Hello again!
I just purchased my cutter today and now I'm trying to decide what supplies I need. I have read some poor reviews about signwarehouse but they seem to be the only supplier I can find that carries what I'm looking for.
This is my list so far
Oracle 651 for decals
r tape AT-60 application tape
Any suggestions are welcome, I'm just feeling very overwhelmed as I guess all of you have.
You will need 3 m squeegies .. the gold kind..
xacto knifes..
weeding tools..
I recomend gettting a big squeegee by dale.
umm ill think of some more after i relax.. just home from the shop now lol
I would try Feller's as well I had used Beacon Graphics in the past but will try not to in the future.I would also cruise over to signs101.com and lurk for awhile to learn some more.That site is very prone to flameing so be sure to have some extra skin when posting.
Michelle,
Welcome,
Now lets decide what market you want to sell to so you don’t get more than you need.
What are you going to sell? Signs, banners, stickers, garments, window lettering, ???
Next how are you going to sell? Store front, friends and family know you have a cutter and want stuff, flea market, go in to stores and see if they want work, internet shop?
If you answer some of the questions above we can help you decide what supplies you need.
As far as suppliers:
Fellers
Grimco
Glanze
A tone of suppliers in Chicago
Just do a google on sign supplies
I am not the biggest fan of sw but they are a force in the market and serve a purpose.
I will try to watch this post and help with suggestions if you answer the above questions
Don
My son races BMX and we travel alot to race. My customer base will be the folks we meet at the tracks. I have some shirts that a friend made for me and they went over well the first race, but she's moving and it will be harder to get the shirts from her. (Not to mention my profits will increase doing it myself) With this customer base, there is also a need for jersey letter (individual, teams, etc.), window decals, stickers for helmets, bikes, etc. I already have a website with shopping available for the shirts I have, but I haven't advertised much since I won't be able to meet the demand until I have my equipment and supplies. I also plan on doing shirts for local businesses, sports teams and individuals. I'm really excited about this. It's taken 3 weeks to order my cutter and now I'm ready to get to work. You have all been an amazing wealth of information! Thank you again!
Another thing to remember is that most of the time you can get your supplies In a couple of days where you are, don’t try to stock everything. Invest in good tools that make doing the work easier.
I am a firm believer that if you make a product and sell at least 3 of them the first meet/show you go to then you have a product that is going to sell if you don’t sell any of them then don’t make that product/design again and get rid of the ones you have.
Keep doing this and in no time you will be producing products that sell.
That said…..
Sounds like you need the basic color vinyl’s don’t be shy buy roles not 10 yard pc and just the basic red,blue,green yellow ect.
If you are going to make some signs with the cutter ( bmx bike parking only violators bikes sold on ebay) you will need some sign blanks 12x18 040 aluminum
You did not indicate that you have a tshirt press Do You?
If so get some vinyl to cut and press on to the shirts add some custom stuff for the customer base
Then inkjet transfer paper print and press start small and grow the stuff that sells.
The most important thing is have some fun doing it, life is to short to make everything work….
Don
I am having alot of fun already! Being able to go to these events with my family, make a little money and have a great time doing it is a blast! My first day with the t-shirts, I had 3 designs and sold 4 of one design, 9 of the 2nd and 4 of the 3rd so I called that a successful day for only working about an hour. The only thing I do know is that I will have to make new designs quite frequently, so I won't be making a ton of each. On the plus side if anyone wants an earlier design that I'm out of I can easily make it and ship to them. I don't have a press, but I will have one in the next few days. I plan on playing around with some stickers first just to get the hang of the cutter.
Specialty Graphics is in West Chicago. They have FDC vinyl. application tape, application fluid, etc.
You can get the forum discount when you order from them. They also have apparel films available.
I'm excited about this so I have to mentioned in several places =P.
Just wanted to mention, in case you didn't know, you can request a FREE Oracal vinyl color chart as well as FREE samples of Oracal vinyl at: ORACAL USA
You'll need to register your info, but it's worth it (you don't have to be a business). Mine just arrived in the mail today, and the chart is better than expected! Great to have if you plan on using different Oracal colors, and the vinyl samples come in handy too if you're having trouble choosing the right series for you, or you'd like to see a real vinyl sample of all the Oracal 651 colors.
Some sites try to sell you an Oracal chart, then give you a credit that's good for your next purchase. Totally free from the Oracal website.
Need help choosing supplies! 
Re: Need help choosing supplies! 
