Critique my trailer signage please

Logoworks is the company I'm currently working with at the moment. They made some AWESOME logo's and brochures for my moms company. They offer logos, stationary design, website design, brochures, pretty much the whole 9 yards. Website design is a bit expensive but I promise you, no competion has a website like the one they will make for you. In my eyes you have to spend money to make money! They have made some beautiful looking logos for my company, so clean and very professional. They are probally annoyed cause I went ahead and got the gold package so I have unlimited revisions, so they keep tweaking it until I approve They have very talented artists, just browse through their galleries, most competion in my area doesn't even have a logo and if they do its some cheesy clipart picture. They are gonna be in for a surprise when they see my logo and trailer driving down the road heh. Here's a link to the galleries... http://www.logoworks.com/Logo-design-recent-logos.html Main site http://www.logoworks.com/home.html Good luck!! Sean Paramount Asphalt

WOW At those prices I'll build you whatever kind of web site your heart desires and throw in a few years of hosting and dinner for two at a high-class restaurant. We have built huge web sites for manufacturers etc. for less than their "base" rate. Folks like that may be great at what they do but I'll sure be waiting the see Sean's web site. $1,500 for 5 pages and only 2 revisions ... unbelieveable and up to $3,500 or more... boy do I ever need to go up on my prices...

Just a quick note about websites. I got an email yesterday from a N. Dakota company that owns two chain hotels in a city about 35 miles from here. They found www.robertliles.com on the internet by searching google. They weren't happy with the last re-stripe they got and we are going to waterblast all the loose paint and re-stripe the properties for them. I've said it many times before, but most contractors won't believe how many property owners or managers use google or yahoo instead of the yellow pages. When you are working at the computer, it's easier to do that than thumb through the phone book, especially if you are out of town.

Hey Bob What type of equip are you using for water blasting PSI etc I went to your website and saw the pic of the guy blasting looks like a reg pressure washer. I put out 4000 PSI with mine but have never tried to remove paint stripes? Whats your max PSI and GPM's That guy needs a longer wand so he can save his back LOL Mark G

We have 4 gal/min 4000 psi cold water machines. We don't say we will remove all the paint, just the loose peeling paint. I have a buddy that has a 10,000 psi machine. That one will remove paint from concrete pavement, but it's not very fast. Most of the time we encounter lines that need waterblasting, it's on concrete and one or more coats aren't bonding well. I will be stripping the loose paint at the hotels, that one looks like it was striped with waterbased paint, and the airless machine wouldn't put up enough pressure to get a good line. The paint is peeling in the middle of the lines, looks like it was too thick there and too thin on the edges. Also, the concrete may have been a little too green.

One thing we found that works for us and saves some $$ is to have the vinyl stickers made RTA "ready to apply" and stick them on your self, there is a soap solution that is sprayed on the back of the stickers allowing you to place them exactly where you want, then you use a small special plastic squeegee type of thing to press any air and extra fluid out from behind the sticker. It's very easy to do, and will save some bucks, our trailer would have cost $750 to letter it, but when we did it our selfs it only ran $250 for the stickers. Believe it or not the sign shop we use gave us a bottle of the fluid and a squeegee for free, I guess they are a dime a dozen for them. Just an idea for any do it your selfers...

Asphaltman wrote on Apr 30, 2005:Go to #6

the vinyl stickers made RTA "ready to apply"

that's pre-spaced lettering. Good to have for adding signage to equipmet and stuff. But, if you are putting graphics or lots of lettering on your truck, let the sign shop do it. They have the expertise and tools to do it right. I know how hard it can be to apply lettering. A few years ago, the sign shop I was buying from closed, and I bought the equipment from the bank. I had watched them cut and apply lettering and it looked easy. Found out that messing up and having to re-do gets expensive.

You might want to ask how much more to cut the letters out of reflective material. It's more expensive but they really show up at night... well worth the expense. Mike

You are right Bob, If you have large graphics and such let the sign shop do it. Our trailer is simple, so it was not too bad at all, and your right, equipment with the pre spaced lettering and or smaller logos are a breeze to apply.

I believe it is called "pre-masked". The decal has a backing to peel off the back as well as a sheet on the front, it keeps the words spaced for you and you can draw a line on the trailer etc with a grease pencil so you can see thru the pre-mask to get them on straight.

Thats how it is, I have not heard of pre-masked, but I guess its all the same, our sign shop calls them RTA..

I also helped apply a large decal approx 2' tall and 5' long on a van as well as a few other various sized decals, it was something I would have paid to have done if given the choice again. In the end I would have been happier to pay to have it done and done to my satisfaction, it did not look terrible but could have been better.

Asphaltman wrote on Apr 30, 2005:Go to #6

the sign shop we use gave us a bottle of the fluid and a squeegee for free

The squeegee is basically the same one you use for bondo, and the sign shop gets one free with each roll of vinyl it buys. The "fluid" is water with about five drops of dishwashing soap to a pint. Putting vinyl on is usually easy. From the shop it comes with the original paper backing and "transfer tape" (like semi-clear masking tape) over the letters. You do your layout on the trailer, use masking tape to hang the vinyl in place, spray the trailer liberally with "fluid", peel the paper backing and apply the vinyl. It can be moved while still wet, and when it is just right, use the squeegee to press the water out, starting in the center. Squeegee out any bubbles and keep doing it until all the water is gone. Then you can remove the transfer tape and voile'! The skill part is getting the vinyl to lay flat over the rivets on a trailer......

topkote wrote on Apr 30, 2005:Go to #8

cut the letters out of reflective material

Be careful using reflective materials, as the wrong color may "disappear" on your trailer at night. Check out samples before committing. For example, black reflective turns an odd light bronze with light shining on it, and that washes out at night. Hi intensity sheeting may be too bright to see clearly. And it will be more expensive...

I too agree that it may be better to let the experts install the graphics. They make it look like a piece of cake, but it is very easy to ruin a nice set of graphics. I understand we all like to save $$, but we should stick to what we do best. P.S. If you do your own install, don't get upset when you see the owner of the sign shop painting his parking stall lines with a roller or paint brush.