A small shop that specializes in police, fire and EMS graphics. No wraps. Laser engraved graphics in house.
About us
“Tam Arte” follows the owner’s family 13th Century motto, in part, “As Much By Art…” in all facets of the design studio’s vision. There are a couple variations on the phrase “Tam Arte Quam Marte”, which also has been translated as “As Much by Art as by War“; “As Well by Art as by Strength” and “As Much by Skill as by Strength“, all of which apply to the sign business!
Working over 30 years in the sign industry, Rick Milne, owner, strives to bring a little personal flavor to the business. With most everything being computer driven, Rick relies on experience and old-fashioned common sense to bring visual balance and legibility into his designs. Rick’s shop is fully equipped with a CNC routing system, a wide format solvent based digital printer and a matching wide format high speed vinyl plotter.
“I do the best I possibly can, but I don’t strive for perfection – that’s unrealistic for both the client and myself. I strive for the best balance of the customer’s needs, ideas and budget, and then design accordingly. When the project is finished and the customer is satisfied, then I know I have accomplished that balance well.”
We don’t do it all. There – it’s been said! Our focus is to primary items that we know best: vehicle lettering and design. We are bringing new elements into the business as illustrated on our other page, laser engraving and marking. Our physical sign side of the business has been effectively retired, felled by our physical bodily limitations as one gets older.
About Rick
The company is only one part of my life, and I do my best to make a comfortable living while making friends along the way. I do like to have a little fun while I work, so I try to keep both conversations and emails on the light side! I became involved with the sign industry by accident, being involved in my alma mater’s arts programs we needed a few new interior signs for our building. That was when computers were still in their infancy, Mac’s were still Apple, and it was only a few short years later I was introduced to the first stand-alone computerized vinyl cutter. Very basic…nothing more than a typewriter for a keyboard and no monitor. It was a hit and miss proposition for sure! A year later the first basic desktop link for that cutter appeared, and I was hooked! With an arts background, using a mouse and monitor was light years ahead than an HB pencil and sketchpad!
So, here we are years later with a full blown business trying to create the best designs and graphics for my customers! When I’m not working on signs or lettering vehicles, I can usually be found in the garage working on one. My hobby passion at the moment is kit cars of the ’70’s vintage.
FAQ’s
Questions on files, fees and other common questions!
In graphics, there are always questions about how to convert an image from someone’s business card, letterhead, or even a hand-drawn rendering. Rest assured, we have both the programming capabilities and talent to be able to convert just about anything into a usable vector image. File conversions from Mac isn’t an issue. The files we do
prefer to work from are CorelDraw (.cdr, X21 or earlier) or Illustrator 9 or earlier (.eps). PDF’s are fine as well, if they don’t contain any bitmapped images. If you have an image you would like quoted just for a file conversion, send it on over and let us take a look.
On that same vein, we do offer design services for business cards, letterhead, newsletters and the like, but we do not perform the actual printing of these products. What we will do is set up the files necessary for your printer to do their job.
If there is a special project you are working on, and don’t quite know where to turn, ask us, and if we can’t do it, we probably know someone who can!
We (almost) exclusively do our design work and changes via email, so you don’t have to keep stopping by to check with us. In most cases you’ll receive several designs with pricing tiers for you to decide. From there, we schedule the job according to your requirements.
Fees, billing and other money issues:
For payments, it’s cash, or company check. I will accept credit cards via the link provided at the bottom of the page. Payments are due upon completion of the job or unless specified on the invoice. Quotes issued will outline any travel, mileage and installation fees.
Will we put your project ahead of someone else’s?
Of course not. We don’t like to quibble, but every customer is important to us. If we can work your project in with others during the same time frame, then certainly we’ll work on it. But most importantly – first in, first out!
Are we the fastest, least expensive, and offer next day service?
Well, no. You want quality in your project, and that’s what we offer here. If you need something next day, please look at the franchise shops. Quality will always be our number two priority, with number one being to please the customer with the end product!
Do I have to leave my vehicle with you to be lettered?
Typically, no. If a garage at your location is available, we can use that as a base of operations. If weather permits, we can letter on site outside (unless it’s over 90° in the sun). We actually do not have indoor facilities to accept a vehicle – all of our work is done on location.