K and start a sign business cheap not realizing that there is a reason that the printer was only 2K.

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

I'm surrounded by used printers I keep running, I just suck at marketing. So, we mostly print small batch and random dumb stuff.

 

[netsol]

i've done this for 40 or 50 years. (fixing this type of equipment as well as many others)
there was a woman who joined signs101 around 5 years ago. she ran a department for a large school system and felt she could buy a decent used printer and move much of her
production in house. i remember suggesting she do what we do with copiers, etc. locate a local servicer who would allow her to put the piece of equipment under contract, so she was
able to manage the repair problems & have a good relationship with a local company. (seemed like a win/win)
WELL THE JOKE WAS ON ME. no one would even discuss a contract with her.
(not long after that i bought a mutoh from a church in dallas fort worth and have discovered that mutoh will not speak to me
i am NOT ALLOWED to purchase a printer except from a mutoh autorized shop....
it is an interesting industry


SMOKE JAGUAR
your mission statement sounds much like my own

 

[Solventinkjet]

There are a lot of rural sign shops that don't have a near by tech and can't afford to fly one across the country to their shop. There are also relatively few techs compared to the amount of printers. Low supply and high demand cause tech prices to be fairly high. A lot of sign shops are started by DIYers who also tend to have skills in other electronics and mechanics so if they can just get their hands on a tech manual or some advice from an experienced tech, they would love to fix it themselves instead. Doing repairs yourself saves a bunch of money but also has more risk. Some people are more willing to take that risk than others.

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

I only charge around a hundred bucks a hour if I have to drive out and just work for tips like a proper ***** when doing phone support. But I am an idiot who likes the job too much.

 

[netsol]

i have a good friend who owns a bunch of radio stations & a video production company
when he bought the first station,, he used to call me and we spent HOURS on the phone talking him through computer problems (like i had done with his video equipment)
i finally wised up and bought a gralab timer with what i always referred to as the "wake the dead" buzzer
when he called i would set the timer for 15 minutes. when the buzzer went off i would say, "wow, it's been 15 minutes, this is a more involved problem than i thought.
would you like me to send henry in the morning, or i can come down myself"?
the buzzer signaled the start of billing event

 

[caribmike]

There are a lot of rural sign shops that don't have a near by tech and can't afford to fly one across the country to their shop. There are also relatively few techs compared to the amount of printers. Low supply and high demand cause tech prices to be fairly high. A lot of sign shops are started by DIYers who also tend to have skills in other electronics and mechanics so if they can just get their hands on a tech manual or some advice from an experienced tech, they would love to fix it themselves instead. Doing repairs yourself saves a bunch of money but also has more risk. Some people are more willing to take that risk than others.

For me, being on a Caribbean island, self help was an economic necessity. The machines are actually pretty easy to fix if you can find YouTube vids and/or access to tech info. Getting parts was never hard. I was always super proud when I could clear a code and get a machine back online myself.

 

[kcollinsdesign]

way back when there were no printers ...the days of hand lettering you needed talent and had to use an airbrush gun to create graphics ( I DID) and when the flexi 4 came out (1993) I had to "go with the times" and still then had to use my airbrush graphic skills for"images".....and fast forward....the wallpaper hangers and lawn mowers decided ..i get me one of those expensive digital printers! ( no layout skills required) and when the "Art" and "Graphic Arts" schools realized that "print" media and "computers" are doing all the graphics...they decided to "teach" there students "The Sign Business"....and now we have the digital printers and the problems that come with that

Why bother trying to keep printers running?
I out source all my production. Here's ten reasons why (I could only think of three "cons").

Pros:
1. Any type of print at any size at any time.
2. Frees up my time to do sales and design
3. No investment in printing technology, repairs, inks and other consumables.
4. Zero space requirement (including HVAC).
5. No inventory and material handling costs.
6. No operator cost.
7. No toxic fumes and expensive air-replacement systems.
8. Significantly less expensive overall (especially when considering overhead) for a small shop typically doing under $1M in annual printing generated sales.
9. Drop shipping, when appropriate, saves transportation costs (for both you and your client).
10. Allows you to invest your resources in installation, service, and maintenance equipment and personnel to service your local market (something that cannot be done on the internet or put in a box and shipped).

Cons:
1. Can't offer instant signs (this could be considered a "pro" as well).
2. May have to wait a few days if you mess something up during installation.
3. Not a good business plan if your goal is to be running a dozen (or more) printers two shifts a day supplying the trade with specialized printing (those are the guys I buy my printing from).

 

[caribmike]

Why bother trying to keep printers running?
I out source all my production. Here's ten reasons why (I could only think of three "cons").

Pros:
1. Any type of print at any size at any time.
2. Frees up my time to do sales and design
3. No investment in printing technology, repairs, inks and other consumables.
4. Zero space requirement (including HVAC).
5. No inventory and material handling costs.
6. No operator cost.
7. No toxic fumes and expensive air-replacement systems.
8. Significantly less expensive overall (especially when considering overhead) for a small shop typically doing under $1M in annual printing generated sales.
9. Drop shipping, when appropriate, saves transportation costs (for both you and your client).
10. Allows you to invest your resources in installation, service, and maintenance equipment and personnel to service your local market (something that cannot be done on the internet or put in a box and shipped).

Cons:
1. Can't offer instant signs (this could be considered a "pro" as well).
2. May have to wait a few days if you mess something up during installation.
3. Not a good business plan if your goal is to be running a dozen (or more) printers two shifts a day supplying the trade with specialized printing (those are the guys I buy my printing from).

I couldn't agree with this post more! Outsourcing everything was the best business decision I've ever made. I worked remotely from Australia for two months this year and used Google Remote Desktop to connect my laptop to my PC back home. T-Mobile was $50/month for unlimited calls and texts. I never missed an order!

 

[netsol]

I'm surrounded by used printers I keep running, I just suck at marketing. So, we mostly print small batch and random dumb stuff.

"random dumb stuff"
now i feel like you are my head to head competitor

i felt like i had a niche

 

[kcollinsdesign]

I couldn't agree with this post more! Outsourcing everything was the best business decision I've ever made. I worked remotely from Australia for two months this year and used Google Remote Desktop to connect my laptop to my PC back home. T-Mobile was $50/month for unlimited calls and texts. I never missed an order!

I have a small shop down the street where we keep our service equipment. The guys work from there, and I can meet customers there. There's an office, a tool room, bathroom, small kitchen, and an efficient flexible space for light assembly (we out source our fabricated structural assemblies) and to stage jobs. There is also a small yard to store service trucks, excavation equipment, trailers, and some materials (mostly rock and small piles of fill dirt and top soil). We also use the yard to store large exterior signs (all out sourced and shipped to us) and things like pipe, structural steel, and treated lumber. We also have two CONEX containers on site for additional storage.

Most of the time I'm working from home, but I can carry my laptop and phone and work from anywhere.

 

[Johnny Best]

I remember shooting squirrels to get new brushes made to paint, we were the printers!

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

Get camel hair brushes, tends to be easier to catch cats than squirrels.

 

[Black Star]

Why bother trying to keep printers running?
I out source all my production. Here's ten reasons why (I could only think of three "cons").

Pros:
1. Any type of print at any size at any time.
2. Frees up my time to do sales and design
3. No investment in printing technology, repairs, inks and other consumables.
4. Zero space requirement (including HVAC).
5. No inventory and material handling costs.
6. No operator cost.
7. No toxic fumes and expensive air-replacement systems.
8. Significantly less expensive overall (especially when considering overhead) for a small shop typically doing under $1M in annual printing generated sales.
9. Drop shipping, when appropriate, saves transportation costs (for both you and your client).
10. Allows you to invest your resources in installation, service, and maintenance equipment and personnel to service your local market (something that cannot be done on the internet or put in a box and shipped).

Cons:
1. Can't offer instant signs (this could be considered a "pro" as well).
2. May have to wait a few days if you mess something up during installation.
3. Not a good business plan if your goal is to be running a dozen (or more) printers two shifts a day supplying the trade with specialized printing (those are the guys I buy my printing from).

Can't disagree with most of this but I take pride knowing that I print my own work. I'm surrounded by others that outsource and my work stands above what they do. I let my customers know that one of those reasons why is that I print what I sell.

 

[Humble PM]

Get camel hair brushes, tends to be easier to catch cats than squirrels.

What?

Camels think we are pets as well?

 

[Smoke_Jaguar]

Camel hair brushes are sometimes made of cat or squirrel hair, not from camel hair. Obscure AF reference.

 

[Humble PM]

Oh, so those long haired North American Tree Rats, that steal the perfectly ripe apples from the trees in the garden have some value?

Maybe I need an air rifle.