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screen printing => Tips and Tricks to Share (Please don't ask questions here) => Topic started by: txscreener on July 12, 2011, 01:43:48 PM
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I have seen request for this in the past so i thought i would share how i do it. A picture speaks a thousand words.... Not only do i have all the films in each envelope i also keep the production info and a sample of the print. All my customers are assigned a number so all i have to do is file it by their assigned number. This makes it very easy to find....
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that is a freaking awesome setup!!
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Genius!
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No Wire Hangers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOILKHmZBwc#ws)
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Nice.
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Pretty much the same thing here.
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I have to ask, is it worth it? I find that very few of my customers place a reorder for the exact same job. I rifle off new films since they are $.77 each with less than $.10 in ink. I can find the file without leaving my seat and print them right off. Takes up less room, and way less employee time.
That being said, I do have some that I file.
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We're very fortunate that we do a lot of repeat orders. Run down to the basement and have films and a previous print in minutes. And I hate to say it but i've seen artists screw up pulling what amounts to a different set of films for the same job.
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We do alot of repeat business... If you dont than maybe its not worth it. Love the video though.. NO MORE HANGERS!!!! lol
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we keep ours too, I have 2 printers running but I would have to sit here all day and print films if we didn't reuse them. Funny how each shop works.
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yeah,I am probably going to start filing more again. Part of my problem was the ink would fade out along the edges like an old tattoo. Made it impossible to reuse even 1 color jobs. The ink I use now is amazing and I haven't had that problem.
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Well, I've been looking for an alternative to what we do right now, and we use those exact file folders so I think I know what we'll be doing next week. Thanks Tex.
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I put them in a box...Why would I want an organizer like that? I like looking through my box for 15 minutes looking for the film... :o
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My storage method is horrible. It consist of me knowing how far down the pile to dig based on what year/month it was last printed. Shameful, I know.
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AWESOME!!!
However, what MK says pretty much nails my thoughts. On top of that, how much does each envelope/storage container cost? I've always been curious on that. My feeling is it would cost more for the envelope to store them then a new piece of film. Of course this can differ for a 6 color front/6 color back. And obviously every shop is different.
Again, not a knock, and a legitimate AWESOME! on the storage system.
I have to ask, is it worth it? I find that very few of my customers place a reorder for the exact same job. I rifle off new films since they are $.77 each with less than $.10 in ink. I can find the file without leaving my seat and print them right off. Takes up less room, and way less employee time.
That being said, I do have some that I file.
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Are they paper folders?
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Yes, they are paper.. What makes this cost effective for me is not only do you have your seps in save keeping but you have every information it took to print the job (including a copy of their invoice). All my production information is in there and sometimes a sample of the print. You can never have to much info. It has served us well.
good luck..
Ken
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Pretty much the same thing here.
I got to see this set up first hand! Very nice way to sort films.
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We use a similar system but use large Pizza Bags instead of envelopes.
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This may sound simple compared to the other ideas. I use the boxes that the film came in. I have about 10 to 15 of them stacked on top of each other taped together to make kind of a file cabinet. Cut the fronts off and label the side. I sort them by what they are. (uniform, clothing line, event, etc.) Some clients have their own box. All my info on the shirts are in the files or on invoices. The films don't stick. It only takes a few minutes to find the films in a pile of 60-100 films. I only keep the film that will be reprinted. All film with dates or for events get trashed after the date. I would guess I have 700 to 900 film. Sorted in 7 to 10 boxes. I can find a job in maybe 1-7 minutes. It’s worth not having to reprint.
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as a former X ray Tech...we use xray folders to store film...we only keep (store) film for orders that will be repeat orders like business....we do not keep dated films as they are one time use...
we get them from staples online...just make sure you get the larger ones...they work great and file easy...
sam
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We used storage shelves that held x-ray folders. Labeled and numbered for all clients and jobs. Very similar to these yet no need for hanging. My cases were actually from an old dr's office that moved yet could easily have been made with $50 worth of supplies from Lowes and a little bit of personal time and effort.
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http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50167158/ (http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50167158/)
Ikea "Alex" drawer unit/flat file. Fits 17x22 films.
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where do you guys order your folders? i'm looking for the real thick ones that will stand up and hold a 13 x18 piece of film.
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where do you guys order your folders? i'm looking for the real thick ones that will stand up and hold a 13 x18 piece of film.
pathfinder vue file
but we have a different system than others that have posted in this topic
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We use a Jalema system, the hanging folders hold a few dozen 12 x 15 envelopes real well. Was kinda pricey, but it's here now...
Steve
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Look for a local medical supply company for x-ray folders. they make them in all sizes and come in around 1-200 per case
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Great idea if you have the space. We pay just under $20.00 a foot annually. For me it is cheaper to throw the films away ans start over. I do save for my frequent reorders though.
Matt
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I am working on a great storage system that will be using dead space...above a table. I just have to buy the crap to do it. I don't get out much anymore and stupid home depot closes at 9 now....ugh.
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After I saw txscreener's pic, we made one just like it. I'll take a pic later and post it, but it's almost the exact same thing as the first pic on this thread.
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I save artwork like most of you guys do. We keep nothing that is a dated.
I work for Sporting Dealers and it is very important to keep artwork and good records for what we have printed on ball uniforms.
We start with a large folder and number the bag. We label all of the art that goes into the bag. Once it is full with anywhere from 6 to 10 designs we put all of the info that is on the bag onto a spread sheet in the computer. Each sales man has his own spread sheet.
We put in what the artwork is and what bag number it is in.
Then when I need to find something we did a year or so ago, it is easier to find.
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I wish I had a picture of the filing system when I was back at Custom Logos. We used the X-ray folders, custom printed with detailed print information and sample prints inside. They were heavy duty and lasted a long time. We stored them along a wall in the central part of the building for climate control and super easy access for all sales reps and production mgrs. They were stored in the large cabinets like you see in the doctors office. Each file was labeled with the colored side numbers and year to identify customer and letters to identify art versions.
It was and is the most detailed and accurate system I've ever used to date and model other filing systems after it.
The next best is the clothes hanger version. You can buy bags with hangers for the task or make your own. Use metal pipe from Home Depot to build a rack system to hang them from. You can get 4 folders high by how long a wall is.
OR screw it all and price point your ink and film to make it disposable
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check out http://www.filing.com (http://www.filing.com) I use their x-ray folders
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Love it! I am currently using 18"x24" coros, taped at one end to make a folder. I have one for each letter of the alphabet. Each folder is so full that the tape rips when I remove the folder from the rack, spewing films all over the place. Not a very good idea. I love Txscreener's idea, I think I'm gonna makie an order with Uline and set myself up like his system.
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Forgot to post a pic. Here it is.
(http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr211/alan802/SRI%20Pics/IMG_4955.jpg)
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how do you stop the envelopes from opening while on the hangers?
pierre
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how do you stop the envelopes from opening while on the hangers?
pierre
Looks like it is paper clipped to the bottom part of the hanger
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The flap goes around the hanger then paper clipped to keep it that way.
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Nice pic Alan.. you just gave me some more ideas for mounting the new racks I'm working on.
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"OR screw it all and price point your ink and film to make it disposable"
Or screw film all together and go direct to screen (not saying anything else on that now)
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U LINE has some really nice thick kraft stay flats that work great for me. i put my film in them and tape a color comp to the front as others do but the nice thing about these is they stand up nice and firm, regardless of storage on a shelf or in boxes.
ITEM #S-2222 13X18 KRAFT STAY FLATS--100 COUNT=63.00
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I just picked up an 11x17 artist portfolio book from the art store for 15 bucks, It seems to be working pretty good. I ll take a picture some time this week. I dont know if it will be the right thing for large shops but it looks like it will work for me. Just an Idea
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One missed edit or one dinged film and every penny saved flies out the window.
For that one color dead simple repeat twice a month job, sure.
We store a mockup of the design, an AI of the separations, and the actual print
file for the seps. Backed up off site.
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I just got these it seems to work good for $15.00 it has 50 pockets
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We screenprint on large job bags and file them alphabetically. In theory. We also have film tables on unfixed that you dig back through months to try and find a set of seps, hoping that the printer didn't flash the black key line they taped onto the pallet. Sometimes for fun we send the film house the file to print out again as this helps keep them profitable. And sometimes when someone is hungover we can spend a day or so not finding film, print it again, make new screens, then find it was up on screen anyway still. One girl who works for me is fantastic. Sometimes she might file something under Wednesday, which is when she made it. Or she might file it under Orange because we printed on orange shirts. Sometimes if the film is large she will cut off the crop marks also to make the film fit the bags, which is better than flashing it till it shrinks a bit. Our job bags have the screen numbers, mesh count, notes, print order, pantones and all the info on it. Some people confuse screen number with mesh count. awesome.... We need a better system, but the system is only as good as the people who use it.
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That is so neat! I want to see that in person! ;D
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our storage methos sucks, stack and hunt but one thing we added seems to help when we are sorting through the liles.
We clip a corner of the film at @ 45 degrees and put a paper punch hole in that corner. the 45 degree cut allows us to insert the corner of the film deep enough into a 3 hole punch.
A single hand held punch would work better but we can't find one that is worth a damn. Do this for each film in the job and then loop a rubberband to keep all the associated films so we can be sure if we ever find them again they will all be together. this is especially a benefit when we drop a few thousand films on the floor while searching for that one 12 shirt job file ???
mooseman
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after re-reading all this...I am glad we went to DTS....we are saving so much time on looking for film, reprinting film ect...now we just drop a file into the "HOT" file and we print it on the screen...perfect everytime....
just a thought..
sam
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What is the ink cost on that thing anyway? Average per screen.
Because you are correct but the flip side of that is that you are having to run your DTS more than someone that has a good filing system for storing films. I'm sure they spend less time digging out a film than you do wasting more ink and reprinting on the DTS.
Don't get me wrong, I'd give up printing films in a heart beat if someone wanted to give me a DTS and NEVER look back. But I'm just terrible at things like storing films so for me I'd be reprinting too much. Though I'm trying to get better at jobs I KNOW I'll reprint at least. :)
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Sam or someone else will probably be quick to point out the other advantages like time savings on both the screen imaging itself, and on set up with its consistent placement for registration.
For most, time is money.
Then again, since this is where we of lesser means are discussing film storage, he and the other proponents of this nice newer development may discuss it at length in the Equipment or Screenmaking sections as a standalone topic.
They are definitively the way of the future, and Gilly, you or your kids may well be using one in the future, even with a small operation. (You've probably read of the prices of the first Texas Instrument and Sharp calculators) The cost will go down.
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Andy, did you miss this part?
Don't get me wrong, I'd give up printing films in a heart beat if someone wanted to give me a DTS and NEVER look back.
I know very well all the advantages of the DTS and I'd LOVE to have one in my shop (well... not sure I actually have the physical room... but I'd make it work... bye bye baby's toys! LOL).
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Didn't miss it at all. Just trying to both preemptively point out to the DTS fanboys to not get too carried away in this particular thread, and remind you, that even without someone giving you one, wiith your youth, you'll eventually get one, for with a little luck, all things tech come down to an affordable price to those who wait. ;D
Me, by that time, I hope to be comfortably retired, living on the income from this very place! ;D 8) ;D
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Well, I'm hoping I don't need the price to come down... that my business becomes like Brandt and Sam's and I just reach in the pocket and do like Jeff and pay CASH! ;)
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I'm hoping that you will not only grow, but grow to a contract shop with a banner ad here that keeps me in beer in my golden years! ;D
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Forgot to post a pic. Here it is.
([url]http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr211/alan802/SRI%20Pics/IMG_4955.jpg[/url])
Alan, may I ask how you label your film files. My wife was real intrigued by what she saw in your photo. It's just hard to make out when you close in on it. Is it the position of the print relative to the print pallet?
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I know Alan can answer for himself, but I think it's just a close up to show "detail" vs the smaller placement "full" shot. Example, look at the end of the top row. One of those is a left chest, so that is certainly not related to the pallet, but the full shirt shot is almost useless even if made larger to show a left chest.
I've toyed around with doing this for work orders as well... but my can't follow simple instructions, why should more complicated ones be any better. ;)
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Looking at that just makes me sad, I put our films in a tote and hope for the best next time I need them.
Darryl
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We put the design number in the top left corner and that's the number we use to organize everything on the wall. We put the customer number underneath but it really isn't needed. When a job is written up it's given a new design number if it's a new design or if it's a repeat job the correct design number is chosen and then put on the work order. We get the work order and then pair up the correct file folder if it's a repeat job. I wish I had a number on how many of our jobs are repeat but it's quite a few so we benefit by filing film away.
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I hardly ever reprint a job so the films get tossed.
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I have seen request for this in the past so i thought i would share how i do it. A picture speaks a thousand words.... Not only do i have all the films in each envelope i also keep the production info and a sample of the print. All my customers are assigned a number so all i have to do is file it by their assigned number. This makes it very easy to find....
Your way of filing just saved me a lot of cash. So simple and easy to set up, excellent. Thanks a lot for sharing. Now I have to get 2000 wire hangers;)
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Just keep Joan out of the shop!
No Wire Hangers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOILKHmZBwc#ws)
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I know people think the Jelema system is expensive but a 20x24 inch folder is $4.00 and you can fit up tp 200 films on one side and sample prints/workorders and any other notes in the other side of the folder. The Rack system is super durable no coat hangers. We have a folder for each customer and all the designs for that customer will be put in the folder and when there is a reprint for one design we paper clip the work order to the front of the folder and hang it in the screen room and thats how the screen room knows what to shoot. I have used uline folders and until actually using this system I thought I was wasting money on it. I have about $800 in the folders and rack and have been using it just over 6 months and we file close to 20 designs per day and I still have tons of room left.