signcraft

Tips & Tricks: More help on vinyl removal

I just read Brad Getter’s excellent article on vinyl removal. Vinyl may be quicker to put on than paint, but getting it off—oy… Read More

Letters June 2021

Often sign makers are called on for projects that are a little outside the realm of general commercial sign work—like giant Oreo cookies… Read More

Profile: Laura Walker

Shop name: Laura’s Custom Artworks Shop size: 2500 sq. ft. Graphics equipment: Gerber Omega design software Gerber GSX cutter Roland SG-300 printer Gerber… Read More

Stripes & Graphics: What’s on your tailgate?

For most people, a tailgate is a way to keep things from falling out of the bed of a pickup truck. For Bill… Read More

Tips & Tricks: Successful vehicle graphic installation

When cleaning a vehicle, I start by washing the graphics area with auto windshield cleaner, which will not freeze, with a half-cup of… Read More

Tips & Tricks: Dealing with an ineffective customer-provided design

It’s always tough to try to change someone’s design, even if you know it’s terrible. I’m not a designer, but I’ve owned a… Read More

Tips & Tricks: Vinyl removal with a razor scraper

I’ve removed a lot of vinyl film over the years and can speak to the fact that it is not a pleasant task…. Read More

Tips & Tricks: Show customers the color possibilities for pinstriping

Color is a critical factor in pinstriping, and it can be hard for some customers to express what color they like and don’t… Read More

Profile: Jason Chapin

Shop name: Purifeyed Branding & Design City: Davison, Michigan Graphics equipment: 49-in. Gerber Odyssey cutter Gerber HS 15 cutter Gerber Edge 2 printer… Read More

Video: Get more life from those ink cartridges

Ever wish you could wring a little more ink out of those ink cartridges in your large format printer? Redgie Adams and Jon… Read More

Six ways to get the most out of a plain vanilla truck

Not another white pickup! The traditional work truck or van is almost inevitably white. Coming up with ways to avoid a generic look… Read More

Design & Price: 3-by-12-ft. banner

In every issue, SignCraft gives a few sign makers an imaginary project. We asked them to do a sketch of the sign they… Read More

Time tracking makes estimating and pricing easier

Tracking what it costs you to produce a sign—the time and materials involved—provides essential information that you need for pricing and estimating, and… Read More

How we made it: Graphics for a nature center

Sometimes a single creative project can call on a sign maker to use a multitude of their fabrication skills. Redgie Adams and Jon… Read More

Ray and Rose Grossi paint a wall sign

A wall sign or mural is one of the most unique forms of street advertising. They’re big, and when well designed, they make… Read More

Stripes & Graphics: Cool lines for cool carts

At 19, Chris Palmateer was a young pinstriper in the Tampa Bay area, picking up jobs at auto body shops. There were several… Read More

Fine tuning a basic sign layout

In the recent tip, “Compress with Care,” we talked about—and showed—how excessive condensing can make a typeface harder to read. Using a condensed… Read More

Profile: Stu and Chris Dobell

We first featured the work of these two well-known Aussie sign painters in our November/December 2009 issue. Take a look at their outstanding… Read More

Profile: Rick and Megan Sacks

Shop name: The Sign Shop Shop: 2400 sq. ft. Graphics equipment: Graphtec cutter Flexisign Pro Online: www.mendosign.com Facebook: MendoSign Fifty years is a… Read More

Signs by Van

Age: Phil, 68 and Jeremy, 39Shop: 4000 sq. ft. Staff: Nine Graphics equipment/software: SCM 5 x 12 five-axis router Vectric Aspire and Fusion… Read More