OWJones 1,981 Posted March 27, 2013 I am fairly new to sign making and had a question about scrap and layout. I am wondering how much time to spend when trying to save vinyl. For example you are cutting out a sign or wall art that has two or three colors. Some items that are simple I feel comfortable arranging on the vinyl to use the least amount of vinyl possible and place them by hand. What I am not sure about is if the design is more complex is it worth taking the time to measure and align individual words and graphics on a window, sign or wall? I always worry about a portion being crooked or not aligned but hate to waist vinyl that I am just weeding out. I was that way when I started, but after a while you realize that the vinyl is really the lowest cost part of this business/hobby. Unless you are working with high end reflective, or some other expensive vinyl, it's not usually worth the effort. If you're going to make a large quantity of a design, or several designs all at the same time, then it may be worth your time to lay them out to optimize your usage, but remember that you need to leave plenty of room around the design for your app tape, etc - plus if you can cut the liner with square edges it looks a little more professional. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sleeveofwizzard 104 Posted April 16, 2013 JUst realized I don't know if we are we talking about windshields or back windows here? That graphic just looks a little tall for a windshield. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DecalOriented 6 Posted April 16, 2013 Scraps are all profit in my opinion. When I do a job like that I charge enough to pretty much cover the entire section used 3x over. Figure your cost per square inch of vinyl and make sure you're not cutting yourself out. Save your scraps and always dig into them before loading a roll of material. I use some of my scraps to calibrate the colors on my printer as well. You'll find that not considering them lost money will net you a higher profit margin in the end. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jaybyrd 3,770 Posted April 16, 2013 We get around $25 for a windshield banner and whenever possible I get the vinyl from the scrap bins. Still good money when you figure a 3' PC. off a 24" roll can usually do at least 3 banners. Jay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kauffman21 32 Posted May 8, 2013 run your cutter enough and you'll end up with this size scrap you can save and use, I dig through my scraps and complete entire jobs sometimes without ever loading a roll on my cutter. It takes longer, but it saves you a lot of $. same here...all of the time! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
