In the production of a vinyl sign job, the smallest part of the cost lies in the vinyl material itself. THE COST IS NOT IN THE VINYL. The integrity of a vinyl sign usually hinges on how the VINYL stands up! Sounds simplistic but then, why do we always need to hear that over and over again? Because False Economy continues to sucker us! Remember, it's whether the VINYL fades, cracks, peels or curls up that can make or break a sign or even your reputation as a professional. So, why spend a few PENNIES less by using sub-quality calendered vinyl when it may cost you many DOLLARS to redo a sign for a customer a few months down the road?

Let's do a little homework. A typical signmaking job (12" X 24"car sign)* requires approximately 18" of vinyl. So a 15" x 50 yd. roll of vinyl can yield about 100 average car signs. Suppose you paid around $50 for an 'economy' calendered (OK...CHEAP) roll of vinyl. You could have paid $150 or so for the cast high performance, but look what you've saved. (Oh, no. False Economy is rearing its ugly head again...) What that means is this: A typical car sign job that could have cost you $1.50 in high performance cast vinyl now only costs you 50 cents. Wow! A supposed savings of $1, but in reality, an increase in a 'whole lot of headache. In the end, it’ll cost you much more than that $1!

False Economy conveniently forgets to inform us that an inferior calendered grade of vinyl not only (1) looks poor, but (2) cuts poorly, (3) weeds atrociously, especially on small letters or serif letters, and (4) is an absolute pain to apply, especially over imperfections in the substrate or rivets. So actually, labor costs rise, the viewing experience suffers, customer dissatisfaction increases, and the longevity plummets.

You realize you’ve gambled and lost when, a short time later, the customer whose sign was the beneficiary of that cost-cutting vinyl (especially after a hot summer or a cold winter) calls up or stops by. Standing with your customer and looking at the faded, cracking vinyl with the peeling, curling edges, you know that False Economy has suckered another and you'd rather forget the whole experience.

Well, we all learn. But, let's learn from our own past experiences or the veterans of the sign industry that warn us not to cut corners with signmaking materials. Learn how important it is to build with the best and avoid the costs associated with redoing a job. Don't re-letter and reinstall! Buy the best vinyl for the job and do it right the first time. Always remember that in the production of vinyl signage, THE COST IS NOT IN THE VINYL. The cost is in taking False Economy's advice!

* NOTE: Even in a typical 4 ft. X 8 ft. sign, the cost difference between economy calendered vinyl and cast high performance vinyl is only about $10.00

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