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We are looking for new computer system and software. but first a little background. This year we celebrate our tenth anniversary at our shop here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. We have been a Mom and Pop outfit and getting by, but now it is time to make it grow. Our son Justin is enthusiastic about returning to the business after his service in the Navy, he trained as a deep sea diver and explosive ordinance disposal, perfect training for the sign business. Anyway my question for you computer wizards. We have been using the system I bought in 1993 and it is still going strong. Macintosh based FlexiSignPro 4.5 on a Quadra 650 with a giant 250mg hard drive and a power mac that is large enough to design and use Photoshop on. We use a Roland Camm1 to cut with. We need to be able to continue to use our customer files created on Flexi. One of the things we are going to do is take Dave Butlers Design Course because that is our style here anyway and we need to have a laptop and photoshop that he recommends. This is a really big question I know and I will answer your questions as they arise. Thanks everyone for your help. John
-------------------- John and Diana Grenier Up North Studio Les Cheneaux Islands Art Gallery P.O. Box 83 Hessel, MI 49745 906-322-2886 www.lescheneauxislandsartgallery.com Posts: 50 | From: Hessel, MI (Eastern U.P.) | Registered: Apr 2003
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Hiya John, I guess the answer you're looking for depends on where you want to take your business. I would stick with what you trust and know. It's a lot easier than reinventing the wheel When it comes to hardware, get the best that you can afford. A dual processor system with 2+ hard drives would be an excellent way to go if you plan on going digital. Don't go cheap with the ram. Our main design computer has 2 gigs. All the others have between 512 and 1 gig. Waiting for larger Photoshop files to process on a laptop would drive me crazy. If you plan on using Photoshop, you'll probably get 7 at a discount as compared to CS. The Butler workshops recommend the laptop for the convenience of taking the class. Given a choice between a laptop and a workstation, I would rather spend the money on a workstation. Anything else can go from there.
Havin' fun,
Checkers
-------------------- a.k.a. Brian Born www.CheckersCustom.com Harrisburg, Pa Work Smart, Play Hard Posts: 3775 | From: Harrisburg, Pa. U.S.A. | Registered: Nov 1998
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Boy John, you have a lot to consider. You are soooo out of date that anything you upgrade to is going to be a huge step, both in operating system and new software.
My first recommendation would be a Mac iBook G4 14" of if your budget allows, 15" PowerBook. Keep the old Quadra as long as you have everything working and connect them with an ethernet cable. If you get a new Mac you will be jumping from I'm guessing is OS 7 or 8 to Mac OS X. You will be in totally new territory with alot to learn.
Personally, I'd head in the direction of getting Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop for the new laptop. You can export/import to Flexi or spring for a full update. I'm not sure if Flexi had a full OS X version yet but you can check.
Looking at your list of equipment leaves me wondering what you are planning to do with your Photoshop training? Are you getting an Edge or large format printer in the future?
I'm only 100 miles over the bridge in Traverse City. Feel free to drop in anytime and check out our operation.
-------------------- Bill Modzel Mod-Zel screen Printing Traverse city, MI modzel@sbcglobal.net Posts: 1357 | From: Traverse City, MI | Registered: Nov 1998
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Thank you all for your responses. We use System 9.04 on all our macs and can upgrade to OSX on the iMac and PowerPC. Photoshop is to produce printable art for limited edition posters as well as logo design for clients. John
-------------------- John and Diana Grenier Up North Studio Les Cheneaux Islands Art Gallery P.O. Box 83 Hessel, MI 49745 906-322-2886 www.lescheneauxislandsartgallery.com Posts: 50 | From: Hessel, MI (Eastern U.P.) | Registered: Apr 2003
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