Sign Lady

I love this site! If you want the TRUTH about something, this is the place to get it. If you need advice, this is the place to get it. It is my number one go to place when I want to get the scoop on something and not have to question the truthfulness of it. The collective knowledge of the sign business that is on this site is the best you will find anywhere. If you don't know the answer to something, post a question on here, and I can assure you somebody here has either done it or had it done to them, and can give you the answer.

Roland - It prints the most beautiful metallic colors (521 profiles already made & you can make your own profiles) so the possibilities are endless. The white ink makes photos and things just pop. It is an awesome machine. We had the HP prior to this one, and this one is miles better! If you need something printed with shiny metallic, give me a buzz.

Just an FYI guys & gals. We have our new printer installed. It prints metallic & white inks, so if you need anything printed with metallic colors, give me a call or e-mail me.

Thanks SS for trying to get the truth. We did a relocation of some channel letters last week that had part LED and part Neon and the LED was very poorly installed in it, in a Mall. The LED did not even show up well inside a Mall while the Neon was very bright as you would expect. I can't imagine what it would have looked like outside. We also got pricing to retrofit a sign for a customer a few months ago from Neon to LED and the difference in cost was astounding. There is absolutely no way, given the costs we were given for just the LED (and you are exactly right, not even taking labor into consideration), that ANYONE could get a 2 1/2 to 3 year ROI. No way. Like you said, they may be able to fool the poor unsuspecting end user, but those of us that have been in the business for any length of time at all know better. What is most sad is it leaves those of us that do know better to fight the battle of bad rep with the end users that others give our industry by making false claims.

I really appreciate it - my husband had a stroke last year & I can't make the trip alone and don't have anybody else to make the trip with me, and I really don't want to put over 1,000 miles on either of the trucks. That's the reason I am having to have it done this way. Thanks! Angie

I am in desperate need to get a bucket truck from Darlington SC to Dallas Texas & one from the delivery point in Dallas Texas back to Darlington SC. The truck in Darlington is 9' 8" tall & 21' 4" long & the truck in Texas is 10' 9" tall & 24' long. If any of you have, or know anyone that has a low boy trailer that would be willing to do this for me, PLEASE contact me. E-mail signsplus2@aol.com The truck in Texas can be picked up first if that will help. Doesn't matter which order - I just need it done as quickly as possible. Thanks Angie

I have a bucket truck in Darlington South Carolina to get to Dallas Texas (the truck with the decals on it) and a bucket truck at the location in Dallas Texas to get back to me in Darlington South Carolina - (the truck with no decals on it). Do any of you know anyone with a low boy trailer that would be interested in doing this for me?? The truck in Darlington is 9' 8" tall and 21' 4" long and the truck in Texas is 10' 9" tall and 24' long - I have attached photos of both trucks - I am in DESPERATE need to have this done right away. The truck in Texas can be picked up first if you are in Texas. Thank You Angie

I do a bunch of installs for Edward Jones for Fast Signs National Accounts division

I just spoke to a nice lady at General Sign. When she answered the phone this morning I just assumed the rumor was not true. Well this time I spoke with her, and she said they are indeed closed. They worked on the 18th and came to work on the 21st just to "close things out". She is just there closing things out. It is horrible a sign company the size of General couldn't make it. Really scary actually.

I just called General Sign and someone answered the phone. Do I have the wrong General Sign?

I really hate to hear this. There were some great folks at General. There are some great folks in this area falling to the same fate. If we have a double dip recession like they are talking about even more will go out that way, sad to say. We all need to pull together as a community and help each other as much as we can. I know at the end of the day we are all competitors, but if we band together hopefully we can come through on the other side stronger.

I believe in hard work, and that is what has kept our doors open, even through last year, which was the worst year in our business' history. My husband had a stroke, and the recession on top of that almost did us in, and would have if not for hard work. They are dropping like flies around here too. I surely hope that 2010 will be a better year for all of us!

Anybody know who to get in touch with regarding install for these??

Does the Manufacturer have to be in Chicago? What would the volume be?

I thought UL was the only listing company. What other companies are there?? UL has always been too expensive for the small guys to be able to afford. I have never been able to afford it. ETL - Electrical Testing Laboratories has been around even longer than UL. I've seen several signs listed by them. Oldest NRTL in the US I believe. CSA - similar to UL. There are others. BTW, can anyone confirm to me a jurisdiction is actually mandating UL??? There is nothing in the electrical code that specifies UL. "Listed" - yes. Listed means certified by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL). Even recommending a specific laboratory like UL would be illegal I'd think in any possible case. I have NEVER heard of a city actually mandating UL. Listing on the other hand, has been required for decades for everything from electrical sockets to furnaces. That's what a NRTL does. It's supposed to be an unbiased independent testing facility for product safety. And if UL is now becoming a source of training, that's a sad state of the industry. I don't see how they could remain an independent testing facility if they are now the one's doing the training. John I have had only one City that mandated UL. It is stated in their App that it has to be a UL listed sign. It was one I was working in last year. I can't remember which City it was, but they definitely said they would not accept anything but UL. I had to have my sign manufactured by someone that had a UL listing. I will have to go back through my jobs files for last year, because I remember making notes about it in the file, but it won't come to me off the top of my head this morning. When they said that I thought to myself that they were the only ones that had ever said that, and wondered why. I had never had that problem until that one job. If all of us stand together and use someone else, UL may get the hint and drop their pricing so even a small shop like mine could afford it .....??

I thought UL was the only listing company. What other companies are there?? UL has always been too expensive for the small guys to be able to afford. I have never been able to afford it.

Its obvious that this restaurant is not a viable business. Dont waste your time worrying about non-viable businesses. We have people in this area doing signs for beans. This country is being populated by third world immigrants that will never even try to come up to our standards. It is in fact a viable business, it has been in business over 9 years and is a high volume establishment. Why would anyone not be concerned about the safty of human life , even if it was a hole in the wall dive, people could still be burned or lose their life if a fire broke out. This was not third world immigrants that installed this neon, it was a couple of slap happy idiots with a pick-up and a ladder that call themselves a sign company. why would a viable business pay these people ? just because they have been there 9 years and have a high volume doesnt make it viable. to me, the fact that they paid them is revealing. they cant afford real sign work. i know many a non-viable business that have been at it a long time. i wont even talk to them. this bs is going to continue forever. if they dont get a permit, they dont need an inspection, and the city wont go after them because they dont work that way. I agree, why would they pay?? I would'nt..... My concern is loss of property and life....Shame on the city for allowing this to happen and Shame on the Local Fire Marshall for not noticing this for the length of time it has been up/down...! I agree, the truth is theyre too busy torturing the honest and ethical people to bother with the hacks. AMEN!! Those of us that do it right, pull permits, have inspections, and install correctly they hound the heck out of for the least little thing, but this kind of stuff is allowed to remain up. The guys on the ladder that put it up probably don't even have any insurance, so if it was to burn these folk's business to the ground, and heaven forbid kill everyone inside, they wouldn't be held responsible. And the rest of us have to wonder why our insurance rates are so high??

OMG! I have never seen anything like that. I can not believe that a City or County where this is installed has allowed it to remain. But you are right, this shoddy work is what we first rate folks have to fight every day. I hear at least weekly how badly at least one of my new customers HATES the sign industry. It takes weeks of doing what you say you are going to do and meaning it to change their minds. We are punished for work that folks like this are out doing. This is just a shame.