Sign Builder Illustrated August 2015

SBI paints survey

The Roles of Paint in the Industry

Digital signage

Selling This Tech to Restaurants

www.signshop.com

Number 242 | august 2015

How-To

we just changed the sign industry...

LED DRIV

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HDU Fab: To the Letter

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August 2015

30 43

22 18

Cooking Up HDU

BY JEFF WOOTEN

LED’ing the way forward with high-density urethane.

22 26

30 SBI Sign Shop Paints & Coatings Survey

BY ASHLEY BRAY

The results are in from our paints survey.

How to Perform Channel Letter Installs

BY JOHN BAYLIS

What does it take to professionally install a set of channel letters?

Sign Builder Illustrated (Print ISSN 895-0555, Digital ISSN 2161-4709) (USPS#0015-805) (Canada Post Cust. #7204564) (Bluechip Int’l, Po Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Agreement # 41094515) is published monthly

by Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, 55 Broad Street, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10004. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices.

Pricing, Qualified individual working in the sign industry may request a free subscription. 12 issues per year. Non-qualified subscriptions Print version, Digital version, Both Print & Digital version: 1 year US/ Mexico/Canada $50.00; foreign $99.00. Agency subscriptions: 1 year US/Mexico/Canada $45.00; foreign $89.10. Single copies are $15.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid in full in U.S. funds only. Prices are subject to change.

Copyright © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2015. All rights reserved. Contents may not be

2

Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

Channel Letter Showtime

BY ASHLEY BRAY

A cinema gets new box office attraction channel letters.

35 38

Let There Be Shade

BY LORI SHRIDHARE

The aesthetics and functionality of modern day awnings.

Full-time Graphics

BY JOHN FULENA

How to transition your business from a part-time to full-time graphics shop.

43

Sticking to the Facts

BY MIKE ANTONIAK

Magnets are removable, reusable solutions for interior installations.

reproduced without permission. For reprint information contact: Arthur Sutley, Publisher (212) 620-7247 or asutley@sbpub.com.

For Subscriptions & Address Changes, please call (800) 895-4389, (847) 763-9686, Fax (847) 763-9544, e-mail signbuilder@halldata.com, or write to: Sign Builder Illustrated, Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, PO Box 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sign Builder Illustrated, PO Box 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172.

Instructional information provided in this magazine should only be performed by skilled crafts people with the proper equipment. The pub­lisher and authors of information provided herein advise all readers to exercise care when engaging in any of the how-to activities pub­lished in the magazine. Further, the publisher and authors assume no liability for damages or injuries resulting from projects contained herein.

signshop.com

we just changed the sign industry...

LED DRIV

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Agenda

How-To Columns

SEPTEMBER 2015 September 13-16: Graph Expo ’15 is taking place at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. (www.graphexpo.com)

14

September 24-25: NSSA’s New England Sign Expo 2015 will be held at the Twin River Casino Event Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island. (www.nssasign.org)

Lighting Issues

12 12 Digital Screen Profit Landslide

BY RICHARD VENTURA

Digital signage holds the promise of potent consumer influence in the restaurant industry.

14 Lighting Issues

BY DAVID HICKEY

How to use education in the fight against illumination restrictions.

Digital Screen Profit Landslide

Departments 6

UpFront

8

Dispatches

10

Sign Show

46

SBI Marketplace

From temporary signs to licensing requirements, Editor Jeff Wooten reviews some of the latest sign-related odds and ends in the industry.

Wraps get “Mad” about Fury Road and an opera theatre repurposes banners.

The newest products and services from sign manufacturers.

SBI PAINTS SURVEY

The Roles of Paint in the Industry

DIGITAL SIGNAGE

Selling This Tech to Restaurants

www.signshop.com

NUMBER 242 | AUGUST 2015

HOW-TO

4

September 30October 1: CorpCOMM Expo 2015, the only conference and tradeshow exclusively dedicated to technologies that serve the needs of corporate professionals, will be co-located with EduCOMM Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. (www. corpcommexpo.com)

Advertisements and announcements from the sign trade.

NOVEMBER 2015

48 Shop Talk

November 4-6: SGIA Expo, where leading imaging professionals will showcase their best products, methodologies, and innovative applications, is headed to the Georgia Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. (www.sgiaexpo.org)

Ashley Bray details how one sign shop is deploying its fleet of service trucks on a variety of installations.

On the Cover

HDU Fab: To the Letter

September 24-27: A Celebration of Craft, a Letterheads Meeting that includes walldogging, sign painting, panel jamming, pinstriping, etc., takes place at the American Sign Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio. (www.letterheads40.com)

HDU and LEDs make up this innovative sign for the Rio Grande restaurant in Frisco, Colorado. Photo: House of Signs.

Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

signshop.com

TD3

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Input Voltage (V DC): 12/24V Module Level Power (W/ft): 4.5W

Delivered Lumens (Lm/ft): 360 Lm/ft Viewing Angle: 155º Correlated Color Temp (K): 6500K CRI: 80 Ingress Protection: IP66 Stroke: 8” - 24” Depth: 3” - 18”

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Up FRONT

by jeff wooten

August 2015, Vol. 29, No. 242 Sign Builder Illustrated (ISSN 0895-0555) print, (ISSN 2161-0709) digital is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation executive offices

President and Chairman Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. Publisher arthur j. sutley 55 Broad Street, 26th floor New York, NY 10004 212/620-7247; fax: 212/633-1863 editorial editor

Odds ‘n Ends

T

here are a few sign-related news items that I wanted to bring to your attention in this month’s UpFront column (whether extra nuggets you’ll find in this month’s issue that aren’t listed on our Table of Contents page or just some thoughts about recent developments that were sent out to our editorial department’s inbox).

• Temporary Signs. Last month, International Sign Association Vice President of Government Affairs David Hickey wrote about how local officials across the country were attempting to crack down on temporary signs (banners, aframes, etc.). For a quasi-update on this subject matter, check out page 34, where you’ll find that the U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously ruled on the issue of temporary signs, in a legal matter called Reed v.Town of Gilbert.

Discover how the Court ruled in this decision—and their reasoning behind their ruling—in this special sidebar.

• Economic Forecast. Speaking of the ISA, the organization recently released its Sign Industry Quarterly Economic Report using second quarter data compiled by HIS and Vandiver Associates that looks at four key segments in the sign visual communications industry (printing, digital signage, electric signage, and wayfinding). What’s interesting to note is that the numbers-crunched outlook for these four markets continues to forecast as “strongerthan-average,” yet each of the four analyzed segments showed a “minor dip” in the expected growth since last quarter’s report.

It finds: Suppliers to the electronic and digital sectors of the market will experience favorable conditions in 2015 with accelerating growth in 2016 and 2017 (although that rate 6

of acceleration has cooled slightly since the previous forecast). Suppliers to the print side of the industry should continue to see favorable conditions through 2017 (but will likely continue on a steady growth trend). The end market for static and wayfinding signs should see very favorable conditions in 2015 (with growth cooling in 2016 and 2017).

Some close scrutiny to the role of static signs in the wayfinding industry may be in order, especially as the marketing blitz for interactive technology seems to ramp up more and more each consecutive month.

• State Licensing. The United States Sign Council (USSC) prepared and presented a “position paper” this past spring to the South Carolina Licensing Board, during which afterwards, said Licensing Board voted to form a task force charged with investigating licensing for sign companies.

This proposed “licensing” requirement could prove a hot topic that bears “watching the skies,” as this state’s Regulatory Committee recently proposed licensing sign companies as “contractors” and require specific licenses in concrete, structural framing and electrical classifications.

Under current South Carolina regulations, sign companies are exempt from licensing (and always have been), and USSC’s stance is for this exemption to continue; however if regulatory measures are adopted, then the organization asks that they be fair to all on-premise sign companies, gradually implemented over time, not over-burdesome, and are practical and promote public safety.

At press time, the current exemptions remain in effect, but if licensing for the sign industry does gain approval in South Carolina, what kind of dominos could fall in other states?

Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

Jeff Wooten

323 Clifton Street, Suite #7 Greenville, NC 27858 212/620-7244; fax: 212/633-1863 jwooten@sbpub.com managing editor

Ashley Bray

55 Broad Street, 26th Floor New York, NY 10004 212/620-7220; fax: 212/633-1863 abray@sbpub.com contributing writers

Butch “Superfrog” Anton, Mike Antoniak, John Baylis, John Fulena, David Hickey, Mark Roberts, Lori Shridhare, Richard Ventura, Randy Wright art

Corporate Art Director Wendy Williams production

Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers circulation

Circulation Director Maureen Cooney advertising sales national sales director

Jeff Sutley 212/620-7233; fax: 212/633-1863 jeffsutley@sbpub.com west & midwest regional sales manager

Ian Littauer

212/620-7225; fax: 212/633-1863 ilittauer@sbpub.com Sign Builder Illustrated is published monthly. All rights reserved. Nothing herein may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher. To purchase PDF files of cover and layouts or hard copy reprints, please call Art Sutley at 212/620-7247 or e-mail asutley@sbpub.com.

Circulation Dept. 800/895-4389

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Dispatches

Lotus F1 Team Creates ‘Mad Max’-inspired F1 Car Irvine, California—More than a decade in the making, the epic action adventure Mad Max: Fury Road, filmmaking mastermind George Miller’s return to the postapocalyptic Mad Max trilogy world he last directed more than thirty years ago, was released this past May to critical and audience acclaim, with phrases like “groundbreaking,” “jaw-dropping,” and “visionary” frequently brought up.

The same accolades could be applied to one of its marketing promotions, as well.

To coincide with the film’s May 15 launch, Lotus F1 Team, in co-operation with 8

Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, created a new F1 racing machine suitable for a post-apocalyptic future—the Lotus F1 Team Mad Max Hybrid.

The rat-look Lotus Hybrid was fitted with a new skin printed on a Roland DG SOLJET Pro 4 XR-640 large format color printer using a 3M™ Wrap Film 1080-M230 Matte Grey Aluminum (an unlaminated metallic film from 3M). The printed film was then applied to the vehicle, transforming it from a gleaming supercar to something at home in the Australian Wasteland.

Joe McNamara of Lotus F1 Team

Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

Graphics commented, “With a project like this—with such tight deadlines and zero margin for error—our Roland DG printer was invaluable. We rely on the speed and reliability of the SOLJET Pro 4 XR-640 to ensure these products are realized in the time limits we have.

"The print was run overnight unattended, automatically rolled onto the takeup unit, and applied to the car the next day—before being loaded and driven to Barcelona for the reveal. The winning combination of the speed of the Roland DG SOLJET Pro 4 XR-640 and the user-friendly signshop.com

A Banner Solution for Opera Theatre

Roland printers and 3M vinyl helped to transform a rat-look Lotus Hybrid into a vehicle that is more at home in Mad Max's Wasteland than the Spanish Grand Prix.

application characteristics of the 3M 1080 matte metallic wrap film made this job not only possible but far more straightforward.”

Fitted with special accessories and heavy modifications designed for a “world gone mad,” the Lotus F1 Team Mad Max Hybrid was unveiled at the Barcelona International Motor Show at the Montjuïc Exhibition Centre on May 8, along with two custom, drivable vehicles designed and created for the film itself: Nux's car and the iconic Mad Max Interceptor (also pictured, above).

Accompanying the vehicles was Lotus F1 Team’s Romain Grosjean and Pastor signshop.com

Woodridge, Illinois—Professional graphics firm Image360 Lexington recently partnered with SignPro Systems, a division of Orbus Exhibit & Display Group, to manufacture eleven custom-width poster snapper frames for the University of Kentucky Opera Theatre, which allowed them to repurpose their existing, unused banner stands into a large-scale wall poster gallery.

Instead of simply storing previous banners away, this fresh, eye-catching solution showcases past performances to voice students, university students and officials, and donors passing through the building.

The slim profile of the poster snapper frames were ideal for use in hanging the banners in the busy stairwell of the rehearsal building, and the customizable width and height allowed for each banner to fit perfectly within its new display.

The simple installation lets the UK Opera Theatre program rearrange as necessary, and the snapping edge of each aluminum frame enables the displays to be changed out with each new season if necessary.

Maldonado, both of whom drove Mad Max: Fury Road-branded cars in the 2015 Spanish Grand Prix, held May 9-10 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (where Grosjean secured a respectable eighth place finish).

“Powerful cars and high speeds are in the DNA of Mad Max, and the Lotus F1 Team Mad Max Hybrid is emblematic of that spirit," said Con Gornell, executive vice president of European marketing, Warner Bros. Pictures. “We’re delighted to work with Lotus F1 Team to bring a little of the Wasteland to the Spanish Grand Prix.”

August 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

9

SignSHOW acrylics/PLasticS New LaserMax “DigiCam” Products from Rowmark Rowmark has expanded its exclusive LaserMax® “Digicam” (digital camouflage) product line to support the continued demand and popularity of projects featuring designs that closely resemble military patterns. Now available in seven versatile patterns—including new Air Force Blue/White, Navy/White, and Special Ops/White—Rowmark’s Digicam products are constructed of a camouflage pattern over a durable white or black acrylic core for a unique visual effect.

Fabricators can use the laserable sheet material to create honorary displays; patterned frame photography; or commemorative signage, plaques, and ID tags. The LaserMax Digicam series was launched in 2014, in an effort to offer fabricators even more pattern and customization options to suit their unique design vision, with the same superior laser results that customers have come to expect from the company's LaserMax® line. www.rowmark.com

D I G ITAL P RI N TI N G E Q U I P M E N T / S U P P LI E S CET Color Reaches Agreement with National/AZON to Sell and Distribute Printers CET Color, a leading manufacturer of UV flatbed and hybrid printer technology, has entered an agreement with National/AZON Equipment for sales and distribution of their award-winning Q5 Series line-up of UV flatbed and hybrid wide format printers. National/AZON Equipment (www.azonequipment.com) is a division of National/AZON, a manufacturer of specialty media for the print-for-pay market. They are a primary national distributor of technology products from top national brands, serving their core competency (the reprographic professional) in North America.

National/Azon Equipment is committed to reseller-only sales, and their marketing and customer service focus is based solely upon the reseller. Utilizing state-of-the-art UV-curable ink sets that are VOC free and eco-friendly, CET Color’s printers have the ability to print on virtually any substrate. The CET Color Q5-500 and Q5-1000 printers can be custom-configured up to ten printheads and are field-upgradable. 404/505-1800; www.cetcolor.com

Mimaki USA Releases High-density Dye Sublimation Inks Mimaki USA announces the availability of Sb54 and Sb310 dye sublimation inks for use in the company’s printers for transfer to textile or hard surface applications. The Sb54 and Sb310 inks deliver consistency and reliability as well as offer higher density printing that produces more vivid color results than preceding Sb53 and Sb300 inks. These new inks also provide enhanced resolvability, improving the print production yield by ensuring stable ink jetting. Output consistency is improved, minimizing agglutination after fixing to prevent color migration and lower vapor emissions during the transfer process. Improved ink stability also means that daily cleaning is easier and fewer regular cleanings are required, further contributing to cost reduction and higher throughput. 888/530-4021; www.mimakiusa.com

Metalnox’s New Heat Press is a “New Standard” in the Dye Sublimation Market Metalnox has launched their latest heat press specifically for EPSON F6070, Mutoh RJ-900X, and other forty-four-inch dye sublimation printers. The new Metalnox PTS 8000-Single is a 33-by-43-inch air-operated pneumatic press that is larger than standard-sized 30-by-40-inch heat presses currently available from others. With a small footprint and an ergonomic easy-glide shuttle, a user can have a complete dye sublimation system with printers and the new PTS 8000-Single for less than $20,000. The aluminium, milled Uni-platen with digital temperature control provides consistent and even heat distribution not found on other heat presses. The Metalnox PTS 8000-Single is manufactured in the Americas and is available immediately. www.graphicsone.com

M A G N E TICS Ultraflex Systems Launches XMR Magnetic Receptive Media XMR™ Magnetic Receptive Media from Ultraflex Systems Inc., is a new class of digital print media that is rapidly growing in popularity in the global market. XMR Magnetic Receptive Media contains a ferrous component that allows the media to be attracted to a magnet base. The media contains the benefits of a magnet without the weight. The lightweight material results in increased viability in high-volume, frequently changed applications (retail stores, restaurant menu board graphics, etc.). XMR offers seamless installation onsite with no professional installation required; improved face-film technology for superior ink adhesion; easy-to-clean, no edge chipping; a neutral white point; and exceptional durability in high-traffic environments. XMR does not require lamination and will not wrinkle or “kink” during the finishing process. The material offers universal compatibility and is eco-solvent, solvent, and UV printable. It is available in a variety of sizes up to seventy-four inches, making it the widest offering on the market.

973/627-8608; www.ultraflexx.com

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Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

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POWER SUPPLIES/TRANSFORMERS High Power LED Driver from Innovations in Optics Innovations in Optics, Inc., introduces the Model 5000A-100 LED Driver/Controller for powering its patented and patentpending High Power LED Light Engines. The 5000A-100 LED Driver provides constant current in continuous, pulsed, or pulsed width modulation (PWM) modes. An embedded system adds network control with 10/100Mbps Ethernet connectivity. The Model 5000A-100 is intended for OEM applications. Drive current in continuous mode is selectable from 7.5 to 75A at 0.6 to 5.5VDC output. The output current setting is adjustable either locally or remotely from 100 percent down to 10 percent using analog adjustment and as low as 1 percent with PWM. Both analog and digital remote controls are built-in. An RJ-45 Ethernet port for network integration is accessed by end-users with a utility application and an easy-touse GUI enables field-programmability. www.innovationsinoptics.com

ROUTERS/ENGR AVERS New Dust Collection System for Vision’s Smaller Routers Vision Engraving & Routing Systems is pleased to announce the new 2 HP dust collection system for the 1624R and 25 series CNC routers. Now the smaller routers can experience the efficient debris collection of the VR48. The collector has a larger opening, which can accommodate larger tools—allowing for easier spoil board planing and a flatter surface.

888/637-1737; www.visionengravers.com

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August 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

11

HOW-TO

By Richard Ventura

Electronic

Digital Screen Profit Landslide

Digital signage holds the promise of potent consumer influence in the restaurant

In a way, the restaurant industry is already engaged in this line of thinking. Restaurants currently use their digital screens to entertain patrons and reinforce the benefits of their brands.

These screens also offer an ideal platform for digital place-based media.

A New Ad Landscape Results from the Digital Place-based Advertising Association’s survey of strategic media planners show that 64 percent of planners have advised their clients to shift funding away from traditional out-of-home to digital place-based media.

The same survey also found planners recommend shifting dollars away from traditional television (41 percent) and online media (40 percent) in order to fund digital place-based marketing channels.

Benefits of this distinctly modern marketing approach include a highly targeted reach

Photo: nec.

industry.

R

estaurant owners already have what many consider a powerful new marketing currency in their establishments. However some do not even know it.

Digital place-based networks (DPN) reach consumers through strategically placed, networked digital signage displays that transmit highly targeted messages in venues like restaurants.

According to ScreenMedia Daily, more than 50 percent of all mobile searches demonstrate local intent, and 17 percent of searches happen while consumers are on the move. In other words, active consumers spend money while they are out and about because they constantly seek information.

Marketers have a significant amount of power in this scenario because customers are highly receptive to branded messages—provided those messages are relevant and carry a sense of immediacy.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

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with demographics based on time and location, as well as immediate and lasting access to a constantly replenished audience in high-traffic, brandsafe environments.

A Profitable Eco-system Restaurant proprietors realized years ago that digital screens need to communicate with patrons and favorably position their brands, products, and services. The screens must also align with guest-facing messaging on other digital channels such as social media, Web sites, smartphone applications, and television/ radio/print advertising.

The eco-system that many restaurants construct when they install digital screens creates an ideal platform for digital place-based marketing channels.

Digital menu boards, point-of-sale systems, and order confirmation platforms are all inter-connected. They can aggregate data, which proprietors can analyze to drive decisions toward meaningful business impact.

Increased use of tablets in restaurants and dining areas is noteworthy as well. It allows tableside ordering and entertainment while, at the same time, opening new avenues for increased connectivity to the omni-channel strategy.

Tablets also offer digital place-based marketing opportunities.

In order to connect with diners, restaurants must utilize all aspects of their omni-channel communications plans.

As part of this process, they must incorporate digital strategies that speak to their customer base.

Restaurants use digital screens to cross-market brands and products and deploy promo boards to complement their menu boards. Promo boards perform well in upselling consumers standing in line waiting to place their orders.

The integration of social media, digital signs, and Web sites have brought needed consistency to brand messaging, helping drive foot traffic and streamlining consumer understanding of choices amidst a lot of noise in the marketplace.

They should take into account the role that analytics play now and in the future.

They should think about what customer satisfaction means in the modern day landscape.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly for digital place-based marketing purposes, restaurants should determine what kinds of content are suitable for their audiences. Messaging must be highly targeted and relevant to the chosen audience in order for this marketing approach

to make an impact and influence purchasing decisions.

The restaurant industry is sitting on a marketing gold mine. Now it must do the work to extract the gold and cash it in for profit.

Richard Ventura is vice president of Business Development and Solutions for NEC Display Solutions (www. necdisplay.com). He can be reached at rventura@necdisplay.com.

The Bar Has Been Raised. traditional & Trimless ® letters faster production greater precision smaller footprint less waste

ChannelBender Series ®

automated channel letter bending systems

Save time and money with the fastest, most reliable, most precise systems available to sign makers. Bend returns faster than with our nearest competitors’ machines. Cut hand finishing time. Fabricate face-lit and reverse letters, or Trimless letters with our LetterBox™ return material. Finish the stroke of a letter with a serif as small as ¼".

From Starbucks® to Saks Fifth Avenue®, ChannelBenders can bend any sign. For more information, call AdamsTech at 303-798-7110 or email us at info@channelbender.com.

Making a Plan Proprietors can take full advantage of their digital screen setup by keeping several different issues in mind.

They should make sure the system is scalable and can grow with the brand. signshop.com

AdamsTech

www.channelbender.com

U.S. Patent Nos. 5589090; 5787750; 5870919; 5966974; 5992485; 6128940; 6405574; 8327679; 7694543; 7441434; and 7878039.

Other U.S. and international patents pending. Starbucks and Saks Fifth Avenue trademarks are the property of their respective rights owners and no endorsements are implied.

August 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

13

HOW-TO

By David Hickey

Regulations

Lighting Issues How to use education in the fight against illumination

college campuses.

A small segment would’ve even established regulations on electronic message centers. While the proposed EMC regulations weren’t as egregious as we’ve seen, we worked with the legislator to help him understand our concerns.

Ultimately the bill was shelved, in part because of the tremendous financial burden this would cause as businesses and public facilities upgraded lights.

In Arizona, it’s actually an even more unusual situation.

Tucson and Pima County recently adopted outdoor lighting restrictions that include a cap on lumens per site development.

Neon has been edged out in many cases. This is unusual because Tucson—and particularly the

Photo: Shutterstock.com.

restrictions.

A

rizona and Arkansas might seem pretty distant geographically. Yet when it comes to regulating signs, both recently have taken steps that are somewhat similar.

In fact, sign lighting issues are something that we’re seeing around the country.

Local officials are becoming more interested in creating lighting standards and decreasing sign brightness—both of which can harm the value of signs and hurt the businesses that rely on them to advertise.

Let’s start in Arkansas, where a well-meaning state senator wanted to enhance amateur astronomy. In wide-ranging legislation, he proposed protecting the night sky, even if it meant changing lighting at traffic intersections or on

14

Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

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Tucson Historical Preservation Foundation—actively has preserved its historic neon. Yet that same art form that is celebrated if it’s of a certain age is practically not allowed in new uses.

It’s somewhat ironic that these sign lighting issues occur just as new research shows how much businesses rely on them to brand, advertise, and communicate with customers—especially at night and even during non-business hours.

Research released recently by The Signage Foundation, Inc., and conducted by Villanova University Professor Ray Taylor showed that half of the companies surveyed felt they would lose business if government regulations prevented lighted signs. How big a loss? The group estimated it at 21 percent.

Given the margins that most small businesses operate under, a 21 percent loss could result in a shuttered business.

In those instances, there’d be no need for an illuminated sign, but then again there’d be no jobs or services either.

(Note: Taylor’s research, “The Economic Value of Illuminated Signs,” is available at www.thesignagefoundation.org).

This is a message that needs to be clearly communicated going forward.

ISA’s public affairs committee is in the process of creating another tool that can be used to guide communities on issues involving sign lighting.

We’re only just in the early stages, but we anticipate this will be available for sign and visual communications companies to use by early 2016.

While it’s not quite the same issue, another resource that can assist communities in managing lighting issues related to electronic message centers is “Recommended Night-time Brightness Levels for On-Premise Electronic Message Centers (EMCs).” Created by noted lighting expert Dr. Ian Lewin, the resource provides guidelines to help communities understand brightness standards and measurement methodology.

Lighting is extremely valuable to the businesses that use our products. We’ll continue to work to ensure that they remain available to be effectively and responsibly used.

David Hickey is vice president, Government Affairs, at ISA. He can be reached via email at signcodehelp@ signs.org.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

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Sign news on the go?

There’s an app for that.

Introducing the new Sign Builder Illustrated app SBI App

http://bit.ly/sbiapp

•Up-to-the-minute daily sign news •Full access to all previous/archived editions of monthly magazine •Automatically receive new issues on IOS5 or higher •Download and save individual pages to enjoy offline or on the go

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Download the Kaywa QR Code Reader (App Store &Android Market) and scan your code!

•Social media integration to easily share news

H D U / By J E F F WO OT E N / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

HDU

Cooking Up

W

hen one thinks about channel letters and LED lighting, high-density urethane (HDU) might not be the material of choice that immediately springs to mind.

However award-winning House of Signs in Frisco, Colorado, recently combined DUNA-USA’s CORAFOAM® HDU with LED lighting to create an “ultra-dimensional” fascia sign for a new Rio Grande Mexican restaurant that was opening up in town.

The owners of the Rio Grande restaurants bill its eateries as “seriously good Mexican food” (their catchphrase, “Ain’t Life 18

Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

Grande?”), and they’ve proven successful at their other locations all across the state of Colorado.

Another Rio Grande was getting ready to open its doors as part of a new commercial center in Frisco, and the owners turned to House of Signs for outdoor identity signage ideas. “We had developed the sign criteria and standards for the entire center and therefore had been selected as the preferred vendor,” says Roger Cox, owner of House of Signs (www.houseofsignsco.com).

However each of the other Rio Grande locations featured signshop.com

all photos: house of signs.

LED’ing the way forward with high-density urethane.

o

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Proving that HDU can be a real consideration when making LED channel letters.

inconsistent branding, so the owners really had little idea what they were looking for here.

For Cox, this proved to be an open menu of signage choices.

“We took cues from some of the finishes inside the restaurant such as the steel background with bolts found in the bar area, as well as incorporated their logo,” he says.

Founded in 1989, House of Signs is an impressive operation located at the base of the Rocky Mountains, having won multiple awards for their custom creations. This talented team of sign makers combine traditional techniques with state-ofthe-art equipment and unbridled design creativity to dream up and build signs for area businesses, public facilities, and open space venues.

House of Signs created the concept for Rio Grande and even went one extra step by fabricating an actual large prototype featuring elements of the sign (the “R” and “Mex” letters, vinyl stripe, background panel texture, etc.) for the client to review the idea. “This was an immediate sell at that point,” says Cox. House of Signs has been using CORAFOAM HDU for about a year-and-a-half now, finding it’s easier to control when hand-carving and appears to be much less porous.

“We prefer using HDU for our channel letters instead of metal because we can achieve an additional dimensional layer with HDU,” says Cox. “This makes the sign more unique and eliminates the somewhat sterile appearance of traditional channel letters.”

The sign makers cut the sign background from twentypound CORAFOAM HDU on their Gerber Sabre 408 CNC

Cox credits the idea of making channel letters from HDU to his lead fabricator, who learned this practice in Australia.

signshop.com

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The sign background has a recessed pocket for the letters to nest inside. They were fastened to it using three-inch screws.

router using Vectric Aspire software.

The letters were also CNC-cut from twenty-pound CORAFOAM, and each houses a string of LED lights. “Each of these custom letters was made with an interlocking design,” describes Cox. “We used acrylic push-throughs, gold stepped down accents, and black returns [to end up with these] very high-end channel letters.”

House of Signs used high-quality Sherwin-Williams™, Modern Masters, and Ronan acrylic paints throughout the sign. For the back panel of the sign, Cox utilized a glaze technique he learned

20

Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

after attending one of Dan Sawatzky’s well-known workshops, which was perfected by Periandros Damoulis, senior designer and fabricator at House of Signs.

This custom glaze is comprised of ten different colors. “The base coat featured about eight different colors to create the variegated patina-effect,” explains Cox. “Then we added black

”’I’ve always looked up to Dan Sawatzky’s style of sign making and found his classes to be very beneficial,” says Cox.

signshop.com

“Moving forward, we look to continue blending ultradimensional signage together with a vintage-modern feel.”

glaze to the entire background to give depth and soften the color transitions.”

House of Signs added green and gold 3M translucent film to the letter faces and as accent stripes.

The main body of the sign measures 4-by-19 feet, while the top crown of it measures 8 inches-by-20 feet. The HDU letters are twenty-two inches tall, and the acrylic push-thrus are seven inches tall.

The star was carved from one-inch clear acrylic with a prismatic effect and painted with metallic gold.

Part of the agreement with the city was to make the sign look like it was part of the original architecture of the building and not an add-on.

“This required meticulous field measurements and the need for a custom L-shaped armature to attach the sign to the signshop.com

building (and house the storage components for the power supplies),” says Cox. House of Signs custom-welded the steel sub-structure of this armature from square tubing with a Miller 235 mig welder. “We then sheathed this frame with plywood and aluminum,” says Cox. For Cox, incorporating LED with HDU is one of the ways House of Signs remains a leader in innovation.

—Additonal reporting provided by Brad Burnett.

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P a i n t s / B y A s h l e y B r ay / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

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Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

signshop.com

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SBI Sign Shop

Paints & Coatings Survey

The results are in from our paints survey.

photo: sherwin williams.

P

aint is ingrained in the sign industry more than any other product. Pinstripers and hand-painted signs are the roots of the industry, and paint still holds an important place today, even as digital processes and graphics have gained ground.

Sign Builder Illustrated recently conducted a survey, in conjunction with Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes, of almost one hundred sign shops to get a better picture of the role paint plays in today’s industry.

One of the first things the survey brought to light is a shift in the types of paint used by shops. Acrylic enamel (71.7 percent) and latex (69.8 percent) still top the list, but polyurethanes (64.2 percent) are not far behind. (Note: Most shops reported using more than one type of paint or coating.)

“We’re now seeing a trend away from older exterior technology of acrylic enamel and traditional latex house paint quality to higher quality coatings such as polyurethanes,” says Dan Szczepanik, Sherwin-Williams Fleet & Manufacturing marketing director. “Not only do polyurethanes provide better gloss and color holdout, they provide a wider palette of colors from which designers and manufacturers can choose.”

Just how much paint are sign shops using? The survey found that a majority of shops (89.4 percent) use one to one hundred gallons a month.

Szczepanik says most solvent-born paints have long shelf lives of five to eight years. Of course, whether a shop stocks paint or has an in-house mixing bay all depend on frequency of use and the size of the business.

For smaller shops that don’t use enough paint to justify stocking or a mixing bay, ordering paint on an as-needed basis from a paint shop or supplier can be the more efficient option.

signshop.com

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“You most closely associate certain brands with specific colors, so it’s critical those colors are exact matches when sign manufacturers mix and spray their paint.”

—Dan Szczepanik

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Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

photo: shutterstock.com.

Plus sign shops can order just the amount they need—a pint, quart, gallon, etc.

For medium- to high-volume paint users, Szczepanik recommends using automatic mixing systems to avoid waste. “It will automatically mix the hardener with the color, and you only use the exact amount that you need,” he says. “When you pull the trigger, that’s when it will mix the paint; then once you’re done, you probably have a couple ounces in the line.

But other than that, no waste whatsoever.

“It’s a great way to reduce your paint usage, eliminate waste, and save money.”

Saving money and reducing waste is important to sign shops as price came up as the highest rated item (28 percent) for things paint suppliers could improve upon. signshop.com

Szczepanik points out that the ROI on paint actually makes it the more costeffective option in the long run, since it’s meant to last ten to twenty years with no need for maintenance or replacements.

In fact, that durability came up as the top response (47.2 percent) for the thing shops feel their paint suppliers do best, and as the second highest rated attribute offered by paint suppliers.

Szczepanik says when shops are considering what products to use for a job, vinyl decals and pigmented plastics will have long-term durability in northern climates and on north-facing buildings.

However farther south (where the UV rays are more intense), the durability of these items will suffer and paint becomes the better choice.

“Vinyl decals provide great durability against shrinking, cracking, and peeling but have limited UV protection. Many sign manufacturers shy away from decals with high exposure to the sun,” he says.

“Pigmented plastics also provide a great alternative, but durability can be a concern depending on the pigments, additives, and types of plastic used.

“2K urethane paints will provide the most durable color and gloss retention, much better than vinyl or pigmented plastics.” (Note: 2K, or two components, means the paint requires an activator to dry.)

Of course, paint isn’t always the right solution, no matter the climate.

Szczepanik says paint isn’t the best choice for intricate or detailed graphics or for short-term signage jobs.

Aside from durability, product availability came in as the third highest-rated attribute that paint suppliers offer.

“Fast or immediate paint product availability is critical due to shorter lead times on projects,” says Szczepanik.

“Getting the right color the first time with excellent longevity and a quick turnaround makes it much easier on the sign manufacturer to streamline their production process.”

Rounding out the top five of the highest rated attributes were “easy to apply” and “easy to mix.”

“Better streamlining and flow means better cash flow to the bottom line,” says Szczepanik. “Quicker dry times, shorter or no flash times, one coat coverage, simple mix ratios—it all adds up to increased throughput and increased profits.”

The top-rated attribute that paint signshop.com

suppliers offer should come as no surprise—color match. Color match also came in as the second-best thing that paint suppliers do (13.2 percent).

“Color is king when establishing a corporate identity,” says Szczepanik.

“You most closely associate certain brands with specific colors, so it’s critical those colors are exact matches when sign manufacturers mix and spray their paint for the job at hand.”

The importance of color doesn’t

seem to be fading anytime soon either, as Szczepanik sees many color options and trends entering the market.

“You’re getting away from just your standard solid color coatings,” he says.

“We’re looking at more complex metallics, micas, and pearls.

“You’re seeing all those effect colors now show up in the sign industry, and you’ll probably see that color development grow over time and get more complex.”

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August 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

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C h a n n e l L e t t e r s / B y J o h n B ay l i s / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

How to Perform

Channel Letter Installs

A long-lasting and secure channel letter installation takes a substantial amount of knowledge and experience. This article details some of the key considerations installers review prior to (and during) a letter installation.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

signshop.com

photo: Frohling Sign Company in Nanuet, NY.

What does it take to professionally install a set of channel letters?

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Site Survey

Permitting and Building Inspection Permitting is another important facet of the installation process. “We try to research the sign up front so we don’t quote a sign the customer is not permitted to have,” says Schultz.

“In most cases, you must have landlord approval to go after a permit. Then we always obtain the actual permit prior to fabrication.”

Schultz also points out that many municipalities and cities now allow permit materials to be submitted online, which can save a trip to their office.

One interesting point: Experienced installers usually keep a hard copy of the permit(s) available at the installation site. A building inspector may show up and ask to see a hard copy.

diagram: direct sign wholesale.

A site survey is the typical preliminary installation task. This is often performed by one of the company’s sales personnel or a member of the company’s installation crew. Several items are inspected during this step.

Gary Schultz at Artcraft Signs in Denver, Colorado says that his company tries to always check for optimum letter mounting placement.

“The best location partially depends on access for wiring of the letters or sign,” he says. “We may need to adjust the proposed placement of the letter sign to get to the optimum position.”

Electrical access alone can impact the installation cost estimate.

Dave Curry of Star Sign and Banner in Cedar City, Utah mentions, “We always check the physical access to the letter mounting area, as well as the run to the electrical power supply.”

Installers also note that it’s beneficial to make a close inspection of the actual wall surface. A closer examination will sometimes reveal that a second wall material exists behind a surface-level façade, or it may show that a material requires special mounting procedures.

Keith Blumenfeld of M & J Sign Company in Albuquerque, New Mexico adds, “If the customer must have an above roofline install, you’ll be penetrating the roof, so the roof structure must always be inspected.”

Other installers note that it’s generally better (if possible) to mount channel letters below the roofline.

Another survey checklist item is the building façade color.

Experienced installers will ask if that color will remain the

same during the installation period.

A new sign will sometimes be a part of an entire building update—including the façade paint color. If that color is changing, the channel letter color configuration may also need to change.

Sign shops should also be certain the customer has consulted with the landlord as to which signage types are permissible.

“Nine times out of ten, the customer will not have checked with the landlord,” says Larry Plath of Southwest Outdoor Electric Signs in Albuquerque, New Mexico. “The customer will know what they want but not what they can have.”

In summary, a professional site survey encompasses more than just a quick “surface level” inspection. It requires a working knowledge of building construction and materials, electrical wiring configurations, and an on-site assessment of the necessary equipment and personnel.

signshop.com

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The ease (or difficulty) of the permitting process also partially depends on the installer’s area of operation. Some cities require a separate electrical permit obtained by the electrician.

For channel letter installations, some wall materials are more difficult to work with than others.

Concrete can be more difficult to drill and is also more time (and labor) intensive. (Note: Several installers cite concrete as a troublesome material.)

Along the same lines, an additional potential issue is a wall that appears to be stucco on the surface but actually has a concrete wall behind it.

Stucco itself can actually cause problems, as some surfaces that appear to be stucco are not actually flat—they’re slightly corrugated. This isn’t always perceptible when the building facade is viewed from a distance and can impact the appearance of mounted letters (particularly halo-lit letters.)

Corrugated metal can be another problematic surface. Outside of the potential mounting stability issue, a corrugated surface can also throw off the halo appearance of a reverse-lit letter set.

Of course this is more of a guideline than a rule.

Curry mentions an installation that specified reverse-lit letters on a corrugated mounting surface. They warned 28

the customer that the halo appearance wouldn’t be ideal, but the customer insisted on reverse-lit letters and was actually pleased with the result.

EIFS is sometimes called “synthetic stucco,” but it is not stucco. EIFS (“exterior insulation and finishing system”) is a building cladding material that provides exterior walls with an insulated, water-resistant finished surface.

It is also another potentially challenging building material, as it doesn’t always provide a firm backing and can present other issues as well.

“We once ran into a situation where the letter set to be replaced had been siliconed to the wall. When we removed those letters, we tore off chunks of EIFS foam,” says Schultz. “We had to explain to an out-of-state company why the wall was so torn up. That foam can be six inches thick.”

A double wall can prove another installation issue. Schultz mentions that his company once had to mount letters where the two combined walls were thirty-six inches thick and had a small void between them. A specialty drill bit was utilized to penetrate the unusually large distance.

Ceramic wall tiles may also present a mounting problem. These tiles may

Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

shatter if the wrong drill bit is used. A specialty bit is often required.

“You never really know which bits will work best with different types of tile,” says Schultz. “Carbide pointed bits sometimes work well to prevent shattering.”

These are just a few of the potential construction and material challenges associated with a channel letter sign installation. Again knowledge and experience are necessary.

Installation Personnel The customer [and even the sign shop] should protect their channel letter investment by making sure to hire an experienced and competent installer.

The number of installation personnel varies depending on the channel letter sign’s size and weight and the sign’s final location. The crew also depends on the installer’s experience level.

Some installers are able to complete a letter set installation alone. However, if help is needed, they’ll typically hire a licensed contractor who carries their own liability insurance.

Other companies generally employ a two-person installation crew, but they’ll subdivide their install crews by experience level. signshop.com

photo: Signs by Tomorrow in Norton, MA.

Construction and Mounting Surfaces

V

Electrical Access and Connection All installers agreed electrical access is a critical issue—especially when there is a lack of access and a wall either has to be opened up and/or secondary wires must be pulled.

Still licensed electricians don’t always have to be called in.

“It depends on the situation,” says Blumenfeld. “Our company is licensed to hook up electrical, if the power run is within ten feet of the sign. If the run is longer than ten feet, we’ll use an electrician to do it.”

Some states require a licensed electrician to inspect and/or connect the wiring prior to the sign being placed into operation. Experienced installers should always check the electrical permit law and sign codes in the installation’s jurisdiction.

“We bring in an electrician not only for their expertise but also to head off problems from the outset,” says Curry. “The customer pays a bit more, but it gives both us and [them] peace of mind.”

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Mounting Pattern An installation mounting pattern is typically supplied by the letter producer (assuming the letters are flush-mounted; raceway mounted channel letters typically don’t receive a mounting pattern). This document provides mounting data including the electrical knockout and mounting hole locations. (Note: See diagram on page 27).

Some companies utilize not only the mounting pattern but also other visual project documentation.

“We use the pattern, “ says Blumenfeld, “and we also print out the project visuals we’ve produced for the customer.”

Some installers also produce channel letters and have the ability to make their own mounting pattern when necessary.

“We’ve made our own patterns and had patterns supplied from manufacturers,” says Plath. “Installations are easier with a pattern, and we’ve generally found it’s less expensive to order from a manufacturer.”

John Baylis is marketing director at Direct Sign Wholesale (www.directsignwholesale. com) in Denver, Colorado. signshop.com

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S i t e S u r v e y / B y A s h l e y B r ay / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

L

ightning Quick Signs, a family-owned, full-service sign company in Waveland, Mississippi, found itself playing the starring role on a project for Acadiana Cinemas in Picayune, Mississippi.

The movie theater building was recently remodeled and updated after it had been damaged in Hurricane Katrina years ago. As a part of the overhaul, Acadiana needed a new channel letter sign on the front of the building.

Lightning Quick Signs was one of the first companies to bid on the project, and since they were right in Acadiana’s price range, they won the job.

With a tight deadline of only a week-and-a-half to get the

job done, Lightning Quick Signs knew there would be no time for reshoots and got right to work on the site survey.

Recently the shop had set out to find a way to make their site surveys more efficient.

“We were looking for an easier way for our sales staff to go out and do site surveys for potential customers without having to send bucket trucks and cranes because it was just costing us a lot of money to send them out there, [especially] for jobs that we may or may not get,” says Kyle Freeman, production and estimating manager at Lightning Quick Signs.

They looked at some low-end laser measuring devices from big-box home improvement stores.

A cinema gets new box office attraction channel letters.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

signshop.com

all photos (unless marked): lightning quick signs.

Channel Letter

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

signshop.com

(Above) The inset photo shows the Acadiana Cinemas building before the new letters were installed, with the measurements obtained

by Spike.

(Left) The Acadiana Cinemas project had a tight deadline, and the Spike app enabled the sign shop to complete the site survey in hours rather than days.

August 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

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photo (left): ikegps.

“But we found that the accuracy really wasn’t there,” says Freeman. “We had a couple of them that we only kept for a day or two before bringing them back.”

Eventually a simple Web search led them to ikeGPS’s Spike app, a laser-accurate smartphone measurement solution. Spike includes the device, which attaches to a tablet or phone, as well as the app program itself. (Note: Lightning Quick Signs has three Spike devices—two on Androids and one on an iPad.) On the Acadiana project, Lightning Quick Signs Owner Gary Knoblock went to the job site and took a picture of the building with the Spike device, which calculated the height, width, area, length, and target location. He then emailed the image with all of the measurements to the graphic designer right from the site.

Since the client already had a logo, the graphic designer only had to bring the file into PhotoShop®, scale it, and start the quoting process. (Note: The graphic designer has a tablet that runs the Spike software but doesn’t include the device to take photographs.)

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Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

(Above) A user demonstrates how the Spike app works.

(Right) The Acadiana Cinemas’ new channel letters serve as a great advertisement since they are visible from the highway and pop when lit up at night. house using its Accu-Bend machine. The letters were made of .063-inch aluminum backs with five-inch standard channel letter coil returns. The faces were constructed using white acrylic and 3M™ Scotchcal™ Translucent Graphic Film 3630-141 Gold Nugget was used on the logo and “Cinemas” letters.

Using LED Wizard software from Aries Graphics International,

signshop.com

photo: ikegps.

“By the time [Knoblock] came back, there was already a proof,” says Freeman, “and we were ready to start pricing it within an hour or two of talking to the customer.”

Traditionally, before the design process could even start, Lightning Quick Signs would have had to send a truck out the next day to get firm measurements of the building since it is so large. “So basically Spike cut a day or two off of our normal processes of getting that measurement so we could start scaling things out to get the customer a quote,” says Freeman.

Lightning Quick Signs next moved on to the fabrication scenes of this cinematic project.

The shop fabricated the channel letters for the project in-

Lightning Quick Signs populated the channel letters with white Hanley LED Peregrine Series P-2072 LEDs. For the install, Lightning Quick Signs brought the letters to the job site on a trailer. From there, they used a Manitex crane to lift the raceway the “Acadiana” letters were on, while an installer in their ETI single-man bucket truck toggle bolted it to the plywood behind the metal façade of the building.

The “Cinemas” channel letters and the logo were individually mounted to the building using wood screws with loadbearing washers.

The Hanley LED power supplies for the “Acadiana” letters were installed in the raceway. Power supplies for the rest of the

individually wall-mounted letters and logo were installed in UL-listed LED transformer boxes in the area behind the wall.

(Note: All Hanley LED power supplies and LEDs were purchased from Grimco Inc. The LEDs feature a five-year product and three-year limited labor warranty.)

The final product was an immediate box office smash, and Freeman says the customer loved the new letters, which are visible from the highway and pop at night when lit. He says it’s an addition the movie theater will enjoy for years.

“We are big on quality here,” says Freeman. “One of our main selling points is that we are going to build you a sign that’s going to last—not just one to get you open.”

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SCOTUS Ruling: Temporary Signs & Communities

photo: shutterstock.com.

Alexandria, Virginia—The U.S. Supreme Court has unanimously ruled on the issue of temporary signs, an often contentious and confusing issue for communities around the country (“Temporary Plans,” July 2015).

Reed v. Town of Gilbert stemmed from a dispute over temporary signage advertising a church’s location; the church argued that its signs could not be held to a different standard than other types of temporary signs, including political signs.

In siding with the church, the Supreme Court reinforced previous rulings that found that communities cannot regulate messages based on content (“content neutrality”). This applies to temporary signs as well.

“This ruling certainly offers clarity on the idea of regulation of temporary signs,” said David Hickey, vice president of government relations for the International Sign Association. “It does not provide a how-to guide by any stretch.

“This is an issue that communities struggle with: balancing constitutional rights and community aesthetics with business and nonprofit needs to use this type of signage.”

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Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

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A w n i n g s / By Lo r i S h r i d h a r e / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Let There Be Shade The aesthetics and functionality of modern day awnings.

all photos: suntec industries.

According to the Professional Awnings Manufacturing Association (PAMA) (www.awninginfo.com/ pama), a fabric awning is “an architectural fabric projection that provides weather protection, identity, or decoration and is wholly supported by the building to which it is attached.� A lightweight frame structure, attached to the cover, supports the awning. A canopy differs from an awning in that it includes at least one or more stanchions that support the outer end.

T

here are two types of awnings, retractable and stationary, and both offer numerous benefits. Retractable awnings allow for easy changeability and versatility, corresponding with hourly changes in the sun’s direction. Options include manual or automatic and remote- or sensor-activated controls, which are armed with wind and sun sensors that retract or extend the awning in response to these climatic changes.

signshop.com

For custom designs, stationary awnings come with a fixed frame and are designed to match rounded entrances or special seating designs for restaurants and balconies. They require less maintenance than retractable awnings.

The range of commercial uses are expanding as fast as design options.

At restaurants, awnings can be used to create new seating areas August 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

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In environments where readability is essential, cut-out lettering is an economical method to apply simple graphics to the awning..

on a patio or balcony. For stores and malls, they allow distinction from other venues when logos and graphics are applied.

Meanwhile office buildings turn to awnings for both energy savings and branding, whereas hospitals and other healthcare facilities might use them to spruce up the entrances and cover some of the landscape. And hotels and spas are working with awnings for both entrance and side coverage, as well as branding.

Consistent among all of these uses is energy savings, a well known selling point for awnings. According to PAMA, on a hot day, more energy comes through one square foot of glass than through an entire insulated wall. They also note that solar radiation through glass is responsible for approximately 20 percent of the load on an air conditioner.

Though window films and tinted glass can reduce heat gain and glare, awnings may save additional energy. In fact, studies by the American Society of Heating and Air Conditioning Engineers demonstrate that during direct southern exposure, a fabric awning reduces heat gain by 55 to 65 percent. For western exposure, the reduction in heat gain is 72 to 77 percent.

A 2012 study supported by PAMA examined the energy savings generated by awnings. Though focusing on home structures, the results can be inferred for commercial awnings.

Covering 50 cities, the study factored in differences in weather and energy costs, and included a number of variables, including shade designs and fabrics.

According to PAMA’s Web site, the amount of cooling energy saved varies depending on the number of windows, type of glass in the windows, window orientation, and regional climate.

In Pittsburgh, for example, the study showed that awnings on a home with single or double glazed windows can reduce cooling energy 46 to 50 percent in a hot year compared to 36

Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

the same house without awnings. Correlating cost savings can range from $81 to $102. In a hot city like Phoenix, the net savings was $193 in a typical year.

One company that offers awnings as part of their portfolio is Suntec Industries (www.suntecindustries.com). Founded in 1976 (and under the present ownership since 1986), the company operates out of a 25,000-square foot manufacturing and staging facility in Dallas, Texas, working on everything from custom signs to a full range of awnings.

In launching a new awning design, the company works closely with architects, general contractors, landlords, business owners, and building tenants. Typically project needs vary from cosmetic to advertising and branding to shade requirements that conform to city codes and LEED requirements.

“The combination of fabric awnings, projecting canopies, and standing seam awnings have become almost standard on new commercial construction for shopping centers,” says David Tobias, vice president of Sales at Suntec and a twenty-year industry veteran. “We work with a range of architectural colors and design schemes to enhance the appearance.”

Speaking of designs, there are many ways to add graphics to awnings: silkscreening, handpainting (according to PAMA, the “most traditional and most economical method”), cut-out lettering, heat color-transfer (which uses a vacuum applicator to adhere color to the fabric), pressure-sensitive graphics, direct digital printing, dye sublimation, and eradication (usually employed for illuminated awnings).

However Suntec has recently seen a decrease in the demand for backlit awnings.

“The focus is now more on architectural design elements and features with a significant shift from neon to LED lighting signshop.com

for signage. Also with the current wave of new construction, there has been an increase in demand for fabric and metal awnings,” says Tobias.

His feeling overall is that an awning serves a dual purpose for clients.

“Generally speaking, you get more bang for your buck when you utilize an awning,” he says. “The awning potentially changes the entire façade, whereas a sign is limited to identifying the name of the company.”

The nuts and bolts of manufacturing an awning boils down to the following: frame building; fabric cutting and sewing; application of graphics (if applicable); attaching fabric to the frame; and finally, installation.

Suntec offers its users the complete package. “We have the ability to fabricate the awning 100 percent and then knock it down into a kit and either ship or transport it to a job site,” says Tobias.

“Last year, we completed a project in Renton, Washington that involved 153 awnings, which were fabricated in our facility, knocked down into kits, and transported by our own installation

crews in a single trip from Dallas, with no subcontractors hired in the process.”

When it comes to materias, Tobias says that their many years of learning from product failures have taught them to avoid inferior products that may be cheaper but will cost them business in the long run. In Texas, he notes, many awning competitors use a polyester cotton blended thread,

which when exposed to the elements disintegrates within two to three years. “[We] only uses Gortex thread, which is warranted for the life of the fabric,” he says. “Often when driving around town, you will see awnings in excellent condition flapping in the wind, which is a result of seams failing as a result of using inferior thread.”

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37

Business Management / By John Fulena ///////////////////////////////////////////////////

Full-time Graphics How to transition your business from a part-time to full-time graphics shop. Graphic print shops face numerous

challenges—from large-scale competition to tight budgets to reliance on old equipment— and expanding into a full-time graphics shop might seem insurmountable.

38

Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

signshop.com

T Being able to market to the “marketers” and show the graphics you can produce is important.

he reality is, with strategic planning that incorporates the right technology and services, becoming a full-time graphics shop is not as challenging as it seems. And great rewards can spring from the incremental revenue of the signage business syncing with commercial print workflow and economies.

As with all business transitions, a company needs to develop a plan or outline for expanding into a full-time graphics shop that details the steps to success.

When looking at those steps, a shop should focus on the value-added solutions—not commodities—that will help them expand their business and applications. Hardware and software are obvious considerations that we will delve deeper into.

However professional services is a key component that is often overlooked— and having a partner is crucial here.

The Hardware

photos: (LEFT)americas shutterstock; (right) sai. photo: ricoh corporation.

Finding hardware that provides highquality color printing, the most valuable features, and a substantial return on investment is important.

Here are a few things to look for when deciding on solutions: Printers. Having a range of devices— from cutsheet to wide format to possibly even continuous-feed—is key to produc-

ing the variety of applications your customers are demanding.

For signage, in particular, advances in some cutsheet devices enable banner printing, and wide format devices open up even larger formats. Roll-fed and flatbed wide format devices are both types that should be considered for their versatility.

Media. The right media can make or break a job. From 3D lenticular media to static clings to fabric and more, substrates can turn a small business card or large sign into a work of impactful art.

Therefore it is important to find equipment that can print on a wide variety of substrates without reducing quality and that has a media library to match.

Inks. Devices that can print clear, white, or metallic inks enable a wider range of eye-catching applications such as embossing, spot color treatments, printing on transparent and dark stock, and more. Beyond looking good, these specialty applications enable new revenue opportunities when transitioning to full-time work.

Finishing. How you finish is as important as how you begin. For example, being able to laminate hundreds of fliers can change them from the typical handbill to something of substance that people will take a closer look at.

A solution that offers strong finishing options can be the difference between a

photo: ricoh americas.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

signshop.com

August 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

39

Your Direct Source for Sign Information 3 Easy Steps

Receive vital product and service information from manufacturers and distributors by completing the adjacent card or visiting www.signshop.com/infodirect

1. Choose up to 10 categories of interest and check off on card.

2. Select up to 28 suppliers and record InfoDirect # on card.

3. Mail card to start getting info!

InfoDirect #

Company

Page

InfoDirect #

Company

Page

InfoDirect #

Company

Page

Companies in Sign Show

1

3M Commercial Graphics . . . . . . . . . 7

2

Ability Plastics, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Council) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

36

CET Color. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

3

AdamsTech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

34 Vista Systems LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

37

Epson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

4

Brinks Mfg. (Van Ladder) . . . . . . . . 29

35 VKF Renzel USA Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . 47

38

Innovations in Optics. . . . . . . . . . . 11

5

Brooklyn Hardware. . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

39

Metalnox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

6

Duxbury Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

40

Mimaki USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

7

Echod Graphics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

41

Mutoh America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

8

FASTENation, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

42

National/AZON Equipment. . . . . . . . 10

9

Fisher Textiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

43

Rowmark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

10

Gemini, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

44

Ultraflex Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

11

Hartlauer Bits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

45

Vision Engraving & Routing

12

J. Freeman, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

13

Keystone Technologies. . . . . . . . . . 15

14

Magnum Magnetics Corp.. . . . . . . . 11

15

Master Magnetics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

16

Mimaki USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

17

Orbus Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

18

Orbus Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

19

Ornamental Post, Panel & Traffic. . 46

20

Outwater Plastics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

21

Parker Davis Co., Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . 46

22

Principal LED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

23

Sherwin-Williams Company. . . . . . 25

24

Sign America. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

25

Sign-Mart Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

26

Sign-Mart Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C3

27

Signs365.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4

28

SloanLED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C2

29

Small Balls, Inc. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

30

Southern Stud Weld . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

31

Stouse, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

32

US LED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

40

33 USSC (United States Sign

Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

signshop.com

good final product and a great one.

Projection Technology for Digital Signage. In 2013, InfoTrends reported that digital signage was a rapidly-growing market. Rather than replacing traditional print signage, digital signage is actually complementing it.

For example, companies at tradeshows are using printed banners side-by-side with projector-enabled “digital walls.”

Being able to produce multichannel campaigns that support projects like these is key to growth.

photo: sai.

The Software Even with the best printing equipment, if you do not have the software tools to manage your operations, success in transitioning to a full-time signage shop will be elusive.

So what is needed for success?

Multichannel marketing tools. In today’s digital world, pulling together just a series of signs, a direct marketing print piece, or a flyer is not enough to attract a customer’s attention.

Marketers look to their print shops to act as marketing service providers—offering digital solutions to accompany print ones.

Graphics shops that don’t take into account ways to help customers create multichannel campaigns that offer a digital element (QR code, pURLs, e-mails, etc) risk being overwhelmed by competition.

It is important to tap into software like web-to-print and variable data printing offerings that can help you manage your client’s marketing assets, insert them into pre-created or custom templates, modify parts of the campaign in real time, customize output with customer data, and even track responsiveness.

In addition, having software that helps customers analyze their data and pinpoint the right message for the right audience can help a company truly stand out from other graphics shops.

Workflow solutions. Man hours cost money and can lead to mistakes—plain and simple. Having a set of solutions in place that can automate what were normally manual tasks will save time and money.

Print management software allows your business to schedule and track print jobs, automate manual tasks, create processes, and handle maintenance issues with fewer human touch points and bottlenecks, which can help your business make better

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August 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated 12/8/14

41 9:51 AM

print decisions and avoid wasteful and costly mistakes.

Another type of workflow solution to consider is easy-to-implement digital storefronts that allow you to streamline order fulfillment from order placement to delivery and offer your new and returning customers a pleasant online ordering experience.

Sales tools. Being able to produce high-quality signs, brochures, business cards, billboards, and more is the first

and biggest step for a sign shop. But being able to essentially “market to marketers” (who are often your customers) and show off what you are capable of producing for potential new customers is also important.

Consider curating a “kit” of applications showcasing a wide variety of inks, formats, substrates, and the quality of your services.

Color Management. Color is by far one of the key elements in all graphics

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Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

shops that provide marketing services because it ensures consistency across all pieces in a campaign.

For example, if your client’s project includes a banner sign, a digital screen, and a point-of-sale display side-by-side, the color for all of these should be the same for consistency and brand recognition (e.g., Coca-Cola® red cannot be two different shades of red).

Color management spans software, hardware, and services, and it requires expertise and training in calibrating and maintaining devices.

Having the right partner as you expand the color management abilities that your customers will need is even more essential.

Professional Services Services go beyond your vendor coming to repair your machine when it is down.

As you grow your business, taking a step back to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats is an absolute necessity. While you can do this analysis yourself, working with a partner that makes your business needs and interests their own is a wise investment.

During your transition, you will want an evaluation of your unique business needs and scenarios as well as interviews with your management team and operators to identify the gaps between your present performance and offerings and your goals and future scenarios.

One aspect of a partnership is software and hardware-oriented services like training employees, offering certifications, installing and calibrating solutions that best fit your business needs, assessing your workflow, and web-to-print workflows.

Other advisory aspects that you can achieve through partnerships are training your sales force and operators, assisting with social media and marketing, and receiving creative and design expertise.

The path to success for a sign shop looking to become a full-time graphics shop will take some time. But with a strategic, value-driven approach, the leap will not seem so daunting, and the results in expanding your business will be worthwhile.

John Fulena is vice president, Production Printing Business Group, at Ricoh Americas Corporation (www.ricoh-usa.com). signshop.com

M a g n e t i c S i g n a g e / By M i k e A nto n i a k / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

Sticking to the Facts

photo: adams magnetic products.

I

f the first things that come to mind when you hear the word “magnetic” are signs affixed to the sides of cars and trucks, you could be looking past some significant sales opportunities in interior graphics and signage.

The same qualities that make flexible magnets a standard for mobile advertising also make them an ideal solution for any setting where there’s a need for signage that can be easily swapped out or replaced.

“Because these graphics can be so easily changed, people will continue to find more and more uses for them, wherever signs are displayed—inside and outdoors,” says John Kanis, president of MagX America (www.magxamerica.com).

Used indoors, magnetic signage can effectively serve for everything from event and menu boards to point-of-sale promotions. As wall graphics, they can be utilized for seasonal transformations of retail settings or exhibits. They can be signshop.com

Magnets are removable, reusable solutions for interior installations.

used to highlight changes throughout the day, create excitement around a short promotion, or easily refresh a space or booth without the costs or disruption of printing and installing entirely new signage.

A Removable, Reusable Solution “Magnetic graphics are easy to install and take down, in addition to being easily repositionable and reusable,” says Mike Gertz, marketing manger at Master Magnetics (www.magnetsource.com). “When you combine this with their durability and high-resolution printing capabilities, magnets can be a high-value, cost-effective solution for many sign and promotional applications.”

Speaking of durability, the lifespan of flexible magnet media is dependent on the application and environment. “In a controlled environment, they’ll last basically forever,” says August 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

43

Suppliers have expanded their product line-ups with wider digital print media to take full advantage of the capabilities of today’s digital presses.

For projects where a metallic surface is not available, suppliers recommend a sign system combining magnetic media and magnetic-receptive material.

Jim Miller, technical sales at Adams Magnetic Products (www.adamsmagnetic.com). “However heat, sunlight, rain, cold, road salt, etc., can greatly affect the product’s life. Twoplus years is typical for outdoor usage.”

Kanis says the ability to print on today’s flexible magnetic media with large format digital printers makes these materials a viable and superior alternative to signage printed on paper or board in some settings. “With digital imaging, sign shops are able to do photo-quality work on changeable signage,” he explains.

Consequently the magnetic prints that have been a fixture on wayfinding signage and menu boards are quickly moving more onto the sales floor. “We’re seeing a ton of P-O-P on magnetic materials in retail stores and anywhere there’s a need to easily change out signage,” says Shane Colvin, business development manager at Magnum Magnetics (www. magnummagnetics.com).

“The advantages of magnetic signage can be sold to “any business with a menu board, with a need for seasonal graphics and in-store advertising,” adds Steve McLevey, customer service and product manager for Flexmag, a division of Arnold Magnetics (www.arnoldmagnetics.com). “It can be a good opportunity to make some money.”

The opportunities (as well as the advantages) of using magnets for signage aren’t limited to printed graphics alone.

Suppliers of magnetic materials also offer a variety of mounting systems and solutions. These can be used to support magnetic or traditional signage with minimal impact on the underlying surface or setting.

“Magnets come in all sizes and strengths to handle most sign fastening situations,” says Gertz.

The selection available from magnetic suppliers includes magnetic tapes and strips at varying widths, as well as hooks, rings, and carabiners that can be affixed to metallic surfaces as sign support systems.

Such solutions can sweeten profits on any standard sign project, but the real opportunities with magnetic materials are in custom printing of magnetic signs and graphics with today’s large format digital presses.

“It’s much easier to print onto a magnet today than in past years,” says Miller. “When printing to a flexible magnetic material, you’re printing onto vinyl or paper that’s laminated to the actual flexible magnet.”

Today’s magnetic materials are compatible with a range of roll-to-roll and flatbed printers. “An inkjet printer using solvent, eco-solvent, UV, or latex ink systems works for direct printing on magnetic or receptive sheeting with vinyl or PET topcoats,” says Gertz.

These materials can also be finished by the cutting systems commonly found in sign shops. “Cutting can be done by hand, knife, scissors or (for larger volume productions) cutters such as Esko, Zünd, Colex/Fotoba, Graphtec, and more,” says Gertz.

Before installation, Miller advises shops to store their magnets rolled with the printed side facing out. “You should try to attain the best contact possible to the surface with minimal voids in the contact area,” he says. “Roll down from the edge to avoid any air pockets.”

44

Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

To help grow the market for large format magnetic prints, suppliers have expanded their product line-ups with wider digital print media to take full advantage of the capabilities of today’s presses. These can be used for larger signage or combined to create removable, reusable wall-sized graphics.

Magnetic materials are also offered as pre-cut sign blanks in popular sizes.

The qualities of magnetic media and recommended applications can vary, so the installation setting (as well as intended use) will impact the choice of materials. In fact, depending on the underlying surface, an interior project may require both magnetic and magnetic-receptive material to realize the advantages of magnetic signage.

Printable magnetic sheeting is exactly that—magnetic media that will adhere to a metallic surface. Both it and magnetic-receptive materials may be treated with a print-receptive coating or laminate onto which the graphic or text is printed.

Depending on material and thickness, magnetic media may be signshop.com

photos (this page, l to R): mimaki, magx america; (right page) master magnetics.

Wider Media

magnetized before printing or afterwards with special equipment. These magnetic signs can be adhered to any metallic surface (including doors, walls, columns, metal frames, and mounting systems).

For indoor projects where a metallic surface isn’t available, suppliers recommend a sign system combining their magnetic media and magnetic-receptive material.

Magnum Magnetics’ receptive media RubberSteel® features a printable white vinyl surface, while PaperSteel™ has a printable, white paper surface.

Adams Magnet Products markets its magnetic-receptive MAGbond® material as being ideal for simple retailer change-in and change-out. Frames can be placed on walls, while the printed MAGbond is adhered to the base and subsequently switched out.

FlexMag’s FERROSHEET™ magnetic-receptive media can be combined with its ULTRA-MAG™ digital magnetic media to create removable signs and banners. FERROSHEET is offered with a paper or vinyl laminate so both it and the magnetic material can be printed.

Master Magnetics markets its Print-

signshop.com

MagnetVinyl™ and FlexIRON™ magneticreceptive material as an interchangeable signage system for retail and other environments. Both materials can be printed with text or graphics for multi-layer signage.

Such systems make magnetic signage a practical option for most interior projects.

Anyone with a need to regularly up-

date or change their messages (i.e., those in the food and event business) is probably already using some type of magnetic signs. Others have to be shown and sold on the benefits of investing—which may cost more initially but will serve as a versatile, changeable signage solution for years to come.

August 2015 // Sign Builder Illustrated

45

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47

“

SHOP TALK

B y A s h l e y B r ay

Superior Lighting Inc.

Service Trucks: Deploying the Fleet

S

uperior Lighting Inc. (www.superiorlight.com) is a family-owned business with over forty years of experience maintaining and servicing interior and exterior lighting and sign systems. The company does sign installations as well as some electrical work, and they upgrade interior and exterior lighting and signs to be more efficient.

To handle this work, Superior Lighting has a fleet of about forty service vehicles, including a diverse mix of cranes, bucket trucks, and box trucks.

So which vehicle do they use on which jobs?

It’s all project-specific. “Depending on what and where the vehicle will be used determines the size and type of equipment,” says Bill Swarbrick, president of Superior Lighting Incorporated.

For the shop’s service side of the business, trucks with plenty of storage space are a must.

“Carrying all forms of fluorescent and HID lighting product can be quite a daunting task,” says Swarbrick. “OUR Altec AT248F enables us to carry more product and supplies and can be out for weeks at a time without having to restock.

“This helps us efficiently manage our accounts while on the road.”

The forty-eight-foot reach of this truck also enables Superior Lighting to perform 95 percent of its service jobs.

For sign installation jobs, the shop has different needs. For one, a vehicle that can handle tight spac-

es is a requirement, so the shop uses Altec’s LS63.

“At least once a week, our jobs require us to park close to a wall or near a curb,” says Swarbrick. “Our customers with busy parking lots appreciate that we take up a smaller working footprint. Without the ability to short jack the outriggers, our setup would take up the space of about three parking spots.”

The vehicle also eliminates the need for two trucks on the job site since it has a 500-pound jib that acts as a crane to lift and hold channel letters and sign parts, while installers work in the platform.

If needed, the shop can opt to just use the jib. “If the tip of the crane needs to be in a confined area, like up close to a wall, we’ll remove the platform so the jib can get as close to the wall as possible,” says Swarbrick. “We’ll leave the platform on for anything else—it rarely gets in the way.” (Note: Swarbrick says platform removal takes about five minutes.)

With so many vehicles in his fleet, Swarbrick sticks to a strict maintenance schedule. “Weekly inspections of the truck and the boom are mandatory at Superior,” he says. “Any items that need to be repaired are handled immediately.”

Safety is also of the utmost importance. “Our technicians always use appropriate fall protection while in the bucket and safety cones as needed,” says Swarbrick, who also uses the flashing strobes on the top and rear of the AT248F units to increase the safety of their technicians.

48

Sign Builder Illustrated // August 2015

all Photos: altec industries.

A shop has a service truck for every situation.

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