I'm making up a few signs for our team registration this winter/spring and we decided on 24" x 36" sign boards. I'm using the corrugated plastic, yellow in color and putting black vinyl on top to create a more eye catching display.
Man it really looks nice! I have a few tweaks to make on the design, having finally seen it as a finished product, but overall it looks really nice.
The biggest issue I had was getting the design on the board straight. It's off just a bit to where you would notice it if you were inspecting it, but not if you were driving by and saw it on the side of the road. (which is where it's going, incidentally).
I have about 5 more to make this weekend, and it shouldn't take more than 2 hours start to finish. I have to say I'm impressed with the results and can't wait to tackle a few more of these things!
I will try to post some pics this weekend when I get them done.
I'm making up a few signs for our team registration this winter/spring and we decided on 24" x 36" sign boards. I'm using the corrugated plastic, yellow in color and putting black vinyl on top to create a more eye catching display.
Man it really looks nice! I have a few tweaks to make on the design, having finally seen it as a finished product, but overall it looks really nice.
The biggest issue I had was getting the design on the board straight. It's off just a bit to where you would notice it if you were inspecting it, but not if you were driving by and saw it on the side of the road. (which is where it's going, incidentally).
I have about 5 more to make this weekend, and it shouldn't take more than 2 hours start to finish. I have to say I'm impressed with the results and can't wait to tackle a few more of these things!
I will try to post some pics this weekend when I get them done.
Bill, just remember, everything has a center. Measure the backside of the sign masking diagonally and make pin hole find the center of the coroplast and do th same. When you lay the sign down match the pen holes.
Theres a couple way to aid centering. First buy some China markers or the Stabilo type pencils. You can make marks on anything and then wipe them away. Now since youre working with a water proof media like CoroPlasti, you can use an application spray. Ill give my homemade recipe if you promise it will stay bewteen you and me . Get a spray bottle (dont go cheap, theyre only $5 anyway) fill to the top of the measurment marks with warm water, add 2 to 3 drops of stanard dishwashing soap and I add a drop MEK to keep the adhesive "gooey". This is only a warm weather spray but if youre doing these indoors, no worries. There isnt enough of anything to mess with the plastic but just enough to allow repostioning. Get a towel and a squeegie so that once your vinyl is in place, you can lightly at first start to squeegie the liquid out from under. Wipe with a towel until you can remove the application tape and still leave the vinyl without too much effort. "Tick marks" are a good method to learn as well. If the surface of the area you are placing the vinyl is ok to mark, you can make marks at the center of your Y and X and do the same on the application tape. Leave about a half inch to app. tape exposed to act as tape to hold the vinyl so you can step back and check your work. Since the App. tape isnt as "stickie", you can repostion as many times as you need to get it right. Once its dead on, grab a corner of the App. tape and peel while squeegying the vinyl down. If youre using printed vinyl, get a Speedball roller, you wont srcatch you work.
I don't mess with all that on such small signs, simply get out a ruler some masking tape and tape the corners up of your transfer tape and move it as may times as you need until you get it straight. Put a little tape across the top and squeegee it down.
I measured the vinyl design, top to bottom, side to side and found the centers. I made little tick marks with a pencil at the centers along all four sides.
I measured the sign blank, making the same marks along all 4 sides and then lined them up that way. Ran a strip of masking tape from top to bottom to act as a hinge, and applied one side, then the other.
Worked fantastically! It was just a slight modification of what Lou suggested, and it was simple.
I'll have to get some pics later this week, the team came and picked up the signs already, before I got to photograph them. LOL They were so happy.
But I do want to thank you, hammered, for the app fluid recipe and info...would that work on vehicle windows as well?
Last edited by billm75; January 27th, 2008 at 03:37 PM.
Reason: Forgot to add something...
All you need to do is create registration marks around your art to line up with the edge of the substrate. Lay the vinyl and peel the registration marks.
check out speedpress.com for applying cut vinyl. add some registration lines to your layout, snap a centerline on your substrate and line up the centerlines and press it on. You'd be able to do those 5 signs in about 1/2 hr.
We also use a big squeegee for applying digital prints with alot of success. mounted 25 prints (24x18) in about 40 minutes... dry, no mask, with zero bubbles
24 minutes labor per sign is not the highway to riches... If there is nothing else going on then it doesn't matter, but when you get busier.... lookout!
Ask yourself... "How am I going to do this if I have to make 50 a day (or 50/hr!)"
The best way I have found to keep the image straight is using a hinge method, Place the already masked vinyl on to coroplast, take a peice of masking tape and run down the center of the work leaving enough room on both ends to attach to sign blank, take a ruler side and top making sure it is centered on the blank, using a flat portion of the letter measure from one end to the other making sure that it is straight across the blank. Attach masking tape. peal back half of sign, squeegee down 1/2 of sign, remove center tape and peal backing squeegee othe side. use same measurements for each side.
Doing my biggest sign job this week. back of a Bekins moving truck. I just need to find a bekins logo that is vectored. Or one that I can make look like it is supposed to. 16" x 78"
have you checked out brands of the world Lou.. either that or get one from the bekins company..
..
Tommorow I have to lay 8 3 ft by 4 ft digital prints for the auto auction.. and do a vans graphics.. I hope it dont rain on me.. while doing that..
Forget application fluid!!!!!!
Mark your straight lines on the masking with a stabelo, mark the coro. Apply lining up on the marks. Sounds like you are figuring it out just fine.
Just did my first 24" x 26" sign...wow 
. Get a spray bottle (dont go cheap, theyre only $5 anyway) fill to the top of the measurment marks with warm water, add 2 to 3 drops of stanard dishwashing soap and I add a drop MEK to keep the adhesive "gooey". This is only a warm weather spray but if youre doing these indoors, no worries. There isnt enough of anything to mess with the plastic but just enough to allow repostioning. Get a towel and a squeegie so that once your vinyl is in place, you can lightly at first start to squeegie the liquid out from under. Wipe with a towel until you can remove the application tape and still leave the vinyl without too much effort. "Tick marks" are a good method to learn as well. If the surface of the area you are placing the vinyl is ok to mark, you can make marks at the center of your Y and X and do the same on the application tape. Leave about a half inch to app. tape exposed to act as tape to hold the vinyl so you can step back and check your work. Since the App. tape isnt as "stickie", you can repostion as many times as you need to get it right. Once its dead on, grab a corner of the App. tape and peel while squeegying the vinyl down. If youre using printed vinyl, get a Speedball roller, you wont srcatch you work.
