Thanksgiving, Black Friday, NEED ADVICE!

[tabbiewolf]

Thanksgiving was a success! We brined the turkey this year, using a brine mix I got free from work last year, and it definitely improved the taste of the meat. Thanks to those who gave a thumbs up to the brining method -- even with the free mix, I don't think we would have tried it otherwise! Making a gravy base the night before also vastly improved the gravy, so that's something I highly recommend doing if you're crazy like us and like doing everything from scratch.

Also, as much as I love my family (not being sarcastic there), I do highly appreciate and probably prefer the "Thanksgiving with Friends" thing we've been running for the past two years and it's something I'd like to keep up.

As mentioned, the microwave started sparking on Tuesday. On Black Friday, with help from Frosty and Riismo and Lobst, Spot pulled the microwave down. It was put in…uh…very creatively:


Yes, that's a two-by-four. And yes, it has notches taken out of it so the screws that held up the microwave would fit. And yes, ONE OF THOSE SCREWS WAS MISSING.

The shelving above and next to the microwave appears to have been held on by load-bearing caulk and/or paint. The amount of effort that was put into doing it wrong was probably more than if they'd gotten someone to do it correctly. It was a spectacular failure! Well, not an altogether failure, because I mean the microwave didn't fall down…but dang. It could've.

So currently what's there is this:


Though we took out the vent, because it just lead up into the attic and was clogged with insulation…because it just lead up into the attic. Most microwaves don't really need an exterior vent anyway, and in fact we have acquired a new(er) microwave thanks to Riismo's folks remodeling their kitchen. It's the same model, only newer, so it even fits in the same mounting bracket. So we've got our winter project: rebuilding the shelves around the microwave and putting the new one in.

Speaking of winter projects, the possibility of a much more longterm one has come up. fenris_lorsrai knows someone who is getting rid of a ginormous printer, and I am seriously pondering the idea of starting my own printing service. More info about the printer can be found here (if you are interested personally, feel free to speak up about it; I can't afford the thing outright). The thing is, I have NO idea how the heck to run a printing service -- generally my idea of running a business is what I do already (please folks by drawing for them in exchange for money; not being a douchebag). Likewise, I have NO idea if it would ever be profitable: the printer would be a major investment, something I'd have to consider getting a small business loan for, and that's a BIG step for someone who has almost no idea what they're doing.

Anyone have any advice on this? tugrik, I'm looking in your direction, since you do printing professionally :) Likewise, anyone else with small business experience! Printing is something I am passionate about (I blame working at a newspaper), and it's definitely something I could see myself doing for awhile…but money is an issue, and I don't really want to be throwing it away if the odds are slim that I will ever make it back.

Comments

[tugrik.livejournal.com]

So, to summarize:

Upsides: good price (if it's in good condition and inks are left)
Great printer for quality; nearly the best in fact!
Easiest to get the colors right, in the artist-RIGHT kind of way
Workhorse

Downsides: it does nothing small. 8.5x11 is a PITA with this printer. Don'tuse it for anything under,say, 14x17. Everything you buy for it will be big and spendy - big ink carts, big paper rolls, big cutters, big area to put it in, etc etc etc. And due to it being way past EoL on HP's timeline, if something goes wrong with it, it'll go REALLY WRONG and really spendy.

If you want a hobby-biz and you want it to pay for itself, but you gotta put in a lot of unpaid elbow grease, this is an outstanding printer for the task.

IF you want a REAL biz and you want to make a profit, this is way too high a risk. Go to a real big-printer store, get a real rep, buy a modern printer with a service contract and full support. Buffer your stock, buffer your maintenance, and be prepared for equipment downtime. Also don't expect to make very much money unless you can find high-dollar clients willing to pay for high-dollar quality that you spend time on getting right.

If it were $2k with half-full-carts in good condition, and you were willing to put in another $1500 for inks/media/stock, and you were only serving local multiple-fandoms, I say go for it. It'll be fun if you have the room. But be prepared to lose all that money if it goes belly up on you too quickly, as it'll be nigh-unfixable without sinking a ton more money into it.

At the price he wants... it's more of a risk. Still potential worth it, and its with market price. Just be cautious and prepared, fiscally.

[tabbiewolf.livejournal.com]

This is supremely excellent, amazing advice! Thank you!

I think at this point, with our savings as they are (and the fact that we're still operating on one car between two people, and the cost is a car down payment), it would probably be wise to not invest in the printer. Which is a shame, really, because it'd be a lot of fun, but the lines you laid between fun/hobby and fun/professional are REALLY good, and an excellent way of putting it!

Hopefully I can at least get the word spread to help sell the thing to someone who actually needs it :)