Why the Simplest Solutions are Generally the Best Read more »
Recreating a Weathered Appearance
Painted advertisements on the sides of old barns are an important part of the history of signage in America. At one time, thousands of barns were painted with ads for tobacco or animal feed. Today, very few of these barn advertisements exist. Most of these old barns have been demolished or fallen into disrepair. Read more »
Estimating Startup Costs
Why would anyone want to start up their own business? Within the first eighteen months over half of small businesses fail. Still, the people who have the guts or are crazy enough to start their own businesses wouldn’t have it any other way. Some just need the freedom. Others believe that they can do it […] Read more »
Getting Past the Gatekeeper
Some time ago, a sign maker wrote me that she was having problems getting past the receptionists and secretaries, who prevented her from speaking with her prospects. Regardless of who you are, your level of industry experience or what you sell, getting past the gatekeeper is one of the most difficult hurdles that any sales […] Read more »
Using Relief Cuts in Woodcarving
For most chip carving projects, you are typically cutting very small chips in a soft wood, such as basswood, butternut or pine. By combining just few basic incised shapes, you can create an array of intricate and beautiful decorative patterns. Read more »
Sealing Basswood Carvings
Some woods are very absorbent. Basswood is one of those woods. Because of its absorbency, it should be sealed before staining. If you don’t seal it, don’t be surprised if some parts of the carving absorb more stain than other parts, resulting in a blotchy appearance. Read more »
Puckering & Tunneling Tape
Tunneling of the application tape off of the release liner can cause sign makers headaches – especially when the graphics are rolled and shipped to a customer across the country. Here’s the problem. If the tape tunnels on the release liner, it can travel over the graphic. When this happens, it is virtually impossible for […] Read more »
Spot Varnish in Sign Design
Commercial printers use a printing technique called spot varnish. It’s a technique that they have used forever. The term refers to a printing a coating of varnish onto selects parts of a design. Usually the varnish is glossy. But it doesn’t have to be. Spot varnish can also be matte or satin. Whether the varnish […] Read more »
Printing with Solvent and Ecosolvent Inks
Solvent and ecosolvent inks allow you to print onto various types of uncoated films, including RTape’s VinylEfx® vinyl print media. As wonderful and easy to use as these print systems are, you must test and evaluate the inks and your printer settings prior to production. Incompatibility between the ink system and the print media could […] Read more »
Removing Vinyl Graphics
Tips For Strippers I would love to tell you that I had an easy way to remove vinyl and adhesive, along with a sure fire formula to make millions in graphics removal. Although I have a few tips to make the removal jobs more trouble-free, they are never easy or fun, rarely profitable and frequently […] Read more »
