miniature canvas prints - who? where?

[Roscolo]

Have a client who needs 3"x4" canvas prints mounted on some type of board. Need about 1,200 of 'em. Before I go doing this by hand on my equipment, wanted to throw it out there and see if anyone has a more automated process already set up for this who wants to give me a quote, or a referral to someone who specializes in such a task. Needs to have a significant price break for quantity.

Thanks!

[dgberg]

Not interested myself but would probably gang about a hundred or so together with appropriate spacing and print on 44" canvas. Sheet of about 100 is easier to handle and spray before mounting.
Wet mount to 3/16" gator and rip them apart on my big panel saw or something like a keencut.

[Roscolo]

Will definitely lay them out, put some light gray registration marks, etc.  Then spray. Have to cut them to 3"x4" and then mount, however. Can't mount them and then cut, because client really needs the canvas to wrap around the edge. End product should look like a tiny stretched canvas, although I'm planning to just miracle muck to 1/4" wood (has to be wood, client does not want foam board), wrap around the edges (also miracle muck), then just cut the excess off the corners. My prototype looks perfect. Was just hoping someone had a more automated system.

[framah]

Sounds like a job for a company in China.

[davidh202]

Sounds like a job for a company in China.

Ditto to that !

printing aint going to be so bad, but cutting backing boards, mounting, and wrapping, is going to be very labor intensive!

[dgberg]

Sounds like a job for a company in China.

Ditto to China.
Interesting project.
At a $1.00 a minute for a USA labor rate figuring you can do one in under 4 minutes each. (Keeping to that rate for all 1200 pieces too)
That would make them around $5.00 each or 6k. Slip to 6 minutes and they go to $8400 just like that.
Price point is everything in this business as you know. At $7500 you might have a little wiggle room,if its $5k not sure I would touch it.
Good luck and let us know how you make out.

[framah]

Yup... the wrapping part is the job killer.

Each piece would need to be printed with borders and then all cut apart, and then individually mounted so the border is free to wrap around the edge.

This job is Waaaay too time comsuming.

[John Nollendorfs]

 Program a robot? ;-)

[Roscolo]

Not about to send work to China, and it's only 1,200. Not that bad. I've helped friends do runs of similar things in the 35,000 - 70,000 range for Dave Matthews. Not a big fan of Matthews' music, but one thing that is cool is he sees to it that only local artisans / businesses produce his merch. You try turning in something made in China: A: you won't get paid and B: you will get dumped and shown the door.

Have to hire some help, and looks like these will be hand crafted in the U.S.A.  

[framah]

Go for it!!

Reminds me of the Big Bang episode when Penny  was making 'Penny Blossoms" and they needed to make a  thousand of them.

I see alot of caffeine in your future. 

[Roscolo]

Thinking my client may have sticker shock when I show him the price. I would like to offer an alternate solution that may not be ideal, but may fit his budget.

My ipf8300 and z3100 won't do the job, but thinking if I had them printed directly onto a white board substrate (or mounted to said substrate) that is white all the way through, it could be a cheaper alternative for him. Lay them all out on a sheet and pay someone to rip them. He's a great customer, and I want to help him out, but I think he underestimated how much it would cost him to get these done.

Foam core won't work. Just looks too cheap. But a solid white substrate maybe could work. Anyone recommend anything? Solid white acrylic? MDO could maybe work, although it's a little too thick and "rough looking."  Ideas?

Thanks for all the feedback guys.

[darlingm]

I'd look into Sintra.  Think it's more expensive than MDF, but you can get it solid white all the way through.  Comes in many thicknesses.  3mm and below just looks like a solid piece of plastic.  6mm looks like plastic foamcore, because the middle has air bubbles.  It's not squishy like foamcore's middle though, very solid stuff.  There are people who use flat bed printers to print directly onto it.  Comes in large 4' x 8', 4' x 10', and 5' x 10' sheets.  If you want the blanks, look for local plastics suppliers and you can pick them up.

EDIT: Cuts perfectly with a table saw.  Extremely clean edges.  Have only cut blanks, so can't say for sure what it would look like printed then cut.  Would imagine it would be fine.  Alternatively, some of the direct to Sintra printers might pre-cut and print borderless.

[dgberg]

Thinking my client may have sticker shock when I show him the price. I would like to offer an alternate solution that may not be ideal, but may fit his budget.

My ipf8300 and z3100 won't do the job, but thinking if I had them printed directly onto a white board substrate (or mounted to said substrate) that is white all the way through, it could be a cheaper alternative for him. Lay them all out on a sheet and pay someone to rip them. He's a great customer, and I want to help him out, but I think he underestimated how much it would cost him to get these done.

Foam core won't work. Just looks too cheap. But a solid white substrate maybe could work. Anyone recommend anything? Solid white acrylic? MDO could maybe work, although it's a little too thick and "rough looking."  Ideas?

Thanks for all the feedback guys.

Dye sub on metal or hardboard.
I just got a box of 4 x 4 samples and the white comes out with a very high gloss and is stunning. (They also have white matte.)