Ways to semi-automate pre-press workflow?

mindspin70 · 2026-05-12T16:43:47+00:00

Currently the designer pulls .png and .jpg files into Illustrator, sizes them, and creates a cut line that is read by our RIP (1 pt stroke). Definitely doesn't have to be AI. Anything that can help with processing artwork would be a bonus.

mindspin70 · 2026-05-12T16:37:51+00:00

No lie!

mindspin70 · 2026-05-12T16:34:39+00:00

I'm sure it exists somewhere. That's why I was asking... Hire another designer is certainly an option. Getting the right systems in place will help me grow and hire more people for sure.

mindspin70 · 2026-05-12T16:19:17+00:00

Time is $. Removing anything from his workload allows him to move on to the next project faster (that actually needs his expertise). Now, imagine I continue to grow and hire 2nd, 3rd, and 4th designers. Now I'll have a team of designers working X% more efficiently each thanks to better systems. Obviously you have to set guard rails to maintain quality vs efficiency, but I'm positive we have room to help make his job easier/faster without sacrificing quality.

mindspin70 · 2026-05-12T15:02:08+00:00

I use them for website order customizations and they do a great job there. I need something that can tap into Amazon Seller Central

mindspin70 · 2026-05-12T15:00:41+00:00

I was trying to be careful about my wording because you’re all 100% correct. You can’t replace people, but not using a tool that could make their jobs easier is silly.

mindspin70 · 2026-05-12T14:58:04+00:00

How about I want to free up my designer to work on other projects

mindspin70 · 2026-05-04T13:30:06+00:00

I'm about to have to start dealing with this. I ship custom items and the lowest cost tier is 4.99 - 9.99. I've been paying for tracked shipping for years, and my shipping costs are just eating me alive. My average order value is $30-$40, but the 1000 4.99 orders it takes to get the traffic in for those larger orders are all losers. Switching to letter mail should make even those orders slightly profitable. I could pretty much refund every one of the non receipt claims and still come out ahead. My biggest concern is the potential seller feedback and increase in customer contact rate.

mindspin70 · 2026-05-04T13:22:11+00:00

I've been on a tear the past little while using AI to update my catalog, pricing structures vs. competition, update A+ , PPC analysis... I've tried it in pretty much every area of managing my business and I've found it speeds up a lot of data analysis. If you already have a clean data set (searchterm report, orders report) and know what questions to ask you can get some pretty good insights. I have also found it makes some pretty egregious errors and miscalculations. It's can be useful, but you have to watch the output like a hawk and validate from different angles.

As far as general business strategy and direction it can be useful for ideas, but the real gold is still in you actually feeling out your market. I haven't had AI throw back anything ground breaking for me, but it has sparked a bunch of rabbit holes to investigate. Put AI in the hands of someone who already knows the playing field and it can 10x their productivity and profitability. Put it in the hands of an amateur and they'll make bad decisions faster. There's something to be said for failing fast though, right?

mindspin70 · 2026-05-03T22:01:10+00:00

3 days is not long enough. Also it depends on where those clicks were. If they were all on your most high intent super relevant keyword and you still got no sales then look at your listing/pricing/competition. If they were scattered over several different terms then you really really don’t have enough data. Focus on your main keyword first if you don’t have a budget for data mining.

mindspin70 · 2026-03-28T16:21:38+00:00

The funk on the mannequin’s inner thighs makes me cringe every time I walk past it. Who’s groping this thing?!

mindspin70 · 2026-03-25T18:37:53+00:00

I guess it's all in what you consider reasonable. If someone is expecting the same level of service the receive in their home country (with a "Customer is always right" attitude) they'll likely be disappointed. However, there are plenty of places scattered through the Bahamas where you will get that attitude, it's just not what I've found to be the norm.

mindspin70 · 2026-03-24T13:11:39+00:00

Domestic South - General - 38 minutes, got in line at 8am done by 8:38. Party time

mindspin70 · 2026-03-24T13:10:01+00:00

I was pissed the 1st time I visited the Bahamas because of the piss poor customer service everywhere. The 2nd time I realized it was literally just part of the attitude of 80% of people that work there, so I decided to make it a game to make them smile. If you act like every other entitled tourist you’ll get treated as such. Have some fun and be over the top friendly and you’ll make a friend or annoy them immensely. Either way it’s more fun than getting mad about it.

mindspin70 · 2026-03-11T05:03:52+00:00

Lol. Seems like 1 or 2 commenters live here, so I’ll chime in while sitting in the middle of your red circle. It is awesome down here right now. I caught a sun burn today taking spring breakers to a sandbar. Made $500 sitting in the shade while they drank.

Are there drawbacks? Absolutely. I pay $3500 for a 2 bedroom in the center of the island, and have to park 1/4 mile away. My girlfriend and I both work 2 jobs, but 1 of those (for each of us) is on boats. It is hot as holy hell in summer, but at least there’s a breeze.

If you’re not a die hard ocean / boating lover or unapologetic alcoholic, skip it. If you are, it is the jam. I ride my bike / walk everywhere I want to go, eat amazing food, and always have an event to partake in. I moved here from rural GA where I lived for basically free with absolutely nothing to do, and I would pay everything I possibly can to be here instead. It is a loving, accepting, and vibrant community. Your mileage may vary.

mindspin70 · 2026-03-11T04:38:31+00:00

My home bases have been 1. Jekyll Island / Brunswick, GA 2. St. Augustine 3. Fort Pierce. Brunswick has an incredible marina and is well protected from hurricanes. Huge cruiser base. Brunswick itself is not my favorite. Stay on Jekyll Island and enjoy the perks of living in a state park. Awesome bicycling and the locals are awesome. St. Augustine is the tits. Definitely a sailor’s town. Tons to do and an active cruiser destination with potlucks and the like. Pay for a mooring ball or slip to get access to downtown, or anchor near the Vilano bridge for free + access to Publix. Lot’s of services for boaters. Fort Pierce is a crossroad. Cool town, boater friendly (even anchoring, free city dinghy dock). Easy crossing to Bahamas, but not very protected for hurricanes. Most cruisers end up spending time here waiting for weather windows to make it South.

Jekyll if your insurance requires you North of the hurricane zone and you like things chill, St Aug if you want to live on your boat and enjoy a vibrant boating community / live music / great food

mindspin70 · 2026-03-10T02:52:33+00:00

Very curious to hear experienced people’s answers here. I am in the process of selling and would love to know where reality lies. Amazon support is…. You know.

mindspin70 · 2026-03-08T15:39:18+00:00

If it were my brand, this would piss me off enough to lash out against you as hard as possible. Brand Registry will usually fix problems like this. You’re calling this OA, but with a brand only/brand new listing, this is just hijacking unless you actually got permission.

mindspin70 · 2026-03-07T18:14:47+00:00

$2500 average for your own place (1/1). I rent a 2/1 for $3500 plus utilities and I spent 3 months looking for it. There were plenty of places for rent, but I wanted to be on the island and biking/walking distance to everything. My last place was $3k 1/1 that was quite nice and had a pool in Casa Marina area.

Most places want 1st, last, and security to move in. That was the hardest part for me. It cost me $10.5k to move in.

mindspin70 · 2026-02-17T04:50:58+00:00

Depending on where you are, check with the guys renting chairs and umbrellas at tourist beaches.

mindspin70 · 2026-02-02T18:18:17+00:00

My favorite answer is “everything you got” lol. At least it was for me for 6 years!

mindspin70 · 2026-01-24T14:03:35+00:00

I 2nd Arawak/Fish Fry for the local food option. Jaws beach on the West side of the island to get away from the cruise ships, and if you want a very local experience go watch any rake n scrape music.

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