Sign Builder Illustrated November 2014

SIGN HISTORY

WRAP INSTALLS

Illustrative Panels on Display

Preparing for Success

COUNTLESS DEMANDS.

www.signshop.com

NUM BER 233 | NO V EM BER 2 0 1 4

HOW-TO

ONE SOLUTION.

Growing READY FOR THE FUTURE, HERE TODAY. Designed specifically for higher production runs onto rigid substrates, Océ Arizona ® 6100 series printers deliver outstanding image quality but at speeds of up to 1,668 ft.2/hr. With an accommodating 8 x 10 foot image area, Océ Arizona 6100 series printers can easily handle oversized boards or speed through standard-sized boards by utilizing the two independent 4 x 8 foot print zones complete with their own pneumatic registration pins and vacuum pumps. While one board prints, the second board can be prepped so the printer never has to stop.

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1-800-714-4427 | US.INFO@CSA.CANON.COM

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Canon is a registered trademark of Canon Inc. in the United States and elsewhere. “Océ” is a trademark or registered trademark of Océ-Technologies B.V. in the United States and elsewhere. Océ Arizona is a registered trademark of Océ Display Graphics Systems, Inc. in the United States and elsewhere. All other referenced product names and marks are trademarks of their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged. The absence of product or service mark names and logos anywhere in the text does not constitute a waiver of any trademark or other intellectual property rights pertaining to that name, mark or logo. © 2014 Canon Solutions America, Inc. All rights reserved.

u

d rA

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SignBOXTM II

Fast and easy to install with no special tools required, SignBOX II creates the perfect grid of light for optimal even illumination. Watch our time-lapse video at SloanLED.com/Race and see how simple it is to install versus a fluorescent system.

The Race: SignBOX II vs. Fluorescent

November 2014

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BY JEFF WOOTEN

Planting an identity sign for a zoo’s garden and petting zoo.

SPECIAL SECTION SBI’s Trendsetters & Innovators 2015 An advertorial section featuring the latest technologies and innovations of the sign industry.

Driving Costs

BY JEFF WOOTEN

Vehicles and walls are really building up wrap profits.

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. Non-qualified subscriptions printed or digital version: 1 year US $48.00; foreign $96.00; foreign, air mail $196.00. 2 years US $75.00; foreign $150.00; foreign, air mail $350.00. BOTH Print & Digital Versions: 1 year US $75.00; foreign $150.00; foreign, air mail $250.00. 2 years US $102.00; foreign $204.00; foreign, air mail $404.00.

Single copies are $36.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid for in U.S. funds only.

Copyright © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2014. All rights reserved. Contents may not be

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Zoo-grown Signage

Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

30 36

Letters on the Edge

BY PETER PERSZYK

Design ideas to make your letters more visible.

Making Living History

BY JEFF WOOTEN

Illustrative panels tell the story of 9/11.

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, (402) 346-4740, Fax (402) 346-3670, e-mail circulation@sbpub.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

Agenda

How-To Columns

NOVEMBER 2014

14

NOVEMBER 4-7: The automotive SEMA Show, featuring 2,300+ exhibiting companies, rolls in to the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. (www.semashow.com)

You’re Hired!

DECEMBER 2014

17

Departments

14 You’re Hired!

BY WILLIAM C. STONEHOUSE III

Helping small business owners find the best employees.

17

Avoiding Wrecked Wraps

BY ASHLEY BRAY

Don’t let your vehicle wrap installations become an unsightly road distraction.

SIGN HISTORY

Illustrative Panels on Display

WRAP INSTALLS Preparing for Success

www.signshop.com

NU M BE R 233 | NOV EM BE R 201 4

HOW-TO

Avoiding Wrecked Wraps

6

UpFront

Editor Jeff Wooten shows why the general public and sign makers both need to think outside the perimeter.

8

Dispatches

10

Sign Show

45

SBI Marketplace

48

Shop Talk

The latest news from around the industry.

The newest products and services from sign manufacturers.

Advertisements and announcements from the sign trade.

Growing Your Sign Market

Rick Rossetti details how good vendor relations lead to good business.

On the Cover A garden of tasty sign elements at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, California. Photo: Diverse Signs.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

DECEMBER 12: SBi 2014 Sign Summit, a conference for sign shops on becoming more involved with digital printing, dimensional, and digital signage, takes place at the Hilton Tampa Downtown in Tampa, Florida. (www. signshop.com/signsummit)

FEBRUARY 2015 FEBRUARY 12-13: The Midwest Sign Association Sign Show will be at the MotorCity Casino Hotel in Detroit, Michigan. (www.msassn.org) FEBRUARY 26-28: Graphics of the Americas (GOA) Expo & Conference will be conducted at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida. (www.goaexpo.com)

MARCH 2015 MARCH 10-12: Digital Signage Expo, co-located with the Digital Content Show, takes place at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. (www.DSE2015.com) signshop.com

3M Envision Wrap Films ™

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WELCOME TO THE REVOLUTION. High-performance technology with a sustainability edge.

© 3M 2014. All rights reserved. 3M and Envision are trademarks of 3M. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Wrap design courtesy of Rockwall Wraps, Rockwall, Texas.

3M Envision Wrap Films.

100% printer compatibility.

In 2012, we introduced the world’s first non-PVC, high-performing wrap film. This film is everything you love about 3M wrap films — with a breakthrough boost in attributes. In fact, there was only one way to improve it: make it compatible with solvent printers. So we did. Introducing a suite of 3M Envision Wrap Films — including a new luster overlaminate — that works with all printers.

Now we’re ready for everyone.

Meet the suite and request a sample: 3Mgraphics.com/EnvisionWrap or call 1-800-328-3908.

Greener Solutions

Up FRONT

BY JEFF WOOTEN

November 2014, Vol. 28, No. 233

Expanding Horizons

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.

Thinking outside the sign perimeter.

Publisher ARTHUR J. SUTLEY 55 Broad Street, 26th floor New York, NY 10004 212/620-7247; fax: 212/633-1863 EDITORIAL EDITOR

Jeff Wooten

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

PHOTO: INTERNATIONAL SIGN ASSOCIATION.

I

MANAGING EDITOR

t can sometimes prove a little maddening when attempting to explain all that the sign industry encompasses (and what you can offer) to certain segments of the general public—especially those who can’t get past their vision of chisels and paint brushes.

They have a hard time grasping that sign shops also have resources that can help them with everything from accent lighting and street lamp retrofits to garment decoration and plaques.

But judging from recent news, maybe this mindset is changing?

Maybe the excitement of this year’s baseball playoffs and World Series is still fresh in my mind as I sit to write this, but all of a sudden I’m thinking about the movie Field of Dreams and its famous line: “If you build it, they will come.” Could today’s Voice in the Cornfield be harkening to sign shops instead?

The International Sign Association’s recent annual “State of the Industry” survey, for example, showed that 40 percent of sign company CEOs indicated their business had grown more than 10 percent during the last quarter of 2013 and the first quarter of 2014. Even better, these respondents expect this trajectory to continue to climb double-digits throughout the rest of this year and into next.

And then, maybe the sign industry is starting to become a “cool,” serious career choice for the younger generation who too previously maybe only thought of chisels and paint brushes too (that is, if they even know what those tools are).

Consider the plethora of school and college students who participated in the second annual Sign Manufacturing Day, which was again sponsored by the International Sign Association in conjunction with the National Association of Manufacturers. Held the first Friday of each

6

October, this year’s event drew more than 1,000 students who toured ISA-member companies and asked about internship, co-op, and job shadowing opportunities [http://bit.ly/1v9ORNl].

Another encouraging statistic: This was quite an increase from the 200 students who participated the previous year.

“The experiences of students and companies show that the next generation of workers is interested in the sign and visual communications industry,” said ISA President and CEO Lori Anderson in a press release. “We just have to continue to make them aware of the good, diverse jobs that our industry contains.”

However it’s not always the general public and student bodies that need an education on our industry. Sometimes it’s the sign shops themselves that also need to think beyond chisels and paint brushes.

If you’re looking to increase your product offerings and profit margins, then I want to invite you to our inaugural SBi Summit, a oneday conference being held December 12 at the Tampa Downtown Hilton in Tampa, Florida. This event will feature a variety of guest speakers covering the new markets, new applications, and new customers that sign shops can become more involved with in the three Ds—digital printing, dimensional, and digital signage. For more information on how to attend, please visit www.signshop.com/signsummit or see the ad on page 42.

You’ll learn why dye sublimation and digital signage could be possible tools to bringing you profits, as well as the different types of signs you can produce using routers and engravers.

You’ll also have the chance to ask experts in the field about why their technologies are growing in popularity and, most importantly, how you can get started with them. See you there!

Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

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, Jim Hingst, Peter Perszyk, Mark Roberts, Lori Shridhare, William C. Stonehouse III, Randy Wright ART

Corporate Art Director Wendy Williams Designer Emily Cocheo 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

Kim Noa

212/620-7221; fax: 212/633-1863 knoa@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 Arthur Sutley at 212/620-7247 or e-mail asutley@sbpub.com.

Circulation Dept. 800/895-4389

signshop.com

ILLUMETRIC WEST HOLLYWOOD’S

“ART ON THE OUTSIDE” PROGRAM 8

Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

Torrance, California—The city of West Hollywood, through its Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission, presents Illumetric—a triptych of massive diamond-, cube-, and rectangle-shaped sculptures brought to the city by Shana Mabari. Mabari’s latest work is installed on the median of the 8400 block of Santa Monica Boulevard (between La Cienega Boulevard and Orlando Avenue) as part of the city’s Art on the Outside program (running July 2014 through June 2015). signshop.com

PHOTOS: ERIC MINH SWENSON

Dispatches

Graphics Take Flight

Illumetric’s pieces radiate colors of red, blue, and yellow. Throughout the day, they change from saturated hues to a transparent and ethereal glow, as its illumination effect takes place after the sun goes down. The pieces capture and interact with the ephemeral qualities of daylight and feature internal LED illumination for nighttime display, emphasizing light as an intangible but physical and communal presence at any hour.

Shana Mabari is a Los Angeles-based artist who explores the intersections of art, science, and technology in her work. Her installations and environm e nt s i nve s t i g at e ways i n w h i c h worldly stimuli and phenomena are absorbed and processed through sensory and visual perception.

Mabari orchestrates light, reflection, color contrast, and geometry to play with and expand the reality and experience of physical space. Mabari’s work extends the “Light and Space” movement that signshop.com

originated in the 1960s into the twentyfirst century.

To light up the cube and rectangleshaped sculptures, they used LEDtronics LED T8 tube lights. A total of forty-eight LED T8 tube lights—ranging in lengths from two to four feet—were used in all the pieces.

The two-foot LED T8 only uses 9 watts and replaces 16W to 18W fluorescent tube lights. Meanwhile the three-foot LED tube lights only use 13 watts and replace 25W to 30W fluorescent tube lights. Finally the four-foot LED T8s only use 18 watts and replace 32W to 36W fluorescent lights.

LED T8 tube lights last over 50,000 hours and provide even lighting. They have no buzzing nor flickering, no harmful UV/IR radiation, and no toxic mercury to worry about.

Spencer, Massachusetts—ICL Imaging (www.icl-imaging.com) recently worked on a project for Logan International Airport, which required the sign company to print window graphics displaying brand promotional advertising that would be used in terminals and walkways. The graphics had to provide a quick install, privacy, and clean removability.

To get the job done, ICL Imaging used FlexCon’s SEETHRU-SIGN® film, a series of perforated window films that provide optical clarity for seethru viewing from the inside out and visible graphics when viewing from the outside looking in, which was a requirement of the airport.

“Window graphic installations in an airport come with unique complexities,” said Jodi Sawyer, market development specialist at FLEXcon.

“All parties involved, from the brand to the printer to the creative agency, not only have to be in alignment from a branding perspective, but they also must meet the strict requirements enforced by the transit authority.”

The resulting graphics were a success. “Our customers are thrilled with the final result, and the product’s ability to be easily removed without leaving residue on the windows, which is critical as brands regularly adapt advertisements to ever-changing messages and promotions,” said Bill Smith, ICL Imaging.

For more information regarding the City of West Hollywood’s art programs, call 323/848-6883 or visit www.weho.org/arts.

November 2014 // Sign Builder Illustrated

9

SignSHOW D I G I TA L P R I N T I N G E Q U I PM E N T/ S U P P L I E S Go Long with New GO F-24XL UV Flatbed Printer Graphics One, Inc., offers its new small format UV flatbed inkjet printer, the GO F-24XL UV. With a standard table size of 24-by-47 inches (and scalable up to 79 inches), the printer is the first 24-inch UV printer to offer this extra length. The total cubic printing area is 18,720 cubic inches. The printer also includes newly developed LED UV lamps with internal liquid cooling that substantially increases the life of the UV lamps. The unit prints at up to 100 square feet per hour, and it has the ability to print an image at 2880-dpi. The XL ships standard with print management software and can be upgraded to include variable data imaging. www.graphicsone.com

Mimaki USA Announces the CJV300 Series of Production-speed, Printer-cutter Devices Extending the capabilities of the Mimaki JV300 Series platform, the CJV300 Series from Mimaki USA is available in two sizes: the 54-inch CJV300-130 model and the 64-inch CJV300-160 model. CJV300 Series models incorporate new printheads in a staggered configuration (offering up to four channels per color) that can deliver production print speeds of up to 1,140 square feet per hour to support a high-volume print-and-cut workflow. The printercutters also offer advanced cutting functions—including continuous registration mark detection, over-cut and corner-cut functions, and a segment correction function. In addition, the CJV300 series has eight ink channels and up to ten ink colors (including a new formulation of silver ink). www.mimakiusa.com

DY E S U B L I M AT I O N P R I N T I N G Fisher Textiles Introduces DD 3800 Luxury Lite (FR) Fisher Textiles has added DD3800 Luxury Lite (FR) to its Direct Disperse fabric line for soft signage, exhibit graphics, retail advertising, and more. Specially coated for direct dye sublimation printing, Luxury Lite is a bright-white satin warp knit fabric with a medium-level sheen that presents a polished look while also maintaining a soft hand.

It is extremely wrinkle-resistant. Available 120 inches wide, it is 5.0 ounces per square yard and meets NFPA 701 flame requirements. Free sample rolls are available for testing. 800/554-8886; www.fishertextiles.com

INKS New TRIANGLE Brand H76 High-performance UV-curable Inks INX Digital announces the availability of TRIANGLE® H76 high-performance, UV-curable inks, which are designed for the HP® 7500™ and HP® 7600™ printers when using the FB225™ ink series. The inks are available in six basic colors (plus white, light black, and orange). H76 is color and chemically compatible with the OEM inks but takes performance to the next level with superior adhesion and a design that allows for a 20 percent reduction in lamp strength for a greener, more sustainable product. H76 white ink also has a much brighter white hue and is more stable compared to OEM inks, which appear to have an off-white shade and tend to clog filters. In addition to light colors that are proving to cure better, H76 also sports a lower purge rate and exhibits low tack after the curing process is complete.

It is available in five-liter bottles that are installed directly into the printer. www.inxdigital.com

LED MODULES/TUBES/STRIPS Hi-Flux LED Slim Strip Lights Help Architectural and Accent Lighting Designs Shine The new TBL4520 series of Hi-Flux LED Slim Strip Lights from LEDtronics® come in a sealed enclosure with water-clear lens and are IP68-certified waterproof. The strip illumination provides even lighting without the buzzing and flickering that afflicts fluorescents. The clear LED Strip Lights come in three color temperatures: Warm White (2500K to 3000K), True White (5000K to 5500K), and Cool White (8000K to 9000K), all operating at 12VDC. Each LED strip offers a wide viewing angle of 90 degrees. A clear polycarbonate cover over the LED tube provides increased protection and shielding against many environmental effects, allowing its placement in locations where typical lights would be more vulnerable to the elements. The sturdy aluminum bar offers a secure and easy installation. The TBL4520 series strip lights come in a variety of six-, twelve-, twenty-four-, and forty-eight-inch lengths. www.ledtronics.com

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Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

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SignSHOW ROUTERS/ENGR AVERS New Masking Materials CD is Available See and learn the "ABCs of Masking" for laser engraving and cutting with the Masking Materials training CD from LaserBits. Learn how to use liquid and paper masking products for a variety of laser processes. The CD contains printable lesson information, as well as illustrated and detailed videos. It is an excellent guide to the processes of using masking materials with your laser and is recommended for novice laser users to get up to speed fast on laser techniques and production concepts. www.laserbits.com

STA N D - O F F S /M O U N T I N G E Q U I PM E N T Outwater’s LED Standoffs are Now Offered with Color Illumination Outwater now offers its LED Standoffs for Signage and Displays with red, blue, and green lighting options in conjunction with its original white-lit format. The standoffs are available in polished and matte chrome with a diameter and height of one-inch and can accommodate panel materials up to 1/2-inch-thick. Utilizing diminutive LEDs that are integrated in between the body of the standoff and its screw-on flat cap as a light source, Outwater’s 12V LED Standoffs simply plug into an available junction box via an included connecting cable and derive their power from an optional power supply that can run up to ten LED Standoffs. The LED Standoffs consume only 0.4 watts per unit, but they produce a 40 lumen, cool white output with an approximate 10,000-hour bulb life. Outwater’s LED Standoffs use acrylic or Plexiglas® sign holders as the medium to diffuse backlit illumination, and they come with all necessary mounting hardware. 800/631-8375; www.outwater.com

120V BRITE LITE FLEX

A Waterproof Ribbon that goes the distance

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• Plug & Play, No Transformers • Waterproof (Indoor/Outdoor) • Field Cuttable every 19” • Dimmable (Solid Colors)

Solid Color

Part # BLF3-3560* BLF3-5060* BLF6-3560* BLF6-5060*

Color Temp Length Price ea.

Cool White Warm White Blue Green Red

RGB

BLF2-5060-RGB BLF3-5060-RGB BLF6-5060-RGB

12

RGB

33’

$40.00

33’

$79.00

164’

$178.75

164’

$372.25

16.5’

$55.00

33’

$106.00

164’

$503.00

Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

SOLID COLOR STANDARD

BLF*-5060-* (Up To 225 Lumens Per Foot / 5050 Chip 60 pcs/meter)

COLOR CHANGING STANDARD (RGB) BLF*-5060-RGB (Up To 190 Lumens Per Foot / 5050 Chip 60 pcs/meter)

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RGB Controller BLF-RGB-150-CR $69.95 ea.

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1-800-631-8375 | www.outwater.com/vip2 signshop.com

VINYL/VINYL FILM/SUPPLIES 3M’s Flexible Substrate is Optimized for Use with LEDs 3M Commercial Solutions introduces 3M™ Envision™ Flexible Substrate FS-1, which allows graphics manufacturers to create brilliant signage that makes more efficient use of LEDs and energy. 3M Envision Flexible Substrate FS-1 provides increased design versatility, with options to decorate with cut vinyl or direct print with solvent, UV, or latex inks. The seamless, wide-width flexible substrate is backed by the 3M™ MCS™ Warranty and can be combined with other LED-enabling products in the 3M Envision line of products for illuminated signs. It can also be used with 3M™ Scotchcal™ Gloss Overlaminate 3658G or Matte Overlaminate 3660M, which offer up to nine years of outdoor durability. 800/328-3908; www.3Mgraphics.com/switchon

It’s BRILLIANT! A New Self-adhesive Wallcovering Material DreamScape, a manufacturer of inkjet-printable media for commercial and residential wallcoverings and murals, has announced the availability of BRILLIANT!, the company's new fifty-four-inch-width, premium, adhesive-backed, printable wallcovering media. Similar to its award-winning BLING! material, BRILLIANT! has a special metallic surface for producing eye-catching graphics. Part of the self-adhesive DreamScape Wall Wrap category, BRILLIANT! material is ideal for wall graphics, tradeshow displays, wide format murals, and more. This product is available in 75- and 150-foot rolls and is delivered on three-inch heavy-duty cores with no production splices. Trial rolls (27 inches-by-15 feet) are available for sampling and can be requested through the company's Web site. 973/625-7923; www.dreamscapewalls.com

NEW CJV300 SERIES

Rock Your Cut and Print.

The new Mimaki CJV300 Series combines production printing with precision cutting. Now with Silver eco-solvent ink, you can produce nearly any application on hundreds of media choices.

One compact 54- or 64-inch model can deliver production runs of labels, decals, vehicle markings, posters, banners, backlits, POP displays, signs and more. Or use it to create short-run items such as package prototypes or T-shirt transfers. Also available in a dye-sublimation ink configuration.

CJV300 Series – your cut and print alternative.

mimakiusa.com

signshop.com Mimaki_CJV300_H_SBI1114.indd

1

info@mimakiusa.com

888-530-4021

© 2014 Mimaki USA

November 2014 // Sign Builder Illustrated 10/3/14

13 3:26 PM

HOW-TO

BY WILLIAM C. STONEHOUSE III

Business Management

You’re Hired!

Helping small business owners find the best

cess in place: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”

Start by being prepared when a candidate comes in for an interview. Be sure to have your schedule cleared, in order to give them your full, undivided attention.

Also have a set of questions you ask each candidate, as well; this will ensure that you give all candidates equal chances by having them answer the same questions.

I always recommend that you never hire on a first interview. Anyone can have a great or terrible first interview, and you need to see them multiple times to look at their consistency

ALL PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM.

employees.

W

hen it comes to hiring employees for your business, there are some basic things you need to look for. Every business is different, so each type of business will need different types of employees. You need to make sure that the employees you decide to hire are going to work out and be a long-term fit for your organization.

While there are always exceptions to the rule, if you stick to a few simple guidelines, you should always be in the clear. Let’s start with the basics.

You need to have a consistent interview pro-

14

Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

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throughout your interview process.

Look for how prepared they are for the interview and what research they have done about your company beforehand.

I would also recommend that you have each candidate spend time observing your current employees with an “Observation Day.” By doing this, you will: (A.) see how your new candidate interacts with your current employees, and (B.) let the candidate experience a “day in the life.” This will help prevent

signshop.com

a candidate resigning after only a few weeks and saying, “This is not what I was expecting.”

This also allows you to leverage your current employees and get their thoughts and feedback on the potential new employee, to ensure they will be a culture fit and gel well with your current team.

So now that you have your process in place, what do you look for?

As a small company, you may not be able to invest a lot of time and money

into training, so look for candidates with prior experience.

One of the top qualities that I like to look for is leadership ability. As a small business, employees will most likely be responsible for multiple tasks and duties, and it is important that they will be mature enough to step up and handle these responsibilities.

You also want to look for patterns of success in their previous experiences and positions. This can relate to

November 2014 // Sign Builder Illustrated

15

WE BRING IDEAS TO LIFE. Gemini offers a broad range of letters, logos and plaques in a variety of metals and plastics — all customizable to match your design. Plus, every Gemini product is built to last and guaranteed for life.

LETTERS, LOGOS & PLAQUES 1-800-538-8377

signletters.com

achievements in school, sports, prior positions, internships, and other activities. If they have no experience in your industry, are they going to be willing and able to learn how to be successful within your organization?

On top of all of these qualities, you also need to have a realistic understanding of how long they want to be at your company.

Are they using your position as a stepping stone for their career, do they just need a job, or do they see themselves being with your company for a long time?

A good strategy is to ask a candidate where else they are interviewing. If they are interviewing at companies similar to yours, then this is an industry they are looking to make a career out of. If they are interviewing within a wide variety of industries, then the candidate is most likely just looking for a job. (Note: You can also ask them what their short- and long-term goals are, to see what career track they have in mind for themselves.)

As a small business, there are some extra precautions I would encourage you to take.

Having an employee that resigns after only a few weeks into the position or (worse) steals or damages company property can really damage a small business. Run background checks and drug screens on all your candidates. To help save you money, I would encourage you to do this only when you are ready to make an offer to a candidate, as background checks on each candidate you are interviewing can become expensive.

Also call and check a candidate’s references from previous positions and from previous managers. This will give you another inside look at the candidate.

Now that you have your interview process in place and done your due diligence on each candidate, who do you choose? Trust your gut. You are a business owner or manager for a reason, and you know what type of individual will be successful at your company.

At the end of the day, people hire people they like (assuming they are qualified for the position).You just have to do your part and bring people through the right process, and by doing so, you will be sure to hire great additions to your shop.

William C. Stonehouse III is president of Crawford Thomas Recruiting Staffing (www.CrawfordThomas. com), a full-service staffing agency.

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HOW-TO

BY ASHLEY BRAY

Vehicle Graphics

Avoiding Wrecked Wraps Don’t let your vehicle wrap installations become an unsightly road distraction.

I

n today’s sign industry, vehicle wraps have become ubiquitous and almost a sure source of profit. After all, you cannot drive down the street without seeing at least one wrapped vehicle advertising a business or service. And the growing popularity of color-change wraps has expanded the market even further.

But a poor installation can drive the intentions of even the most well designed wrap off the road. We spoke with Alan Miller, technical service specialist for 3M Commericial Graphics, on what an installer should consider before, during, and after the install.

BEFORE THE INSTALLATION

ALL PHOTOS: 3M.

Planning is essential, and whether your shop has performed hundreds of wraps or none at all, you should first consider the placement of the graphics.

Since the “canvas” for the vinyl changes with each new car, truck, boat, or other vehicle, it is important to map out just where the graphics will go. Plus unlike the flat surface of a wall graphic or a banner, a vehicle can have many complex curves, deep channels, and even obstacles like rivets that can break up a design.

“Understand that a two-dimensional rendering is not the same as a three-dimensional vehicle,” says Miller. “Therefore planning on where to put text—such as company names, logos, phone numbers, etc.—should be done in the flat areas of the vehicles.”

Before beginning the final placement of the vinyl, an installer should make sure the car is clean. A clean surface is essential to making sure the vinyl adheres properly.

To start, wash the car with soap and water.

“This process should be done the day before to allow the water to evaporate around the panel

signshop.com

November 2014 // Sign Builder Illustrated

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The most common place for errors on a wrap install is in recessed areas where the film needs to be stretched. The vinyl must be heated enough to prevent it from lifting. seams. Do not apply a wax or sealer with the car wash as you will have to remove that in the next step,” says Miller.

The next step is to remove anything left behind by the car wash—wax, bugs, and other grime. A solvent-based cleaner can help here.

“The final cleaning step is to use isopropyl alcohol and water (2:1 ratio),” says Miller, “and make sure you clean around and behind all the doors, seams, and moldings.”

In fact, Miller says that one of the biggest errors installers make is not cleaning around, behind, and underneath the various sections of the car.

“There are areas where the film will be tucked or wrapped around,” says Miller, “and those areas need to be thoroughly cleaned. The use of a squeegee wrapped with a lint-free towel can clean underneath a molding or between panel seams.”

DURING THE INSTALLATION Once the car has been thoroughly cleaned, the installation can begin.

Installing vinyl can involve a lot of stretching and heating, and it is important to know the limitations and recommended temperatures for the different types of films.

“If you are using calendered vinyls, then you need to know the limitations about how much it will stretch and shrink back,” says Miller. “If you are using cast vinyl films, know that there are different films that stretch at different maximum levels.”

Miller also points out that the most common place for errors on an install is in recessed areas where the film needs to be stretched.

“The most common issue is the inefficient post-heating process,” he explains.

“After the material has been stretched into the channel, it must get hot enough to prevent it from lifting in the channels. The use of a torch is not good enough [here]; only an industrial heat gun and infrared thermometer is able to tell you if you get the film to the correct temperature.”

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Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

signshop.com

When working on a recessed area or a compound curve, the use of a primer can help to minimize lifting or curling of the film.

A final thing to remember is that application fluid is typically not necessary. Many films now feature pressureactivated adhesive properties, which allows the graphic to be moved around to the correct position before the adhesive is activated by pressure.

AFTER THE INSTALL Once the vinyl is on the car, the job still is not finished.

“The installer should go back and post-heat any areas where the film has been stretched,” says Miller. “Also the installer should resqueegee any edges where the film has been trimmed and tucked, to prevent lifting or curling of the film after application.”

To make sure customers get the best results and longest life out of their wrap, installers should educate them on the aftercare of their new graphics before they drive away.

“One of the best ways to maintain the vehicle wrap is to keep the wrap clean,” says Miller. “In some industrial areas, the acid from the dew can cause the overlaminate to turn brown, so rinsing and wiping down the graphics are a good idea.”

3M offers a few more tips customers should know about taking care of their wrap: + Never scrub the film. Scratching and abrasion marks may be visible, and you may not be able to work them out of the unique finish of the film. For this reason, avoid brush-type car washes. + Do not apply waxes or polishes to matte or textured films. + Use a cleaner designed for highquality painted surfaces. The cleaner must be wet, non-abrasive, without strong solvents, and have a pH value between 3 and 11. + Rinse thoroughly after cleaning and dry with a clean, soft cloth or soft rubber squeegee to avoid water spots. + Store indoors or under a cover whenever possible, to avoid fading and degradation from prolonged exposure to sun and atmospheric pollutants.

With the proper preparation and knowledge, you will be on your way to the fast lane of wrap profits in no time. signshop.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.

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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.

November 2014 // Sign Builder Illustrated

19

SWIM WITH THE BIG FISH

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Speaking of “growing,” officials from Fresno Chaffee Zoo recently approached Diverse Signs requesting the creation of a dimensional identity sign for a redesigned section of their property, Valley Farm, which is where kids and visitors can pet farm animals and

see how fruits, vegetables, and trees are planted.

One hundred percent of the sign design was provided to Diverse Signs by Heather Davis, who works in the zoo’s marketing/graphics department. It features the fruits that are grown in the

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Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

V-Series

Central Valley of California (tomatoes, oranges, grapes, strawberries, etc.), as well as area flowers, a barn (representing the farmyard animals), and a rising sun in the background. It was up to the shop to figure out how to make this design a dimensional sign reality.

Lonnie and his family looked at the provided design sketch and started brainstorming the different elements and levels that could be created dimensionally, to make things “pop” off the sign.

Once they figured out these soonto-be-3D elements, Heidi scanned the original design artwork into the shop’s computer and then exported it into ArtCAM software. There she developed the cross-sections that are often needed in 3-D signs.

Next she generated a toolpath and Gcode so that the components of the sign could be produced on their MultiCam 3000 CNC router.

The individual pieces, panels, and letters on the sign were made out of fifteen-pound Precision Board HDU and cut to varioussized shapes. (Note: Other materials Diverse Signs uses—and recommends—for its dimensional sign work include Extira® treated exterior panels, Alupanel® aluminum composite sheet, and Nudo sign panel products.)

In addition to the fruits and vegetables, another portion of the sign design that the Englishes thought would make excellent dimensional pieces were the individual leaves that hang over certain signshop.com

elements of the sign. They made this foliage from copper and cut them separately from the other pieces. “We used copper for the leaves because of its formability,” says Lonnie, “and its outdoor life.”

However the shop had to find a way to mount the copper leaves from the backside of the sign, so that they would be able to come out in between the different layers of material.

And since the Englishes strive for realism, this created additional challenges.

“We had to make sure that we laid them out so that one leaf didn’t get in the way of the other,” says Lonnie.

Diverse Signs took a piece of UHMW plastic and cut the shape of the leaf with it. This also used it to give the leaves veins so they would look a little more realistic.

“We then cutting the leaf out on the CNC router to give it its finished shape,” explains Lonnie, “and then we laid it on top of the buck and pounded it with a soft-head hammer. That creates the impression of the veins inside the leaves.”

After the painting was done, stems were added to the leaves via soldering.

All painting was accomplished using

signshop.com

urethane base/clear coat automotive finish. “Automotive paint has the best durability. It’s made to go on cars, so naturally, it’s going to last outdoors almost as well as anything else you can put on it” says Lonnie, noting that they also applied airbrushing to touch up some of the pieces.

(Note: Diverse Signs primed the HDU pieces with FSC 88 and PCL Polyester Primers and used 3M™ Rocker Panel Spray on the oranges, in order to get the texture they needed.)

The finished sign measures 65-by-132 inches and is mounted to a wooden gate-

November 2014 // Sign Builder Illustrated

23

The sign was designed by Heather Davis of the zoo’s marketing/graphics department. Among its elements are fruits grown where the zoo is located— such as strawberries, grapes, and oranges.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

way structure that the zoo had agreed to build and install shortly before the sign arrived.

“The zoo officials gave us the drawings and measurements on what they were going to put up, so that we knew how big the identity sign could be built,” details Lonnie.

For installation purposes, all the HDU panels were stud-mounted to aluminum backers using West System Epoxy.

“We ended up cutting the HDU separately,” explains Lonnie, “and then we cut the aluminum afterwards to fit them. So when we were scheduled to go out to the site for installation and glue everything together out there, we wanted the mounting to already be on it.”

The support part of the sign frame was built using one-inch square tubing and powder-coated, which kept everything light for the ladder-based installation.

“Then we were able to bring the pieces of the sign back up and put those on one piece at a time,” says Lonnie.

The sign was built in five separate pieces, and because the Englishes had already attached the mounting-related pieces to the back of them, installation proved a breeze.

“We just put each section up, ran it through the bolts, and then put nuts on the backside of it,” says Lonnie. “And if we ever need to make a repair to the sign down the road, we can go back up and take that one section off, fix it, and then put it back up.”

In total, it took Diverse Signs about four weeks to complete the sign.

“This was a fun sign to create,” says Lonnie. “We love seeing the creative designs that the zoo provides us with, and we love being able to make these signs a reality for them.” signshop.com

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT

:Trendsetters SIGN BUILDER ILLUSTRATED 2015

INNOVATORS & VISIONARIES OF SIGNAGE

LED TRENDSETTER 2015

“Delivering innovation through manufacturing and design flexibility….”

When Bryan and Blake Vincent founded Principal LED (P-LED) (www.p-LED.com), they wanted to give sign makers LED products that have best-in-class performance, reliability, and service with a focus on innovation.

P-LED focuses only on the manufacture of LED systems specific to the sign industry and has its own dedicated factory in Taiwan with assembly operations in Texas.

“From day one, we took a different approach towards manufacturing. We knew fundamentally that the more we could vertically integrate and automate the manufacturing and assembly process for our LEDs, the higher the reliability and the better the fundamental cost structure,” said J. Bryan Vincent, Ph.D., partner at Principal LED. P-LED is unique in that they use their Fusion direct mount (DM) chip attach process to create LED modules that have best-in-class heat dissipation, creating the longest-lasting LED channel letter module on the market. “Our LM80 testing resulted in zero light loss over the 6,000 third-party tests for our Fusion product,” says Vincent.

Fusion white LEDs are also binned at the module level and utilize a one-of-a-kind in-line integrating sphere photometer with robotic analysis and bin sorting directly on the production line.

Vincent also believes innovation comes through intuitive and easyto-use products and features. The signshop.com

channel letter modules contain a “Qwik” release liner that reduces assembly time in the sign shop.

More recently P-LED introduced its Qwik Stik fluorescent replacement product, which received the “Best New Product” Award at the 2014 ISA International Sign Expo. Qwik Stik is manufactured in all standard T-12 lamp lengths (from 18 inches to 120 inches) and fits directly into a standard T-12 socket with no assembly required. Qwik Stik is innovative because it removes the need for the sign manufacturer to do any additional fabrication in the shop or on-site.

Two trends that P-LED identified over the past couple of years are the need for just-in-time delivery and that more shops want to limit the amount of assembly that they do in order to be more cost-effective. Qwik Stik addresses these trends by providing a costeffective and simple way to change from LED to fluorescent with

minimal changes in the sign shop’s manufacturing or installation process.

Because Qwik Stik is assembled in the USA from a handful of basic materials, P-LED is able to quickly build to order even custom configurations, which reduces lead times. “One of the advantages of Qwik Stik is that we can provide the units not only in standard lamp lengths, but in any color or color temperature, as well as different densities of LEDs on one, two, three, or all four sides. This makes Qwik Stik the most versatile and cost-effective, ready-to-install LED solution available,” says Daryl Foreman, vice president of Sales with Principal LED. For more information on Principal LED’s line of sign solutions, please see a distributor near you or contact customer support directly at 325/227-4577 or online at info@p-LED.com.

November 2014 // SBI Trendsetters

TS1

Command Performance

BRILLIANT COLOR. PHENOMENAL SPEED. SMART INVESTMENT.

Where Will Color Take You? Experience the power of Seiko Instruments’ leading-edge print technology unfolding right before your eyes. Download Blippar app on your wi-fi enabled smartphone or tablet and scan the printer image above to experience the performance and possibilities of the ColorPainter M-64s.

ROLL-TO-ROLL TRENDSETTER 2015

“Printing equipment is easier than ever to manage….”

Seiko Instruments’s evolution of printhead and ink technologies continue to push the boundaries for producing quality prints at higher speeds than ever before and contribute to reducing the overall running costs of a printer. Inks are now more environmentally friendly and versatile, and provide better adhesion and outdoor durability.

Technology enhancements have also made the equipment easier to manage.

Seiko Instruments collaborates with best-in-class industry resources to provide a complete line of cutting-edge print graphics solutions that, together with our printers, deliver unmatched quality, durability, and performance.

While each type of wide format printer offers clear advantages and disadvantages, these differences have begun to narrow as printhead and ink technologies continue to evolve. This can make deciding which printer to buy more challenging when considering which types of applications to offer, determining how much signshop.com

productivity is required, and calculating running costs.

When considering a wide format printer upgrade, one of the best starting points is to calculate monthly ink costs. In many cases, an upgrade is justified on the basis of a larger volume of printing at a lower cost per square foot. It is not uncommon for sign shops to save between eight to ten cents per square foot of ink coverage, running as few as three rolls of media per week and realizing savings of $700 to $800 per month.

Seiko Instruments’s line of ColorPainter™ printers delivers the world’s richest, glossiest colors on the widest range of substrates, and run two-times faster than competitors. With inks that last longer outdoors without fading, cost less per square foot, and provide excellent color density and image quality, the ColorPainter printers provide excellent ROI. The proprietary, high-viscosity ink contains more pigment (which reduces ink usage and running costs), while producing highdensity graphics with superior

durability. The industrial piezo printheads are engineered for ultra-fast printing speeds and longer wear time, which reduces waste and saves on replacement costs. Innovative print technologies produce excellent image quality at fast speeds—and on a range of substrates—for class-leading productivity.

Backed by 130-plus years of Seiko engineering quality (the industry’s leading warranty and local service), Seiko Instruments’s industrial printers deliver longevity in high-volume printing, saving you time and money at an average of 20 to 45 percent lower running costs than competitors.

You don’t have to be a big shop to afford new technology, but aligning with the right vendor and product is critical to your success.

To learn more about Seiko Instruments’s line of ColorPainter wide format printers, please contact an authorized distributor or Seiko Instruments at 800/264-1272, colorpainterinfo@seikoinstruments. com, or www.seiko-i.com.

November 2014 // SBI Trendsetters

TS3

EC

YA

LP

PG

There is a reason more Braille signs are made with Novacryl® Designer Series Photopolymer worldwide than any other substrate.

NovaPolymers.com/Creativity PT

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Join us for our industry leading “Accessibility & the ADA” Webinar Series.

Focusing on the ADA and how it relates to Room Identification and Wayfinding Signage. The course objectives covered are: What is the ADA? How do ADA codes relate to signage? States and the Federal ADA, the Signs covered by the ADA, and International accessibility codes for Canada and Australia. Concluding with a discussion on photopolymer and its use in making accessible signage.

Novacryl® Series Photopolymer is the world’s leading substrate for ADA Braille and Accessible Room Identification Signage.

Novacryl® has the most diverse range of substrates available and allows for unlimited design while being environmentally responsible. Don’t sacrifice your design to comply. Novacryl® allows your creativity to flow free and make your ideas possible.

novapolymers.com

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888.484.6682

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info@novapolymers.com

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North America

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ADA/WAYFINDING trendsetter 2015

“Wayfinding signage [must] comply with specific guidelines that benefit everyone....”

Few recent dates are more important to the sign design and fabrication industry than March 15, 2012, which was the compliance date established for the 2010 ADA standards affecting wayfinding signage. This date mandates by law that wayfinding signage comply with specific guidelines that benefit everyone—but especially the blind, the visually impaired, and the physically handicapped.

The ADA identified three types of signs: permanent, directional, and overhead, and it established requirements for each.

For example, all permanent signs must include Braille and tactile characters that can be read by touch and have high contrasting colors with minimum dimensions for size and shape of characters. Standardized placement of directional signs was mandated to benefit the physically handicapped, and assistive listening signage requirements were established to benefit the deaf and hearing impaired.

Compliance with ADA signage requirements as of March 15, 2012 is important—not just from a legal standpoint, but because it is the right thing to do. Implementing ADA sign requirements provides people with disabilities greater access and a more inviting environment to visit or work.

Compliance is also the law. Did you know you can be fined $75,000 for a single ADA violation?

On March 28, 2014, the Department of Justice issued a Final Rule that now adjusts for signshop.com

inflation the monetary penalties enforced by the Civil Rights Division under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. For a subsequent violation occurring after April 28, 2014, the new maximum penalty is $150,000.

Over two-and-a-half years have transpired since the March 15 compliance date for ADA standards. During this time, the United States has made significant advancements complying with ADA standards. Canada and other countries are following suit with

penalties associated with noncompliance but have their clients sign a waiver stating that they acknowledge the ADA signs being made are not compliant.

Property owners ultimately pay the fine for not being compliant; but the occupants with visual or other disabilities are the real ones paying the price when facilities are noncompliant. By working together and creating strategic partnerships, these fines can be avoided.

In an effort to educate sign designers and industry

Nova Director of Education Bob Greenberger delivers an ADA Accessibility presentation. an emerging industry of sign specialists and fabricators that have developed best practices based on the ADA and their own country’s standards.

While the United States leads the way in best practices, there is still a lot of room for improvement.

More companies are manufacturing their own signs but lack the knowledge to comply with ADA regulations. Then there are knowledgeable fabricators who understand the ADA and

professionals about ADA compliance and best practices, Nova Polymers has developed a series of Accessibility White Papers and has created a Webinar series that educates on all ADA Accessibility laws and best practice.

—Mike Santos, Director of Sales & Marketing For more information, visit www.novapolymers. com/adawebinarseries.

November 2014 // SBI Trendsetters

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SOFTWARE TRENDSETTER 2015

“The Cloud is turning sign manufacturers into profit powerhouses….”

As creators of award-winning software for sign companies, my team at KeyedIn® Solutions keeps a keen eye on the pulse of the signage industry, particularly the implications of Cloud computing.

We know exactly how sign companies who want to compete leaner and realize bigger profits can leverage the Cloud.

Cloud (or SaaS) software has removed tremendous obstacles from small companies, and the technology allows them to compete like larger enterprises.

Old on-premise software is known for its high infrastructure cost of internal IT staff and equipment, long implementations, lack of customization capability, and low acceptance by team members required to use it. The result meant never realizing the advertised benefits of the system.

Because these solutions did not cater to the particular needs of the sign industry, companies bought and struggled with misfit technology.

Fortunately a Cloud solution developed specifically for the custom sign industry means that, with just a Web connection, the power of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and business management systems are within reach. With no hardware to buy or infrastructure to maintain, a sign manufacturer now has access to the most powerful, up-to-date view of the enterprise that benefits everyone from estimators to fabricators to CFOs. Work together more effectively using a system that connects signshop.com

all your key tasks and your team members, including estimating, accounting, project management, cost tracking, reports and analytics, service calls, supply chain, sales management, shop floor, and customer relationship management (CRM).

Management and team members now perform seamless handoffs between roles and steps in the process, eliminating the waste and stress of multiple tracking systems and all the associated pitfalls.

With strategic analytics relevant to business health, opportunities and threats are easier to gather and scrutinize, driving better decisions that will help your leadership team grow your profits and the company.

And because anyone with a Webenabled device can access the same information from anywhere, scaling your operation becomes easier.

Gartner analysts predict that Cloud technologies will comprise the bulk of companies’ IT spending by 2016. And this isn’t just for the

“big companies”; this trend is driven in part by specialized Cloud technology that helps small, niche competitors become agile, twentyfirst century players who are improving productivity, lowering costs, and increasing their sales.

KeyedIn Manufacturing – Sign Edition combines a proven, robust ERP solution with tools specifically designed to solve the typical business challenges of sign manufacturers. See and manage your business from end-to-end, centralize job-related information, and improve the accuracy and profitability of your estimates.

There’s no IT needed, no hardware to buy—all you need to get started is an Internet connection for secure, anytime access.

—Lauri Klaus, Founder and CEO To see a demonstration of the industry-leading solution built for just you, contact us at 866/662-6820 or visit http://solutions. keyedin.com/signwebdemo.

November 2014 // SBI Trendsetters

TS7

Cutting Edge CNC Routing and Knife Solutions

800 361 3408 sales@axyz.com www.axyz.com VISIT OUR ON-LINE SHOP FOR ALL YOUR CNC TOOLING, CONSUMABLES AND SPARE PARTS

CNC ROUTER TRENDSETTER 2015

“Realize your sign-making potential with AXYZ digital print finishing solutions….”

The highly versatile range of CNC routers from AXYZ International make them a vital production tool for a wide variety of applications, none more so than the sign-making and print-finishing industry.

Printed heavy substrates, for instance, require a machine with a heavy construction combined with a powerful spindle, whereas a knife head system may be the preferred option for lighter materials. With AXYZ, a heavy-duty router and knife tool combination can be configured on the same machine, making it possible to process a wide range of sign-making materials with ease.

The AXYZ routers can be supplied with a combination of oscillating or tangential knife systems that deliver a clean-cut edge. Both can be used with the state-of-the-art AVS camera registration system, which recognizes registration marks along a substrate and adjusts the router’s cutting path accordingly (enabling precise edgefinishing on all materials).

Testimonials “We decided to upgrade from a smaller CNC machine that had outgrown itself last year—the main reason being to increase turnover.

We purchased an AXYZ machine because the price was good and by speaking to other machine operators in the industry who swear by AXYZ. “Ultimately the AXYZ router, being capable of a multitude of tasks from direct print cut-outs and shaped lettering to acrylic substrates and round display signshop.com

units, is opening up new avenues all the time for our business. In fact, it is proving to be worth its weight in gold!”

—Graham Danielson, BGI Retail “We chose the AXYZ machine because it is very well priced and all of the functionality with the different tools that can be run on it. The AXYZ California Service Department has made service requests faster to have our business back up and running quickly. AXYZ is very responsive to any issues that come up. With the service department in the same area, they really make it a breeze.

“Purchasing the router has drastically increased profits since its installation. Media Nation has been able to grow exponentially.”

—Jason George, Media Nation Enterprises CNCRouterCoach CNCRouterCoach is a unique series

of on-line remote training-andsupport packages offered by AXYZ, aimed at getting the best from your CNC router. On-line training offers many advantages over conventional classroom teaching, including lower cost and faster response times.

CNCRoutershop The AXYZ International customer support facility, CNCRoutershop, has added new CNC routing tools, consumables, spare parts, and accessories. In particular, these include specialist routing tools for the more complex or difficult-toprocess materials. Virtually any popular brand of router, regardless of design and origin, can be accommodated (including, of course, all AXYZ International machines).

—Greg Jenkins, VP, Sales For further information, call 800/361-3408 or visit www.axyz.com or www. cncroutershop.com.

November 2014 // SBI Trendsetters

TS9

COUNTLESS DEMANDS.

READY FOR THE FUTURE, HERE TODAY. Designed specifically for higher production runs onto rigid substrates, Océ Arizona ® 6100 series printers deliver outstanding image quality but at speeds of up to 1,668 ft.2/hr. With an accommodating 8 x 10 foot image area, Océ Arizona 6100 series printers can easily handle oversized boards or speed through standard-sized boards by utilizing the two independent 4 x 8 foot print zones complete with their own pneumatic registration pins and vacuum pumps. While one board prints, the second board can be prepped so the printer never has to stop.

EXPERIENCE THE NEW SPEED OF QUALITY. CONTACT US TODAY!

1-800-714-4427 | US.INFO@CSA.CANON.COM Canon is a registered trademark of Canon Inc. in the United States and elsewhere. “Océ” is a trademark or registered trademark of Océ-Technologies B.V. in the United States and elsewhere. Océ Arizona is a registered trademark of Océ Display Graphics Systems, Inc. in the United States and elsewhere. All other referenced product names and marks are trademarks of their respective owners and are hereby acknowledged. The absence of product or service mark names and logos anywhere in the text does not constitute a waiver of any trademark or other intellectual property rights pertaining to that name, mark or logo. © 2014 Canon Solutions America, Inc. All rights reserved.

ONE SOLUTION.

FLATBED TRENDSETTER 2015

“It can pay to see things differently….”

No one would start a business without the intent to be successful, however success often can be elusive. Maybe that’s because you’re looking for success in all the same places as everyone else.

Canon Solutions America offers the Océ Arizona Series of flatbed UV inkjet printers that, since their introduction in 2006, have become some of the most popular large format printers ever.

With approximately 4,500 printers sold worldwide since 2006 and a total of forty industry awards and counting, you may wonder what we did to become so successful.

Before all this success, Océ (since acquired by Canon) accounted for only 5 percent or less of the mid-volume flatbed printer market. To grow our business, we had to do something significant and different.

A large degree of our subsequent success was due to taking a different approach compared with other printer manufacturers by listening to what the market valued most, identifying new opportunities, and then delivering a unique solution that provided undeniable value.

Taking the more popular “me too” approach would have been nowhere near as effective and risked commoditizing the printer market without delivering any new value or opportunities to the market.

One of the hallmarks of the Océ Arizona Series printers continues to be its stationary flatbed architecture where the substrate is held in place during signshop.com

the printing process. This enables easy production of some otherwise challenging applications (such as double-sided printing in tight registration, printing onto irregular shaped items, or printing onto many smaller items all without specially constructed jigs).

This application versatility coupled with award-winning image quality, economical operation, compact footprint, and minimal labor requirements have made for a great product. These features and benefits that have made our business successful are the same

that require the near-photographic image quality, spot-varnish, white ink capability, and the overall uniqueness of what you can print onto. Plus wrap additional valueadded services around that like design, installation, Web-based marketing, etc.

Look beyond your traditional graphics customers. While they may represent good business today, graphics can play an increasingly important part in an overall manufacturing process. Think membrane switch panels, interior décor,

ones that can help your business be more successful as you try to find new revenue streams, differentiate yourself from the competition, and avoid declining margins as a result of commoditization.

Rather than selling common graphics applications on price, look at your competition differently.

Instead of trying to beat them at what has become commoditized, try offering something on which they can’t easily compete with you—applications that only a true, stationary flatbed printer can produce. Promote the applications

furniture, packaging, promotional, recognition or award items, manufacturing templates, printed Braille, and so much more.

We encourage you to contact us to learn more about the Océ Arizona Series printers and discover what application versatility is all about.

Just take the first step….

—Randy Paar, Senior Marketing Specialist To learn more, please scan the QR code or call us at 800/714-4427, email us.info@csa. canon.com, or visit www.csa-canon.com.

November 2014 // SBI Trendsetters

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TOOLS

TECHNOLOGY

CONNECTIONS

The winning combination of tools, technology and connections.

All the sign industry’s most competitive players will be in Las Vegas in April — getting the next-level tips and tricks that will drive their businesses.

You can’t win big if you don’t play hard. Register now for ISA Sign Expo 2015.

WHERE YOUR BUSINESS WINS Education & Networking: April 8–11 • Trade Show: April 9–11 • Mandalay Bay Convention Center • Las Vegas, Nevada

WWW.SIGNEXPO.ORG Produced by:

SIGN ASSOCIATION TRENDSETTER 2015

“We’re not afraid to get into the trenches when it comes to roadblocks….”

The International Sign Association (ISA) is laser-focused on what’s happening this very second within the sign and visual communications industry. We’re also looking straight towards the future and the innovations that will soon become reality. This means we must stay on the cutting edge of technology so we can help our members anticipate changes and continue to thrive.

And we’re not afraid to get into the trenches when it comes to roadblocks that threaten our industry. As a matter of fact, that’s exactly how we get things done.

Meeting Challenges As we talk to member companies, we hear two constant concerns: (1.) The challenges of finding qualified employees, and (2.) The issues of getting signs built due to regulations.

We realized that if we wanted to find the next generation of sign builders, then we had to get creative. And we did just that

by partnering with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and creating Sign Manufacturing Day. The International Sign Association, in conjunction with our members around the country, brought nearly 1,000 students from area schools right to the shop floors where they could see our industry in action. Face-to-face interaction—that’s what helped students that day connect the dots between their interests and a possible career in the sign and visual communications industry.

When it comes to fighting sign regulations, we work elbowto-elbow with our affiliated associations at all levels of government.

A great example of this was Chicago’s vote to end its moratorium on digital signage this past summer. Kenny Peskin, ISA manager of state and local government affairs, and members of the Illinois Sign Association worked closely with Chicago city

staff and a city council task force to make this happen. It was a big win for Chicago and the sign industry. This is just one example of ISA’s commitment to fighting oppressive sign codes.

Industry Trends Digital signage is growing, and forward-thinking sign companies are embracing it. Our industry has the skills—and more importantly, the relationships—that are needed to excel in this industry.

As part of the ISA Sign Expo, we’ve devoted an entire day to helping sign professionals understand and integrate digital signage into their businesses.

We also have the Dynamic Digital Park right on the show floor, where suppliers and distributors provide access to these products and services.

The Future The sign and visual communications industry is—and will continue to be—a vital link to connect businesses to consumers.

As the largest trade association for the on-premise sign industry, it’s our goal to create thriving sign and visual communications industry communities. We will accomplish this through unique membership values that inspire growth and innovation.

—Lori Anderson, President For more information about the International Sign Association, visit www.signs.org.

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November 2014 // SBI Trendsetters

TS13

An Easier Way to get Your Message Across Advertise In

Contact Jeff Sutley (East Coast) at jeffsutley@sbpub.com or 212-620-7233 or Kim Noa (West, Central U.S.) at knoa@sbpub.com or 212-620-7221 Follow Us On: Sign Builder Illustrated @SBIMag

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Driving Costs Vehicles and walls are really building up wrap profits.

X

ALL PHOTOS: XPRESSIVE GRAPHIX.

pressive graphiX in Zanesville, Ohio

From 2005 to 2011, the company did a

custom designs and manufactures

grand total of fifty wraps. Over the past

one-of-a-kind dimensional signs,

year-and-a-half, they’ve increased this out-

screen prints, and banners. But it’s the wrapping side of the business that has really increased for them.

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put to 130 wraps.

“While these numbers might not seem huge, for our small shop (and for this area), November 2014 // Sign Builder Illustrated

25

Xpressive graphiX spends time in the design process thinking about every detail, such as if the colors use enough contrast to pop out.

Mattingly’s wrap design with realistic, layered flames for an ex-fireman’s tow truck. this represents quite a spike,” says Founder and Owner David Mattingly. “It also speaks to the ROI of this increasingly popular design tool.”

There’s good reason for the popularity of wraps today.

Check out some of these statistics compiled by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America: + More than 95 percent of Americans are reached by media targeting vehicle drivers and passengers. + One vehicle wrap can generate between 30,000 to 70,000 impressions daily. + Fleet vehicle advertising boosts name recognition fifteen times greater than any other form of advertising. + Vehicle wraps cost $.77 per Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM), as opposed to billboard ads ($2.18), a sixtysecond drive-time ad in the top 100 radio markets ($8.61), and a thirty-second prime-time spot in the top 100 television 26

Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

markets ($17.78).

“So many businesses are trying to find the best bang for their dollar these days,” says Mattingly, “and that’s what a wrap is.”

Mattingly’s shop has been using these facts and figures to help better sell wraps. And their boom has been quite an evolution.

Starting out, Mattingly wrapped just single doors on the sides of vehicles. At the time, his customers in the area had no idea what a “wrap” even meant. “And then, they certainly weren’t going to pay that kind of money for them,” he says.

But as wraps grew more popular around the country, more people started to see and request them. Now Xpressive has grown to the point where they’re able to create and install large format wraps on entire walls and buildings, as well.

Designs on Wraps One of the things that sets Xpressive apart from their competitors is that Mattingly hails from a design-oriented background and parlays these talents into creative, one-of-a-kind signage.

In fact, all five of his employees also possess some type of artistic or design skill set.

As an example of this custom artwork, Mattingly details a recent job he performed for a towing company owned by an ex-fireman.

After going to another shop with a request for flames in the wrap design of his tow truck and being extremely disappointed signshop.com

with the amateurish-looking result, this owner complained to Mattingly that this underachievement represented the industry as a whole.

Mattingly jumped at the chance to fix the truck’s wrap—and this misperception.

He and his lead designer, Tony Rose, not only came up with realistic, layered flames throughout the wrap, but they threw in a new, custom-designed logo for free that would better complement the graphics. “He was jumping up and down and hugging me, excited by what we’d done for him,” says Mattingly.

Mattingly always wants his customers to think outside the box. He states, “I always lead with the question, ‘If you could have anything in the world in your wrap, what would it look like?’ This starts them using their imagination because I can and want to do something a lot better than what they want.”

The shop will make sure the right fonts are used. “We’re not going to use brush script, capitalized script, etc.,” says Mattingly.

Xpressive designers also make sure the contrast is correct. “We’re going to have a dark background with a light letter or vice versa,” explains Mattingly.

“We’re not going have black letters on a purple background.

“To us, those are elementary design features, but there are people in the real world who don’t get that.”

Xpressive doesn’t charge for the initial consultation with the customer. They’ll talk with them first and give them their thoughts on what they need and how they feel the wrap design should look; sometimes they’ll even sketch it out for them on a piece of paper. “I don’t worry about customers taking my artwork to someone else, because most people aren’t going to be able to reproduce what we do,” says Mattingly.

Once the initial drawings are approved (and to make sure customers are serious), the shop then asks for a deposit on the entire project. Xpressive gives customers a flat fee upfront (whether it’s $1,000 or $10,000) and requires a 50 percent deposit on it.

For straight logo design requests from customers, Mattingly will give them three versions and walk them through the process. The shop will also help clients redevelop and enhance homemade logos they’ve brought in. “If they’re going to signshop.com

spend that much money on a wrap, we want to give them [a logo] that really represents their company and not just some font they found on the Internet,” he says.

Schooled on Wall Wraps As noted earlier, Xpressive has been doing wall wraps for about six years now, but this solution has blossomed for them over the past three. “We started with smaller wraps on drywall,” says Mattingly, “but as the materials have progressed,

we can now wrap block and brick walls.”

Although he notes that some people still have a tough time understanding the concept and ROI of a wall wrap, Mattingly finds that schools in his area have really gravitated toward this solution, as Xpressive has applied vinyl wall wraps to their locker rooms, gyms, and hallways.

“School officials love the bold graphics on them,” he explains, “and they love that the kids can’t even find an edge to start picking at it.”

November 2014 // Sign Builder Illustrated

27

Xpressive GraphiX also handles wall wraps, and Mattingly finds that schools in his area have really gravitated toward this solution.

Speaking of “bold graphics,” officials at Philo High School in Duncan Falls, Ohio, approached Mattingly requesting a big banner in their basketball gymnasium.

Since the team name is the Electrics (and the gym is named the “Power Plant”), one of the basketball coaches thought it would be cool to feature the town’s old power plant building in these graphics. This allowed Mattingly to steer them towards a wall wrap instead.

Xpressive channeled their innerFrankenstein. They found a black-andwhite picture of the old gym and combined it with a black-and-white photo of the power plant in the background.

They then added “bluish” lightning strike effects and gold letters to transform the banner idea into an electrifying wall wrap.

Mattingly points out that there really isn’t a difference when it comes to the actual elements that can be used in wrap designs for vehicles and walls. He does state though that, with a big, flat 28

Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

wall, there’s a lot more space you can use for readability there than on a vehicle (where you have to be careful of the wheel wells cutting off your letters and different things like that).

It’s All in the Prep Work Mattingly says that preparation is the most critical portion of the installation process for both vehicles and walls. And it all starts with cleanliness.

“You can’t have dead spots in the paint, nor rust,” he explains. “We notify the customer beforehand that these spots exist. They can be wrapped over, but it reduces the length of time the wrap could last; those parts could fail before the rest of them.”

Although Xpressive always tells its customers to clean their vehicles before bringing them in, they’ll still spend two to three hours cleaning inside doorjambs and door handles themselves.

They’ll also take out the lights and clean behind them. “Any dust particles signshop.com

coming into that will reduce the adhesion,” says Mattingly.

Walls still need to be cleaned—just not as thorough as vehicles. Xpressive uses a Shop-Vac™ or sprays a canister of air to remove dirt. “While you want the wall to be dust-free,” says Mattingly, “you’re not going to get everything off, especially with a block or brick wall. As soon as you wipe it down, you’re going to knock some more dirt down into the next section.”

Preach What You Practice Xpressive is redesigning its Web site (www.xpressivegraphix.com) to showcase their wall wraps more, and Mattingly finds that actual installations work as great marketing as well. Intrigued crowds will circle around and inquire about what they’re doing. “Once people see what we can actually do, then everybody wants more of them,” he says.

Because of this, Mattingly always carries business cards with him during installs. He also uses his iPad to show onlookers photos of their other wraps.

Mattingly doesn’t hesitate to say that wraps are the most profitable things his shop does. In fact, they’ve helped make up money when another sign project didn’t generate the expected profit margin. “The efficiency of which we put them on is obvious,” says Mattingly, “as well as the sales price to the costs of materials.”

And Xpressive also has found success combining the two things they love working on the most—wraps and dimensional signage. “If we’re designing an environment,” says Mattingly, “we can get really crazy and creative by using wall, floor, and ceiling graphics and putting 3-D elements inside that.”

For wraps, Xpressive GraphiX uses its Roland SOLJET printer/ cutter with eco-solvent inks and outputs onto 3M™ Controltac™ vinyls.

For installation, they use tools like heat guns, X-ACTO® knives, wrap gloves, etc.

One thing they really like are WetEdge™ squeegees. “You just dip those in water and they slide right across the material,” explains Mattingly, “and you won’t have any scuff marks or squeegee marks there.”

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29

C ha n n e l L e t t e r s / B y P e t e r P e r s z yk /////////////////////////////////////////////////// / / / / / / / / / / / /

LETTERS ON

the edge On the Cornice

Photo 1. This Deco-style set of letters in Miami plays off the linear cornice over the entry. While the letters appear to be sitting on the edge, the raceway behind them is simply styled akin to the building structure.

These open, blue neon letters aid and abet the deco motif of the building quite nicely. An alternative would be to paint the raceway, in order to blend with the background.

The key with any raceway is to get the letters to look as though they are on their own. Avoid the plethora of raceways that are “stock” size (pulled off the shelf and cut to the overall length of the letters).

30

Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

Keep in mind that the letters are the only things the viewer should see. Installing the letters on the edge sets the image as close to the potential viewer as possible.

If the letters overpower the raceway in size or shape, the raceway tends to disappear. Like the Disney® theme parks, hide what goes on behind the scenes.

Photo 2. These open-face neon tube letters are constructed with a very wide perimeter flange, which as you can see, dominate the raceway behind it.

They’re a simple, exact construction with tubes that plug into housing approaching that almost-seamless line of light that neon signshop.com

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

1

4

3

2

Design Ideas to Make Your Letters More Visible There is an interesting style of channel letters that are being installed today in a classic form.

Easily adaptable to either neon or LED lighting, they convey vintage and modern. These letters ironically are completely “on the edge.” Let’s look at how they’re being used.

excels at. Question: What is it here that you think sets these letters on the edge though?

Little Upright Tubes Photo 3. Consider these as stand-offs but only in a vertical direction. Supporting letters this way gives them an interesting visual float.

To do this, consider making or using some type of pipe or tube (square or round), maybe with threaded fasteners up the middle—that is, if the pipe itself is not the fastener.

Photo 4. Getting a set of letters to sit on the edge is often signshop.com

complicated by the curvature of the font. Add narrow tubular risers, and the letters can sit at any level. Such mounts may even help facilitate the client’s logo and design style.

Photo 5. Letters mounted on slits may become an integrated part of the design. Designed correctly, they act as the conduit and the support, providing the needed connection for electrical power to the individual letters.

Photo 6. To simplify construction, you can approach the design as a combination. This means creating the letters and the raceway as a single sign.

You can also consider building the back panel as a single November 2014 // Sign Builder Illustrated

31

5

6

7

The key with any raceway is to get the letters to look as though they are on their own. The letters are the only things the viewer should see, and there are many design tricks to accomplish this.

Content for digital menu oards are comprised of three components: promotional, highlighted, and list items.

8

9

When it comes to positioning and mounting non-illuminated letters, it’s important to get their message out to where the viewing public can see them better.

element, which helps to integrate the structure and defines the shape of the sign.

The advantages: There is no visible raceway (as shown with individual letters), and it’s only one component to install.

Photo 7. The neon tubes on these edge letters go down, ending into the raceway below. Stylized with added (yet faded) decorative patterning, the raceway is minimized in its visual mass.

Raceways in the modern idiom may be quite simple. Size, more than likely, is no longer a function of the power supply.

European-style letter sets have long been built to keep the electrical conduit and the raceway on the letters at a minimum.

With LED lighting modules now being commonly used with channel letters, the raceway is able to take on a variety of shapes and sizes. Beyond the limits of Class 2 transformers, LED lighting require what any electrical power would require for conduit or the equivalent.

32

Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

Non-illuminated Photo 8. For non-illuminated letters, align a set of letters along the edge of a structural element or parapet. Get the message out to where the audience can see it better.

The mounting method used may be subtle and may be secure, but it is easily hidden. Background contrast is a key in success with this design style. The white letters backed by red brick look good here.

Photo 9. If there is no ridge to place the letters on, create an artificial one. This thin set of individual letters may have taken a while to install one at a time into the wall behind them. But mounted along the edge of the blue box below, the assembly aligns and mounts quickly.

Photo 10. Keep in mind that a set can still be featured along an edge and hang down. The view is limited on the back side, so this block letter building name keeps an open see-through look out along the bottom edge. signshop.com

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LIGHTING FROM OUTSIDE THE EDGE “On the edge” is also an interesting place to experiment with alternate letter illumination. With the sign jutting out away from the wall, the background becomes a backdrop for reflected lighting.

The stock fluorescent lighting fixture can be tucked down so that it washes up and behind the copy.

The thickness of the letter style and the return depth will be a factor, as they will rely on ambient light. Dark copy will remain dark in the shadows.

On stilts, these thick letters sit fully up in the reflected background light (Photo A). With contrasting returns, the reflective face is light in color (based on the combination of lighting that bathes the sign).

And those little stilts can really be applied in an alternate direction too: Letters that hang down could resemble bats roosting in a cave and provide a nice, decorative affect. The lighting in Photo B is not part of the sign, yet it is the basis for the dazzling look of these monochromatic letters. And note the nice “plan ahead,” concealed mounting method used!

—Peter Perszyk

A

Alternate forms of illumination can have a big effect on the look of channel letters.

B

34

Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

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E nv i r o n m e n t a l / BY J E F F WO OT E N / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

MAKING LIVING HISTORY

36

Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

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/

Illustrative panels tell the story of 9/11.

T

his past September 11, a public Honor and Remembrance Ceremony was held at the Blaso Memorial Library in

Erie, Pennsylvania, which involved the unveiling and dedication of the long-planned Erie 9/11 Memorial.

The centerpiece of this memorial is an

ALL PHOTOS: HOWARD INDUSTRIES.

eighteen-foot-long World Trade Center steel column that was recovered during the “Ground Zero” excavation near the core of one of the Twin Towers at the lower level.

Referred to as “the beam,” it stands upright signshop.com

November 2014 // Sign Builder Illustrated

37

The posts of the illustrative panels were cut and bent back to form an angle so that visitors can walk up and easily read the information that details the events of 9/11.

in a circular plaza surrounded by illustrative panels that detail to visitors (as well as to future generations) the events of that tragic day.

(Note: Pieces recovered from “Ground Zero” were set aside for preservation inside the 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York City, as well as sent out to other communities across the United States to build their own local memorials.)

Architectural signage providers Howard Industries (www.howardindustries.com) of Fairview, Pennsylvania was honored to create this “living history book” that surrounds the steel column. The project was a natural fit for the company since, it’s very well known in the Erie community thanks to the work it does with local projects, charities, and non-profit organizations.

After enough funds had been raised for the construction of this memorial earlier this year, the company was approached by the Erie 9/11 Memorial Committee to help them with the its build plans. “The committee wanted to get everything [for this project] from local vendors,” says William Freeman, vice president of Architectural 38

Erie, Pennsylvania set up this memorial because, after 9/11, many of its residents volunteered in rescue and recovery efforts. Also many New Yorkers later relocated there.

Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

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This sign really says, welcome to Sherwin-Williams.

OFFICIAL COATINGS/FINISHES OF

Sales at Howard Industries.

The company used four of its HED300 extruded aluminum signage systems to complete these panel displays. They consist of two aluminum message panels chemically bonded to a three-inchwide frame, which slides into slotted 2-1/4-by-3-inch rectangular posts. “The posts were cut and bent back to form an angle so that you can walk up and easily read the information shown on the panel,” explains Freeman.

The post bottoms have welded base plates and support gussets that are easily surface-mounted onto an existing cement foundation.

Howard Industries used typical fabrication tools—metal shears, saws, CNC routers, and welders—to manufacture these illustrated panels.

The company designed the illustrative panel signage using information and images provided by the Erie 9/11 Memorial Committee depicting their vision of the memorial’s appearance and in what manner they wished to present the story of 9/11 to the public: signshop.com

☞ The 31-by-72-inch “American Flag” display contains the names of all 2,977 victims who perished on that Tuesday in September; ☞ The 26-by-60-inch “Responders” panel features images and stories of various responders at Ground Zero; and ☞ The 40-by-160-inch “Timeline” display gives a visual account of the events of the day (beginning with the departure of the first plane at 7:59 a.m. and concluding with President George W. Bush addressing the nation at 8:30 p.m.).

The Erie 9/11 Memorial Committee provided the artwork to Howard Industries in a vector format, and the company manipulated this imagery to fit the sign layouts.

All of the graphics were solvent inkjetprinted onto white vinyl using a large format printer, covered with UV protective laminate, and then applied to the signs by hand with a squeegee. In addition, white cut-vinyl ruler lines were used to carry the eye of the viewer across

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November 2014 // Sign Builder Illustrated

39

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3M Commercial Graphics . . . . . 5, 33 Ability Plastics, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 23 AdamsTech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Allanson International . . . . . . . . . 18 Alpina Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . 45 Alpina Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . 45 A.R.K. Ramos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 AXYZ International . . . . . . . . . TS8-9 Bayer MaterialScience LLC . . . . . . 27 Brooklyn Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Canon Solutions America . . TS10-11 CAO Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Central States Signs . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Coastal Enterprises/Precision Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Duxbury Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 ER2 Image Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Gemini, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 GH Imaging. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Hartlauer Bits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 International Sign Association.. . . . . . . . . TS12-TSC3 J Freeman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 KeyedIn Solutions . . . . . . . . . . TS6-7 Keystone Technologies . . . . . . . . . . 3 Light Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Marabu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Mimaki USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 M&T Displays LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Nova Polymers . . . . . . . . . . . . TS4-5 Orbus Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Orbus Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Ornamental Post, Panel & Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Outwater Plastics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Principal LED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Principal LED . . . . . . . . . . . TSC2-TS1 Seiko Instruments USA . . . . . . TS2-3 Sherwin-Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

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3M Commercial Graphics . . . . . . . 13 DreamScape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Fisher Textiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Graphics One, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 INX Digital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 LaserBits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 LEDtronics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Mimaki USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Outwater Plastics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

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The centerpiece of the exterior 9/11 memorial is an actual World Trade Center steel column recovered during the “Ground Zero” excavation.

the center post of the timeline panels.

“Images were simply downsized in most cases and trimmed to fit the individual signs,” says Freeman.

The systems’ frames and panels were assembled during manufacturing using a LORD adhesive and were slid down into the slots of the mounting post on-site during installation. The signs were installed by anchoring the 8-by-8-by-1/4-inch aluminum base plates into the cement using 4-inch-long anchors and 1/2-inch bolts.

One special challenge of this project

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involved the sign display exhibiting the 9/11 timeline. The memorial committee wanted it to have the same radius as the library’s patio. So Howard Industries visited the library site and made a pattern from the patio. They then brought it back to their shop and used it as a template for forming the radius of the sign frame.

“In addition, the bottoms of the mounting posts were cut at an angle prior to being welded to the base plates, thus creating the leaning display angle of

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the sign,” elaborates Freeman.

(Note: This living history experience extends beyond the exterior displays.

Several touchscreen videos inside the library allow the viewer to hear the personal stories and feel the experiences of those from the Erie area who were there either right before or after September 11, 2001.)

For Howard Industries, there was a sense of pride within the company to have been involved in contributing to this project and memorializing this day in history.

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November 2014 // Sign Builder Illustrated

47

“

SHOP TALK

B Y R I C K R O SS E T T I

Business Management

Supplier/Vendor

Relations

W

hen my business partner Adam Brown and I started Sign Effectz, Inc., in the mid-1990s, we decided to make vendor management a key part of our overall strategy for running the company.

Vendor turnover has never been an issue for us (still working with many since day one), and I think long-term relationships with them are great. Your vendor gets to know your business and anticipate what you need.

My best vendors review annual order histories with me and my team. We use that data to plug the right prices into our costing system and for monthly budgeting. These give company leadership the indicators they need to monitor how the business is performing.

Long-term vendors don’t creep up prices without letting you know. They won’t hold you to a price that was determined a long time ago. They know that if they can drop a price, they will. This reduces our cost and makes our customers happy because we pass the savings on to them.

New vendors come after our business; some of them sound great at first, but price can creep up over time, so we avoid those situations.

When you start with a new vendor, you have to be vigilant on the front end, when the business

relationship is still forming. Be sure to monitor the pricing and delivery. Having your own internal cost system is key. I can tell exactly how much I spend by each vendor each month. I have great access to purchase and frequency data (including what I paid for any given component).

The best vendors are the ones that are dependable and willing to work with you. They respond on a regular basis, are attentive to details, and have the parts you need on the floor.

My tips for vendor management: + Good communication is very important. When it comes to vendor communications, I’m not all business. I get to know them, even if it’s not always on a super personal level. + Pay bills on time. It helps maintain good relations with vendors. + Loyalty counts. Avoid bouncing from vendor to vendor throughout the year. It doesn’t inspire loyalty, and it certainly doesn’t get you the best volume discounts. + Know what you’re ordering. Get very familiar with your purchasing data and monitor it on a regular basis. This helps you avoid any confusion over inventory or waste in the process.

Rick Rossetti is vice president of Sign Effectz, Inc. (www.signeffectz.com) in Milwaukee,Wisconsin.

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Sign Builder Illustrated // November 2014

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