What Color is the Van

[Site Man]

OLD FORUM POSTS

Posted by Mike Jackson on June 02, 2002

Before computers, I remember the first question I asked when someone was calling about getting a van or truck lettered. It was "What color is the van?" Right? If the answer was black, maroon, red, green or any other dark color, it meant a lot of the copy would have to be double coated with a brush. That meant the vehicle would be around all day--or even longer if the day was rainy or overcast--to let the first coat dry. A dark colored vehicle job always cost more, too.

Now, I find my biggest related concern is when someone calls and wants his trailer lettered. As before, the first thing I ask is whether the trailer sides are corrugated, followed by a question about the number or fequency of the rivets. We can strategically move text around on most trailers to miss most of the rivets so that isn't too much of a problem.

Since most vinyls are opaque, I don't think much about the color of the vehicle in costing out a job as in the "good old days" of handlettering.

Just random thoughts!
Mike Jackson

D. Bernhardt

Ahhhh...here we go again.....nostalgia.
Thinking back to those days always gets me thinking. Yuppers...we always charged more unless the lettering was in imitation gold. One of the things I used to do was add a bit of the background colour to the "white". As in if the truck was blue the "white" lettering was always a "ahem" lighter shade of blue. Meant we could get the job lettered with one coat and out the door in a day. Gosh......didn't we put in the long hours then....trucks at night...plywood and sho-cards all day. As I remeber the day started at 8:30 and ended around 11PM. My wife was actually asking me about this to-night.....and I got home for the evening at 6:30!