Full Version: Floor Tiles
From: Sei (SEIMA) [#7]
19 Nov 2004
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#6] 19 Nov 2004
Thanks for the advice, but it looks like it's a no go.
They were looking to spend about $1000 on the project, which translates to $12.35 a square foot. Installed.
Go big spenders.
Sigh.
Sei
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#8]
19 Nov 2004
To: Sei (SEIMA) [#7] 22 Nov 2004
Sei,
May be the good news.
By the way, what kind of equipment do you have?
We may be able to make suggestions for what kind of jobs will lend themselves to what you have.
David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri
DGL Engraving
Port Hueneme, CA
From: UncleSteve [#9]
19 Nov 2004
To: Sei (SEIMA) [#7] 22 Nov 2004
Sei, half the battle is knowing which jobs NOT to accept and this sounds like a good candidate!
They will either get a poor job done or no job done at that price. Either way, you have both learned a good lesson and it didn't cost YOU too much.....
From: Sei (SEIMA) [#10]
22 Nov 2004
To: UncleSteve [#9] 22 Nov 2004
Tell that to my boss... the owners here never turn anything away. It's put me in a spot a couple of times. Luckily I run pretty much independantly of the other departments here, and more or less get left alone.
Not knowing what to turn away gets the vinyl and electrical departments in trouble on a weekly basis. Unfortunately the owners has taken quite an interest in the sublimation equipment I just had his shell our for, and was trying to sell large murals a month before he signed off on the purchase. No bites yet, but it's only a matter of time.
Add to that the attitude, "We have to start dirt cheap to get some showcase pieces out there. Then we can raise prices," and I'd just as soon leave them out of everything. Especially when the numbers come back and they ask me why I'm not making any money.
One month vinyl had $18,000 in discounts and undercharges. But I'm getting off on a tangent...
As far as this project goes, it came directly to me. Good because it means I control production and pricing. My feeling is that, while a challenge, it would be doable, for the right price. I'd ballparked it for them at $5000, or rougly $61 a square foot.
David, as far as my equipment goes we started middle of the road with a Geo Knight press, 14 x 16, and a Epson 1280 system with a bulk system and Artanium inks from Laser Reproductions. Any guidence you can offer is well welcomed. Right now I'm mostly trying to expand on the signage and plaques we already offer.
Thanks,
Sei
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#11]
22 Nov 2004
To: Sei (SEIMA) [#10] 22 Nov 2004
Sei,
Is the 14 x 16 heat press a swing-away model? If not, it would be a clam style. Unless a clam style heat press has a floating bottom platen, which will self-adjust for even pressure across thicker items, pressing tiles may be a bit more difficult. Not impossible.
The 1280, with its 13 x 19 transfer capability will be good for award plaques and indoor signage.
Do you have movie/tv production companies in your area? They'd be interested in quick, colorful signage, as well as plaques for set decoration.
David "The Stunt Engraver" Lavaneri
DGL Engraving
Port Hueneme, CA
EDITED: 22 Nov 2004 by DGL
From: Sei (SEIMA) [#12]
22 Nov 2004
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#11] 22 Nov 2004
David,
It's a clamshell, but so far I haven't had any serious problems with uneven pressure on the thick stuff. Granted I haven't done too much thick stuff (or thin stuff for that matter) yet, but hopefully I'll get the hang of it.
Plaques and signage are the bulk of what I want to do, but every year there's a push to break into gifts around Christmas which never really gets anywhere.
Thanks for the idea with the movie production houses. We have a couple of those in the area as well as a lot of live theaters. Not to mention film classes at the local schools. It's a market I hadn't really considered before.
Thanks,
Sei
From: Doug (JDOUG5170) [#13]
23 Nov 2004
To: Sei (SEIMA) [#12] 23 Nov 2004
In my opinion, the bet advise that we can give you at this point in your venture, is to test and sample all media before you go out and offer to do it. You have to invest some more money in the business in printables, transfer paper, ink, and time.
Obtain samples of a variety of printable product, select a variety of different types of art, vector, bitmap, photos, clip art....learn the different results of different art on the different medias.
Your pricing on the floor tiles looked about right, maybe just a tad low, especially if you're offering the glass tiles, which I feel are the best way to go today.
Good luck on your extension to your business, Have fun!
Doug
From: Sei (SEIMA) [#14]
23 Nov 2004
To: Doug (JDOUG5170) [#13] 23 Nov 2004
Would be nice to be able to do that, but I'm already in trouble for not making any return in 2 weeks. ...while trying to keep everything else going.
Sei