Signs Never Sleep

It looks like winter has found us again!

Well, we are finally getting the winter weather we have been missing out on this season to date, and Mother Nature is making up for lost time!

The weather over the last few days has been frigid to say the least.  Lee and I had an install to do yesterday, but as we needed to do some touch-up painting, we rescheduled for Wednesday when it will be a bit warmer (and the paint won't freeze on the brush!)

Gah!  Just looked at the temp and it is 3 below right now.
Wednesday is a high of 18 above  here 25 above (with some sun) where the install is...

We are going to be have alot of visitors in March, so I hope the weather cooperates and gives us an extended skiing season, as they all want to ski.

If you need a sign in Tamworth, NH, Lincoln Sign Company would be happy to help you

We are a sign shop that has been serving the White Mountain Region of New Hampshire for over 30 years.  We do all types of signs, including:

Flat-Painted Signs
Commercial Signs
Residential Signs
Vinyl Signs
Carved Wooden Signs
Sandblasted Signs
Dimensional Signs
Custom Short-Run Decals
Custom Vehicle Graphics
Truck Lettering
Banners

and anything else you might need to promote your business

Please give us a call at:  603-745-6658
or email us at lincolnsign@lincolnsign.com

Learn all about Lincoln Sign Company

Need to purchase a sign in Tamworth, NH?
We are  "Lincoln Sign Company", but we can get you a sign wherever you are and would be flattered if you thought of us as "Tamworth Sign Company" as well.

Pentimento Gifts in the snow

Pentimento Gifts in the snow, originally uploaded by SignsNeverSleep.

Comfort Inn North Conway, NH Carved Sign

comfort coffee, originally uploaded by SignsNeverSleep.

The New Wookie Workshop by Lincoln Sign Company

the new wookie workshop lincoln sign company, originally uploaded by SignsNeverSleep.

 

Gerber OMEGA 2.5: Features: Dimensioning Tools

OK, so I have been using the upgrade for what? 3 days?

It is really going well...  In fact, it is going so well that if I committed myself to sit here and write and tell you about everything, I would not have time to do our scheduled install for today (Connecticut River Bank) because I would need to stay glued to my seat for the next four days.

That's how well its going...

I'll be honest with you, I really wasn't all that excited about this upgrade.  I saw the features that Gerber was adding to an already great piece of software as only moderately exciting and useful.  I really didn't think there was anything in there that I would use on a regular basis, and I didn't think there was anything in there that would " Transform" the way we do work here at Lincoln Sign Company.

I WAS WRONG...

I think the beauty of this upgrade, is that it is not major and it is not earth-shattering.  One of the nice things is that after I loaded it, most people in the shop weren't even aware that it had happened ("Oh, this is the new one?  Looks just the same") 

That is a big thing right there........ "looks just the same".  If you buy the upgrade and slap it in, trust me, you are not going to spend the next five days trying to get reoriented to were all the tools are. 

It is basically going to be "install it and then get on with your work"
Then slowly you will discover each new feature and you will find these new features are a major "tweaking" of the way we work.  The stuff they put in there allows us to be more efficient during the process of doing designs.  Rather than giving us tools that will allow us to do artistic things (for example: a bazooka that can shoot leaves and flowers into a design) they gave us tools that will allow us to design faster and more efficiently:

Like dimensioning tools

Watch this Dimensioning Tool Video

There is not a heck of alot I can do to sum the tool up better than the video does.  As easy as the video makes it look, IT REALLY IS.  The tools are very easy to use and very intuitive.  The best feature by far is the ability to select a shape, push a button (which instantly creates dimensions) and then drag the dimension bars to the correct positions for a sketch for a customer.  They also have a great tool to create a line to a comment or NOTE on a sketch to explain a detail to a customer.

So, Lee and I have an install to do over the next few days.  I also have a design that was just approved that I need to get a Dimensional Sketch done so the customer can get their sign permit.  You know what?  I'm glad I have the 2.5 upgrade this morning...

If you need a sign in Laconia, NH, Lincoln Sign Company would be happy to help you

We are a sign shop that has been serving the White Mountain Region of New Hampshire for over 30 years.  We do all types of signs, including:

Flat-Painted Signs
Commercial Signs
Residential Signs
Vinyl Signs
Carved Wooden Signs
Sandblasted Signs
Dimensional Signs
Custom Short-Run Decals
Custom Vehicle Graphics
Truck Lettering
Banners

and anything else you might need to promote your business

Please give us a call at:  603-745-6658
or email us at lincolnsign@lincolnsign.com

Learn all about Lincoln Sign Company

Need to purchase a sign in Laconia NH?
We are  "Lincoln Sign Company", but we can get you a sign wherever you are and would be flattered if you thought of us as " Laconia Sign Company" as well.

InnSeason Resorts Jackman Brook Lodge at Pollard Brook: Lincoln Sign Company creates signs for Resorts, Hotels, Motels, Inns, Bed and Breakfasts and the like...

There are alot of resorts, hotels, motels, inns, bed and breakfasts, timeshare units, and condominium developments (condos) in Lincoln, and the wonderful thing is, at one time or another, Lincoln Sign Company has made signs for them.

Jackman Brook Lodge is part of Pollard Brook (run by InnSeason Resorts) and it opened just this past year (Mayish, if I remember correctly).  We did a good-sized package for them, which included two carved entrance signs (to go above the doors) and also a package of room number signs that were carved as well.

I know that the entire world has come to expect the standard sterile plastic room number signs that you see at the local Comfort Inn or Best Western (which we can do for you, by the way) but the designer at InnSeason has terrific taste, and we agree that these room signs have a charm and character that simply can't be captured in plastic.

Pig's Ear BBQ Painted Sign

Sometimes signs that Lincoln Sign Company has done in the past, come back for a quick visit...

This is a sign that was painted in the Summer of 2002 and hung in North Woodstock for a number of years.  The owners of the Pig's Ear, are also the owners of the Texas Toast Eatery (in the InnSeason Resort Village Shops) and that is actually where this sign is going to be moved to.  Currently we are making a Texas Toast sign that will hang above it off of a scroll bracket.

OK - We are fully upgraded and running on OMEGA 2.5

OK, so Saturday morning I spent 30 minutes or do upgrading the last two systems (FRONT and LEGACY) up to OMEGA 2.5 and it went very, very well...

The upgrade in the paint-shop (LEGACY) went without a hitch (again Gerber, great job in making this the easiest upgrade ever) but I had a nervous moment when upgrading my main design system (FRONT).  While upgrading, the system stopped, told me a file was "Read-Only" and suggested a turn off my virus protection and try again.  In my experience, happy little messages like that are usually a precursor to a nightmare, and as I disabled my virus protection program, I reached for a roll of Rolaids.  My stomach did a few flips as I restarted the install, and you know what?......

The Installer was right.  After I turned off McAfee the program installed slick as snot.  Ran flawlessly the first time, and I didn't even need to reboot the computer.

===================================================
TIPS BEFORE YOU UPGRADE
===================================================
#1. Pick your moment.

I did the last little bit of my install this weekend.  Why this weekend you ask?  Well, I don't have any EDGE printing or even vinyl plotting that needs to be done this weekend or first thing on Monday morning.  That means, if something evil did happen, I would be able to talk to Gerber Tech Support first thing on Monday, but I don't so I won't....

Now, if you are a dare-devil, go ahead and do the install right in the middle of producing a paying job for a customer.  In fact, tough guy, why don't you do the install right after you print something on the EDGE, and before you cut it out on the plotter.  Then if it doesn't work, you can really FREAK.

No, do the install when you have some quiet time and nothing essential needs to get done.  Pour yourself a cup of coffee (or get a beer) and spend some time and do it right.

===========

#2.  Before you upgrade, make yourself some back-ups!

When's the last time you backed anything up?  If your computer died right now, and I mean died hard, exactly how screwed would you be?

Back-up all of your job files (this is really overkill, because the software install doesn't even look at your files, but the upgrade is a great excuse to do it)

Back-up all of your fonts in c:/gsp/GSPfonts.  Just make a copy of them somewhere else on your computer or an a CD-ROM.  (Just don't call the folder you put them in "GSPfonts")  As often as you backup your jobs, you should back-up your fonts as well.  If you have been using Gerber software since the very beginning you probably have some fonts on your system that the "new-bees" don't have access to.  Unless you want to figure out how to load 5.5" floppy disks onto your shiny new computer BACK UP YOUR FONTS.

============================
#3.  Let the GSP Installer do the driving.

Don't get too clever....  Just let the installer do its job.  The program is mean to install over the old version of the software in the usual place (C:/GSP)
Don't do an uninstall of the old program before you install the new.....
Don't suddenly decide you would like to install the program on your f:/ drive just for kicks....

Let the program install where it wants to install and just make sure to click "Typical" when it asks you what kind of install you want to do.

=============================
#4.  Make sure the computer you are installing it onto meets the Minimum System Requirements

Here are the minimum system requirements for OMEGA 2.5

Don't try to put the program on a computer that is underpowered....  You'll only be pulling your own hair out later.

Remember, when they are checking you into heaven, one of the things Saint Peter checks is he makes sure that you always installed your OMEGA software within the Minimum System Requirements.  If you didn't, you will be gold-leafing molten lava for all of eternity...

 

Signs for Santas Reindeer

Need a vet? If you are looking for a veterinarian in the Seacoast area of NH near Exeter look no further than the Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital of Brentwood

CUSTOMER PROFILE:

Occasionally we do profiles of our customers, as sometimes it is nice for peple that come to the website to see who the people we make all these signs for are:

==================================================================

Link to the Veterinary Emergency & Speciality Hospital of Brentwood website

168 Crawley Falls Rd
Brentwood, NH 03833

The Hospital is located at the intersection of 125 and 111A       -      
Click Here for Directions

Phone: (603) 642-9111
Fax: (603) 642-9115

Timothy J. Lampman, DVM
Orthopedic, Soft Tissue & Neurosurgery
info@veshnh.com

Selvi Kumaresan-Lampman, DVM
Emergency Veterinarian
info@veshnh.com

Vindhya Cuddapah, DVM
Emergency Veterinarian
info@veshnh.com

Daphne Miller, DVM
Emergency Veterinarian
info@veshnh.com

Emergency Services
We offer emergency care for your pets 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Our highly trained emergency veterinarians and technicians offer compassionate care for all dogs, cats, birds, reptiles and pocket pets. The facility offers in-house laboratory equipment and digital radiography to rapidly aid in diagnosis of your pet's emergency condition. We will communicate directly with your family veterinarian on a regular basis to keep them aware of your pet's condition. A few types of emergencies that necessitate immediate care include difficulty in breathing, pale gums, fainting episodes, seizures, porcupine quills penetrating skin, lacerations, bite wounds, trauma, poisonings, overdoses and dietary indiscretion. Our staff and hospital are trained and equipped to provide swift diagnosis and immediate resolution of your pet's problems. Additionally, our emergency staff, including the emergency doctor, is on site 24 hours a day to provide ongoing treatment and reassessment of your pet's condition.

Orthopedic & Soft Tissue Services
Our staff surgeon has had extensive training and experience in various orthopedic and soft tissue surgeries. We are able to provide elective and emergency surgical procedures for a wide variety of conditions. Some procedures that can be performed at Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital but are not limited to are fracture repair, tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO), standard extracapsular cruciate repair, triple pelvic osteotomy (TPO), femoral head ostectomy (FHO), intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) decompression, abdominal exploratory, perineal urethrostomy (PU), gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV) decompression and thoracotomy. Dr. Lampman is available 24 hours a day for emergency surgeries and all of his hospitalized patients are under the care of highly trained veterinarians and technicians 24 hours a day. Communication with your pet's family veterinarian will be performed promptly.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Veterinary Emergency & Specialty Hospital is one of the few hospitals nationwide that provides an on-site MRI. MRI is a method of imaging that provides superior soft tissue definition. The advantages of MRI are varied and include excellent soft tissue contrast to aid in the diagnosis of various soft tissue diseases such as central nervous system disease, joint disease, spinal cord compression and cancer of various organ systems. All MR images will be evaluated by a board-certified radiologist to provide accurate diagnosis of various conditions. 

Future Services
In the near future we will be offering consultations with a veterinary neurologist ophthalmologist, internist, ultrasonographer, oncologist and radiologist. In addition we will be offering radioactive iodine therapy for treatment of hyperthyroidism in cats. We will periodically update our website as these services are offered. 

If you need a sign in Bethlehem, NH, Lincoln Sign Company would be happy to help you

We are a sign shop that has been serving the White Mountain Region of New Hampshire for over 30 years.  We do all types of signs, including:

Flat-Painted Signs
Commercial Signs
Residential Signs
Vinyl Signs
Carved Wooden Signs
Sandblasted Signs
Dimensional Signs
Custom Short-Run Decals
Custom Vehicle Graphics
Truck Lettering
Banners

and anything else you might need to promote your business

Please give us a call at:  603-745-6658
or email us at lincolnsign@lincolnsign.com

Learn all about Lincoln Sign Company

Need to purchase a sign in Bethlehem NH?
We are  "Lincoln Sign Company", but we can get you a sign wherever you are and would be flattered if you thought of us as  "Bethlehem Sign Company" as well.

Lincoln Sign Company carves Wooden Trees all the time

Polly's Pancake Parlor

polly pancake sign, originally uploaded by SignsNeverSleep.

 

Gerber Omega Video Training CD

So, I have been talking a great deal about the training "quick start" videos that Gerber has provided with the 2.5 upgrade and they are really terrific.  One of the frustrations of people who are thinking about maybe upgrading to a new version of the software, is that you have to get the upgrade to see the videos, and in my mind, these videos are probably the greatest selling tools for the upgrade!

Well, don't worry.  Spandex has come to our rescue...

Yes, Spandex...

No, not the purple stretchy stuff your Aunt Rita wore back in the 70's...

(Thanks, now I won't be able to get that mental image out of my head all day...

SPANDEX, Gerber's European cousin!
===============

Over on the other side of the Atlantic, Gerber product's are sold by a company called Spandex (which is a company that is actually owned by Gerber).  I first became aware of Spandex back in the heady days of 1998, and taking a look at their website back then was like opening the door to a secret room.  Many times they would launch products a year or so before they launched in the US, so you could just pop over to the Spandex Website to see what new plotters or printers Gerber would be selling next year.

Another thing I really liked about the Spandex UK website especially, is they had a very "hip" irreverent attitude towards themselves.  Their support docs tended to be funny as well as factual, they had a live web-cam in their support center, and who could forget "The Gerber Time-Tunnel?"........

........

I really, really miss the Gerber time-tunnel.
I really, really do....
(have just spent 15 minutes trying to "hack" a link for it, to no avail...  If anyone over at Spandex UK can provide me with one, I would really, really appreciate it!)

=====
So, what I'm saying here, is that anytime there is a new announcement or product from Gerber, I tend to run over to the Spandex website to see what's going on.

Well, they have not disappointed with OMEGA 2.5 either....
They have gone ahead and put almost all of the training "quick-start" videos on their website for all the world to see.....

This video of the dimensioning tools is probably the best one of the bunch...  Gives me goosebumps...

Here is where all of the training videos are

Here in a link to the Gerber Spandex UK website yes, it is still a very good website, but not as "hip" as it used to be.  I really miss the "hip"

Oh, and here is a link to the Gerber Spandex Worldwide website 
Spandex in Slovakia  -  Instant headache baby!

 

===========================
For the folks inside Lincoln Sign Company who are currently using OMEGA on a regular basis (Lee and Vicki) the above link will give you access to the videos I am talking about here and I would really suggest that you take a look at all of them, as they will really get you comfortable with all of the new tools quickly.

And, please do not start wearing spandex around the shop......
"Do it on your own time people!"

Random picture of the day

Progress with the sign software upgrade

I am mainly posting this to keep everyone who works at Lincoln Sign Company updated as of where we stand with the upgrade as of today.

The system upstairs in the house (KILREY) has been updated to 2.5
The system out in the WOODSHOP has been updated to 2.5

My plan is to get my design computer (FRONT) done in the next few days - and I will do the system in the paint ship (LEGACY) at the same time

NOTE:  Lee, if you are going to save a job from the Woodshop that you need to look at on another system, you will need to save it as an "OMEGA 2.1" job (I think)  I'm not going to get off my lazy butt to check right now, but I think that's accurate.

============================================
Now, to the folks at Gerber.  Fantastic job!  I have now done upgrades to two of our systems and I have had ZERO issues.

I loaded right over the old versions of the program (just let the installer find them automatically) and I did not need to do a thing.

All my job files (still there and can get into them no problem)
All my fonts (still there)
All of my device setups (plotter and EDGE LE) (still setup properly and I tested them and they work just fine both printing and cutting)

I am always very cautious when upgrading anything, especially with the programs that we really, really need to work flawlessly, and to be honest I ALWAYS expect bad, evil stuff to happen. 

But this time around, so far, so good.  I am very, very pleased at how easy the upgrading has been.

Looking forward to get the last two systems done.

Lincoln Sign Company can take care of your window lettering and glass etching needs: Or, is etched glass half empty or half full?

Harrington Pantry Door - Etched Glass - Lincoln Sign Company 1, originally uploaded by SignsNeverSleep.

This is a door that Vicki has been working on for the last few days, and I would like to point out that this job has been 100% Vicki, design and all. 

This is a technique that we call "double-etch" and actually, the glass in this door is not etched at all.  Actually sandblasting the glass in the door (which is how "old school" etching was done, is not very cost effective and expensive if you make a mistake (as a mistake usually involves needing to buy a new pane of glass!)).

To get an "etched glass look", we use a material called "Frosted Crystal Vinyl", which we can cut to any shape on our "Sign-O-Shape-Letter-Cutter 8000".  To get the above look for Holly's door, Vicki actually covered the inside of the door's glass with the Frosted Crystal to give a solid etched background, flipped the door, and then put the lettering on in the same material.  Gives a very nice, classy, understated look.

To see another example of how nice etched glass doors can look, here is another example.

If you need a sign in Meredith, NH, Lincoln Sign Company would be happy to help you

We are a sign shop that has been serving the White Mountain Region of New Hampshire for over 30 years.  We do all types of signs, including:

Flat-Painted Signs
Commercial Signs
Residential Signs
Vinyl Signs
Carved Wooden Signs
Sandblasted Signs
Dimensional Signs
Custom Short-Run Decals
Custom Vehicle Graphics
Truck Lettering
Banners

and anything else you might need to promote your business

Please give us a call at:  603-745-6658
or email us at lincolnsign@lincolnsign.com

Learn all about Lincoln Sign Company

Need to purchase a sign in Meredith NH?
We are  "Lincoln Sign Company", but we can get you a sign wherever you are and would be flattered if you thought of us as  "Meredith Sign Company" as well.

Besta One Pizzeria

besta one flat painted sign lincoln sign, originally uploaded by SignsNeverSleep.

 

Gerber OMEGA Software Video Tutorials

OK, so I am going to probably regret this (bandwidth wise), but the tutorial videos for the upgrade are so well done that I would love to give everyone just a taste on them.  The link below is just one of the shortest ones, but I think it gives you a good idea of the quality and genius of them.

The tutorial/demo videos are really good, and after watching them (took about 40 minutes to see all of them?) I feel familiar enough with the new features to start fooling around with some of them without really knowing what I am doing.  (and I think that is the greatest asset of the videos, they give you an "instant comfort level" that I never have had before with any software upgrade)

I would post them all, but it would probably blow all my bandwidth...

Download "Edit All Video"

Oh, when the first person downloads the link, just let me know it worked OK in "Comments"

thanks

Random Picture of the Day

Putting a paint mask on a Pullman Coach at the Hobo Railroad in Lincoln, NH

This is a project that we were involved in last week.  This is one of the two Pullman Cars that the Hobo Railroad here in Lincoln hires out for high-end events.  The" Suitsme" car is currently in their shop getting painted.  What we are doing is putting a paint mask over the yellow paint that was just put on, then the train will be sprayed dark blue, and when the mask is peeled off the Hobo will end up with yellow letters and stripes.

Be sure to check out the interior of the "Suitsme" Pullman car.  It is really, really nice...

Installing Gerber OMEGA 2.5

OK....
So it's 12:33pm on a Saturday....
The family is out skiing at Cannon Mountain...

And what am I doing?  Installing OMEGA 2.5 into one of my computers of course...

I decided to load it first on the system upstairs that Vicki uses for designing occasionally, and it is the lowest priority system, so no harm if I screw it up...

So, you remember all that advice I gave out the other day, about minimum system requirements?

Well, it looks like I don't bother following my own advice...  About halfway through the install I realized I am putting it on a computer with only 256 MB of RAM and only about 2GB free space on the hard drive.  Nice J.D.   ....Way to follow instructions...  I really don't recommend this for anyone else! 

Oh well, my plan is to get the computer loaded with it, and I will get to the computer store next week to get additional RAM and a bigger hard drive.  Right now I am going to just make sure that loading this new version does not rip a hole in the space-time continuum before I load it into all my other systems....

Alright..... Wish me luck, the upstairs system should have rebooted by now.  Going to make sure I haven't created a vortex that demons can travel through upstairs...

=========================
12:55pm
OK

I'm back and looks like everything is just fine upstairs.  The program came up no problem and a even dabbled around with "Layers" for awhile.  Very impressed with layers, much more intuitive than I though it was going to be (to qualify this, very intuitive if you are used to using layers in Photoshop for example.  If this was the first time I had ever seem layers, you better believe I would be hitting F1 for help.)

So, in a few minutes I am going to go upstairs to work with the program a bit more, try to send a job to my plotter and digital printer (EDGE LE) and just generally take the program out for a spin.  I am very impressed with how easy the install of the upgrade was (it even retained my installed devices!)

Gerber, excellent job on putting the "upgrade engine" together.  That couldn't have been easier.

==========================

Oh, I said last time I would do a whole "what do you get in the box" type a feature.  Basically you get  a "Getting Started Manual"  (printed on real paper 73 pages long.  It is an install step-by-step with no good "nuggets" of info)

4cd's
- the upgrade disk
- font and library CD
- Gerber Profile library CD
- and "OMEGA Upgrade Overviews" CD

Now, I "cheated" a bit and have already looked at the "Upgrade Overviews" CD (just a little).  Full of PowerPoint presentations on "What's New" and with videos (yeah, that's right, videos).  They are really, really good...  By far the best "instructional material" that Gerber has ever provided with an upgrade launch.

My plans for the afternoon are cracking open a beer, turning on the Bud Shootout
and going through all of the material and videos on the CD.

Yes sir, I know how to live...

Oh, guy who puts the stuff in the box at Gerber.  You should put candy in there, or something colorful and fun.  I like Sour Patch Kids...