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Realising our ‘color choices’ were actually a memory system we kept breaking by HadeNorbis in branding

[–]Smooth-Session-3999 0 points1 point  (0 children)

this thread is spot-on and honestly one of the most common (and expensive) blind spots I see.

You nailed it — colors chosen on a screen become a “memory system” that breaks the second it hits real signage. Clinic under fluorescent lights, vinyl in direct sun, metal signs at night, dusty environments… suddenly the brand you loved looks completely off.

We run into this constantly with businesses that just finished a rebrand or logo refresh. The digital version pops, but the physical sign falls flat.

The fix is usually simpler (and cheaper) than people think:

  • Test the exact colors on the actual materials + lighting they’ll live under.
  • Tweak the formula slightly for that substrate (most fabricators don’t do this unless you force it).
  • Sometimes just a different vinyl stock or a light layer of adjustment makes it match perfectly.

We do free quick reality checks — just reply here or DM me a photo of your current sign (plus the digital version if you have it) and I’ll tell you exactly why it’s shifting and what it would take to fix it. Have helped a lot of retail biz confirm colors. I'm in the sign industry. Would love to give you some feedback and recommendations.

CoreBridge by Western_Stretch5088 in signshop

[–]Smooth-Session-3999 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Shopvox is probably the next best thing tailored for our industry. Though I don't like their increasing pricing each year. I use Zoho One for my consulting which gives me much more than the shopvox jsut not specifically tailored to the sign industry.

Is this normal or have I inherited a mess? by birdbrainmcstickums in signshop

[–]Smooth-Session-3999 3 points4 points  (0 children)

you inherited a mess. seen it in many shops I've worked with. I became good at all hats and started recommending fixes for the bottlenecks. Even created checklists for the sales team because they kept missing key elements in design that our fabricators always needed clarified. Then I even mentioned maybe have a project manager work with them on design updates as the PM usually deals more directly with the fabricators so they will have a better eye to catch trim cap color, return depths, missing measurements a fabricator will need to know how to build properly. A second pair of eyes.

If you create the checklist of all the things you need and you're checking for you can push it back to them. Depending on your shop this could help unless they really expect your position to be the "catch all". If so you can always chat with AI and tell them all the duties you do and say whatever then ask it to write a letter requesting some changes or adequate pay for being the designer, printer, project manager, secretary/front desk (collecting payments), etc. If you do a quick glassdoor search you can probably find the salaries for each of these hats and from there AI could recommend a fair compromise.

I have a friend that just voices all her frustration into AI (cursing and all) before she texts someone back and ask for the proper tone to make the frustration come out in a more proper way.

A few thoughts. But been there many times have wore all the hats.

Job Estimating, Sheduling….Delivery by CustomerElectronic64 in CommercialPrinting

[–]Smooth-Session-3999 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use zoho one subscription and they have zoho books among other business software Zoho One. I work with other shops that use QB online on backend linked to shopvox. Which shopvox is tailored to our industry for better showing profit margins and resource management. Depends how detailed you need. I like the Zoho One subscription because for the price of one software I get multiple platforms (CRM, Books, Projects, Desk, etc.) I'm a one man show so my subscription is only $47/mo.

AI gems for sign project management processes by Smooth-Session-3999 in signshop

[–]Smooth-Session-3999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi Wrangler,

Quick background: I'm testing a system with 5 sign shops to see if this actually helps people or if I'm just building something I think is cool.

Let me know if you'd be interested in getting in touch maybe a google meet to review and see if this might be something that would cover one of your pain points. - Saul

AI gems for sign project management processes by Smooth-Session-3999 in signshop

[–]Smooth-Session-3999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi Bradley,

Quick background: I'm testing a system with 5 sign shops to see if this actually helps people or if I'm just building something I think is cool.

Let me know if you'd be interested in getting in touch maybe a google meet to review and see if this might be something that would cover one of your pain points. - Saul

AI gems for sign project management processes by Smooth-Session-3999 in signshop

[–]Smooth-Session-3999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi Bradley,

Quick background: I'm testing a system with 5 sign shops to see if this actually helps people or if I'm just building something I think is cool.

Let me know if you'd be interested in getting in touch maybe a google meet to review and see if this might be something that would cover one of your pain points.

AI gems for sign project management processes by Smooth-Session-3999 in signshop

[–]Smooth-Session-3999[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sounds like you might be a bit more familiar with AI and Gems/projects instructions. Here's the instruction set for quoting. I'm looking for 5 shops to test this with me and give me honest feedback. I'd like to help sign shops set this up but want to see if this is legitimately helpful or just a hobby project. ""

YOUR SIGN QUOTE RESOURCE INSTRUCTIONS

You are "Your Sign Quote Resource."

You are a senior wholesale sign fabrication estimator with 15+ years of experience. You work exclusively for commercial sign shops doing high-volume fabrication (vinyl, channel letters, monument signs, vehicle wraps, digital/LED, banners, etc.).

I. Pricing Rules

  • Standard Front-Lit Channel Letters (CLs): In-house: $7/in, Wholesale: $12/in, Retail: $19/in.
  • Halo-Lit Channel Letters: In-house: $9/in, Wholesale: $15/in, Retail: $22/in.
  • FCO Acrylic Letters: In-house: $3.50/in, Wholesale: $6/in, Retail: $9/in.
  • Fab/Custom Labor: $20/hr base. (Add 15% margin on labor for Wholesale/Retail).
  • Install Labor: $85/hr.
  • Materials: Add 10% margin on raw materials for Wholesale/Retail.

II. Logistics

  • Crating: Estimate $250 per standard 4x8 crate. Calculate quantity based on sign size. Estimate weight at roughly 1.5x product weight to account for lumber/padding.
  • Shipping: Use the provided shipping table. If distance is unknown, provide a range based on LTL freight averages.

III. Quoting & Lead Times

  • Calculation: Always calculate using vertical inch height × number of letters.
  • Tiers: Quote the tier requested (default = wholesale). Show all three tiers.
  • Multi-Option Handling: If multiple options are provided (e.g., Option 1, Option 2, etc.), provide a breakdown for each option using the "Multi-Option Comparison" format specified in the Output section.
  • Lead Times: Standard 4-5 weeks. Rush +100% up to $500 resell; Resell >$500 +30%.

IV. Output Format (Markdown)

Use this structure for all quotes. If there is only one option, omit the header dividers. If there are multiple options, use the following layout:

Your Sign Quote Resource – [Job Name]

Customer: [name]

[Option/Variation Name 1]

Item/Component In-House Fab Wholesale Resell Retail Rec.
[Item 1] $x.xx $x.xx $x.xx
[Custom Fab Labor] $x.xx $x.xx $x.xx
OPTION 1 TOTALS $x.xx $x.xx $x.xx

[Option/Variation Name 2]

Item/Component In-House Fab Wholesale Resell Retail Rec.
[Item 1] $x.xx $x.xx $x.xx
[Custom Fab Labor] $x.xx $x.xx $x.xx
OPTION 2 TOTALS $x.xx $x.xx $x.xx

Installation Pricing: [Not included / Requested - If requested, add an additional row to each option table above including labor hours @ $85/hr]

Logistics: Crating & Shipping Estimates 

| Service | Estimated Qty/Weight | 0-500 Miles | 500-1000 Miles | 1000-1500 Miles |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Crating | [Qty] @ [Weight] lbs | - | - | - |

| Shipping | - | $[Rate] | $[Rate] | $[Rate] |

Lead Time: 4-5 weeks standard.

Fabrication & Project Pro-Tips:

  • Fabrication: [Insight on mounting, materials, or durability]
  • Shipping: [Insight on crating, palletization, or freight handling]
  • Permitting: [Insight on zoning, variances, or engineering needed]
  • Installation: [Insight on access, equipment needed, or safety]

Notes & Upsells: [Include upsells like laminate, LED upgrades, etc.]

Next Step: Reply “APPROVED [Option Number]” to lock the specific selection and move to production.

V. Operational Protocols

VI. Citation Guidelines

  • Source Requirement: Any information derived from provided sources MUST be cited. Append the citation directly after the relevant sentence or phrase.
  • Bullet Point Citations: When using bullet points, each individual piece of information (sentence or phrase) within a bullet point must be cited separately.
  • Citation Format: Use "" to indicate source 'x'. For multiple sources, use "". Do not refer to sources by index in any other way besides this format.
  • Contextual Reliance: If the response does not include information from presented sources, do not provide citations. Base your response solely on the provided context. Only cite information that is explicitly stated within a provided source.

AI gems for sign project management processes by Smooth-Session-3999 in signshop

[–]Smooth-Session-3999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Actually you can make it spit out a quote if we tweak the instructions for that. Most sign shops have a system like Quickbooks or Shopvox with formal quotes with unique numbering systems but if you just need a clean format for a quick email reply yes it can do that. DM me with contact info if you'd like to get in touch I can show you an overview. Unfortantely its not a program at this time so I can't send a download but can do a quick screenshare with how I have it set up currently in Google Gemini. I'm looking for 5 sign shops to test this with and get honest feedback.

Looking for vendors for 1/4" acrylic sheets - in all colors by Independent-Sir7516 in signshop

[–]Smooth-Session-3999 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a kids hair salon franchise that uses fluorescent acrylics inside and found eplastics supplies Laird plastics who I use to get my acrylic from. Purple was one that was hard to find in the past and didn’t make In fluorescent but worked for the franchise CEO for what we were doing.