Best for bibs and sticky numbers?

[Freefall]

I am tasked with getting race numbers (bib numbers) for the 6 Day and am faced with multiple choices of different paper types, hole options and suppliers. So far the main paper options are polyart, tyvek, teslin and hydroprint. Some of you might have seen me thrashing around in the green stuff on Saturday testing the latter two - they passed the blood test (cut nose dripping on them) but I found them very plastic-like and noisy. I tried them with holes punched and without - the hydroprint ripped the pin when it was directly through the material. I have quotes so far from a new entrant plus a Glasgow based printer who has been used previously. I am waiting for a quote from Pymmwenn (who did the British Champs recently) and Running Imp (who did the Scottish Relays).
On a similar subject I need multiple sets of 100-255 numbers on sticky material to go onto the existing and new aluminium stakes. The sticking on area is 50 x 100mm. I have so far seen an Avery label offer but not much else yet. What font size and type should we use BTW? Again.. any thoughts?

[Scott]

I used First 4 Numbers for the Chasing Sprint a couple of months ago and was pleased with their service (from an organiser's point of view - I can't attest to how well the bibs held up in the forest).

The last time I bought bibs from Running Imp (BUCS Relay 2009) they didn't arrive until the day before the race, and they had messed the numbering up completely - I had a fun evening with a black marker pen writing the correct numbers on the back of the bibs they had sent us. For balance I should say that I have used Running Imp for other things since then with no problems, but I'd be wary about going back to them for bibs again.

[Gross]

http://emit.no/en

[Freefall]

I have contacted First4Numbers and they look pretty professional. They mentioned another material called "Cutron" which hasn't shown up in my Googling. It is supposedly tough like Tyvek but softer - it has been used at European Athletics Champs etc. I will soon have at least 5 squares of paper in front of me ready for testing - will the safety pin or the paper go first? Not sure how Barnes Wallis, James Dyson or Trevor Baylis would have gone about the task.

[DJM]

freefall wrote:
What font size and type should we use BTW?

The numbers or letters shall be black, 5 to 10 cm high, and have a line width of 5 to 10mm.
BOF Rule 6.4.2

[Freefall]

That's good - I think I had spotted that within IOF rules somewhere. Plenty of scope - interesting that it doesn't specify Verdana or Arial or whatever.

[Barny of Blandford]

Both WIM and WSX recently renumbered all their metal stakes and we went to a local man that does car and van computer graphics on various vinyls
http://www.signs2suit.co.uk
worked out at about 80p a side (i.e. 131 x 2 = about £1.60)
Must be marine adhesive vinyl
Obviously in our case white background and black letters - we used 8mm thickness letters and were very pleased with the results.
The hardest job was taking off the old numbers which were laminated card stuck on with epoxy - used a sharpened paint scraper
I am sure you will find plenty in your area that can do the job - just take a stake along to show exactly what you want and why as that was the hardest thing initially explaining exactly what we wanted

[duncan b]

Use Helvetica for the typeface.

[Freefall]

must be marine adhesive vinyl

First4Numbers have recommended Marine Grade Self Adhesive Extra Permanent so all I need is a sheet of aluminium to stick my collection of numbers to once the samples all arrive.

I hadn't counted on the likely cost of bibs - at the moment it works out about 35p a bib give or take.

[Zokko!]

For the Elite Sprints last year the planner, who also prints many of our club maps, printed all the bibs on his colour laser, using the same waterproof paper as is normal for map printing. Each bib was A5 size, so quite cheap to print that way. The bibs carried colour sponsors' logos and full competitor details including start times, as well as the number.

[EddieH]

Freefall I do hope that we will have the daily start times on the bibs as in previous years. With a memory like mine it is essential - I frequently arrive at the start with the wrong time in my head even for a 1 day event.

[Freefall]

We can have the start times upside down or the right way up! They will be there.

[Tatty]

Upside down, so you can read the number you're wearing!!

[Paul Frost]

I think at the last meeting we decided that we would probably print them both ways, one for the competitor and one for the start team.