Sign Builder October 2019

The How-To Magazine

O C TO B E R 2019 | signs h o p.co m

GETTING TRENDY WI T H C OLOR F UL WRA PS

SIGN BUILDER

illustrated

WORKFLOW:

SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS

ADA SIGNage:

THE IN-SHOP TOUCH

Mahogany 1/4” RW1224125MAH

THE MOST ADA-COMPLIANT PRODUCTS

FOR ANY SIGNAGE PROJECT.

Light Grey 1/16” 321-305

Rowmark is proud to offer the widest selection of ADA-compliant substrates in the industry, now including 1/4” thick material in a variety of colors. Our expansive color range lets sign makers show their Air Force Blue 1/32” 311-504 creativity when fabricating ADA-compliant signs with a laser, rotary engraver, or UV-LED printer.

Blue 1/4” 351-501

Matte Silver StandOffs OEMKS-050MS

Available through your Authorized Rowmark Distributor.

877.rowmark /// rowmark.com Laserable

Rotary Engravable

UV-LED Sheet Products

Contents October 2019

Vol. 33

No. 292

How-To Columns

19

THE HIGH LIFE OF SIGN MAKING

By Scott Kolacz Getting personal with HDU projects.

24

THE ABCs OF UV-LEDS

By Jim Hingst Several factors have propelled the growth of UV-LED printers.

departments

4

​Cover Photo: Roodney Ulysse & Empire Vinyl Co.

6 12 50 52

EDITOR’S COLUMN

To fight off a perception of industry stagnation, Editor Jeff Wooten checks out why this might be an important month for signs and graphics.

IN THE INDUSTRY

Large format graphics strategy at Naval Warfare Center, a top fifty franchise for women is named, and enter the Project of the Year contest.

Sign Show

The newest products and services from sign manufacturers.

SBI Marketplace

Advertisements and announcements from the sign trade.

32

Shop Talk

David Hickey presents blunt facts about crafting signage for marijuana dispensaries.

Features

32 36 42

52 signshop.com

46

STicKing to GRAPHICS

By Jeff Wooten Getting vinyl sticker-bombed at the world’s largest sticker store.

TRENDING IN VEHICLE GRAPHICS

By Lori Shridhare From license plate frames to wrap experts.

IT IMPLEMENTATION

By Ashley Bray A print company gets serious about workflow.

ADA ON DISPLAY

By Jeff Wooten A Signarama shop gets in touch with ADA know-how.

October 2019

Sign Builder Illustrated

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October 2019, Vol. 33, No. 292 Sign Builder Illustrated (ISSN 0895-0555) print, (ISSN 2161-0709) digital is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation

Subscriptions: 800-895-4389

executive offices

President and Chairman Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. Publisher Arthur J. Sutley 55 Broad Street, 26th floor, New York, NY 10004 212-620-7247 ; Fax: 212-633-1863

editorial

Editor Jeff Wooten 323 Clifton Street, Suite #7, Greenville, NC 27858 212-620-7244 jwooten@sbpub.com Managing Editor Ashley Bray 212-620-7220 abray@sbpub.com Contributing Writers David Hickey, Jim Hingst, Steve Kolacz, Lori Shridhare

art

Art Director Nicole D’Antona Graphic Designer Hillary Coleman

production

Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers

circulation

Circulation Director Maureen Cooney mcooney@sbpub.com Circulation Analyst Brandy Wilson bwilson@sbpub.com

advertising sales

Publisher/West Coast Sales Arthur J. Sutley 212-620-7247 asutley@sbpub.com Associate Publisher/Mid-West Sales Jeff Sutley 212-620-7233 jsutley@sbpub.com Integrated Account Manager/East Coast & Canada David Harkey 212-620-7223​ dharkey@sbpub.com Sign Builder Illustrated is published monthly. All rights reserved. Nothing herein may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher. To purchase PDF files of cover and layouts or hard copy reprints, please call Art Sutley at 212-620-7247 or e-mail asutley@sbpub.com.

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signshop.com

FABRICATOR SPOTLIGHT Family-owned and twenty years young, Western Sign Services began as a trade shop making a wide range of signs.

Located about a dozen miles southeast of Portland, the company remains a trade shop, making a wide range of signage, and over the past eight years has increasingly focused on ADA applications, using equipment and materials from Nova Polymers.

Read More at

novapolymers.com/western-sign-services

Editor’s Column

AGENDA

By Jeff Wooten

October 2019 OCTOBER 23-25:

The inaugural PRINTING United tradeshow, formerly known as SGIA Expo, converges at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. (printingunited.com)

November 2019 NOVEMBER 5-8:

The automotive-focused 2019 SEMA Show rolls in to the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. (semashow.com)

Stagnant Routine?

NOVEMBER 22-23:

The industry opens up its reach this month.

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ably had no idea even existed, and shops tap into potential new employees/interns as well as cultivate stronger relationships with local schools. Last year, 88 companies throughout the U.S. and Canada and more than 3,500 students took part; I’m hoping to hear this year’s numbers grew, as they have each year.

(Even if you don’t participate in Sign Manufacturing Day, it’s still not a bad idea to reach out to nearby schools any day of the year and familiarize them with all the career opportunities at your shop.)

Meanwhile lots of people are curious to see the impact the inaugural PRINTING United (formerly SGIA Expo) is going to have later this month in Dallas, Texas. Organizers have made a concentrated effort to expand beyond just apparel and wide format and are now welcoming commercial, packaging, and in-plant printing segments. Echoes of Led Zeppelin are tuning up in my head because, “That’s a whole lotta print!” Question: Where will signage fit in the total equation percent-wise?

It’s going to be interesting to analyze the numbers and reactions to both of this month’s events to see if this is an antidote to any perceived stagnation or even a necessary recalibration of where the industry is headed because of it. One way or the other, the answers won’t be boring.

Jeff Wooten Editor, jwooten@sbpub.com

February 2020 FEBRUARY 26-28:

The Midwest Sign Association Winter Meeting takes place at the downtown Renaissance Hotel in Toledo, Ohio. (msassn.org)

FEBRUARY 27-29:

Graphics of the Americas 2020 returns to the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida. (goaexpo.com)

April 2020 APRIL 1-4:

Photo: Shutterstock/Olivier Le Moal.

T

here was a recent conversation I had with a sign and graphics professional who commented offhand that they thought the industry has grown “stagnant,” not necessarily in regards to technology and material advancements but instead with shop growth across the country and adoption rates. There was also a feeling clients who were once sign shop customers are now able to do more of their own previously leased-out work in-house.

I was taken aback at first, however, “convergence” and “diversification” have been the buzzwords for a while. (“Do more than just signs!”) And there’s been an increased effort to attract younger talent to the industry—with lineage or familiarity with the industry not a necessity.

Traditional wisdom says that New Years Day or the first day of spring are the ideal times for renewal and refocused energy; however, looking at the calendar, this month should prove that, as temperatures start creeping down, the industry is still generating some heat.

To start with, Friday, October 4 sees the latest edition of the International Sign Association’s Sign Manufacturing Day taking place. This annual event (always held the first Friday in October) is where sign and graphics companies open up their doors to high school and vocational students and show them the diverse amount of career opportunities that exist for them in the industry. It’s been a win-win for both sides: students learn more about an industry they prob-

Join the USSC Foundation at Harrah’s Resort and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey for The Sign Exchange tradeshow. (usscfoundation.org)

ISA International Sign Expo returns to the Orange County Convention Center in sunny Orlando, Florida. (signexpo.org)

signshop.com

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In The Industry

Large Format Graphics

P

atuxent River, Maryland— After changing out its logo a few times over the years, the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division wanted to find a way to solidify its brand identity by prominently displaying its new logo for everyone to see at its Patuxent River, Maryland headquarters.

The Naval Air Warfare Center sought to install a wide format version of its logo on the front entrance of its building, which is three-stories high and features floor-to-ceiling windows. To complete this particular project, officials at the center reached out to Barefoot Graphics of Lexington Park, Maryland.

(Note: Since 2007, Barefoot Graphics 6

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has helped brands advance their missions via large format printing, mounting, and laminating solutions.)

Upon learning of the Naval Air Warfare Center’s vision, Barefoot Graphics suggested installing the vinyl media onto the inside of the windows so that the graphics could be visible both inside and outside the building. Because Barefoot Graphics doesn’t have a printer that can print white ink, they recommended installing a white translucent film behind the clear media, in order to provide the white color for the graphic.

After considering several options, Barefoot Graphics Owner Josh Frauenfelder selected Mactac’s IMAGin® Bfree Clear Window Film (JX5999MBF).

B-free Clear Window Film is a 3.1-mil gloss clear, polymeric PVC film that is coated on one side with a micro-structured, repositionable, permanent, clear acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive and is supplied with an 80# polycoated layflat liner. The material is known for its ability to apply quickly and easily while eliminating any graphic wrinkling or bubbling, which was important for this installation since employees who worked on the second and third floors of the center would see the graphic up close. In addition, B-free Clear Window Film can be installed dry, which allowed the logo to be installed with no mess and virtually no disruption to the Naval Air Warfare Center’s employees. signshop.com

Photos: Barefoot Graphics.

Strategy on Display

fastsigns is top for Women

C

a r r o l lto n , T e x as — Franchise Business Review has named FASTSIGNS ® International, Inc., as a top franchise in its 2019 “Top Franchises for Women Report.”

“Female franchisees across the franchising industry continue to shape the future of business, and we are proud to support those female franchisees in our system, as they have proven to be a true asset to our brand while providing sign, graphics, and visual communications services to their local communities,” said Catherine Monson, president and CEO of FASTSIGNS International, Inc. For example, Shawn Glenn (pictured) and her husband, Mark, took o w n e r s h i p o f FA S T S I G N S o f Carrollton, Texas, in 2011. In their first three years, the center’s sales volume tripled. Today Shawn and Mark own three additional FASTSIGNS centers in the Dallas area.

FASTSIGNS was among more than 265 franchise brands that participated in the report. Franchisees were surveyed on thirty-three benchmark questions about their experience and satisfaction regarding critical areas of their franchise systems, including leadership, training and support, financial opportunity, and work/life balance.

A new graphic brings immediate recognition to the Naval Air Warfare Center.

The finished triangular graphic, featuring the name of the Naval Air Warfare Center and its logo, measures 33 feet wide and 27.5 feet tall. It was reverseprinted and installed with a butt seam.

Barefoot Graphics had to build custom scaffolding for the project since the building had its own scaffolding structure in front of the windows. The installation took sixteen hours to complete.

“The customer was ecstatic,” according to Frauenfelder. “The admiral was very pleased, and the employees were amazed by the graphic. [The finished application] brought immediate recognition to their division building location.

“It looks very natural—almost like stained glass instead of a decal.” signshop.com

the reverseprinted, triangular graphic on front of the naval air warfare center measures 33-by-27.5 feet.

October 2019

Sign Builder Illustrated

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In The Industry Orbus Raises $$$ for Charity

W Original Minuteman

Press Relocates

F

armingdale, New York—Familyowned business marketing and printing franchise Minuteman Press International recently made a historic move by relocating its original Farmingdale franchisee to 324 Main Street, ensuring that the storefront will remain a Main Street fixture as it has been since first opening its doors back in 1975. This store was the prototype for the Minuteman Press franchise.

This past August, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held in conjunction with the Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce to celebrate this new move.

The Farmingdale franchise has been open for forty-four years, and Jeff Miller has owned the business for over thirty of those years. Miller and his team remain dedicated to Farmingdale businesses and residents and continue to provide highquality design, marketing, and printing services throughout the community.

“It is quite an accomplishment to grow as a small business over the past thirty years. My family and I are grateful for the support of the community and the Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce as well as other local organizations,” says Miller. “In the past thirty years, I have seen many changes posi-

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tively affecting downtown Farmingdale.

I’m very proud to be a part of the regentrification that has occurred. The positive growth has attracted many new people to the area while keeping the charm of a small-town community.

“When I walk down the street some people call me ‘Mayor’ because most everyone knows me, and I am interested in the people of the town.”

Miller has evolved with the times.

“When I first opened my business, I had three offset printing presses and one black-and-white copy machine,” he says. “Today I have four digital presses, and I can produce full-color printing in a timely manner at a reasonable price.

There have been many changes in the printing industry over the years, and I am happy that I have been able to keep up with the changes.”

One of the reasons Miller has been so successful is the passion he has for the Farmingdale community as well as his clients. “The key to my success is that I am honest and upfront with my customers,” he says. “I provide personalized service as well as on-time delivery. I will continue to help them as best as I can, as I strive for continued growth and success of my business.”

oodridge, Illinois— Orbus Exhibit & Display Group ® , one of North America’s leading wholesale suppliers and manufacturers of display, exhibit, graphic, and event solutions, is proud to share the news that it has spent the last six months fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The company recently presented the organization with a donation of $9,000. Fundraising efforts included a company-wide casual dress buy-in, shamrock grams, and a chili cook-off.

In order to make sure that these fundraising efforts are successful, O r b u s’s S o c i a l a n d C u l t u ra l Co m m i tte e o rg a n i zes eve n ts throughout the year in support of a designated charity.

The second half of 2019 looks very promising for the supplier’s charitable efforts.

Orbus will be fundraising for the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Childen’s Hospital of Chicago and the Andrew Grene Foundation, as well as its annual Toys for Tots drive.

Events and activities will include casual wear buy-in, a manager dunk tank, an ice cream social, a silent auction, and a 50/50 raffle.

signshop.com

Actual output depends on mode, environment, media and proper printer maintenance.

WHAT 24 HOURS OF UPTIME LOOKS LIKE.

The Epson SureColor® S60600

OUR MOST PRODUCTIVE SIGN PRINTER • Commercial-grade 64-Inch Roll-to-Roll Printer • Production-quality printing up to 550 square feet per hour* • Dual CMYK Epson UltraChrome® GS3 Solvent Ink • Print, laminate, and deliver the same day

Learn more at epson.com/sseries Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark of Seiko Epson Corporation. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2019 Epson America, Inc. *Print times are based upon print engine speeds only. Total throughput depends upon front-end driver/RIP, fi le size, printing resolution, ink coverage, network speed, etc.

In The Industry DIGITAL DISPLAYS DRAW IN CUSTOMERS

A

Enter Your best signage

P

lymouth, Michigan-Alliance Franchise Brands has partnered with Sign Builder Illustrated magazine to present the Project of the Year Award to outstanding Image360, Signs

By Tomorrow, and Signs Now Franchise Members. This special contest is open to all Sign and Graphics Division Franchise Members to honor and recognize the best sign and graphics projects of the year.

The awards will be presented at the Alliance Franchise Brands Convention in March 2020. One Grand Prize winner will be selected from all brands and three Runner-Ups will be chosen, one per brand: Grand Prize winner will receive: A cover feature in an issue of Sign Builder Illustrated magazine, $350 cash, and a project photo featured on the cover of Alliance Franchise Brand’s Weeder magazine.

Three Runner-Ups will receive: Coverage in Sign Builder Illustrated magazine and $200 cash.

Entries will be on display at the Alliance Franchise Brands 2020 Convention, and the winner will be determined by a blind vote by fellow Franchise Members. Deadline for submission is January 31, 2020.

To submit your project, see the rules

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and submissions guide below: • Each project should be submitted in a layout 22 inches wideby-28 inches tall and include all project photos, the job date, and the job description in the layout.

• Entries cannot include any of Alliance Franchise Brand’s sign brand logos and cannot include any reference to the Center’s location in the graphic or the description.

• If you do not print on an adhesivebacked vinyl, please laminate the back with double-sided mounted adhesive so that the print will be “mount ready.”

tlanta, Georgia — Korean cosmetics retailer Innisfree is counting on in-store digital experiences to draw in customers and create shareable moments that appeal to today’s connected consumers. The company contracted the digital signage experts at Creative Realities, Inc. (CRI), to implement large NanoLumens LED displays at multiple U.S. stores slated for openings through 2020.

The stores vary in size and layout, but all heavily feature digital displays that draw in customers, with the main displays being visible from outside the store. The brand has also integrated touchscreen stations that instantly analyze a shopper’s skin tone to recommend products for their specific needs, and smaller digital displays that promote products and identify different areas of the retail space. The NanoLumens displays are much larger and are used to create an inviting environment, displaying natural scenes and landscapes that evoke a calming effect and relate to the brand’s ingredient sourcing.

“With NanoLumens, we are able to specify exact sizes and pixel pitches unique to each store to achieve a consistent aspect ratio and pixel count that vastly simplifies content creation and display,” said Beth Warren, SVP of Experience Planning and Design at CRI.

• Your project must have been completed in 2019.

• Multiple submissions are accepted.

Please submit each project in a separate digital file.

Mail entries to: Crystal Adkins, 11685 Crossroads Circle, Suite E, Middle River, MD 21220 and email a digital file of the entry to crystala@alliancefranchisebrands.com. For questions, contact Crystal at crystala@alliancefranchisebrands.com. signshop.com

Experience the New Wave in ADVANCED WRAP FILM TECHNOLOGY

It began with a challenge from the industry’s best installers.

A mission to advance wrap film technology by delivering speed, accuracy, and durability. The RapidAir + ProSlide™ project is our ®

quest for perfecting the overall vehicle wrapping experience.

ORAJET® 3981ps | ORAJET® 3951ps | ORAJET® 3751ps Wrap Design courtesy of Digital Dan, StudioWraps, Brainerd, MN

www.orafol.com 888.672.2251

Sign Show LIGHTING FIXTURES SmartPort LED Sensors Solve the Problem of Retroactively Adding Controls to HID LED Lamps

DIGITAL PRINTING/EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES Ricoh Caters to Modern Print Buyers at PRINTING United Visitors to PRINTING United Booth #7001 will discover how Ricoh digs deeper into customers’ premier partner with on-site experts, technology displays, and demonstrations. Its booth will highlight how Ricoh empowers printers to adapt and thrive: making expanding wide format offerings easier, pushing the boundaries of substrate versatility, creating gorgeous and precise colors, and helping deliver fast turns. All of these are top concerns for modern print buyers who want eye-catching applications fast. Don’t miss the chance to take a look at Ricoh and experience its award-winning technologies, including the newly available, highly productive RICOH Pro TF6250 in action.

For every badge scanned during the show, Ricoh will make a charitable donation to U.S. Wounded Warrior Project, which supports wounded military veterans and service members.

There will also be special times when attendees can double their donation and be entered in a raffle for a Wounded Warrior gift basket. takealookatricohproduction.com/PrintingUnited

The innovative SmartPort LED line of motion sensors for HID LED lamps from Keystone Technologies (a leading manufacturer of quality-driven lighting solutions for over seventy years now) makes attaching controls to HID LED lamps faster and easier than ever before. SmartPort LED is available in three sensor options: a microwave, a PIR, and a photo sensor.

Installation is simple—insert the SmartPort LED sensor into a standard 3.5mm AUX port on the face of the lamp and adjust the settings quickly by the turn of a dial. SmartPort LED sensors are compatible with several Keystone DirectDrive HID LED lamps including the 360° corn cob, vertical high bay, and horizontal Xpander lamps. These lamps will operate normally until a sensor is added. Keystone offers a full catalog of lighting products including a comprehensive line of LED Tubes and Lamps; LED Fixtures; LED Retrofit Kits; Emergency LED Systems; Fluorescent, HID, and UV Ballast Kits; Transformers; and Sensors. KeystoneTech.com

ROUTERS/ENGRAVERS Techno’s New Atlas Series Routers are a Good Sign for Sign Makers Techno’s Atlas Series CNC router is the culmination of over thirty years of design and field experience. The Atlas Series uses precision helical rack and pinion drives on the X and Y axes, ball screw on the Z axis, and a heavy steel frame and gantry with 7.5 inches of gantry clearance and 9.5 inches of Z axis travel. This rock-solid CNC router proves itself time and again in production-level applications. It is rigid, repeatable, and reliable, making it a favorite among sign makers because of the great cut quality in all materials (such as plastics, wood, aluminum, and foam). The Atlas machine comes equipped with a one-inchthick, phenolic, T-slotted vacuum table and 10-horsepower Becker brand rotary vane pump, ensuring that your sheets are held firmly in place and parts that are cut loose remain in place as well. The router is available in 5-by-10, 4-by-8, and 4-by-4 sizes. It comes standard for 208-230volt, three-phase operation but can also be set up to run on 220-volt, single-phase electric. technocnc.com

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Sign Show DIGITAL PRINTING EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES Next-generation Epson SureColor F6370 Model Features Enhanced Workflow and Productivity Featuring speeds up to 680 square feet per hour, the new SureColor® F6370 44-inch dye-sublimation printer from Epson America quickly and efficiently produces highquality images for promotional products, soft signage, cut-and-sew fabrics, and more. The SureColor F6370 replaces the SureColor F6200 to join Epson’s line of SureColor F-Series printers. The new printer features a built-in cutter for roll-to-sheet convenience and an optional take-up reel system for unattended printing. Designed with ease-of-use in mind, the intuitive SureColor F6370 comes equipped with new Epson Edge® Print workflow software (featuring an Adobe® PostScript® 3™ engine) that includes job nesting, custom spot color, project libraries, pattern repeats, and the ability to import new media settings (when available) and provides the option for print shop providers to edit media settings and manage projects remotely. The printer also comes equipped with Epson Edge dashboard, a remote printing management software featuring an easy-to-use, intuitive interface with detailed views on current activity, ink supply levels, and important warnings or errors. The Epson Edge dashboard allows users to manage the status of up to ten printers—including all SureColor F-Series, SureColor F-Series Direct-toGarment, and SureColor S-Series wide format printers. Employing the renowned Epson PrecisionCore® TFP® printhead technology and Epson UltraChrome® DS ink packs with High Density Black, the SureColor F6370 produces output with vibrant color saturation and contrast. proimaging.epson.com

STILL CLEANING RESIDUE? NEW NE

W

Now Even More Colors. Still no adhesive residue.

New Grey and Metallic Gold for Duets Tactiles™ Color Options

DuetsTactiles™ ADA appliqué with 3M® or Orafol® adhesives virtually eliminates adhesive residue

We’ve introduced two new colors, Grey and Metallic Gold, to our industry leading Duets Tactiles line up of ADA compliant materials. These colors, along with the rest of the Duets Tactile line are also engineered to release cleaner, virtually eliminating adhesive residue for less cleanup and better results.

Duets

BY GEMINI

PARTNER NETWORK

DuetsByGemini.com/partners Available in-stock, nationwide from the Duets partner network of leading distributors

Try it. Prove it to yourself. Request a free ADA Test Sample Kit. Call 800-548-3356 or go to DuetsByGemini.com/ADAchoice

©2019 Gemini Incorporated. Duets™ is a trademark of Gemini, Inc.

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Sign Show DIGITAL PRINTING/EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES Larger, Faster, More Efficient VersaUV LEF2-300 UV-LED Flatbed Delivers Ultra-realistic Graphics Roland DGA’s next-generation 30-inch VersaUV® LEF2-300 benchtop flatbed printer boasts all the advanced features of the 20-inch model that was released earlier this year, while also delivering 1.5 times the print area and printing speed. The LEF2-300 also incorporates new efficiency, convenience, and maintenance functionalities that raise overall performance to a higher level. The LEF2-300 can print directly on virtually any substrate or threedimensional object up to 3.94 inches thick, making it ideal for a wide range of product customization applications. The device uses Roland’s specially formulated ECO-UV inks in CMYK, as well as Gloss and White inks that allow users to incorporate specialty finishes, realistic textures, or 3D effects for a whole new dimension of customization. Additionally, with its larger 30.3-inchwide-by-12.9-inch-deep-by-3.9-inch-high print area and higher-volume output, the LEF2-300 is an expansive solution that fits the productivity needs of growing businesses. The LEF2-300 employs UV-LED lamps to instantly cure ink on the surface of material with UV light, allowing photos, graphics, and fine text to printed onto PVC, plastics, canvas, wood, leather, fabric, and other materials with unsurpassed print quality. Roland’s specially formulated ECO-UV inks are designed for flexibility, enabling it to be used on curved and 3D objects, as well as a wide variety of materials, without cracking. The new LEF2-300 feature enhancements make customizing or personalizing everything from plaques and giftware to golf balls and smartphone covers quicker, easier, and more cost-effective than ever. rolanddga.com/LEF2-300

ng NEW i c u d o r t n I ions Formulat

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To request product info or a free sample, email sales-mna@marabu.com

To learn more, visit us at Printing United in Dallas, Texas Booth #5021. Use code 71769 at registration for a free pass. signshop.com

October 2019

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Sign Show ROUTERS/ENGRAVERS Laser Manufacturer Unveils New Laser Cutting System Designed for Efficient, Economical Processing With a generous and ergonomic working area, sophisticated and intuitive workflow software, and the industry's highest safety standards, the r500 laser-cutting system from Rayjet Laser, a division of Trotec Laser, Inc., provides the industry with a safe, user-friendly, cost-effective, and locally supported solution for cutting wide format materials. Designed to comply with stringent production standards and European manufacturing and design principles, the r500 is also the only laser safety Class 2 system in its price range—meaning that it meets U.S. manufacturing safety requirements for use in public spaces and does not require operators to wear protective gear such as safety goggles. The new laser cutter, which is also CE certified, includes safety features such as a double interlock system and a safety kill-switch. The system features an open, ergonomic design with a generous 51-by-35-inch bed size that fits most standard material sheet sizes and up to 100 Watts DC of laser power, allowing you to easily and efficiently cut and engrave a wide range of materials such as plastics, paper, textiles, acrylics, wood and many more materials with thickness up to 1/2-inch (15mm). The included Rayjet Manager workflow software provides easy step-by-step instructions with logical and intuitive functions, allowing you to make a fast transition from job layout to final product. troteclaser.com; rayjetlaser.com

ThinFORCE

TM

THINNER, STRONGER & Lighter

• High-energy magnetic sheeting has twice the strength of regular 15 mil, and half the weight of 30 mil used for vehicle signs

• Prints brilliant color and clarity with UV, solvent, eco-solvent, and latex ink systems

• Ideal for vehicle graphics, POP displays, wall coverings and applications where lightweight printable magnetic sheeting is needed

PRINTABLE MAGNETIC SHEETING

Learn more at magnetsource.com/thinforce or 800.525.3536 Your Best Source in the Magnetic Field

See us at Booth #4207

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Sign Show VEHICLE GRAPHICS 3M Collaborates with Wrapmate to Provide Print-ready Customers to Graphics Professionals 3M has announced an exclusive strategic collaboration with Wrapmate to help businesses improve their brand’s visibility through high-quality vehicle graphics and ultimately help graphic professionals find more customers. Wrapmate is an online platform where business owners can visualize their brand on a vehicle by simply using their business’s Web site address.

Wrapmate uses the URL to scan the Web site for branded visuals such as logos and imagery and, within seconds, a vehicle wrap design is created. This service helps business owners understand what a vehicle wrap would look like in a 3D environment and builds excitement by offering tools for the user to better understand the impact that graphics have on business awareness. Business owners can also take the next step of bringing the visual to life by working with Wrapmate, who will interface directly with experienced graphic professionals within the 3M network to complete the job. 3M™ Certified Graphics Installation Companies and 3M™ Preferred Graphics Installers within the Wrapmate Pro network can execute these print-ready jobs and get the opportunity to work with new customers to further build their brands. The end-result: Graphic manufacturers can now spend more time focusing on doing great work and less time worrying about customer acquisition. 3M.com; wrapmate.com

Quality products and trusted solutions since 1852 Stimpson has shipped over 150 billion parts including Eyelets, Grommets, Washers, Hole Plugs, Snap Fasteners, Vents, Clamps, Ferrules and many additional metal products.

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October 2019

Sign Builder Illustrated

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How To HDU

By STEVE KOLACZ

The High Life of Sign Making Getting personal with high-density urethane projects.

Photo: Shutterstock/ 4 PM production.

O

ur artist-driven shop, Grafixhouse, is located in Garner, North Carolina (just outside of Raleigh) in an old First Citizens Bank building that we renovated.

We have three professional artists with degrees in fine art and advertising on-staff, and we do everything from concept to design to install. We produce a lot of mixed media signage and custom displays, along with logo design, visual marketing materials, and true company branding.

In the world of business, though, it can be really easy to lose one’s self in the work—to forget that art is made for entertainment and the elation of creativity.

Here at Grafixhouse, we love to have a good time and bring enjoyment through our art, to remember the fun behind the function of what we design.

When a customer approached us to create a sign that would take an inside joke and turn it into a vibrant, dimensional piece of art, we were happy to oblige.

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Living the High Life The customer wanted a fun sign for his lake house that played off an inside joke, which we were not told. (Therefore the joke would no longer then be an inside joke, natch.)

The only design criteria we had to work with was using the name “Whitaker,” the phrase “Living the High Life,” and a 40-ounce Miller beer bottle.

We decided to play off the colors of the beer itself, as well as its distinctive label. We wanted to evoke the feelings one gets relaxing and enjoying each other’s company at the lake while, at the same time, also creating a fetching piece of art for the customer.

As with all the projects and designs that we create, we used pencil and paper during the brainstorming process before bringing the drawings to life on the computer. We will show this idea to the customer, and after they approve, we then begin the routing, shaping, and priming processes.

However we weren’t sure how we were going to shape this particular sign. The only direction we were given by the client was that he wanted a hand-carved, handpainted look.

We decided to use 15-pound Precision Board (PBLT-15) high-density urethane (HDU). I knew Precision Board would be able to route and shape well, as well as offer depth without the weight.

We opted to do an aluminum composite material insert for the “Living the High Life” phrase; this would not only add a different media to the sign but also place more emphasis on the phrase since the “Whitaker” name above it was going to be so big.

To start, we routed out the rough shape of the sign with our ShopBot PRSalpha CNC router. We then used rasps and sandpaper, as well as a bandsaw and a RotoZip rotosaw, to shape the bottles and foam by hand.

We used the ShopBot router to also

October 2019

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19

How To HOW-TO: HDU

By STEVE KOLACZ

Grafixhouse used their ShopBot CNC router to precisely cut out the shape of the sign and the “Whitaker” letters.

precisely cut out the “Whitaker” letters.

We ended up attaching them with pins pressed into the HDU along with some application of Gorilla Glue®.

Once we completed the shapes, we

The sign was hand-painted with Ronan and 1-Shot lettering enamels using regular brushes.

primed the Precision Board and gave it a top coating. (Note: Before we primed anything, we first applied SealKrete sealer to the raw Precision Board.) We handpainted the entire sign with Ronan and

1-Shot lettering enamels. Although we do airbrushing here in the shop, we used regular brushes for this project.

We made the sign with the original intention that it would be installed onto the

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front side of a lake house. So we crafted a metal French cleat and attached it to the back of the sign. However the owner loved the finished sign so much that he decided to bring it instead into his living room and show it off as a piece of art.

In the end, we were able to create a mixed-media sign full of life and color that served to remind not only the customer, but also us, that sometimes you need to step back and enjoy the high life.

Mementos of Railroad Spikes Another fun project for us started when a customer came into our shop and asked if we could make something personal as a memento present for his twin grandsons. He mentioned that they really loved trains, so he had brought along two actual railroad spikes with him and told us that he wanted to incorporate them into a finished design of some kind.

Both of his grandsons work in corporate offices but in different cities; so our customer’s idea was to create two identical pieces featuring the railroad spikes that they could display at their job. He was thinking something along the lines of paperweights or conversation pieces that could be placed on their desks.

The grandfather wasn’t really sure what he wanted as a finished product.

After some back-and-forth discussions, he casually mentioned maybe laying the spikes on their sides and then us painting the name of the grandson on the spike.

Since there are always rocks found along railroad tracks, we thought this motif should somehow be incorporated into this project. We knew we would be able to create the rocks out of Precision Board HDU. I thought it would be cool to base the design off the “sword and the stone” legend from King Arthur, so we

By STEVE KOLACZ

decided we would “drive” the spikes into the Precision Board rocks.

The spikes given to us were pretty heavy, so we used thirty-pound Precision Board here. We really needed the weight so that the spikes would be held upright in the finished rock pieces.

I ended up using a bunch of scrap pieces of Precision Board lying around the shop to craft the rock textures. Again I like to use Precision Board because of its ease of tooling.

On this project, I only had to use an angle grinder with a very aggressive sanding disk. I made sure to wear leather gloves while holding the Precision Board rock in my hand, in case the grinder skipped or slipped off the piece. (Note: I wouldn’t recommend this process for everyone because, hey, I like to live on the edge!)

Once all the faux rocks had been shaped and clamped together into one gi-

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October 2019

Sign Builder Illustrated

21

How To HOW-TO: HDU

By STEVE KOLACZ

in the hole so we could paint it.

One of our artists, Stacy, has a real knack for painting. She painted the rock pieces using Testors metallic model paint and 1-Shot. The metallic paint was employed so that every time someone would pass by the rock, they would see a certain shine or shimmer (like rocks one would find on railroad tracks). She had both the rocks, the steel spikes, and the grandsons’ names painted within an hour.

The finished pieces stood eight to nine inches tall, and our client was all aboard with our attention-grabbing solutions.

Grafixhouse created a King Arthur “sword and the stone” theme for these desktop pieces by driving railroad spikes into 30-pound Precision Board “rocks.”

ant piece with Gorilla Glue®, we treated the Precision Board HDU with SealKrete and then primed it with all-purpose Kilz.

We drilled a hole into the top of each piece and hammered in the spike. I used Magic Sculpt® two-part epoxy clay to fill

Steve Kolacz is with GrafiXhouse Design Studios (graphixhousedesign.com). Steve can be reached at (919) 329-5743. Portions of this article previoulsy appeared as a featured blog hosted by Coastal Enterprises, manufacturers of Precision Board HDU.

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How To DIGITAL PRINTING

By JIM HINGST

The ABCs of UV-LED

A

dvances in machine design and ink technology have arguably made UV-LED printers more versatile than other print systems, providing sign makers with opportunities to expand into a variety of market segments—from exhibit and display to vehicle graphics.

The latest generation of UV-LED systems has attained output speeds between 1,100 square feet per hour to 3,900 square feet per hour.

Another benefit is more flexible inks.

Early generations of UV-curable inks were somewhat brittle and prone to cracking. However the once-brittle inks have improved significantly. Later generations of UV inks are flexible and durable enough for fleet graphics applied to vehicle surfaces with compound curves, rivets, and corrugations.

Compared to solvent and eco-solvent printers, UV-curable inkjet inks adhere to a wider range of substrates. In fact, you

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may have heard that you can print on virtually any type of substrate with UV inks.

That sweeping generality definitely needs some qualification.

With UV-curable inks, it’s true that you can print on a wide range of flexible and rigid substrates, including pressuresensitive vinyl, rigid vinyl, expanded PVC, polycarbonate, acrylic, polystyrene, polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene, metal, and glass. “With advances in ink chemistry, one ink system fits all print applications,” says Mutoh Director of Product Marketing & Education Mark Rugen, “but some substrates may require an adhesion promoter.”

The versatility and flexibility of today’s inks allows printers to print on a vast array of both porous and non-porous substrates. “This opens the door for printers to venture into new markets including labels, advertising specialties, backlit signage, custom wall coverings, and pointof-purchase displays,” says Rugen.

Differences in Adhesion Solvent inks are designed to partially solvate or dissolve the outer surface of a pressure-sensitive vinyl film in order to chemically bite into it. Printed on board stock or other porous materials, solvent inks adhere to the substrate through absorption.

UV inks are 100 percent solids, but solvent inks are comprised of as much as 80 percent solvent. Solvent evaporation is an environmental problem, and it can also be a problem when printing on some media. On some substrates, like vinyl films, the solvent solvates the surface. As well as causing the media to soften and swell, strong solvent inks can cause some plastic films to shrink, warp, or crack. When the printed image is a bleed, solvents can result in edge lifting on plastic films.

Free radical UV inks don’t solvate the substrate and don’t bond by being absorbed. Instead, these UV inks anchor to a material mechanically, in much the same way as a pressure-sensitive adhesive does. signshop.com

Photo: Shutterstock/Sergey Ryzhov.

Several factors have propelled the growth of UV-LED printers.

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How To DIGITAL PRINTING

By JIM HINGST

from overpowering the printed image.

The ability to print CMYK plus white is also an advantage when you’re printing subsurface on clear films. You can print a wrong-reading image on the second surface and then back it up with white before printing the background.

This is ideal for printing backlit signage.

UV inks dry immediately following exposure to curing lamps, so inks do not bleed and there’s no dot gain. “UV systems can print a finer dot,” says Mark Rugen. “That results in sharper images and finer detail as well as a wider color gamut compared to other print technologies.”

After the ink is printed, it wets out and fills in the microscopic pores on the surface of the substrate, holding on for dear life as the ink cures and becomes a solid sheet.

Another major factor in adhesion is the surface tension difference between the ink and the substrate. The ink should always be lower in surface tension than the substrate. Some substrates (Coroplast, in particular), change dramatically in surface tension over relatively short periods of time. As the surface tension or dyne level of the substrate drops, ink adhesion can become problematic.

Many of the new UV-LED printers feature white ink. Because UV-curable inks are 100 percent solids, they typically provide better opacity than solventbased inks. This is a big advantage when you print on colored or metalized films because the ink has more hiding power, which helps prevent the background

How UV-Curable Inks Work Unlike solvent, eco-solvent, or waterbased inks, UV-curable inks do not evaporate into the air. Instead these inks dry or “cure” instantly through a polymerization process initiated by exposing

the inks to a certain spectrum and intensity of UV light.

UV inkjet inks are classified as 100 percent solids. You might wonder how an ink could be a liquid and be classified as 100 percent solid. Here’s what they mean: 100 percent of what is printed on the media stays on the media. Solvent inkjet inks are less than 20 percent solids. Everything that isn’t a solid evaporates into thin air, which is neither good for the health of your employees or the environment.

Two of the key ingredients in UV-curable ink formulations are monomers and oligomers. Monomers are very small molecules that can combine, through a chemical process called polymerization, to form much larger molecules called polymers.

Monomers are classified as “reactive diluents.” Reactive diluents are materials that ink manufacturers use to replace organic solvents. In an ink formulation,

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How To DIGITAL PRINTING

By JIM HINGST

the monomers perform the same purpose as a solvent, by reducing or thinning the viscosity of the ink.

But here’s the difference: Monomers don’t evaporate; solvents do. As the solvent in a conventional ink dries, it evaporates and these volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) get into the air, which contributes to air pollution.

So what are Oligomers? Just like monomers, these molecules combine with monomers to form polymers. One difference between the two is that monomers are very small particles with a low molecular weight, whereas oligomers are larger molecules with a high molecular weight.

The function of an oligomer in the ink formulation is different too. Whereas monomers are “reactive diluents” and perform the function of a thinner, oligomers are “reactive resins.” Just as a resin binds a paint or ink or vinyl film together, the larger reactive resins or oligomers of a UV-curable ink form the backbone of the molecular chain to which the monomers

bond in the polymerization process.

Monomer and oligomers aren’t the only components that comprise a UV-curable ink. The other components include photo initiators, pigments, and additives.

Photo initiators are the components that get the ball rolling in the polymerization process. When the ink is exposed to UV light, the photo initiators absorb the UV energy and break down into reactive components that initiate the polymerization process. Polymerization is the chemical process in which the smaller monomers and oligomers bond together to form the much larger polymer molecules. As the smaller molecules polymerize, they entrap the pigments, which give the ink its color and the additives in the cured solid inks.

Instant Cure One of the major benefits of UV inkjet systems is that the inks dry almost in-

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stantly after being exposed to intense UV light. Exposure to certain wavelengths of intense UV light initiates a chemical reaction, which cures or hardens the ink.

When printing with some UV inks, you should wait an hour or two before rolling up a print. Some UV inks can continue to chemically crosslink and cure for as long as three days after the initial exposure— making the inks harder and harder.

Two Cures for UV Inkjet There are two basic curing units used for curing UV inkjet prints: Mercury vapor UV lamps and UV LED curing systems.

Mercury vapor lighting has been around for at least a century. UV inks were originally developed for this type of lighting, which emits a broad spectrum of UV light.

Compared to traditional metal halide and mercury vapor arc type of UV curing systems, LED UV curing systems feature significant advantages: greater service life; require less maintenance, are easier to maintain, provide lower operating costs, and are safer to operate in your shop, as well as being safer for the environment.

LED lamps generate a very narrow band of UV light, compared to the broader light band that mercury lamps produce. On the surface, this may seem a limitation. In fact, the UV-A light from LED lamps is very focused, capable of penetrating heavy ink deposits. The ink is more thoroughly cured and adhesion to the print media is improved.

As UV LED technology has improved and more manufacturers have entered this market space, prices have lowered, making these systems a more economically feasible option for sign makers.

UV-LED systems are not only much safer to operate than solvent or eco-solvent but also much safer than conventional UV print systems in the following ways: • No Ozone. Traditional UV lamps produce ozone, which require ventilation.

LED curing lamps don’t generate significant amounts of ozone, if any, and require no ventilation.

• No Mercury. Mercury vapor lamps contain toxic mercury requiring special handling in disposal. LED curing lamps are mercury free.

• No Harmful Light. Conventional UV curing lamps emit a spectrum of light that is damaging to a person’s eyesight.

LED curing lamps are much safer.

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SHOP

ALL THINGS

SIGNAGE

Head to our Marketplace Section in the back of the book

The SBI Marketplace Section offers product and service solutions for all types of sign shops. Start your search for new signage solutions with Sign Builder Illustrated.

• Wholesale Signage • Distributors • Manufacturers

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SIGN BUILDER

ILLUSTRATED

VINYL GRAPHICS

By JEFF WOOTEN

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Getting vinyl stickerbombed at the world’s largest sticker store!

Sticking to graphics

signshop.com

All Photos: StickerYou.

C

ustomization and personalization are some of the biggest social trends right now. Today it’s all about tailoring the ingredients of one’s personality and interests for the world to see. Cookiecutter clones are out; custom one-offs are in.

So it’s even more exciting when this trend crosses over into the art of both sign making and retail, as evidenced on a recent exterior building graphic.

StickerYou (stickeryoustore.com) is an e-commerce company that produces custom die-cut stickers, labels, decals, iron-ons, temporary tattoos, magnets, patches, and badges in any shape, size, and quantity for marketing, décor, and personal expression purposes. The retailer has been around a little more than ten years, yet in this short period of time, it was recently ranked in the top 200 of the Growth 500, a definitive listing that’s compiled by Canadian Business magazine of Canada’s fastest-growing companies. (Note: Currently StickerYou has amassed a five-year revenue growth of 470 percent.)

After years of online success fulfilling customized orders, StickerYou recently opened a new retail space this past summer called StickerYou: The Store—the world’s largest brick-and-mortar store devoted to stickers—in Toronto, Canada.

“At StickerYou, we make what matters stick, [and] we are excited to give customers the chance to interact with our products and experience the creative potential of stickers for business or personal expression,” said StickerYou Founder and CEO Andrew Witkin in a press release.

Located on Queen Street West, one of the “hippest streets” in Toronto, management knew they needed something bold that would not only stand out but also provide a customized look at the type of products the store offers inside.

The storefront exterior features a unique, three-story-high “sticker bomb” (a form of street art in which an image or message is publicly displayed using stickers) design on the storefront, installed in collaboration with applied sciences giant 3M. The graphic is shaped like a lightning bolt and features a collage of a multitude of sample sticker images.

The sticker bomb is quite a popular, familiar component of the sticker world. “We’ve used the sticker bomb aesthetic in countless initiaOctober 2019

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33

The storefront features a three-story high, lightning-bolt shaped sticker bomb decal.

tives as it’s an inspiring example of the possibilities of the ubiquitous sticker, as well as a nod to the sticker culture of Los Angeles, which is where [Witkin] first got the idea for launching StickerYou,” says Laura Fitch, director of Public Relations and Content Management at StickerYou. “Having a sticker bomb vinyl graphic on [the store] seemed like a natural fit.”

help people or businesses express themselves. “The exterior vinyl graphic is an innovative way to show how just one simple sticker (decal) can transform and enlighten the exterior of a building and retail shop,” explains Choi. “We wanted to inspire people to imagine what they could do for themselves with a simple sticker.”

They also wanted to use this oversized vinyl graphic to underscore three key

was going to be placed on a stucco wall.

3M gave them design and print advice regarding the graphic. “We’ve designed and applied large decals previously but never one at this scale,” says Choi. “This was something new for us.”

The sticker bomb storefront decal measures 17.5 feet wide and 30.5 feet high, yet high resolution wasn’t necessary for pulling off this large-sized project. “We

The oversized building graphic is a testament to the power that stickers have with the public and another example of how customization continues to be a conversation piece in today’s business climate.

StickerYou wanted its store to stand out with a striking, impactful design, which is how they decided on the lightning bolt shape. “From the start, we knew that the sticker bomb motif would be a big part of our brand and feel,” says Vivian Choi, art director at StickerYou. “It combines self-expression and stickers (our primary product) with the roots of sticker culture in the street art movement.”

With this towering sticker bomb graphic, StickerYou wanted to show the public what stickers can do and how they can 34

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October 2019

tenets of their company’s philosophy: any size (“three stories high”); any shape (“a unique lightning bolt motif on an interrupted surface”); and any quantity (“the number of individual stickers in the sticker bomb motif itself”).

Excited by this idea but still “stuck” in the embryonic stages of figuring out how to make it a reality, StickerYou attended ISA International Sign Expo in Las Vegas this past April and met with 3M representatives. They told them their idea for the three-story-tall graphic and how it

did a lot of estimating and educated guessing and worked with local professional sign installers,” says Choi. “While most high-quality print files need to be sized at a minimum of 300-dpi, we’ve learned that oversized prints meant to be viewed at a distance can actually have a lower resolution.We still aim for 150-dpi on most oversized print files that we process for customers, but with this particular decal, we went down to 133-dpi for the actual size.”

The graphics were printed onto 54-inch-wide 3M SV480mC-10 film ussignshop.com

ing an HP Latex 356 printer. “This film allows inks to fully cure. It was stored loosely coiled on a rack with a fan on it for a minimum of twenty-four hours,” says Choi, noting that it was then laminated with 3M 8550M matte overlam.

The storefront exterior features a lot of windows and doors that are jutting into the finished design. To make everything appear seamless, StickerYou, during the design stage, tried to estimate where the cuts were going to take place on the graphic. “Even with all of this, the vinyl graphic still had to be hand cut on the spot as it was being applied,” says Choi.

“It’s similar to creating a painting—decisions on details had to be made during the application, no matter how accurate our renderings and mockups were.”

At the ISA International Sign Expo, 3M also passed along contact information for one of their Toronto contacts, who helped StickerYou through the adhesive and application process. The process used a unique, proprietary adhesive from 3M, as well as a special heat-roll application technique to ensure that the vinyl would stick to textured surfaces (including walls and windows) through varying temperatures and weather elements.

The patented Envision 480 Film allows application in a single pass with a highheat roller used by specialists trained in the technique.

“We did a pull test to test the adherence strength,” says Choi. “The first time, we didn’t use the 3M™ Two-Handled Textured Surface Applicator TSA-4 Large Area Roller, and it didn’t adhere properly,” says Fitch. “Once we figured out a few variables and used the [TSA4], we were good to go.”

In order to adhere this particular vinyl graphic to the building surface, 3M conducted a number of adhesion tests to ensure the right amount of film and heat was applied. The installers used a combination of ladders, cherry pickers, and scissor lifts to place the vinyl up in sections.

One of the major issues with the application of the removable three-story vinyl graphic was the wall texture. In addition to the porous surface of the concrete and brick elements, the paint used was also potentially a problem. “New paints have low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC), signshop.com

which make them dirt-resistant but also more difficult to adhere to,” says Choi.

For the application, they washed the wall with soap and water and painted it with Sherwin-Williams A-100 paint primer.

Planning to installation took about a month. “The longest part was waiting for the right weather for each stage of the application process,” says Choi.

For example, the front exterior wall had to be dry to accept the first coat of paint.

“July in Toronto means unpredictable weather—from humidity to sudden rainstorms,” says Choi. “For a few days, it was too hot to apply the vinyl graphic. Then when it cooled down, it rained, so we had to wait another few days for the wall to dry.

“It was a constant back-and-forth between what the weather wanted and what we wanted. But eventually we got it done, and it looks fantastic!”

And the general public loves it too!

“As soon as it went up, we started getting comments from people who knew it was our store saying how cool they thought it

was,” says Fitch, noting that the store has also been sticker-bombing the city with smaller versions of the vinyl graphic to drum up additional interest and exposure.

“We couldn’t have hoped for a better response. People love how unique it is, how it stands out, how it looks, and how it adds to the vibe of the neighborhood. It’s the perfect match!”

The sticker bomb branding experience doesn’t end with the exterior storefront. The interior also features sticker-bombed walls, a custom experience center where customers can touch and feel stickers (and be inspired by use-cases), kiosks to place personalized orders, and a sticker art museum.

“We’ll also be holding a sticker art exhibition, with works from some prominent artists, in the fall,” says Fitch.

The oversized building graphic is a testament to the power that stickers have with the public and an example of how customization continues to be a conversation driver in today’s business climate.

October 2019

Sign Builder Illustrated

35

VEHICLE WRAPS

By LORI SHRIDHARE

From license plate frames to wrap experts.

VEHICLE GRAPHICS

B

elieve it or not, but when Tony Palmer founded Palmer Signs (palmersigns.com) back in 1990, he began with just the very basic in ornamental design for vehicles:

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October 2019

producing license plate frames. “No, we were not making them in jail,” he laughs.

Since this unique start into the vinyl industry, the Roseville, California-based company has expanded to work in many

more areas. “Originally we [focused on] CAD-cut vinyl and banners,” he says.

“Today we offer many more products and services—vehicle wraps, floor graphics, wall wraps, retail storefronts, tradesignshop.com

All Photos: Palmer Signs.

Trending in

show assets, signs, banners, promotional products, brand and logo design, and print and collateral, as well as screenprinted and embroidered apparel.”

In 2017, they also added marketing to their services. “This includes social media, Web site development, advertising, and marketing strategy,” says Palmer.

As the offerings and services at Palmer Signs continued to expand, so too did their role as industry experts. Through their output and customers, they’ve no-

cars come in wanting even more standout colors, but now we’re seeing a lot more personal car owners taking advantage of this,” says Palmer. “Many people, in general, haven’t been aware that there’s another option to change the color of their vehicles besides paint.

“Collision centers are also happy to send their clients over to us for hood and roof vinyl wrap color changes.”

For Palmer, the design process remains the most important part of the

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ticed a couple of recent wrap trends.

“First, food trucks are a huge market for us,” says Palmer. “In fact, we just finished designing and applying a full wrap for our eighty-ninth food truck, and we have number ninety scheduled to take place in the next week or so,” he says.

“Not only are the food truck owners impressed with them, but they are also great portfolio pieces for us that get seen by a multitude of potential future clients.”

Palmer Signs has also seen an increase in color change-out vinyl wrap requests.

“We’ve always had owners of exotic 38

Sign Builder Illustrated

October 2019

vehicle graphics process.

“Our team will meet with clients to get a true understanding of what they’re trying to accomplish with the wrap,” he says. “Is it just for show? Is it an advertising wrap? Are they trying to convey a specific message?”

During the interview process, they always discover the best way to communicate with clients to show them design ideas and progress—whether through text or email. “We’ve found text is a very fast way to get responses,” says Palmer.

The shop then begins working on the logo and design layout. “We typically cre-

ate our own templates for the simple reason of accuracy,” explains Palmer.

Palmer Signs does not provide the initial vehicle graphics proof in color to their clients. They make sure that their clients understand that it is for layout only.

“Once the layout is complete, we have clients come and sit with the designer to further fine tune the design,” says Palmer.

“It’s at this point where we provide them with a color proof to review. As soon as we get their approval, we’re ready to go!

“We like to do things this way because we feel that it allows clients to be a part of the process.”

Palmer says that budgets are very easy for them to work with their customers on. “We always establish what they’re willing to spend from the beginning,” he says. “Most of the time, when you show clients how much coverage they’ll receive with their given budget, they’ll end up spending more.”

For shops trying to win vehicle graphics jobs, Palmer stresses the importance of taking your time and bidding the job correctly. “If you bid the job too low, you’ll rush to get the job out,” he says, “and when you rush, you’ll end up making mistakes.”

Palmer says to take the time to get to understand and know your client’s needs and communicate with them. “This is one of the most important things you can do to separate yourself from everyone else,” he says. “A simple text letting your client know you’re working on their project goes a long way. I like to send them a quick picture of their project as I’m working on it.

Doing this keeps them excited.”

As our society is saturated with advertising, it’s important that vehicle graphics attract viewers; the trick on the wrap specialist’s end is to make sure that the finished design is bold but not too bold.

“We like to keep it simple and bright,” says Palmer. “We also look at the colors being used in the area where the vehicle will be located.

“For example, with food trucks, we first verify that no one else around is using the same color palette. This is one way to make sure your customer will get noticed with their wrap.”

The company’s go-to material of choice for wraps is 3M 1080 or IJ180 v3, and they’ve used them in many projects. signshop.com

Big & Bold LED Display Found at Treasure Island When Treasure Island Casino in Las Vegas decided a renovation would include a brand-new sports bar, The Golden Circle, the casino knew it couldn’t be subtle if it wanted to stand out.

NanoLumens—award-winning creators of LED visualization solutions in any size, shape, or curvature—was contracted to design and deliver an ultra-wide 24-by-5-foot, 1.8mm pixel pitch LED video wall that’s the centerpiece of the new bar.

According to Shane Snell of National Technology Associates (NTA), the firm that installed the bar’s technology infrastructure, the NanoLumens fine pitch LED display was the best choice for a number of reasons, including its assurance of long-term operation with an unrivaled six-year warranty. “Since casinos are generally open 24/7, it’s also crucial that maintenance can be performed quickly without interrupting daily operations and guest experiences, which NanoLumens nails with its patented front-accessible design,” said Snell.

Along with more than 20 HDTVs located throughout the bar, the NanoLumens display is used to show sporting events, races, and live TV. The ultra-wide display was divided into three 16:9 sections that can each display a single image or a two-by-two layout, so that up to 12 broadcast streams can be shown at one time.

“It was important to use one of NanoLumens’ finest pitches, 1.8mm, to deliver HD quality across each windowed section,” said Snell. “It was the perfect size to enable each window to display 720p content. The displays’

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excellent off-angle viewing was a big need as well, since we wanted it to be visible from as many seats as possible.”

The Golden Circle’s grabs attention.

“It’s also bright and sharp enough to be

seen from the adjacent casino floor, creating a draw that brings more customers into the bar,” said NanoLumens Regional Sales Manager Kara Green. (http://bit.ly/2lXnb2M)

October 2019

Sign Builder Illustrated

39

The challenges on the Fuel Curve funny car wrap were keeping all the flames flowing, matching the custom color, and adding metal flake to the design.

Speaking of projects, let’s conclude by having Palmer walk us through a couple of his shop’s recent one—how they met their client’s goal, any innovative approaches or methods they applied to the design, and any challenges or lessons they learned.

Fuel Curve (above). “The challenge was being able to keep all the flames flowing, as well as matching the custom color and adding the metal flake to the design,” says Palmer. “We printed and

used Avery DOL 640 sparkle laminate to give it that extra ‘wow.’

“We learned, after adding the sparkle laminate, the color lightened up when viewed in the bright sun. So it’s very important to print a large sample and show the client what that laminate will look like in the sun, as well as in the shade!”

Raptor Blaster (page 36). “Even though a Ford Transit has a fairly flat surface,” says Palmer, “it’s still imperative the de-

A sparkle laminate added an extra “wow” factor to this wrap.

signer remained aware that the finished design was going on a vehicle and not a flat substrate. Planning for door seams, handles, and other tricky features was essential. For areas like the reptile skin feature, leaving the installer with extra material with that graphical element made their job much easier.

“We were able to get the look of the reptile skin perfect by using Photoshop layering techniques.”

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October 2019

1/17/19 10:15 AM

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Avery Dennison Crowns 10 Regional Wrap Like a King Winners Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions announced the ten regional winners from its annual Wrap Like A King Challenge.

Installers from fifty-three countries submitted wraps using options from the Avery Dennison Supreme Wrapping™ Film portfolio.

Eight judges evaluated each project by visual transformation, quality of workmanship and skill level of installation, overall public appeal, and uniqueness of the design.

The installers and shops crowned the Regional Wrap Kings, include: • North America East: “Nebula Graffiti GR,” designed by CORSA Auto Design, wrapped by Empire Vinyl Co.

• North America South: “Creature from the Wrap Lagoon,” completed by the MetroWrapz team.

• North America Central: “Deathstroke McLaren 650s,” designed by Eric Gosselin of ECD, completed by PG Nola.

• North America Midwest: “P57,” completed by IVS Wraps.

• North America West: The “Willys – Chrome Punisher,” completed by Incognito Wraps (pictured).

(Note: For the full list of winners, visit http://bit.ly/2kJLl0v.)

“We’re amazed with the level of creativity that was put into each of the projects submitted this year,” said Abby Monnot, senior global segment

manager, Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions North America.

Each Regional Wrap King will be awarded nearly $2,000 worth of personalized marketing materials, Avery Dennison products, and passes to the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Avery Dennison will reveal the four continental winners on October 1, and the global King of the Wrap World on November 5 at SEMA.

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October 2019

Sign Builder Illustrated

41

SOFTWARE Feature Name

By Bray ByAshley Author

IT Implementation ith ninety years under its belt, Chicagoland display graphics firm Cushing is no stranger to change.

The company has dealt with changes from its inception, when it opened as a blueprint shop in 1929 one month before the stock market crash.

As reprographics evolved over the following years, Cushing invested in color and graphic imaging, digital presses, and finishing equipment.

With projects becoming increasingly complex and technology constantly diversifying, Cushing sought to find a workflow software solution that would optimize production and project fulfillment. “We really needed something to create some standards within our organization, some workflows, some quoting standards, and also a way of making the easy jobs easier,” says David Parkes, director of Information Technology for Cushing.

By automating the simpler tasks that

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October 2019

require a minimal amount of attention, the company would be freed up to focus on the more complicated jobs that require closer attention. “A system like this really enables us to automate a lot of those processes so that we can do the easy stuff easily,” says Parkes.

As Cushing began searching for a workflow software, communication and an engaging onboarding/training process were two of the biggest system requirements.

A workflow software that could specifically serve the printing industry was also important. “Obviously it had to be specific to printing because there’s just a lot that an information system needs to know about the printing world to really accommodate those workflows well,” says Parkes.

The system also needed the ability to adapt and grow with Cushing over the coming years. “The challenge was to find a product that was adaptable enough to a lot of different printing environments,” says Parkes. “It has to also be adaptable

enough [and] component-based enough to allow for a lot of different kinds of scenarios. We still don’t always know what we’re going to be when we grow up. Five years from now, who knows what kind of work we’ll be doing. But we still want to be using this software, and we still want to be able to adapt it around whatever that next technology is going to be.”

After reviewing a number of software systems, Cushing ultimately chose printIQ as their management workflow solution. “[This software] offers robust tools that streamline the complexities and variables of customer work orders—from proofing and written installation details to third-party purchase orders,” said Joseph X. Cushing, executive vice president at Cushing. “The platform includes functionality our production team is familiar with, and printIQ has an outstanding track record for APIs and technology.”

Parkes also lauds printIQ’s ability to connect the dots of the different varisignshop.com

Photo: Shutterstock/ Natali_ Mis.

W

A print shop gets serious about workflow.

WE’RE HERE TO ANSWER THE CALL! Sign Builder Illustrated is the “how-to magazine” of the sign industry. Each issue includes SBI’s signature “how-to” columns and features with detailed, stepby-step instructions covering a wide range of signage.

SBI’s website (signshop.com), newsletters, Buyer’s Guide, and digital edition keep you updated with timely news, recent projects, and upcoming industry events.

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October 2019

Cushing’s implementation team was made up of six people: (L-R) David Parkes, Demetrius Calhoun, Erik Reczek, Matthew Hausler, Julia Kaufman, and Jorge Galváncs.

effort on everyone’s part. Change is always difficult. You have to be motivated to want to go through that change for it to really be successful.”

In anticipation of implementation, the company put its inventory into databases, pulled together equipment lists,

and reconsidered the verbiage it used to identify services. “It forced us to standardize a lot of things and put them all together,” says Cushing.

Most importantly, the company put together a team of six people who worked on implementing the system over the course of four months (see photo, above). “The key thing was building a team that really encompassed all the aspects of our business—having people from sales, production, management, project management, accounting, customer service, and IT,” says Parkes. “We had all of those people together in a room as often as possible so that everybody’s learning from everyone else. And as decisions need to be made and new strategies develop, you’ve got everybody working together and looking at the same screen at the same time and collaboratively making those decisions.

“If anybody’s thinking when they’re wanting to implement something like this that it can just be one guy off in a corner somewhere, they’re probably going to have a rough time of it.”

Proper employee training was also a big part of the success of the workflow software. “It’s a very different way of thinking about things, so the training was a big part of the implementation,” says Cushing.

Even with months of preparation and training, when printIQ launched this past July, Cushing knew to expect some growing pains. “One of the goals was creating standards and ways of making it easy to quote products that sometimes signshop.com

Photos: Cushing.

ables that go into a job order. “The system has the intelligence to know where did this quote come from, who is it associated with, what are all the components that make up that quote, how does this relate to inventory, customer information, sales information, etc.,” he says.

Once an order becomes a job, printIQ knows how it relates to various departments and roles involved in fulfillment, and the system is adaptable to changes that may occur over the course of fulfillment. “It’s all got to hinge together,” says Parkes. “If that hasn’t really been thought out carefully in the beginning, you’re going to end up doing a lot of customization somewhere down the road to make it work with your own environment, and that gets costly.”

Once the software was chosen, Cushing started talking about it to employees to let them know it was coming. “You’ve got to have buy-in from everybody,” says Parkes. “Everybody’s got to recognize why this is important because obviously it’s going to be a lot of extra time and

involve a lot of different components and a lot of different pieces. So what we did as part of this implementation is we created these templates,” explains Parkes.

“We had to write all of those ourselves, and because there are so many possible combinations of materials and operations and devices and so forth, we’re still wrapping our arms around all the possibilities of those templates and configuring them in a way that they account for, eventually, every single thing that we do.

“We’re still very much configuring this system around our unique products, and we’ll probably continue to play with those for weeks to come.”

Aside from standardization and more efficient workflows, Cushing expects a number of benefits to come from implementing printIQ. “A key value out of this program was really being able to identify our costs,” says Parkes. “A program like this really demands that you go in and say what are your ink, paper, and machine costs; what kind of contracts do you have with your vendors; click counts, etc.

“This is going to be an opportunity for us, in a way that we’ve never had before, to look at what our jobs are costing us so that we can identify are we charging appropriately, and where can we better manage our costs versus our charges?”

Another future benefit Cushing hopes to add is a customer-facing storefront where customers can use templates to create and order their own jobs, which will then come into printIQ ready to be fulfilled. “Those opportunities down the road are going to be hugely beneficial for us just to make it easier for people to do business with us,” says Parkes.

Cushing has some advice for other shops considering workflow software. “Do your homework. Look at multiple systems.

Talk to your customers,” says Parkes. “At the end of the day, the software is not going to do everything you want it to, and at the same time, you don’t want to have to completely re-architect your business to make it work with a piece of software.

“You know you’re going to meet somewhere in the middle. Ultimately the decision is—is that middle place something you can live with? Take the time to understand how the program works and to really reevaluate your business.” signshop.com

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45

ADA

By JEFF WOOTEN

ADA ON DISPLAY A Signarama shop gets in touch with ADA know-how.

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October 2019

in running a small business,” says Susan, “so we decided to meld our experiences together and look for a business we could both play unique roles in and get a certain amount of job satisfaction doing what we do best.”

Signarama of Deerfield Beach is fullservice, working on signs of all types (which can be attributed to their seventeen employees coming from varied backgrounds and skills and the varied industries that represent their clientele). “Our company philosophy is that, rather than focus on a particular niche, we’re very customer-centric,” says Susan. “We focus on the customer and then dive deep into a variety of needs that they have. As a result, we end up having the opportunity to manufacture all sorts of signage.”

Although they don’t have an official “niche,” they have made a mark in the

field of ADA signage, and their story can prove a handy guide on what to expect and how to succeed when bringing this type of work in-house.

All Photos: Signarama of Deerfield Beach, Florida.

T

wo decades ago, Susan Bogen and her husband found themselves at a career crossroads, with their twenty-year-old New York City-based sweater manufacturing business having shifted away overseas thanks to NAFTA regulations. They had no idea what they were going to do next.

Flash forward to today. The couple owns and operates a very successful Signarama franchise in Deerfield Beach, Florida, taking on and solving signage needs of all kind.

Back in 2002, the Bogens knew their new career choice would need to feature a strong combination of art, marketing, and technology. After doing stringent research, they believed the Signarama opportunity perfectly reflected this. “I had a background in sales and marketing, and my husband had a strong background

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They do a lot of work with manufacturers and retailers, however, some of their largest clients come out of the property development area, which played a role in their ADA sign offerings.

Bogen’s Signarama started offering ADA-compliant signage sporadically about seven years ago. At the time, her shop didn’t have the fabrication capabilities to do so, but they knew not to say “no” to a customer. They opted to outsource to ADA wholesalers that were part of the Signarama vendor network. “But as our relationships with a local property manager began to deepen, we found more opportunities to provide ADA product,” she says.

Technologies and techniques changed enough over the past several years that Susan and her Signarama found ADA work more manageable for them, so they started aggressively marketing their services. This also meant it was time to bring production in-house to help turnaround times and increase profitability.

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Their godsend to do this has been a direct color printer system, a device that prints directly to the substrate. They purchased this machine two years ago. “We use a laser engraver to cut the materials for the ADA signage, while the direct color printer handles all the Braille and raised lettering,” explains Susan.

The machine has the ability to print full color. Because of this, Susan’s shop has been able to achieve colorful designs that liven up the signage beyond the ADA-compliant requirements. Although the main purpose of ADA signage is to help people with sight disabilities, you can still get creative with it. “It’s really an endless, limitless scenario as long as you’re complying in regards to contrast [a minimum 70 percent contrast ratio], the size of the text, and the positioning of the signs in the building,” she says.

This brings up another reason why Susan is very attracted to ADA signage: Each job is custom. “It’s very rare that we make the same ADA sign twice,” she says.

“We can customize them with branded logos or personalize them.”

The vast majority of ADA work they do is with acrylic, but they’ll also use Rowmark materials or Wilson Art metals (depending on the customer’s budget).

“We also sometimes use Dibond® as the sub-panel and then add acrylic as a second layer. There’s also green glass and frosted glass. The important thing is that it has to be non-glare.”

Susan mentions that they also sometimes use decorative hardware for ADAcompliant signs. “We’ll use spanner screws or stand-offs to attach one layer of sign to the other,” she says.

There is a learning curve involved with ADA signage. It’s a time-consuming process, and there are things Susan is still learning about it. She cites the Signarama family—and the ability to share information or ask questions with 800-900 different business owners—as being a big help. “There is a huge resource and reservoir of incredible expe-

signshop.com

rience out there that we can tap into any time we have a challenge, or a question, or are trying to be creative and problemsolving,” she says. “I’m hoping to learn more so that our company can continue to grow its knowledge base and expertise and get better and better over time.”

It’s important for Susan’s shop to be knowledgeable about ADA because she finds that many of her customers don’t know anything about the topic and, honestly, don’t want to know. “They just want to know that you have the capability as a sign company to create an ADAcompliant sign and install it properly in their building,” she says. “For the most part, they’re relying on your expertise.”

Their questions mainly relate to what happens to them if the signs aren’t ADAcompliant. Will they go to jail? What are the penalties? How are the rules enforced?

“We like for our company to share our expertise as far as what we understand the rules to be and then the end-user can decide if, when, and how they want to fol-

signshop.com

low those rules,” says Susan, adding that enforcement officials will send a notice to correct anything they find out of compliance and that fines usually come into place when there’s a refusal to correct.

For in-shop ADA challenges, Susan cites clients that request tenant name changes or damage repairs. “They tend to move in and out of a building and no longer have a relationship with or do not know who originally manufactured the sign,” she says. “Clients can get frustrated because each one of these signs is often unique, and it’s often very, very difficult to match them precisely and you don’t have the specifications of what was originally made.”

However make no mistake—Susan’s Signarama enjoys all ADA challenges. “In the beginning, it took us longer to make certain signs. But because we’re constantly learning and producing, we get better and things move more quickly,” she says, noting that orders can average up to 250 or 300 for a location, and on top of this,

there might be a client who needs them for forty different locations.

They typically use high-bond doublestick tape for installations. The important factor for ADA-compliant signage is that they have to be installed uniformly. They must be mounted on the latch side of the door and they must be forty-eight inches minimum and sixty inches maximum measured from the finished floor to the bottom line of text.

This Signarama uses an installation ruler template tool to aid them. “The width of it is exactly the width that represents where the sign is supposed to be from the doorframe,” explains Susan. “It stands on a pole and when you sit it on the ground and lean it against the door frame, there’s a marking that shows you precisely where the sign needs to be placed. It has a level so you can see immediately that you’re positioning it in a level way.

“This eliminates the need to mark and measure each and every spot, which makes installs go more quickly.”

October 2019

Sign Builder Illustrated

49

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51

Shop Talk

By DAVID HICKEY, ISA VP GOV’T. AFFAIRS

Blunt Facts for Sign Makers Should you consider marijuana dispensaries?

A

t a recent ISA Affiliated Association event, the meeting turned to the opportunity of providing signs for the rapidly expanding marijuana retail business.

According to CNN, two years ago, there were almost 10,000 businesses licensed to sell marijuana or hemp products, while the Marijuana Business Factbook anticipates total retail marijuana sales in the U.S. to near $30 billion by 2023—a threefold increase from 2018.

It’s important to understand, however, that this opportunity for more sign business means “cautiously” entering the “wild west,” an area where laws may not have caught up with the sweeping trend yet.

According to the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), “federal banking regulations have not caught up to the vast majority of states that now permit some form of legal cannabis

commerce.” Since federal banking laws prohibit lending to cannabis and marijuana businesses, how can a sign company ensure it will get paid?

Federal law still prohibits the sale of marijuana. In 2018, then Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded an Obama-era policy that de-prioritized enforcement of federal marijuana laws in states with wellregulated cannabis programs, according to the NCIA. This created even more confusion about whether cannabis retailers could run afoul of federal law.

NCIA reports that tax discrepancies exist too. Dispensaries and other cannabis businesses can’t deduct normal business operating expenses from their gross income. Signs might be not be counted as a business expense.

However marijuana and cannabis retail is booming—and those dispensaries need signs. Some might dismiss this line of business outright; others see opportunity,

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though navigating the myriad sign codes related to the topic can be tricky.

In surveying sign codes throughout the country, it seems that many communities want to lump cannabis retailers into the same categories as adult-oriented businesses, such as preventing advertising within a certain distance of a school.

Though every state allows for the use of on-premise signs to advertise and market cannabis dispensaries—as they should any legal business—the patchwork of laws is quite interesting.

In the District of Columbia, window signs aren’t allowed, while Massachusetts singles out neon lighting for prohibition.

In Colorado, outdoor signs (billboards) are banned, though the law specifically details that it “does not apply to any fixed sign located on the same zone lot as a Retail Marijuana Establishment and that exists solely for the purpose of identifying the location.” This is a roundabout way of allowing on-premise signs, so long as they “otherwise comply with any applicable local ordinances.” This is why dispensaries in Colorado often have attractive and unique signs branding their location.

(Note: See signshop.com for more details about other states.)

I imagine that some of these distinctions will be found to be based on content and perhaps will face legal challenges.

But it may take a while to get there.

Dispensaries are opening at a fast clip, and they all need signage.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sign Builder Illustrated, PO Box 1407, Cedar Rapids, IA. 52406-1407.

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.

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