Sign Makers Vinyl F.A.Q.

So you've got a project that need some professionally cut vinyl decals? Or you've downloaded some of my templates and want to get a set of graphics cut for yourself? Or maybe you're trying to make your own vinyl backed graphics? This page is intended to supply some answers to commonly asked questions, and to provide some links to some places where you can get the services or products you are looking for.

Where can I buy vinyl?
The best place to start is your yellow pages. Look under "Sign Makers", and find a place that does custom sign work. Call them up and ask them if they sell vinyl by the roll, by the foot, or whatever it is you need.

Here is a place online that sells vinyl by the foot. I've never dealt with them, but they may be able to sell you what you need.

For more online sellers, try doing a google search for "Sign Making Vinyl".

How do I get my design cut in vinyl?
First you have to find a sign maker that will do it. Call around and ask if they do "Plotter cut vinyl". Basically, a plotter is like a printer, but it draws with a pen instead of inkjets or electrostatic charge. Plotters can be outfitted with a blade, so instead of drawing a line, it cuts a line. A sign maker will feed a sheet of vinyl into the plotter, and the computer will guide the blade to cut your shape.

Typically, you'll need to have your artwork in a form the computer can understand. It must be vector based line art. A plotter will not understand a bitmap or a jpg. If you don't know how to generate vector art, you might ask your sign maker if he can convert your art into a format that his plotter understands. This will be pretty labor intensive, and will probably cost you a few bucks.

Common vector formats include .eps, .ai, and whatever format corel outputs in.

How do I draw artwork that a plotter can use?
You need to use a program that outputs vector art. Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw and Macromedia Freehand are some of the more popular programs that do this. They are not easy to use. All of these programs have a pretty steep learning curve, and are rather expensive. I'm sure there are other tools out there that provide similar results. Do a search at www.shareware.com for "Vector art" and see what you can find.

How much will this cost?
It depends on the sign making company. Many companies have a minimum order, often 30 bucks. They usually charge by how many feet of vinyl is used, not on the complexity of the drawing. Sometimes you can save a few bucks by asking them not to "weed" your work. Weeding is the process of removing the excess vinyl from the roll, thus freeing up your graphic to be stuck onto something.

What colors are available?
Depending on where you go, you can get pretty much any color in vinyl. While they may not offer every color in a pantone book, all of the basic colors are there. Specialty vinyls are commonly used in prop making, such as "silver mirror", "Gold mirror", "Brushed Aluminum", and even clear. They also make a "Frosted" vinyl that can make clear plex look frosted.

Why do prop makers use vinyl?
It's good for detailing, and for tricking out props. It gives a much smoother appearance over traditional paint, and frankly, just looks cool. It's also pretty easy to work with.

How do I apply my design once the vinyl is cut?
This is probably the trickiest part of dealing with vinyl, and it takes a lot of practice to get it right. If you're only working with very small pieces, like PADD buttons, then you can just peel the vinyl off the backing and stick it in place. The bummer is that vinyl stretches very easily, and it will often distort and stretch when you peel it off the backing. You may also have a design that is in multiple pieces, and you want to keep the spacing the same on your final object. For example, if you have a word written out in vinyl lettering, and want to maintain the kerning. You tackle this by using "Transfer paper". Transfer paper is basically a really wide roll of low-tack masking tape. You apply the transfer tape to the front of the vinyl before peeling it from the backing. When you're ready to apply your graphic, you peel the transfer tape from the backing, taking the vinyl with it. You then place the transfer paper on your prop, and place the graphic where you want it to go. When you lift up the transfter tape, because it's less sticky than your vinyl backing, the vinyl pieces stay in place while the transfer paper/tape lifts up.

What is Transfer Tape?
Transfer tape is basically a really wide roll of masking tape. At hardware stores, you can usually find masking tape in widths of up to one inch. You know, it's a roll that's one inch wide. Well, transfer tape is usually about 12 inches wide or wider. Transfer tape can be purchased at sign making stores, and is absolutely instrumental in making vinyl graphics work properly. You use transfer tape on top of the vinyl to ensure that the vinyl does not stretch and distort when you apply it.

If you think of any more questions that should be included in this FAQ, please e-mail me at matthewmunson@yahoo.com