Custom Di-cut decals - Lettering & Graphics

[Afrodeziak]

Making anything you need, boat lettering, graphics, etc. Team stickers, vehicle size, smaller ones.

many colors available (see list)

prices range depending on quantity's size and materials. I can assure you it won't be robbery though.

If you have a design of your own that you want converted, I can do that as well.

Payment via PayPal, Actual shipping costs

Doing this out of my basement, hope I can spread some stoke.

cheers
Brennan


Examples of work done:





more examples

PM for details.

[Afrodeziak]

bump it up

[Afrodeziak]

winter bump

[Afrodeziak]

bumpin' it up.

[macdadmorgan]

Change for a nickle?

[Yooper]

[STANG KILLA SS]

whats the largest width you can cut without splicing?

[Commodore]

1) all I see is little red X's.
2) Might want to consider other options other than paypal. In case you get a guy like me, who wants some decals. But will never ever use Paypal.

[kyle f]

I contacted him and looked at his website. You have to have a certain file type or he charges you to convert it. You can't use Gif or Jpg.

He has no standard sizes for anything, you have to provide all of that to him. As in, if you want to be in the sticker business do some research and have a standard Windshield banner size for lettering so you can give a cost.

The whole set up just sounded like a guy with a printer in his garage. Makes me a little hesitant to order from him over the internet when my money will already be gone before I get to see the quality of work.

[Afrodeziak]

Here's some information to clarify some of the comments above.

Die-cut plotters use vector format, like .eps, (.ai) illustrator, corel, .pdf.
.gif and .jpg are bitmap images which can't be re-sampled without loss of quality of the edges. They are not used in the decal industry, unless being printed onto something.

This means I'd have to run the gif/jpg through my software, convert them to vector, and touch up any lines which look like jagged "pixelated." It's my time, so it's billed slightly into the price of the work. Try taking a .jpg to a sign shop in your home town. They will bill you $20/hr without question for set-up costs, which usually does not even include cost of "graphic design" conversion.

I choose not to have standard sizes for anything. There's no point in calling your work custom, if you only offer specific sizes. I quote based on size, complexity of design, quantity and dimension. All of these play a factor in what you'd pay. If a design is complex, it takes more time to weed excess vinyl from the backing. Sure, someone who does printed stickers, will have a pre-determined price for a 3" x 3", 4" circle, etc, because the cost/amount of work required is standard. For me, it could mean an extra 5 minutes to weed a complex decal. A sign-shop would charge in the same manner.

My typical customers usually have have an idea in mind, I design a mock-up layout and work with them on the design. Every customer needs a certain size, for whatever their intended use.

Yes, my work is done from home, it's a hobbyist side business which I've managed to make work both locally and online. Shops who pay rent, own many machines, etc, have a higher operating cost, therefore your orders cost MORE. My set-up has a smaller overhead, so I am able to consider charging a bit LESS. I have a business number at that, so I have no intent to be shady. There has been many happy customers with a lengthy portfolio of custom work which I've done for people.

I provide design/re-design, cutting and application of vinyl (locally).
Try to find anyone willing to do all three of these jobs for you, without charging through the nose for it.

Anyhow, hopefully that fills in the gaps and the absence of credibility that there seems to have been.

To those who have interest, hit the link below.

Cheers
Brennan

[kyle f]

[b33nine]

[Afrodeziak]

pm'd

[kyle f]

[Dutch]

kyle f, If you're talking about ripping off already made logos of companies, then making the die-cut vinyl is easier. It still requires work though if you don't already have the vector file.

Now, if you're talking about original and custom work then you're in a whole different ball park. Lots of computer work, set up, weeding (depending on complexity), and then backing, etc.

These aren't just predetermined stickers that he's making. Take a look at his gallery and get a feel for what he's doing.

Not sure what business model you're used to but TIME ISN'T CHEAP, unless you're a or employing illegals. Then again, maybe your time is cheap.

You might want to get a clue before you start giving out business advice and telling someone what they should do or how to price their work according to what you think it should require.

[b33nine]

Not to mention that ripping off already made logos would be illegal. I don't think copy right infringement is a very good business plan

kyle f, another thing to keep in mind is that vector files are indefinitely scaleable. You can print it out at 6 inches or 6 feet and still achieve the same results (assuming it is a clean vector file).

Size isn't really the issue once you've converted the file you're wanting, but rather proportions.

[kyle f]

Duh, guys.... Im not saying converting is easy, or quick.... and I never said to not use a vector file.. so whats the your post? All I said was most people are going tofind interesting designs and logos on the internet and they will be .jpg type files.

I just said its the cost of developing and doing business. Instead of looking at it as timeis cheap... once you do something... you haveit in your catalogue. The more times you use it... the price of your time goes down. Maybe, look at it from an investment point of view then. I just think its sketchy at best, because I bet once you send him one... he isn't going to delete it.

[Wakeboarder3780]

[Afrodeziak]

Should I just close my thread and move along? You really don't want me to make a couple of dollars off of my hard work do you?

Your a troll and you know it. Other people have clearly backed my points.

There are vector graphics ALL over the internet. What do you think the design industry is based off of? A format of graphic that can be used for a variety of sizes and formats. ie. pretty well every shirt design, sticker, boat graphic, business logo is a vector format, meaning that it can be scaled from 1:1 to x : x without any loss of quality in a graphic. When it comes to the type of work I do, a fancy design from photoshop simply doesn't work. Tried silkscreening before? It's the exact same process for design.

I've already mentioned www.brandsoftheworld.com to you good sir. To say that you've never seen a .eps, .ai file on the internet is just bad research by yourself.

As mentioned above, if all I did was duplicate company logo's, I'd be in some big sh*t. I might do the odd one to help someone out who is lost and can not find factory replacements, but I can guarantee that 99% of my work is all custom.

When someone approaches me, it is in one of three ways:
1. From a designer who knows that a vinyl plotter is precise and uses files of vector, this even means autocad files. It's an exact representation. If a designer wanted to use .jpg's they'd go to a printer, who prints their design onto a piece of vinyl.

2. A person who has an idea, but no graphic.
I create some mock-ups, 9 times out of 10, it's time out of my own schedule, with no guarantee I'll even get the work.

3. Someone will provide me with an image, but it's a bitmap format like .jpg or .gif. Since these are not "scalable" vectors I have to convert them through Illustrator or Corel Draw. Bitmaps get chunky and jagged when you convert them (unless the original .jpg is high resolution) therefore you need to manually go through and clean up nodes, make jagged lines straight, boxy circles, back into circles, etc. This can be anywhere from 2min to an hour of my time.

For you to assume that because I charge this time into my costs, that I'm ripping people off... well I just don't know what to say.

Of course I keep all of my work. I need it for reference and for whether I need to re-cut in the future. The majority of what I do is custom in design and dimension, thus again 99% of the time no two people want the same thing. I'm not making TAPOUT or Hurley decals here. From my experience young kids are brand whores, they only want decals that are company brands. I typically do not accommodate their requests due to infringement issues.

I'm not sure what business background you have, but to come on a WAKEBOARD forum and try to critique what I am doing is pretty lame. Do you really have nothing better to do with your time? Until you get into the sign industry and put your "business ideas" into practice, you don't have a word of credibility.

Aside from that, threatening to report me to moderators for trying to be a "shop" is pretty lame. If they feel the need to get involved, I really don't mind, as long as you get a taste of your own idiocy. I'm not a store, I don't go to a location and sit all day hoping for vinyl business. It's a side thing, I do it because I like it. Just like you keep replying to this thread because you seem to like it enough to waste peoples time, yet no interest in the actual thread.

Bottom line, I'm resorting to being a keyboard cowboy, as you you really have no interest in purchasing anything from me, so please just walk the other way.

edit: grammar