issue-129-february-2013

Feb/Mar 2013 - No.129

Illuminating ideas Shining a light on X-Edge

IN THIS ISSUE

PASPORT TO PROFIT ADD A LITTLE, GAIN A LOT! WORTHWHILE INVESTMENTS SIGNING 'THE STREET' www.signdirections.co.uk

www.graphicdisplaycommunity.com

www.bsga.co.uk

Feb/March 2013

signdirections

What’s in this issue…

p10

p24

p26

p48

Projects - Applications in Action

Cover Story - Illuminating ideas

Routing & Engraving – Super surface finishes

Special Feature – Passport to profit

news 4

Setting the Scene - What’s in this issue of Sign Directions

6

News Briefing - Our regular news round-up

10

Projects - The latest application stories

14

Supplier News - News from around the industry

20

Equipment & Materials - Some of the newest product releases

features 24 Cover Story Illuminating ideas - Shining a light on X-Edge

Sign Directions Hotline: If you would like to contact any of the companies featured in this issue of Sign Directions, please contact us on Tel: 01623 882398 for full company information, or alternatively, e-mail signdirections@btconnect.com for a response by return.

Coming Next: The next issue of Sign Directions will be the April issue, which will feature a comprehensive preview of Sign & Digital UK 2013

Digital Directions

30 Digital News - The latest digital updates 32 My Way - Worthwhile investments 38 Special Feature Passport to Profit - Add a little, gain a lot!

information 22 Tips & Tricks - Fujifilm’s Euromedia Q & A Column 22 Sign & Digital UK 2013 - Next year’s show starts here!

26 Cutting, Routing & Engraving - Equipment and installations 34 Software - The new releases 43 Classified - The industry’s marketplace 44 Directory - The Who’s Who of the sign industry 46 Last Word - Mark Godden explains why special effects add value

Publisher/Managing Editor Val Hirst Tel: 01623 882398 e-mail: signdirections@btconnect.com Deputy Editor Mike Connolly Tel: 01737 842410 e-mail: themc@btinternet.com Associate Editor Michael Lyons Tel: 01277 650037 e-mail: mike.lyons@mac.com Contributing Editor Mark Godden Tel: 07717 885325 e-mail: mark.godden@me.com Art Editor Hina Mistry Tel: 07773 319465 e-mail: hinamistry@sky.com

Cover Photography Courtesy of Master Products Head Office & Data Base Management Trinity Creative Ltd. Unit 1B Melrose Nurseries Longland Lane, Farnsfield, Newark Nottingham NG22 8HD Tel: 01623 882398 e-mail: signdirections@btconnect.com Annual Subscription Rates: UK £50 $78 €78 Europe £93 $143 €145 Rest of the World: £114 $178 €178 Agents can claim a l0% discount

Contributors Zinnia Cordell Alicia Fairlie

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publishers. Editorial photographs supplied courtesy of the companies they feature. The publishers accept no responsibility for any statement made in signed contributions or those reproduced from any other source, nor for claims made in any advertisement. Sign Directions is available to individuals who qualify within the terms of a controlled circulation

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 3

Feb/March 2013 Introduction

setting the

scene

Is it just me, or is everything falling down around our ears? In just the last few weeks, the full disgraceful story of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust has been revealed (although naturally enough, no one has been called to account for the staggering levels of incompetence that directly or indirectly caused the deaths of more than 1,200 patients), both the Pope and the UK’s most senior Roman Catholic, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, have resigned, the later in dubious circumstances, the Lib Dems are caught up in a sex scandal and disgraced MP is Chris Huhne is awaiting a custodial sentence.

And things don’t look like getting much better next month either, when the start of the new financial year will herald a fresh round of benefit cuts, together with even higher fuel bills, and the most expensive petrol prices ever. Meanwhile, as Town Halls up and down the country decide which services will face the chop, credit rating agency Moodys has stripped the UK of its triple ‘A’ status, thus making a total nonsense of the coalition’s dogged determination to pursue its austerity strategy right to the bitter end.

At the time of writing, the Italians have just demonstrated their utter disdain for austerity by voting for comedian Beppe Grillo whose anti-euro and antiausterity Five Star Movement has already picked up 27 percent of the votes and could end up being the single largest group in the Italian parliament. It is claimed that Grillo has gained a lot of support from young people, who disenchanted by the chronic lack of opportunity and endless corruption scandals, have been persuaded, via the use of cleverly targeted social media, to make their dissent known in the most effective way they can - at the ballot box.

Worrying news indeed for UK politicians of all parties, who are doubtless aware that the next election will see the emergence of a fresh crop of 18 yearolds, all of whom will have to face the sobering fact that economically speaking, things may well remain as bleak as they are now until 2020 or even later. So in 2015 (or hopefully sooner!) will we see a Grilloesque figure emerge from the shadows and use Facebook, Twitter, Google et al to mobilise this growing army of young malcontents who, through no fault of their own, will Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 4

signdirections have to carry the can for our earlier profligacy?

And if so, who will it be? James Corden? Jack Dee? Mark Thomas? Because, quite frankly, if we had any one of these at the helm, they couldn’t make a worse fist of it than Cameron and Co and who knows, unencumbered with a set of outmoded ideas and values, plus a rabid desire to hang on to the privileges that come with a thoroughly upper middleclass upbringing, they might well do a much better job all round. At the very least, parliamentary exchanges would become a whole lot more entertaining.

Personally, I’m rooting for Jo Brand, because she’s female, funny, politically aware and has inside experience of the workings of the NHS, but if you had to select a new leader from the world of entertainment and music who would you chose? E-mail your nominations, detailing the reasons why, to signdirections@btconnect.com and I’ll send a bottle of champagne to the person who comes up with the most deliciously bizarre suggestion, which I’ll also reveal here!

And if all is doom and gloom in the wider world, things aren’t all that peachy nearer to home either. Recently, the sign that had graced a north-west London branch of William Hill, the bookmaker, suffered a catastrophic failure and a passer by was killed outright as a result. Although full details regarding the incident have yet to emerge, it will hopefully prompt both signmakers and their customers to review the whole question of sign installation and maintenance and to resolve, in the first place, to ensure that a sign is properly fit for purpose, while also taking the positive steps needed to keep it that way.

And if this terrible tragedy means sign buyers finally acknowledge that many signmakers can offer a fuller repertoire of skills than say, a company that simply provides printed graphics, and accords them the level of respect and monetary reward that this accomplishment deserves, then at least some small amount of good will have come out of it.

And talking of a fuller repertoire of skills, some of these are displayed in our Special Effects feature on pages 36-45, where you can discover how everyday signmaking techniques and products can be effectively harnessed to add extra value. And if these excite and inspire you, turn immediately to this month’s Last Word, where Mark Godden offers some useful suggestions on how, with a little extra thought and effort, all signmakers can use special effects to enhance their profitability. This month’s cover story illustrates how Master Product’s X-Edge takes the pain out of working on glass and elsewhere, you’ll find all of our regular news pages.

Next month’s issue will mark the start of the exhibition season with a comprehensive preview of Sign & Digital UK 2013, which takes place on 30th April-2nd May at the NEC and hopefully, by then, we’ll also be enjoying blue skies and sunshine too! Yeah, right!

Anyway, if you’ll forgive me, I have to go now as I have more important things to do – like posting an online petition on the No. 10 website for Jo Brand to be made Prime Minister – I’m game if she is!

Val Hirst – Editor Email: signdirections@btconnect.com Twitter: @Valthemaghag Web: www.signdirections.co.uk and www.graphicdisplaycommunity.com Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 5

news briefing

Fastsigns salutes success Year Award, team member Rebecca Holliday was also presented with the award for the National Employee of the Year.

Vinyls specialist Metamark won the award for the Supplier of the Year with Applelec Sign Components and Spandex taking second and third places respectively.

The Fastsigns' Leeds team receiving its awards

At its recent annual national conference, Fastsigns hosted an awards ceremony to recognise the success and hard work of its franchise partners.

The judges included Garth Allison, Fastsigns’ UK Managing Director, who commented: “We are incredibly proud of the achievements of all our franchise partners and it is good to have the opportunity to recognise all of their efforts.

“We all know it is an incredibly tough trading environment at the moment, but our organisation keeps going from strength to strength, as a result of all the hard work of every member of the team across the country.”

Awards were handed out in seven different categories, with Fastsigns Leeds, which is owned and run by Chris and Andy Simpson, picking up awards in three separate categories. As well as scooping the Sales Achievement Award and the Franchise Partners of the

Jenny Boreham, owner of Fastsigns Chelmsford, received the Project of the Year Award in respect of the graphics and signs produced for the complex used by the American Olympic team at the University of East London The Marketing Award went to Gill Brown, owner of Fastsigns Derby for her consistent and varied approach to marketing during the year and Sales Improvement Awards went to Mark Phelps, at Fastsigns Kingston and Richard Wedgewood, at Fastsigns Manchester South.

For further information visit: www.fastsigns.co.uk

The big chill and treat avoidable blindness.

Expedition members and equipment sailed from the Thames to South Africa last month, and are now en route to Crown Bay in Antarctica.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes with a Hampshire Flag banner

An array of flags and banners have been donated by Hampshire Flag to ‘The Coldest Journey’ - the first ever attempt to cross the Antarctic continent during the polar winter whilst also raising money for charity.

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Led by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, ‘The Coldest Journey’ which will take place between the two seasonal equinoxes, 21st March-21st September, is attempting to raise US $10 million for ‘Seeing is Believing’, a charitable initiative that raises money to prevent

Morgan Signs commits to training

Two staff members at Morgan Signs recently completed the CITB Site Management Safety Training Scheme (SMSTS), a course that is designed for site managers, agents and others who are responsible for the planning, organising and controlling of staff on construction sites.

The course covers all relevant legislation and other aspects that affect safe working in the building, construction and civil engineering industries, highlighting the need for risk assessment in the workplace, the implementation of the necessary control measures and adequate communication to sustain a health and safety culture among the workforce.

Hampshire Flag donated five Commonwealth flags, one printed Union flag and six custom flags featuring ‘The Coldest Journey’ logo. It also produced eight lengths of PVC bunting and four lengths of knitted polyester featuring the ‘Seeing is Believing’ logo, a PVC banner and a mammoth 15-metre banner with ‘The Coldest Journey’ logo printed twice.

Banner frames and flagpoles complete the package of donated products.

Simon Morgan, CEO Of Morgan Signs commented: “We would like to congratulate Chris and Joe for successfully completing this course, an achievement that reinforces our goal of zero accidents and our commitment to Health and Safety in the workplace. We intend to continue investing in our staff’s personal and professional development, which will also provide direct benefits to our clients in the construction sector.”

For further information visit: www.hampshireflag.co.uk

For further information visit: www.morgan-signs.com

news Appointments The DISQ Group, which comprises four individual businesses, Eurostand Display, Promotor Industries International, Eve and Alfa Display, has appointed Philippe Jeffery as its Chairman.

Phillipe, who takes up this role in addition to his existing responsibilities as the Managing Director of Promotor Industries International, will help to steer the future direction of the DISQ Group in order to ensure its continued success.

joined Esko as Vice President Digital Finishing, replacing Nicolai Gradman who has left the company to pursue other opportunities.

company’s participation at exhibitions and provide all of the relevant marketing collateral.

James first joined Stanford Marsh five years ago as a Graphic Media Specialist, before forming and managing the company’s Telemarketing Department, a responsibility that he will retain in tandem with his new position.

Business Unit at German packaging specialist OYSTAR Holding, Christian Korte was also Managing Director, Consumer Division, of German packaging group OPTIMA. In his new role he will oversee sales, marketing and service activities worldwide, with a focus on existing customers and on extending Esko’s reach into new market segments and into adjacent markets.

In addition, Marian Zincke has

As part of its strategy to increase its coverage of the digital market, Signmaster Systems has appointed Sarah Fenna to the newly created role of Sales and Operations Director.

Sarah, who previously worked for Robert Horne Group, and has a long history in the materials and consumables markets, as well as extensive technical knowledge of wide format digital printing technologies, will be responsible for developing new markets and strengthening the company’s position as a leading supplier of signmaking and display solutions throughout the UK and further afield.

Stanford Marsh Group has appointed James McCourt as Content Manager, a role in which he will be responsible for both keeping the company’s websites updated and managing Twitter, plus other social media accounts. He will also organise and support the

Marian Zincke brings extensive marketing and operations knowledge to his new position, having previously held a number of roles within other Danaher companies over the last eight years.

I-Sub Digital, the reseller of wide format digital printing solutions and finishing equipment, has appointed Mark Hollinsworth to drive sales of consumables.

An experienced sales professional, who previously spent 12 years with vinyl manufacturer Metamark, Mark has also worked for a number of other resellers in the wide format space.

In his new role, he will be responsible for selling to all the existing and potential I-Sub Digital customers.

Esko has recently announced two new appointments, the first being that of Christian Korte to the newly created position of Senior Vice President Sales.

Formerly President of the Dairy

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 7

news

news briefing

European Sign Expo, which will be taking place alongside FESPA 2013 at London’s ExCel exhibition centre on 25th-27th June, has acquired Screenmedia Expo 2013, which will be fully integrated into the June event.

Thus, Screenmedia Expo 2013 will no longer take place as a standalone show at Earls Court in May 2013.

A new, dedicated event for both signmakers and the buyers/specifiers of signage, European Sign Expo will offer an environment in which both categories of visitor can explore all of the latest signing innovations. In addition, visitors to the show will also be able to access the adjoining FESPA 2013 exhibition free of charge.

Icon and McKenzie Clark unite The event branding company Icon and the retail display specialist, McKenzie Clark have further cemented their relationship following a highly successful joint partnership delivering the UK’s amazing summer of sport.

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Screenmedia Expo, which will field a wide selection of exhibitors, including screenmedia practitioners and providers, digital outdoor providers, ATM and kiosk manufacturers, and mobile and social media developers, is expected to attract decision makers from global business and brands, leading agencies and blue chip technology companies, all of whom will also benefit from their free access to FESPA 2013, where they will be able to see the latest developments in both digital and screen printing technologies.

The established Screenmedia Expo team will remain responsible for sales and exhibitor liaison for Screenmedia Expo exhibitors, reporting to the board of European Sign Expo, which is a joint venture between FESPA and the European Sign Federation.

For further information visit: www.europeansignexpo.com and www.fespa.com

The two organisations, both part of CSM, Chime Communications PLC’s sport and entertainment division, are set to become the UK's largest branding implementation agency and whilst maintaining their commitment to core clients within the UK, they also plan to capitalise on Chime's growing global network and Icon’s existing international centres in order to maximise opportunities in growing overseas markets too.

In future, the two companies plan

DIARY DATES FOR 2013

European Sign Expo acquires showtime Screenmedia Expo

International Sign Expo 2013 4th-6th April Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas Organiser: ISA Tel: ++703 778-8129 E-mail: Kelly.maguire@signs.org www.signexo.org Sign & Digital UK 2013 30th April-2nd May NEC, Birmingham Organiser: Faversham House Group Tel: 01342 332103 E-mail: alancaddick@fav-house.com www.signuk.com North Print & Pack 2013 14th-16th May Harrogate, Yorkshire Organiser: Informa Exhibitions Tel: +44 (0)20 7017 7000 Fax: +44 (0)20 7017 7818 www.printandpack.co.uk.

FESPA 2013 25th-29th June ExCel Exhibition Centre, London Organiser: FESPA Tel +44 (0)1737 240788 Fax +44 (0)1737 233734 E-mail info@fespa.com www.fespa.com Viscom Paris 2013 24th-26th September Paris Nord Villepinte – Hall 8 Organiser: Reed Exhibitions Tel: +33 1 47 56 67 52 E-mail: viscom@reedexpo.fr www.viscomshows.com

If you would like your event to feature on this page, please send full information via e-mail to Val Hirst at signdirections@btconnect.com

to operate from a single site, which will house an upgraded production facility, studio and office functions, within the south- east section of the M25 area, but in the meantime, the focus will be on retaining staff from both organisations.

Commenting on this latest development, Icon MD John Francis said; "We’ve effectively been a partnership since the beginning of 2011, but the physical bringing together of the two companies will really pay

dividends for our customers and staff, as they will provide us with a wider skill set, enhanced technology and an even greater range of experience.”

Graham Clark, MD of McKenzie Clark, added: “The synergy between the two businesses is huge and there are exciting and immense opportunities ahead.”

For further information visit: www.icon-world.com

new projects

National Football Museum | Dudley College | Buy Paris’ Duty Free | DoubleTree by Hilton

new

projects

transparent display that appears to float in mid-air.

The streamlined appearance of the display is the result of extensive research and innovative design. The curve is formed from a series of short, straight lengths, which have been precision-engineered to achieve a seamless fit. Close liaison between Messagemaker and its AV partners enabled the realisation of the original designs to be delivered at an affordable cost.

A stunning aerial display from Messagemaker provides a dramatic backdrop and key focal point at the National Football Museum, which recently relocated in central Manchester.

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Stretching over 30 metres in length, the curved display demonstrates the flexibility offered by the latest display technologies.

Developed for D J Willrich Ltd (DJW) the bespoke design comprises a lightweight Ushaped mesh structure that is custom-curved and suspended from thin wire to provide a semi-

Data content is easy to create and update using a PC driven interface, with DVI capture capabilities.

For further information visit www.messagemaker.co.uk.

Following the recent development of its new vocational training centre, ‘Evolve’, and its Sixth Form ‘A’ level centre, Dudley College called upon the services of Stourbridge-based design and branding company Happy Giraffe and Signlex, the Yorkshire-based signmaker. The happy result is a series of stunning colour-coded wayfinding signs, vinyl wall hangings, digitally printed glazing enhancements and stretched fabric artwork, all of which do much to enhance the architectural

features of the building and to provide a bright, vibrant and stimulating environment in which the students feel inspired to learn.

For further information visit: www.signlex.com, www.happygiraffe.co.uk

A glamorous bar and restaurant at one of Lincolnshire’s top hotels now has its name in lights thanks to Allen Signs.

BrightSign, is collaborating with TMM Communication to provide digital signage for the ‘Buy Paris’ Duty Free shops in Charles de Gaulle International Airport.

Accordingly, the flagship store at Charles de Gaulle airport is now equipped with seven doublehorizontal, ceiling-mounted screens, plus a wall of screens

spanning nine square metres.

art conferencing facilities, included the design and provision of stainless steel letters that were cut out and painted to match the external window framework.

A second store, located in the new departure lounge of Terminal 2E at Charles de Gaulle, was exclusively equipped with high-impact formats, including a pair of display walls covering 14 square metres apiece, and a column comprising 36 synchronised screens.

The Electric Bar & Restaurant, which is located on the top floor of the DoubleTree by Hilton on Lincoln’s waterfront, now has its own an illuminated sign on the front of the five-storey building, as does the hotel’s ground-floor Brayford Café & Bar.

Internal LED illumination was included to provide a halo effect for the signs, with the Electric Bar & Restaurant sign sporting a contemporary blue halo, while an eye-catching orange light surrounds the Brayford Café & Bar sign.

For further information visit: www.brightsign.biz.

Work at the hotel, which offers 115 bedrooms and state-of-the-

For further information visit: www.allen-signs.co.uk

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new projects

Flutterbyes | London Boroughs of Newham | Tower Hamlets

W&Co has been selected as its supplier of choice by Flutterbyes, the home accessory and gift specialist that is continuing to expand its retail outlets in the South East.

Having earlier successfully completed a major re-branding project in the London Borough of Newham, Kent-based Sign 2000 has now completed a second project involving a range of architectural urban directional and landmark sign components for the Lansbury Estate in the Poplar area of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 12

shabby chic product range.

Accordingly, W&Co manufactured an LED illuminated sign tray with a fret cut Flutterbyes logo and various sized butterflies that were inlaid with opal acrylic and faced with backlit coloured vinyl.

At the Flutterbyes store in Bluewater Shopping Centre, W&Co’s task was to replace the old flat cut Foamex lettering with an attractive and inviting illuminated entrance sign, which is more in keeping with both the Flutterbyes brand and its stylish

The store was further enhanced with a set of built-up halo illuminated letters, which were installed vertically on the angled wall beside the entrance, in order

The ethos behind the Lansbury Estate, one of the largest public housing estates in London, was the bringing together of neighbourhoods and the provision of all the facilities required by a modern community. Traditional materials were used for the project, including London stock bricks and Welsh slate to serve as a counter to the modern architecture.

The multi-faceted re-branding programme undertaken by Sign 2000 for the London Borough of Newham was part of a major investment in new buildings. A key element of the project was the main boundary statement markers, which were designed and manufactured with a twin curved post configuration retaining three metre-wide oval sign cases that were partially LED-illuminated. The

to attract the attention of passers-by.

W&Co has recently created a similar shop front signage for Flutterbyes’ brand new store at Lakeside Shopping Centre, where it has also provided digitally printed wall graphics within the store to further complement the overall scheme.

For further information visit: www.w-co.co.uk

programme of works also covered re-branding of the borough’s leisure and community centres, the Town Hall and a host of associated interior and exterior signs, including additional information and directional signs and boundary markers at main road and exit points.

For further information visit: www.sign2000.co.uk

Sign Directions September 2012 | 13

news

news briefing Supplier News

A new stop for signs Commercial and industrial engraving specialist, Brunel Engraving Company, has been appointed as an approved converter of Spandex Sign Brunel with Systems, Engraving’s Managing Director, Martyn Wright, and Phil McMullin, UK Business Manager of Spandex UK, shaking hands on the deal at the end of last year.

The deal will enable Brunel Engraving, which has for many years supplied Spandex Engraved Slatz office signs to its retail customers, to also supply Spandex products,

Stock up with Essentials Spandex is launching a new entitled guide product ‘Essentials’, which presents a carefully selected range of materials from ImagePefect, Avery, 3M and Mactac and is designed to support the daily requirements of a signmaker’s business.

including engraved, printed and blank office signs, direct to the trade too.

For further information visit: www.brunelengraving.co.uk

Four wins in a row

All of the products presented in Essentials are linked to ‘Worksmart’ a low-cost, Management Information System, developed by Clarity Software, which enables users to

For the fourth time in succession, Metamark has won the Fastsigns’ Supplier of the Year Award, 2012, which was presented during Fastsigns’ recent national conference.

The trophy, which was presented to Metamark’s National Sales Manager, Karen Marshall, and Territory Manager, Andy Clay, by Fastsigns’ Managing Director, Garth Allison, now takes pride of place, along with its three predecessors, in the boardroom at Lancaster Metamark’s headquarters.

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“I’m speaking for everyone at Metamark when I say we’re beyond delighted to have been recognised once again as Fastsigns’ Supplier of the Year,” commented Karen Marshall.

“Fastsigns’ businesses vote for Metamark everyday by buying our products and we’re most appreciative of that, but the award puts a special and enduring seal on what we value as a great relationship.”

For further information visit: www.metmark.co.uk

Sign makers and graphic to invited are producers download the guide online at www.spandex.co.uk/essentials

Follow Metamark on Twitter Sign and digital print companies who are used to keeping up with Metamark’s news and promotions in the trade press can now also follow the company on Twitter too.

Twitter’s economical character count doesn’t allow the telling of much of a story, but, according to Metamark, it will point the way to more in depth news, promotions, offers and industry gossip.

l to r: Metamark’s Karen Marshall, Fastsigns’ Garth Allison and Metamark’s Andy Clay

quickly develop an accurate quotation tracking system to help build a more successful and profitable business.

However, customers who prefer the more personal touch for which Metamark is rightly noted, need have no fear; the company assures them that it isn’t planning to replace its customer

service team with internet ordering and nor will it stop putting ink on paper either!

For further information visit: www.metamark.co.uk. To follow Twitter: on Metamark @metamarkuk.

APS goes gold MACtac has recently awarded All Print Supplies (APS) its coveted Gold Distributor status following a strategic review of MACtac’s UK distributor base.

As part of the evaluation, distributors were comprehensively reviewed to determine their knowledge, strengths, capabilities and ability to serve the different segments of the self-adhesive graphics market and to measure their drive and commitment to the MACtac brand.

receive new products introduced by MACtac in the UK and will also be provided with samples and literature for new products at the time of launch, thus offering APS’s customers the opportunity gain a critical competitive edge.

Gold Distributor status means that APS will be one of the first companies to

For further information visit: www.allprint.co.uk

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news

news briefing Supplier News

Antalis Now Stocking Orafol Range Antalis is now stocking the Orafol range of plotter vinyls, digital vinyl and laminates, along with sheets and reels for screen and UV offset printing.

The range of Oracal plotter vinyls, which are suitable for use in both indoor and outdoor applications, vehicle wraps, glass decoration and illuminated installations, are available

in a wide selection of colours.

For customers requiring digital vinyls and laminates, Antalis now also stocks the full range of Orajet vinyls, including soft PVC, special PVC, polymeric and cast material, together with complementary Oraguard laminates.

For further information visit: www.antalis.co.uk

Web Watch

Better browsing

Several companies have marked the start of 2013 with the introduction of a new or enhanced websites.

Wrap it right literally With of hundreds and colours digital films now available for use vehicle in wrapping, William Smith has launched a dedicated vehicle wrap website to help wrappers choose the most appropriate materials and tools for a specific project.

The new website features a handy product selector that guides visitors to the most suitable coloured and digital products for specific vehicle types and the area to be wrapped.

Comprehensive information is also provided on each product to help users determine its suitability for particular applications, such as deep recesses or interior detailing.

A useful knowledge base section also provides hints and tips, video

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In order to make the online purchasing experience easier and more enjoyable for its customers, leading web-to-print specialist Pixartprinting has redesigned its e-commerce website in order to offer a greater level of functionality, clarity and speed.

To ensure maximum accessibility, the classic drop-down menu on the homepage now remains open while customers are browsing, while the large and legible advertising banners will alert them to new product launches and special offers.

table enables customers to calculate the best combination of quantities, prices and delivery times, so that they can select the option that best suits their precise requirements.

For further information visit: www.pixartprinting.co.uk

In addition, the new grid budgeting references, FAQs and an image gallery. In addition, product and plus bulletins, application brochures, covering everything from digital printing and lamination considerations, through cleaning and application techniques, to finishing and aftercare advice, can also be downloaded.

Vehicle wrap films from the 3M, Arlon and iSee2 ranges are available from William Smith ex-stock, with next day delivery on orders received before 6pm from Monday to Friday.

For further information visit: www.vehiclewrapfilms.co.uk

New year, new look!

Doro Tape has launched a greatly enhanced website, which offers a host of easy to use features, such as quick and editable cart reviews, more integrated store displays and advanced search filters.

Visitors can also find out about the wide variety of products Doro offers, including sign and display vinyl and its ever-expanding range of digital media, together with technical advice, product specifications,

application videos and download profiles. Furthermore, the site it is now also optimised for use on both smartphones and tablets for any place, any time, viewing.

For further information visit: www.dorotape.co.uk

news briefing Equipment & Material

Plot it on canvas Plot-IT, the online sales division of the Stanford Marsh Group, is now shipping its eponymously named range of high quality, cost-effective, inkjet canvases that are designed to meet the needs of the wide format printing market.

Six grades are currently available and all are suitable for use with aqueous printing applications.

They include Performance Polyester, a 260g/m2 260gsm poly-weave matte inkjet canvas with a textured finish that is available in a variety of widths, Premium Polyester, a 280g/m2 premium grade, poly-weave matte inkjet canvas, Performance Polyester, a 260g/m2 glossy inkjet canvas, Artist Grade, a 280g/m2 matte, 100 percent cotton canvas and Premium Grade, which is a 380g/m2 matte 100 percent cotton inkjet canvas that is

Expanding the backlit options To further complement its Backlit Films range for use with latex printing technology, Sihl Direct UK has launched three new options, DuraCURE Backlit 170, DuraCURE Backlit 130 and LightCURE Backlit 145 DS. All three materials are ideal for use with UV printers, as well as solid ink and offset systems and LightCURE can additionally be printed on laser printers.

An environmentally friendly option, DuraCURE, which combines a high proportion of paper with the minimum amount of film required to achieve the necessary level of stiffness and tear resistance, also offers a multifunctional lay flat surface that makes it ideal for use

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 18

with various printing techniques, while the rough paper structure provides a decorative character that distinguishes it from other backlit media.

LightCURE Backlit film, a doublesided matt-coated polyester film for use in light boxes, features a special coating process that enables it to be printed on both sides. This in turn produces the best results for both refracted and reflective light applications.

DuraCURE and LightCURE films are available now from Sihl Direct UK and its authorised resellers.

For further information visit: www.sihl-direct.co.uk

stretch and crack resistant and which can be used to produce high quality fine art reproductions.

which is suitable for use for both framed or non-framed art and portrait work.

Finally, Premium 330g/m2 is a 100 percent cotton, glossy inkjet canvas,

For further information visit: www.plot-it.co.uk

news Cold weather friends Using moisture curing adhesives and some types of acrylic adhesive tapes in cold weather can present signmakers with a few unexpected problems unless they select the most appropriate product for the job.

Many single-part flexible adhesives cure by interacting with the surface moisture on the substrate and with atmospheric moisture, typically over a 24-hour period at room temperature.

However, when the temperature cools, this cure time increases and when the temperature drops to just

+5 degrees C, the curing stops mechanism altogether. This, of course, is not an ideal situation for or production any installation team, as delays in manufacturing cost money and can damage a company’s reputation too.

In order to meet this Eurobond challenge, Adhesives offers a range of adhesive products that are specifically designed for use in cold weather for signmaking jobs that require ‘flexible’ adhesive

bond lines. They are quick and simple to use both inside or on-site, as they don’t rely on warmth and good humidity levels to work.

Eurobond QuickFix is a performance, high strong, flexible two-part adhesive designed to bond most metals, plastics, composites, glass, wood and many different other materials. QuickFix will cure to a ‘handling strength’ in just 30

minutes and will fully cure in four hours and is thus ideal for use where the bond design does not facilitate of penetration normal the atmospheric moisture.

Eurobond’s 3 series’ of high performance adhesive tapes can also temperatures in used be approaching freezing and on some low surface energy materials. It offers good conformability and initial tack, together with high bond strength and durability For further information visit: www.eurobond-adhesives.co.uk

Fruity colours for sharp effects A cocktail of rich fruity colours, including Acid Green, Apple Green, Banana Yellow and Strawberry Red, has been added to William Smith’s ISee2 Total Wrap range of films.

as full vehicle wraps and is designed to conform easily around compound curves, rivets, corrugations and recesses. It can also be used for general graphic and striping applications.

ISee2 Total Wrap car wrapping film is a hybrid and modified PVC film, which comes in a total of 37 gloss, matte and carbon effect colours and specialist effects.

Full and part rolls are available exstock from William Smith and same day despatch is offered on all orders received before 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.

Easy to apply and offering a five year durability, it is suitable for use

For further information visit: www.williamsmith.co.uk

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 19

news briefing Equipment & Material

news

Bigger impact, bigger profits variable out of the banner media equation, while also introducing and features premium performance to a market segment that’s often driven purely on price.

The newly formulated materials are part of Metamark’s MD-Class digital materials portfolio and thus offer broad-spectrum compatibility when used in conjunction with solvent, eco-solvent, UV and latex ink technology.

Metamark’s newly improved MD-FL Series of printable banner materials takes the quality

A clean bright white that remains uniform both within the roll and across batches, MD-FL also offers a

clean ink-receptive surface manufacturing no with process-related aberrations to impact the quality and consistency of printed output.

A variety of weights are available to suit a wide range of indoor and outdoor applications and structural integrity is class-leading, with high quality scrims forming the support within the material’s plastic composition.

So confident is Metamark that anyone who uses the reformulated version of MD-FL will immediately appreciate the many benefits it has

to offer, that it will send a sample roll to anyone wishing to test its efficacy for themselves, totally free of charge.

To claim a sample roll, simply e-mail your request to Metamark direct at sales@metamark.co.uk mentioning Sign Directions, and Metamark will send the sample the same day.

For further information visit: www.metamark.co.uk

A new choice for glass Tweaking the tools

Sihl Direct UK has launched ClearSOL, a transparent polyester film that has been specifically window for developed advertising applications and which can be used in conjunction with both solvent and latex inks.

The ClearSOL WetCling Film 125 glossy features a special coating, which is simply activated by the use of soapy water, thus making it extremely simple to apply and remove from a variety of smooth

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 20

surfaces, such as glass, aluminium or Dibond.

Excess fluid can be squeezed out, using a normal window scraper and the glue coating also helps to protect the printed image from mechanical wear and tear.

It is available now from Sihl Direct UK and authorised resellers.

For further information visit: www.sihl-direct.co.uk

The right tools can make all the an between difference acceptable sign or graphic and a perfect one, which is why William Smith has extended its and tools of portfolio accessories.

Designed to aid and improve the use of self-adhesive film during preparation, application, product the removal, and life, comprehensive range includes application and cleaning fluids, wrap vehicle squeegees, accessories, such as gripper magnets, air release tools and snittys, plus a range of

knives and blades.

William Smith has also introduced kits of products and tools for both general and specific uses, which provides an economical way of purchasing all the basic items required. Bundles include cleaning fluids, an essential signmakers’ tool kit, a window application kit and a vehicle wrapping kit.

William Smith’s new Tools & is brochure Accessories available on request. Simply email info@williamsmith.co.uk; at online download or www.williamsmith.co.uk.

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 21

information

Tips and Tricks Q A We’ve always used the same media to create roll-up displays for our customers, but with more and more companies requiring rollups to be used for a limited time period only, I’m not entirely convinced our usual long-term, robust media is the most costeffective option. Any advice?

Tregorran Signs, Redruth As with all media requirements, you need to choose the right media for the job in hand. Where once media suppliers took a one-size-fits-all approach, there is now more choice than ever before, regardless of whether you need to produce a budget display to be used for a short-term promotion, or a high quality permanent solution.

For a short-term, budget roll-up display, you can still achieve quality without breaking the bank. The best of the low cost roll-up films are thinner than the more expensive options, but still have the all-

In the latest in a series of advice columns, Nigel Briggs, Sales and Product manager for Fujifilm’s Euromedia range of media, explains how the different media options can be used to ensure the right roll-up system for the job.

important roll-flat properties and the necessary backing to prevent print show-through. For temporary, almost disposable roll-up displays, a standard roll-up film is more than good enough.

For a longer-term display, you need to choose a more robust roll-up film.

There are obviously varying degrees of quality out there, but the top quality films are scratch-resistant, stretch-free and extremely stable.

The best roll-up films (such as Euromedia’s RollUp Film Premium), have a satin-matt coating on the front side, guaranteeing photorealistic print and colour reproduction, without the annoying reflections that can often blight rollup displays, particularly in poorly-lit exhibition halls. Also, silver coatings on the back of these films ensure 100% opacity, providing a highquality look and feel to the display.

If you still can't decide, then RollUp Film Advanced fits between both on quality and price. By choosing the

right media for the job, you can produce effective, quality roll-up displays at an attractive price point for the customer. Happy printing!

For further information on the Euromedia range of products, visit: www.euromedia.eu.com

The show starts here!

The 2013 Sign & Digital UK exhibition will see the introduction of an all-new feature, made up of three different elements, which will focus on both developing business markets within in the UK and on helping sign and print companies to become more profitable.

The feature will include a New Business Tour that will guide visitors around the show, stopping at designated stands, each of which will provide ideas and suggestions for

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 22

new business opportunities, for both sign and print start-ups and more established companies. In addition, visitors will also be able to pick up useful tips and hints that will help them to run their businesses more effectively, efficiently and profitably.

The New Business Theatre will host a number of thought provoking sessions that will cover some of the many added-value niche and peripheral areas that can be targeted by sign and print providers in order to realise extra revenue streams. Session times will be announced, in advance, on the Sign and Digital UK website, thus enabling visitors to plan their

visit most effectively.

Finally, the New Business Cafe will provide a starting point for visitors to pick up all of the information they need relating to both the Tour and Theatre and later, once they have had the opportunity to assimilate all of the free advice and information on offer, the Café will also provide them with the perfect place to relax and swap industry news and gossip with friends and colleagues over a coffee!

Commenting on the new feature, Alan Caddick, Senior Marketing Manager for Sign & Digital UK explained: “ This will provide visitors

with the opportunity to thoroughly quiz various industry specialists with a view to using the advice they receive to make more money. What’s more, we believe that they will be pleasantly surprised to learn how they can achieve this for, in many cases, a surprisingly small extra investment in time, effort and/or kit.”

Sign & Digital UK 2013 will take place on 30th April-2nd May, in Halls 3 and 3A, at the NEC Birmingham For further information and to register attendance at the show visit:www.signanddigitaluk.com

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 23

cover story

If special effects in signing and architectural decoration and lighting are designed to register an impact, then Master Products’ X-Edge succeeds brilliantly. Mark Godden reports Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 24

For those unfamiliar with edge-lit signing and architectural lighting and decoration, X-Edge registers nothing short of amazement, but for those who know edge-lit technology well, the effect is invariably even more spectacular.

And that’s because instead of comprising traditional machined acrylic, X-Edge panels are hand crafted from sheets of toughened glass.

The company’s craftsmen use exotic abrasives, propelled with great speed and energy, through numerous specialist hand-applied stencils, to sculpt, erode and carve the glass to produce everything from purely superficial effects, which add subtle textures or gradation, to deep and impressively three-dimensional contours.

With such a decorative palette at its disposal, the subject matter the medium encompasses is practically without limits. The result though, is always something unique that adds its own nuances and character to the finished design as, unlike acrylic, glass is supremely transparent, which greatly enhances its power of expression. With no inclusions to react with the light source, an X-Edge panel only displays the subject matter it is designed to display. Transparent or undecorated areas remain transparent and undecorated; there is no ‘haze’ to reduce the startling contrasts inherent in the panel, and surface scratches, which would be brightly illuminated, are notably absent.

Modern, energy efficient LEDs are used to provide a very discrete or hidden source of illumination, so when the light comes on, jaws drop.

The carved contours, details and textures, gradation and tones simply spring into life, contrasting markedly

with the non-illuminated material surrounding them, to produce an effect that is as spectacular as it is unique.

The LED light sources used are compact, but punch well above their weight in terms of the illumination they output. Their meagre size means that the light source can be conveniently located practically anywhere around the periphery of the X-Edge panel, without negatively impacting the overall aesthetic.

On a practical note, there is also more application space for X-Edge as a product, thus enabling it to fit into places other decoration and illumination sources can’t, while also playing a more functional role too.

X-Edge panels can be illuminated with either white or coloured LEDs, the latter of which can be controlled to automatically produce an everchanging display of different lighting effects if so desired. The LEDs are supremely energy efficient, since they consume relatively little power and last for many thousands of hours. The X-Edge panel too, being glass, has an infinite lifespan, provided it is properly cared for. Panels are also available with a proprietary treatment, which helps them resist fingerprints and makes them easier to clean.

Practically any design that can be imagined can be realised in the XEdge medium, thus making it highly suitable for use in a wide variety of different sign and display applications that use lettering and logos.

However, X-Edge saves its biggest special effects for applications where it is used as a foil for dimensional carvings, which look impressive even when they are unlit, but really come to life when the lights come on. The

apparent depth of X-Edge detail belies the constraints of the panel’s thickness and as a result, actually succeeds in looking even more dimensional. Shadows and tones work with the carved detail to add convincing depth to subject matter and thus, the viewer is oblivious to the fact that the detail is actually rendered within the mass of a pane of glass.

X-Edge panels are typically made from toughened glass and the detail is limited to a depth that doesn’t materially compromise the toughening process and although it has a primary purpose in decorative applications, where there is a either a safety dimension to consider or a more functional application to fulfill, Master Product can advise on appropriate solutions that achieve the desired results.

Since every X-Edge panel is hand made, as are many of the stencil components used during fabrication, slight and very subtle panel-to-panel variations are inevitably a result, but production multiples are certainly possible. And despite its hand crafted credentials, the price of an X-Edge installation favourably compares with other types of illuminated signing structures, often costing less than similarly impactful architectural enhancements thus making it equally qualified to assume the role of a statement piece in a larger installation, or to serve as the main event itself. It’s attractive, practical and surprisingly affordable. One thing it can claim that no other medium can is its truly unique character and the quality that halos everything that keeps it company.

To discover more and explore the various design and execution options available, contact Master Products on Tel: 0845 838 2325 or visit: www.masterproducts.co.uk

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 25

special feature – cutting, routing and engraving

LSG moves onwards and upwards The equipment a sign and graphics company invests in is often a clear indication as to the direction in which the business is headed and, in the case of Links Signs and Graphics (LSG), that direction is clearly onwards and upwards…

Since its formation in 2007, the Blackpool-based company has invested steadily in people, training and production hardware, and keen to maintain the momentum, Managing Director Shaun Bennett, recently decided that the time was right for LSG to further invest in new kit in order to help it to explore the opportunities offered by new markets, whilst also exercising more control over its quality and supply chains.

Accordingly, it recently acquired a Zund L2500 flatbed cutting, profiling and finishing system that brings a high level

of accuracy and increased productivity to what would otherwise be an extremely costly manual process.

In addition to its cutting ability, the Zund can also precision crease the printed stock used for POS applications, thus bringing digital origination to markets that were once characterised by high volume requirements and even higher tooling costs, while also enabling LSG to supply its customers with economically priced output, in volumes ranging from a single unit upwards.

with exquisitely finished edges and complete unit-to-unit consistency.

LSG’s Zund was installed complete with the full battery of tools that enable it to also be used for routing purposes; hence plastic profiling is now amongst the menu of services that the company can offer. In addition, the Zund can also be used in conjunction with virtually any routable material, producing items

Commenting on the installation Shaun Bennett said: “This acquisition represents a considerable investment for us, but one that I feel is well timed.

We have built a reputation for quality and the Zund will help us to maintain that, but even more exciting is the fact that it will help us to considerably

expand our repertoire. It is currently profitably occupied with the work we have on hand, but it’s such a productive system that we are really looking forward to discovering the full extent of its capabilities.”

For further information visit: www.linkssignsandgraphics.co.uk and www.zund.co.uk

More help from AXYZ One of the UK’s leading suppliers of high-performance routing, cutting and engraving solutions, AXYZ International has expanded its CNCRoutershop division.

Now, following wider sourcing of additional products from leading quality suppliers in the UK and Europe, the division’s stock of CNC routing tools, consumables and accessories, all of which are available on next-day delivery, can meet the requirements not only of AXYZ machine owners, but also those companies that use other machines, regardless of their make or source of supply. In addition, the division is now advertising online a range of used routing systems too.

In fact, so great is the selection of

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 26

tooling, consumables and machine upgrade options on offer, that many companies will find that they will be able to avoid the expense of investing in new equipment as and when their requirements change or expand.

Supporting the expanded division is a raft of service support facilities.

These include 24-hour online ordering and technical advice, wall charts to assist tooling specification and to determine the correct cutting speeds for specific materials and, as required, printed catalogues. The AXYZ International team of specialist engineers lends further support by providing tailored solutions to keep machines running continuously and to avoid potentially damaging and costly breakdowns. Standard or bespoke training courses that are

conducted either at the customer’s own facility or at the AXYZ International Training Centre complete the CNCRoutershop

division offering.

For further information visit: www.cncroutershop.com

New markets for Flexpress By focusing on the needs of its customers and constantly striving to open up new markets, Flexpress has doubled its turnover during the last two years, with a little help from its Océ Arizona 360GT flatbed UV printer and a Die-less Flatbed cutting/creasing system from AG/CAD.

Explaining the reason for his choice Steve said: " As well as offering the best value for money in terms of price, the DYSS build quality is exceptional and it is capable of doing everything we need and more. It is extremely flexible and the dust extraction unit is very neat, with the tubing all contained within the machine, leading to quieter operation.”

Steve Wenlock, Flexpress’s Managing Director and the founder of the Leicester-based business said: “Since we were first established in 1989, we’ve grown to the extent that we now employ 22 people and accordingly, around two years ago, we decided it was time to encompass several new market sectors with the aim of becoming a one-stop print shop, hence the need for investment in new kit.”

Flexpress set a modest target of £100,000 worth of business for the 12month period following the acquisition of their two new machines, but in fact, that figure was exceeded in less than six months!

He continued: “Since we were already an Océ customer, as well as an Océ Quality Centre, we selected an Océ Arizona 360GT UV flatbed machine as the printer that would best suit our needs.”

However following the machine’s installation last June, Steve quickly realised that in order to fully capitalise on its efficacy, the company would need to make a further investment in a CNC cutting table.

He explained: “I realised that a digital cutter would enable us to explore new avenues, such as the production of display units, kiss cut stickers, calendars, show and swatch cards and much more besides, so I knew we had to have one!”

Thus, following a few weeks of careful research a DYSS X7 CNC digital cutter was duly ordered from AG/CAD and installed last July.

“The DYSS CNC cutting table is running for up to five hours a day,” reported Steve, “with almost every print job on the Océ Arizona subsequently being transferred to it.” He added that as well as helping to propel Flexpress into a niche market place where it is able to provide a complete service offering to its customers, the use of the machine’s allied KASEMAKE display and boxmaking software has already helped it to attract new business opportunities.

Since acquiring its own version of the dynamic duo, Flexpress has won four new customers, each of which has a minimum annual spend of £50,000.

Steve observed: “All four customers work with large high street retailers that are specifically looking for point-of-sale print products that include card assemblies, signage, panels, window stickers and packages. In addition, we now also have companies coming to us for prototype work, plus trade companies who don’t have their own in-house cutting facility.”

Happily, from a productivity standpoint, the DYSS machine has come up trumps.

Steve Wenlock Demonstrates Complex Shapes Cut with DYSS

Complex Shapes Cut With Kasemake Software.

OCE Printer Alongside DYSS Cutting Table

For example, roller banners that would previously have taken 15 minutes to cut by hand are now processed in less than a minute - a major saving, considering the company receives multiple orders each week for batches ranging from anything from two to 20-off banners. In the same way, it used to take a full day to cut 100 posters from a roll printed on the Océ printer, a task that now takes a mere two hours! And before the installation of DYSS, Flexpress was actually turning away more complex work that required curved creasing and cutting. Whereas previously, it used to take up to 15 minutes to Javelin cut a Foamex board, it now takes less than a minute!

With three cutting heads, the DYSS has the flexibility to cut anything from stickers and cardboard through to Foamex, Dibond, MDF and aluminium with extremely fast changeover times between jobs. It is also very accurate.

“Every job is 100 percent correct with

impeccable edge finishes, confided Steve. “When we cut by hand, the shop floor staff would have to gauge accuracy by eye and the 'cutting mark' would often be lost, resulting in the adjacent job being compromised, but thanks to its built-in K-CUT Vision System, which guarantees precision and speedy processing, regardless of the complexity of the job, the DYSS has all but eliminated this problem.”

Reflecting upon his decision to purchase the machine, Steve concluded: "The DYSS X7 has already opened new markets for us and, as our expertise with the KASEMAKE structural design software grows, we’ll also be able to provide myriad freestanding displays, boxes and furniture, which will help to extend both our capabilities and profit margins even further – I couldn’t have asked anything more from it!”

For further information www.axyz.co.uk

visit:

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 27

special feature – cutting, routing and engraving

Sign up to super surface finishes When Bolton Sign won a contract to manufacture the signage for the uber- fashionable Superdry clothing brand, it had to acquire new cutting tools in order to ensure its surface finishes were up to the high standard demanded by highly visible point-ofsale and shop window display units.

ITC Cutter machining acrylic at Bolton Sign

As one of the UK's leading signmakers, Bolton Sign always invests in the latest technology, a policy that has resulted in the recent acquisition of an AXYZ router, but for the Superdry project, it also purchased specialist cutting tools from Industrial Tooling Corporation (ITC) of Tamworth.

Parts Being Machined on AXYZ Router at Bolton Sign

Managing Director of Bolton Sign, Andrew Knowles, explained: "Historically, we have been cutting materials with a 3 to 5mm thickness and you don't generally notice any imperfections.

However, with the Superdry job, the lettering is manufactured from 15mm thick acrylic in various colours and when we machined this using our previous cutting tools, we found that the surface finishes were poor and the letter edges had imperfections that required considerable sanding prior to flame polishing – a very time consuming task!

Furthermore, it was difficult to sand in between some letters, due to the complexity of their profile.”

He continued: “We invited ITC’s Technical Sales Engineer, Sally Hunt to review the situation and she discovered that our previous cutting tools were re-cutting the waste material and that this was chipping the surface of the acrylic and thus creating the imperfections.

Furthermore, the tools were also wearing out relatively quickly and losing the edge sharpness that helps to minimise burrs on the edges of the acrylic.

In order to solve these problems, Sally suggested Bolton Sign use ITC's Clearcut range of cutting tools which have achieved such exceptional results that the time spent hand finishing each Superdry acrylic sign has been reduced from 90 minutes to a mere 20 minutes per sign! This is due to the fact that they

Router at Bolton Signs Machining Acrylic Sign for Superdry

Superdry signage being produced at Bolton Sign

Polished Edges on Superdry Signage

efficiently remove the swarf from the channels to prevent re-cutting of the chips, thanks to the high helix angle on the single flute cutting tools and the highly polished finish on the cutting flutes, which rapidly remove chips from the machining area. Additionally, with the Clearcut series being produced from high quality micro-grain solid carbide, the tool life has also been considerably extended.

Andrew Knowles acknowledged: "The ITC Clearcut range is delivering huge time savings on post-machine hand finishing, not only for the Superdry work, but also for a lot of our other projects too.

"Not only do the tools last a lot longer, ITC also offers a regrinding service, which makes them even more efficient and cost effective. It has helped us in other ways too; for example, when, like us, you have a factory full of experienced machinists, bad habits can easily develop, but Sally has altered speeds, feeds and machining methods to help eradicate them and improve our productivity. All in all, we are absolutely delighted with both the tools and the overall package that ITC has provided."

For further information www.itc-ltd.co.uk

visit:

Superdry Logo in Shop Window

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 28

Sign Directions Dec/Jan 2012 | 29

digital news

Fujifilm invests

GPT develops superfast printer Graphic Printing Technologies (GPT) is now offering the GPT 190s, a 1.9m wide printer, which is based on an existing Mimaki machine and incorporates double printheads.

Fujifilm has opened a brand new digital ink manufacturing facility at its award-winning manufacturing plant in Broadstairs, Kent, which together with an upgrade to its impressive R&D department, highlights the company’s long term commitment to the wide format digital sector.

The new ink facility, which has a footprint of 1800m2, and is built to

accommodate a projected annual increase of 56 percent in the production of UV ink at the site, has been two years in planning and development and is the result of an investment of over €4 million, with a further €2.5 million being invested in the upgrading of the R&D department.

For further information visit: www.fujifilm.co.uk/gs

The time is now!

According to Hybrid Services, Mimaki’s exclusive UK and Ireland distributor, there’s never been a better time to invest in a JV33 printer or a CJV30 printer/cutter, the machines that form the mainstay of Mimaki’s printer portfolio.

Both machines sport latest generation printheads, an industry leading print quality and multiple choices when it comes to inks, including eco solvent and low odour outdoor durable solvent, as well as dye sublimation for transfer printing and even white and metallic options.

The Mimaki JV33 has a reputation for delivering high quality prints onto a very broad range of materials at speeds that enable most print

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 30

companies to deliver high volumes of work, while the CJV30, which uses the same high quality print engine as the JV33, while also combining the cutting functionality found on Mimaki’s CG-FXII range of plotters, comes in four sizes, with prices starting as low as £5,995. A robust but compact machine, it is unrivalled in its ease of use and feature set, as it facilitates printing, cutting and even die cutting, in a single unit and offers true unattended operation.

The Mimaki CJV30-100 also benefits from a new RRP of just £7,995 and additionally, offers are available on the 1.3m and 1.6m options too.

For further information visit: www.hybridservices.co.uk

In high-speed mode, which can be used to print good quality banners, it achieves print speeds of 35m.sq/hr, while also offering a standard speed of 24m.sq/hr and a top quality speed of 15m.sq/hr, which respectively deliver good quality and high quality printing on to vinyl.

The printer, which has been created by adapting an existing Mimaki textile printer, includes a two-year parts and labour warranty, Mimaki inks and a Mimaki RIP. It also has an optional trough for use with unbacked mesh materials and an optional Mimaki

bulk ink system for more economical ink usage.

Stuart Cole, General Manager of GPT, commented: “The GPT 190S provides all the benefits of the Mimaki JV33 160 printer, while also offering speeds more akin to the Mimaki JV34 and thus represents incredible value for money.“ It is available exclusively from GPT. For further information visit: www.g-p-t.co.uk

Fujifilm expands its Acuity range Fujifilm has introduced four new models to its recently launched Acuity Advance Select range, a series of next-generation UV flatbed printers that deliver improved quality, productivity and versatility, thus enabling them to be used for a wider range of applications.

Sign and print companies can now select from four, six or eight independent ink channels in two different flatbed sizes, with an upgrade path to allow for both application and

The winner was…

I-Sub Digital has announced that Sean Fortune, Technical Director of ADS2 Brands was the lucky winner of the prize draw the company held following its two-day Open House event last autumn.

Emma Plant, I-Sub Digital’s Sales Manager, duly presented Sean with a set of high-end Bowers & Wilkins headphones worth over £250.00.

For further information visit: www.i-sub.co.uk

Stanford Marsh Group has been awarded HP's prestigious ‘Market Share Contribution 2012’ Award, in recognition of the fact that during

business expansion.

operation, all on one printer.

The four colour Acuity Advance Select HD4004 includes CMYK channels only, for applications where clear or white ink printing is not required. The six-colour HD4006 model includes six independent ink channels with the first four configured for standard CMYK printing.

Channels five and six can be configured to deliver clear and white ink to facilitate printing onto a range of non-white substrates and the addition of a spot or flood coat 'varnish' effect in a single

Alternatively, they can be used to deliver a double dose of white ink, thus improving the density of white in a single pass, a capability that is particularly useful when outputting print for use in demanding backlit applications.

2012, it shipped more HP Designjet printers than any other UK vendor.

In addition, the company has also recently been appointed as a wide format print 'Accredited Partner' by Canon (UK), currently the highest echelon within Canon's reseller channel programme and a status that recognises Stanford Marsh's specialism within the wide-format market.

These two channels can be used in whichever configuration best suits the application, with the ability to change from Clear + White to White + White, and vice versa, on demand.

onto an almost limitless range of products, while also offering six-colour printing, plus a white and clear varnish capability alongside a newly developed white ink circulation system.

All Acuity Advance Select models also feature an optional roll media kit for printing onto any number of flexible materials, which enables the operator to prepare rigid material on the flatbed while the roll media option is printing.

For further information www.fujifilm.co.uk

visit:

Greater accuracy with Pixartprinting

For further information visit: www.hybridservices.co.uk

For further information visit: www.smgg.co.uk Mimaki has won an Angel Award from Image Reports magazine in respect of its JV400 Series printer, a wide-format latex machine that offers a white ink option.

Hybrid’s Industrial Products Manager, Mike Francis, accepts the award from Kylie Gould, of Trophex

This year’s Trophex award for the ‘Most Pioneering Piece of Machinery’ was presented to Mimaki’s UK and Irish distributor, Hybrid Services in respect of the Mimaki UJF-3042HG, following its successful launch and subsequent market take-up during the last year.

A multi-talented and innovative A3 UV LED printer, which has all the dynamic and productive features of its close relation, the Mimaki UJF-3042FX, the UJF-3042HG also offers the added versatility of an increased head height of 150mm, thus facilitating printing

The printer, which was launched at FESPA Digital last year, comes in a choice of two print widths, 1.3m and 1.6m. Mimaki has also demonstrated a version of the machine that combines solvent and UV inks to gain a glossy finish.

The Mimaki TX500-1800DS also received an Angel Award for Innovation in respect of its capability to print direct to textiles and pretreated polyester fabrics.

For further information visit: www.efi.com

A user friendly interface, intuitive quotation procedures, speedy order confirmation and delivery times are just some of the features offered by Pixartprinting and its market-leading online printing services.

The specialist web-to-print company has always striven to make life as easy as possible for its customers and now, thanks to its new operator-based file verification service, it is easier than ever for sign and print companies to avail themselves of everything that Pixartprinting has to offer, as, in addition to the company’s standard automatic free proofing service, the new optional service entrusts the technical Pixartprinting team with final file assessment to ensure totally accurate output every time .

For further information www.pixartprinting.co.uk

visit:

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 31

my way

Worthwhile Investments Companies explain why they chose the equipment they use Coronation Street is one of the nation’s most loved television programmes, with the lives of the residents of the Manchester street being discussed in living rooms up and down the country. Much effort goes into making sure the set looks as realistic as possible, from the billboards and flyers posted on the walls to the packaging labels on items for sale in the Corner Shop.

Lynsey Shepard, the programme’s principal graphic designer, is responsible for creating all of these applications as authentically as possible, and her Roland VersaCAMM SP-300i printer/cutter has played a vital role in ensuring the set’s printed materials are ready whenever the show’s demanding and fluid filming schedules require them.

The Roland was purchased and installed two years ago following a recommendation from another graphic designer who was familiar with Roland’s products. It is the first machine to be used by Coronation Street’s design team and Lynsey has been very impressed with both its performance and the after-sales support received through the RolandCare service and support package.

She explained: “ We do a lot of printing onto vinyl, as it’s far more practical to have waterproof labels and signage given the nature of this business. The VersaCAMM’s print and cut function is excellent and saves so much time and is also very precise – even when cutting circles.

We’ve had a couple of small teething problems along the way, but with the RolandCare warranty service we are able to call out an engineer to get us back on our feet again very quickly.”

Keeping overall production costs

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 32

Street Cars’ graphics printed on the Roland VersaCAMM SP-300i

down was another decisive factor in Lynsey’s decision to stop outsourcing and print in-house instead and the SP-300i has already paid for itself many times over.

Lynsey continued: “We used to outsource our print jobs to a local printing company, but whilst the quality was good, it was more expensive and really restricted our flexibility on set, because if we needed something at the last minute we would either have to wait or reschedule filming, but now we have the VersaCAMM on-site we can quickly re-print material for extra takes and keep up with the demands of the shoot.”

The VersaCAMM is a very versatile machine that can be used to print a wide range of set graphics including those that are iconic to the soap, such as beer labels for the Rovers Return’s house ale, Newton and Ridley, posters on the wall of the pub, signage for the taxis or even a vehicle wrap for a courier van if someone on the street is due to receive a package.

The VersaCAMM SP-i series, which is one of Roand’s most popular printer/cutters, comprises two models, the 30inch SP-300i and the 54inch SP-540i, both of which deliver reliability and performance for a low

Mark Jones, Technical Operations Manager at Roland DG, on-site for a regular service visit.

Signs, graphics and labels printed as necessary to appear in the corner shop Lynsey Shepard designs and produces all of the graphics required on the set of Coronation Street

initial investment. Available with a four-colour printing system, the SP-i series can be left unattended for long print runs, thus leaving the user free to perform other jobs.

Concludes Lynsey: “I’ve been a graphic designer for nearly ten years and I’ve witnessed a great number of changes in the industry over that time, many as a result of the technological advances companies such as Roland have made in the development of printers and ink.

Print quality is certainly one of the biggest improvements I’ve seen. The vibrancy of the print finish from today’s printers is astonishing and when used in tandem with Roland’s Eco-Sol Max inks, the VersaCAMM’s output is brilliant. What’s more,

The VersaCAMM provides authentic looking signage for crisp packets, wine and beer labels in the Rovers Return.

when you have a machine on-site there is no need to compromise – we now have a print and cut device that is flexible enough to handle whatever is required of it!”

For further information visit: www.rolanddg.co.uk/VersaCAM MSP

Sign Directions Dec/Jan 2012 | 33

software

Getting the price right….

This month, Paul Deane, joint Managing Director at Shuttleworth Business Systems explains how MIS can help sign and print companies to achieve profitable pricing decisions.

Is it the right price?

I am often asked about pricing strategies and the role of an e f f e c t i v e estimating system in arriving at the right price.

Let‘s get something straight right from the outset, estimating systems are designed to calculate the likely cost of manufacturing a piece of printed material. Once they have done this, they will provide some highly effective tools to the estimator to uplift costs and apply margins to give a suggested price.

However, without trying to simplify matters, I take you back to my first economics lesson, which stated that price is determined by the interaction of supply with demand and, in the current market, that translates to reduced demand, combined with over capacity, leading to lower prices.

It is therefore the market that determines the price and not the estimating system.

How can MIS help?

The power of modern MIS is to deliver accurate estimated costs so that the person responsible for pricing understands fully the implications of going with the market price. Having accurate cost rates which are reviewed annually, plus manufacturing times that are continually measured is the key to giving real value to this data.

There are other fators that are just as important as cost and which have a

significant influence on the pricing of work, which means that every company should consider such variables as: who is the client?, what is their potential?, what’s the factory capacity? and is it work we are good at?

Traditionally, sign and digital print companies have used good old ‘gut instinct’ and indeed there is no substitute for knowledge and experience. However, with market pressures as demanding as ever, the margin between profit and loss and success and failure is too small to rely on gut feel alone.

Future pricing strategies Many printers use their MIS as an estimating system but MIS is capable of much more and analysis is essential to successful future pricing.

It is important that where you have an estimated cost, once the estimate becomes a job, the actual times are booked. It doesn’t matter how the costing is booked to the job and

costs can be automated or entered manually, but the information needs to be accurate and consistent.

Many companies don’t see the importance in taking the time to book all the actual costs to a job, but once you have accurate booking information, then you can view a direct comparison between estimated versus actual values. This is critical business information that should be used to influence future pricing strategies and is something that must be monitored and reviewed on a regular basis.

Decisions need to be based on sound management information and the quality and accuracy of that information will make all the difference to a business’s long term success or failure – don’t compromise on it!

For further information on Shuttleworth Business Systems, visit: www.shuttleworthuk.co.uk

FineCut plugin from Mimaki Mimaki’s FineCut cutting plugin for Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW is now available for the latest CS6 version of Illustrator.

Offering powerful cutting functionality and signmaking tools within industry standard graphic design applications, Mimaki FineCut is provided with every Mimaki cutting plotter or integrated printer/ cutter.

Mimaki FineCut 8.0.1 can be used in conjunction with both Mac and PC platforms within Adobe Illustrator CS6 and enables sign makers to use an integrated workflow from design,

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 34

through printing and finally contour and die cutting. The cutting software seamlessly integrates with Mimaki’s RasterLink RIP software, thus ensuring an easy to use and highly productive process.

The upgrade is a free download from the Mimaki website and can be found by visiting Mimaki’s UK & Irish distributor, Hybrid Services’ website and typing ‘CS6’ in the search box.

For further information and to download visit: www.hybridservices.co.uk

Improve customer service Shuttleworth Business Systems has recently launched its latest pioneering MIS software, version 5.2, which offers a host of new features that are especially designed to help companies significantly improve their customer service.

Commenting on the new release, Paul Deane, the company’s joint Managing Director said: ‘In today’s market it is no longer just about marketing your production ability and what resources you have. It’s about providing value for money products and services, backed up by excellent customer care. Thus, our new 5.2 release includes some exciting new developments that will enable users to maximise their MIS investment by ‘improving the level of customer service they can offer.”

To this end, Shuttleworth has introduced

a new ‘Advanced Filtering’ capability that enables users to see only the data that’s relevant to them throughout the system.

Other new features also include the addition of a ‘History Function’ to all areas, in order to enable easy access to recently opened records, while new ‘Custom Buttons’ make it easy to add user definable buttons to the Ribbon Toolbar, which can be set to run any application outside the Shuttleworth System.

In addition, the new ‘Automated Export’ functionality enables users to export data to Excel or csv files, which can then be edited and will automatically update the format of the report and retain any changes each time the export is run.

Exported reports can also be scheduled to update automatically at a set month/day/time.

Paul Deane added: ‘In order to help our customers get the most out of this major release, we have been running a series of Customer Service Seminars and we have received some excellent feedback. In addition, we are also running a new 5.2 webinar program to coincide with the new release and we even have a 5.2 YouTube Playlist where users can view the new functionality of 5.2 at their leisure”.

This year will see a further release from Shuttleworth, which will include a new mobile CRM App and some exciting new functionality called ‘Milestones’, a feature that automatically updates the status of a Job/Project as it progresses through the business. This is currently being beta tested and is due for commercial release in July 2013.

For further information www.shuttleworth-uk.co.uk

visit

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 35

special feature

Passport to profit The addition of special effects can enable even the most modestly equipped producer of signs and graphics to transform output that might otherwise appear run-of-the-mill into brilliantly inventive and head-turning creations. Sourcing from the vast reservoir of specially engineered materials, equipment and technology now available to them, companies of all sizes can provide added value to customers’ applications, whilst also increasing their own profit margins. Mike Connolly reports

Going undercover An example of how special effect materials can be creatively used to enhance a whole selection of everyday household fittings and furnishings has been ably demonstrated by Couture Cases.

The company, which is the brainchild of designer Paul Johnson, uses 3M Controltac Films IJ180 and IJ380 to provide a highly original alternative to the traditional radiator covers that are commonly used in interior decorating projects.

Paul Johnson explained the ethos behind his novel business idea, saying: “Thanks to their outstanding conformability, together with their ability to withstand heat up to +107degreesC, the 3M films, which are

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 36

used widely for vehicle wrapping, have also enabled us to bring an unusual creative concept to market with low start-up costs. Applying an image or texture using conventional materials or spray-painting methods is both time consuming and costly, but thanks to 3M’s network of authorised wrapping service providers, we can work with customers anywhere in the country and produce designs quickly and easily. Our first orders included a cover with a corporate logo and a set of covers featuring photographed driftwood and currently, we are working on a cover that uses the client’s image of a long held and cherished motor scooter!”

In fact, such has been the level of interest the company has attracted

from both the commercial and retail sectors that it is now working in tandem with an artist who offers an extensive portfolio of paintings that clients can use. In addition, Courture Covers is also extending its creative reach to include covers for other

interior appliances, such as air conditioning units.

For further information visit: www.3M.co.uk/graphicsolutions and/or www.couturecases.co.uk

The profit effect According to vinyl manufacturer Metamark, special effects work practically anywhere and can be imaginatively used to enhance both value and margins.

It’s an established fact that anything that has a bespoke look and feel will command a better price and surprisingly often, this can be achieved with minimal incremental costs. This is very much the case when adding a special effect to what would otherwise be a so-so sign, vehicle livery, banner or window graphic.

Special effects can be wrapped up in very elaborate and contrived production processes, or used more sparingly, rather like seasoning, to spice things up.

Consider, for example, a banner that is designed to promote Sunday lunches.

The client’s expectation and mindset might initially dictate precisely what it’s going to look like, but rather than using a predictable promotional

image that is contained wholly within the banner’s borders, why not have something spilling off it too? Some fruit say, or a dropped bread roll, something, however simple, that makes the banner into a head-turning event in its own right.

Vehicle liveries are another area that yields rich pickings and one where the audience is particularly receptive to novelty.

Most liveries feature a dominant colour, which could easily be enhanced with a complementary visor continuation that lifts the tone of the whole design. For instance, a weaker version of the colour could be printed onto a Metamark print receptive etch effect film, and applied inside the vehicle’s windscreen. It may increase the costs a little, but the chances are that such a design flourish will increase the profit margin too.

Further, profit potential aside, the really great thing about special effects,

is that they belong to the company that creates them. Force any two materials into an uncommon alliance, and you have, potentially, a winner.

Imagine applying mirror finished silver or gold film just as nature intended, but then killing its specular sheen with a bit of selectively applied etch effect to dull it down. It looks sensational and, since it’s very unlikely that the effect will be replicated to any great degree, it also helps to distinguish the sign or graphic that it graces.

For sign and print companies who

need a little extra encouragement, Metamark is ready to help. Knowing what special effect materials exist is a good start and Metamark’s ‘Brick’ is a good place to find them. Simply e-mail sales@metamark.co.uk for a free one!

Metamark will also happily assist with technical considerations too and a specialist advisor is always on hand to suggest appropriate material choices and application techniques.

For further information visit:www.metamark.co.uk

Wonderful windows for Harvey Nicks!

When luxury department store Harvey Nichols needed a special window display to promote its January sales, it called upon the expertise of London-based display specialist C Colour and a special effect film from Doro Tape.

Having dealt with Doro Tape for a number of years C Colour was well aware of the company’s wide variety of speciality films and thus it knew that Doro Tape would be able to supply something outstanding in keeping with Harvey Nichols’ demanding specification.

Following an appraisal of a selective mix of materials, the store chose Doro Tape’s Aurora, a self-adhesive film with

an iridescent sheen, which changes from deep magenta to ocean blue under different light conditions. It proved to be the perfect solution to creating a window display that really stands out.

For further information visit: www.dorotape.co.uk

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 37

special feature

Adding a new dimension A wide variety of special effects applied to signs made in wood and other solid substrates can be achieved using routers supplied

by AXYZ International.

Cornwall-based The Grain employed a Pacer 25/15 HDS router in conjunction with its renowned cedar wood sandblasted sign system to produce visually stunning two- and threedimensional signs featuring highly individualistic special effects.

Part of the AXYZ International

portfolio, the Pacer router has been used by The Grain for a host of different applications, from the processing of veneered MDF to the manufacture of the cedar wood sandblasted signs that have become its speciality. According to The Grain, the router has proved outstanding in processing the large amount of threedimensional work involving cut out lettering in addition to a host of heavyduty routing requirements.

For further information visit: www.axyx,co.uk

Lighting up Oslo

Substrates with a difference There are many substrates that can be successfully used to achieve a special effect, but few match the scale and versatility of the Coala collection from Antalis.

The Norwegian sign manufacturer Euro Sign used Chiplite LED technology, developed by the German company Majert, to create the huge illuminated corporate ID sign now installed at a landmark location in the centre of Oslo.

The 10 metre-square sign, situated at a prime location and described as ‘the best known city marker in Norway’, has replaced an old neon sign. It is fully LED-illuminated, with red modules used for the text and white Chiplite modules being used for the clock feature.

All of the 60 white lines featured

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 38

are illuminated with Chiplite RGB strips, which enable each LED module to be individually controlled to create special effects, such as a turning wheel or snowfall. The lines are powered by over 1600 250mm-long Chiplite LED strips, with five of the LED modules on each strip being controlled separately. These modules featured a special coating to facilitate their use in outdoor locations, with all of the special effects being achieved via avi-files that were sent to the controller units installed internally.

For further information, visit info@chiplite.de

The range embraces substrates for both indoor and outdoor applications and includes a wide choice of papers, self-adhesive and banner-grade media, textiles, wallpapers and speciality materials. In all, there are 74 products that meet the needs of the wideformat printing sector, including 20 options for water-based ink applications and 54 for solvent, UV and Latex ink applications.

Environmental considerations were also important when building the collection that is founded on highquality materials sourced from leading European suppliers and, in particular, those from Germany. They include a large selection of PVC-free products covering films, textiles and FSC- or PEFC-certified papers.

Typical applications have included use of the double-sided textile product to create roller blinds for a luxury London

hotel and the water-based backlit film is used extensively in lightbox installations for cosmetic brands, where it provides excellent colour reproduction and helps to create lifelike skin tones and vibrant colour manifestations.

Other products from the Coala collection include an environmentally friendly and UV printer-compatible backlit textile for retail and commercial displays and iPrint Pure 3D, which provides a 3D effect without distortion during printing and which can be used in a wide range of finishing technologies.

For further information visit: www.antalis.co.uk

London bus makes Flying high beautiful music

Microaces is a UK-based business that offers a range of radio controlled micro scale aircraft kits, each of which is a close replica of a specific aircraft that was flown by an individual pilot during World War II.

In one of its most unusual jobs to date Tecna UK, a T3 distributor, has created a replica of a London Bus, which was built for the famous DJ, Norman Jay MBE, using T3 Fabframe.

The replica three-quarter scale Bus has now appeared at events around the world, including the Snowbombing Festival in Mayrhofen, Austria, where it travelled halfway up a mountain, with Norman Jay playing his music to amazed partygoers.

and lock’ system, which is clad in fabric graphics that attach quickly and easily to the modular frame. This is an important advantage, as very often, the Bus has to be recreated quickly by different teams of unskilled labour, in various locations. In all, it takes as little as two hours for two people to assemble it and, when dismantled, it packs neatly away into specially designed T3 storage bags and crates that can be easily transported and stored ready for Norman Jay’s next big party.

The T3 Fabframe London Bus used the patented T3 easy build ‘connect, twist

For further information visit: www.tecnauk.com

The kits, which include replicas of the Focke-Wulf 190, P51 Mustang and a 'Battle of Britain' Spitfire Mk1 military aircraft, represent a big step up from traditional methods of micro scale radio control model construction, as they employ unique materials, innovative components and a comprehensive construction guide to ensure a successful build and end result.

To separate itself from what is already a big market offering, Microaces wanted to develop and introduce a unique method of construction, plus a new covering material to provide its kits with a truly authentic finish.

Accordingly, the company devised a new method of assembly and partnered

with Lintec Graphic Films to develop a new covering, thus further separating these premium model aircrafts from competing products. The result of the collaboration is a lightweight selfadhesive film that is easy to handle, exceptionally strong and which has enabled Microaces to include even the minutest detail into its graphics to give a very realistic effect. It also features a unique adhesive system that perfectly adheres to the planes' highly textured, low surface energy Depron Foam construction.

For further information visit: www.lintecgraphicfilms.com and www.microaces.com

Light work Working in partnership with Piggotts, NES played a major role in the manufacture of the Christmas lights that were such an attractive feature at London’s Regent Street at the end of last year

images that were digitally printed onto polycarbonate sheets and cut to shape.

The spectacular 6m x 3m golden ovals were made from rolled aluminium extrusions and finished with a bright LED halo.

Using as its theme, ‘The twelve days of Christmas’, the lighting display was brought to life with stunning graphic

For further information visit: www.nes-solutions.co.uk and www.piggotts.co.uk Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 39

special feature

Secret Signs In a recent project for Inksplash Signs and Media, Applelec created a distinctive signage solution for the Irish headquarters of Nokia Siemens Networks in Dublin, using its innovative Secret Sign sheet, which enables the sign’s lettering to appear black by day and white at night in order to make it more visible and eye-catching.

graphic. In both sign elements, the interior of the built-up metal back trays were coated white to maximise light brightness of the LED modules once the sign is illuminated.

Built-up, rim-and-return and de-scaled stainless steel letters were fabricated

by Applelec, then painted black and fitted with the three millimetre-thick Secret Sign acrylic. The black acrylic was then mounted behind the rim of the built-up letters to ensure that they appear uniformly black during the day.

Designed to display a readable message only when illuminated by a powerful light source, Secret Sign is more commonly used to communicate messages at intermittent times of the day.

Featuring an anti-reflective black surface when non-illuminated, the acrylic appears white, red, blue or green, contingent upon the colour desired, when backlit, with an opaque stencil or graphic being applied to the reverse of the acrylic surface to

A second element to the logo was created separately as a built-up rimand-return shape with an opal acrylic face, which features a digitally printed

When the LED modules are automatically activated at night, the sign turns magically from blackest black to glowing white.

The right impression A new addition to the Perspex portfolio, Perspex IMPRESSIONS is a sophisticated new concept that enhances the stylish appearance and performance of Perspex acrylic sheet by providing the extra dimension of a textured finish.

Developed by Lucite International and inspired by the emerging trend for greater depth and texture in materials, Perspex IMPRESSIONS will appeal to anyone requiring a material with the potential to create a truly unique look and feel.

The ‘Linear’ design features a contemporary pattern that was created with future trends in retail and interior design in mind. It incorporates long and irregular vertical lines that are interwoven at right angles with horizontal lines to form a unique and subtle texture with a depth and

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 40

intensity that makes it ideal for use in many retail and interior design applications. The pattern cannot be removed through abrasion or delaminated, thus adding to its appeal and enhancing its high resistance to environmental degradation.

The ‘Linear’ range offers nine vibrant colours, including bright post box red, fresh verdant green and rich and exuberant purple formats, all of which reflect current interior design trends.

In addition, it also offers two brand new shades: intense graphite grey and a rich chocolate brown, which are destined to be the mainstay of any retail collection. These five colours are supplemented by a deep black option and three clear, opal/white and simulated glass formats popularised

by Perspex.

For further information visit: www.perspex.co.uk

complete a simple illuminated secret sign.

For further information visit: www.applelecsign.co.uk

White is right!

Mimaki has a history of delivering pioneering inks and finishes that achieve highly creative results.

With a strong R and D focus, the company has digital printing capabilities across the industrial, sign and graphics and textile markets, so its gamut of ink types is understandably broad.

Focussing on two of these, Duncan Jefferies, Marketing Manager for Mimaki’s exclusive UK & Irish distributor, Hybrid Services, highlights the new white latex ink for the MimakiJV400 printer range and also discusses the impressive clear varnish that can be used with its LED UV printer range.

He reported: “The highly anticipated white ink for Mimaki's JV400 latex printer is now available, offering a unique option within the latex printer market and enabling sign and display companies to output onto a very wide range of materials.”

The highly opaque white ink works alongside Mimaki's high gamut four colour process inks and is compatible with the JV400-130LX and JV400160LX wide format latex printers.

When used in conjunction with the

Add visual appeal Special effects that feature gloss, textured, white and metallic inks and one of the market-leading printer/cutters from Roland DG are a great way to add interest and

latest version of Mimaki's RasterLink RIP software, three-layer printing is achievable, thus enabling the creation of two-way viewed graphics for application onto glass and other clear substrates. High quality registration between process and white layers ensures an attractive and high colour result, with the white layer providing the necessary backing for each layer of colour.

Duncan Jefferies continued: “As well as having strong eco-credentials, the JV400 range of latex printers features a piezoelectric printhead that fires variable drop sizes, making it possible to achieve really high print quality on many different substrates, including clear films for window graphics, packaging proofs and decals,” and he added: "The Mimaki latex printer range already provides a broad creative capability, but the addition of the unique white ink means our customers can produce exciting graphics onto clear substrates with a vibrant colour yield."

visual appeal to signs and graphics.

At just 20 inches wide, the VersaSTUDIO BN-20 is Roland’s smallest and most affordable printer/cutter. An ideal desktop solution offering an integrated printand-cut solution, it can be used in conjunction with different ink formulations, including white and metallic. The 64-inch SolJet Pro 4 XR640, the company’s widest and fastest printer/cutter, is ideal for single-run wide-format applications, such as large posters or vehicle wraps and can be

multiple layers, making prints look more attractive and providing them with a tactile quality too.

Mimaki’s ingenious clear UV ink, which is available within the LH-100 colour set, facilitates the production of both glossy and matte finish effects, either as an overprint or as a spot colour, thus adding creativity and value to the final product.

Duncan observed: “It’s possible to achieve these finishes on both the UJF3042 and JFX series of flatbed UV printers and users can generate an effect close to that traditionally produced by litho printing.”

Duncan suggested that the clear UV ink also has a part to play in packaging applications too. He said: “Sign and display companies can use it to upgrade POP materials, labels and to provide signs and graphics with a textured finish and even Braille lettering, but it is also a very useful capability for those companies who produce packaging proofs and prototypes, as the cured UV ink is touch dry post printing and could thus open up myriad new revenue streams.”

As well as creating a decorative effect, the clear ink can also be output in

For further information visit: www.hybridservices.co.uk.

used in tandem with Roland’s new and technically advanced Eco-Sol Max 2 inks featuring light black, a new highgloss metallic and high-opacity white ink finishes, to create high-impact window graphics.

The flagship Versa UV LEC series of printer/cutters is reputedly the world’s first UV inkjet machine that can be used to create intricate graphics involving white ink and for adding eyecatching special effects with matte and gloss and tactile embossed finishes.

Due to the UV technology used, inks are instantly cured enabling the printer

to handle virtually any substrate.

All Roland machines come complete with the company’s VersaWorks RIP software as standard, which facilitates the output of brilliantly rich colours and special effects for limitless applications. The gloss pattern library and colour palette within the software features, for example, 512 metallic colours that can be downloaded to most of the industry-leading design packages.

For further information, visit www.rolanddg.co.uk

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 41

special feature

A stunning selection warranties of up to 10 years.

Etched glass-effect and decorative window films from 3M are designed for application to flat surfaces, such as internal glass partitions, windows, glazed doors and internally illuminated displays and provide a very costeffective route to the creation of eyecatching special effects that can effectively replicate mechanical or acid etching on glass surfaces.

As the UK’s largest stockist and distributor of 3M materials to the trade, as well as providing further options from Arlon, William Smith can supply one of the most comprehensive ranges of special effect films currently available.

The 3M range includes dusted, frosted and etched glass-effect, mirror finish, photo-luminescent, metallic and wall and floor graphics formats. Many of these products have performance

The optically clear graphic printing film 3M 8150 enables visually striking graphics to be created for use in applications where a high level of transparency is required in unprinted areas of the glass substrate, while 3M Textured Wall Film IJ8624 has been designed to produce photographicquality images for application to textured or slightly curved surfaces as diverse as brick, breeze block and cement.

The Arlon range of special effect films includes DPF 206 and DPF interior wall decorative films. The former is a lightweight PVC-coated matte white film with a unique woven texture and pressure-sensitive adhesive, while the latter has been developed for easy positioning and can be used for point-

All change!

Internal point-of-sale systems can involve costly site visits when graphics need to be changed.

However, the NOVATEX system from Nova Aluminium enables a rapid exchange of graphics on site by the end user.

In its single-sided format, the system is just 100mm in depth and looks particularly striking when powdercoated to match the customer’s corporate colours and when LED-

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 42

illuminated. At 175mm, the doublesided profile is ideal for use as freestanding signs and window displays, while the 40mm nonilluminated alternative frame is perfect for use as wall-mounted signs.

Using this simple but reliable system, the display and special effect options are limitless.

For further information visit: www.nova-aluminium.com

of-sale displays decoration.

and

interior

For indoor and outdoor graphics applied to ‘hard to stick’ low-energy surfaces, Arlon’s DPF Engineering Grade range of white satin and hightensile films with a strong permanent pressure-sensitive adhesive that conforms well to flat or slightly curved surfaces, can be used in cold temperatures and offer an outdoor

durability of up to seven years.

For banner, pop-up and roll-up displays, Arlon DPF 215 has proved the perfect solution. Available with a satin finish, the semi-rigid polyester-coated films provide a high print resolution capability, image quality and excellent ‘lay flat’ application characteristics.

For further information, visit: www.williamsmith.co.uk

A host of effects A host of special effects can be created using materials from MACtac, which are available in the UK from Amari Digital Supplies.

formats, all of which have been designed for application to flat or gently curved surfaces in both indoor and outdoor environments.

The PERMAfun range includes Crystal Gloss, Brushed Metal, Coarse Grain Wood, Fine Grain Wood and Leather

Crystal Gloss is a premium cast film with a high-gloss surface and a large concentration of light-refracting additives to enable special effects to be created. Brushed Metal is a premium-grade polymeric vinyl with a fine brushed satin texture. When used as an over-laminate for the MACtac MACal 9800 Pro series of films, it will create the appearance of brushed metal and can be used on digital prints to give them a special texture.

Coarse Grain Wood shares the same application capabilities and can similarly be used as an over-laminate for MACtac 9800 films to give the appearance of plain wood. Fine Grain Wood is similarly constructed, as is the

Leather format that can be used to create the appearance of simulated leather.

Part of the MACtac DECOAT sub-range of products that includes MACtac’s Deco-Texture and WWW200 wall covering and interior graphics ranges, Deco-Satin is a white woven polyestercoated textile material featuring a clear acrylic adhesive that can be liberally

repositioned to achieve perfect registration, It has been developed for conversion using all of the wideformat digital printing technologies currently in use. Best if applied to smooth flat surfaces, the film has multiple interior décor application possibilities.

For further information, visit www.amaridigitalsupplies.com

TECHNICAL SALES MANAGER SIGNAGE MIDLANDS/SOUTH EAST PACKAGE: BASIC £40 - 45K, BONUS, CAR/CAR ALLOWANCE + BENEFITS. FULL JOB ADVERT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PYRAMIDRESOURCESOLUTIONS/POSTS/400302616733004  DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER DIGITAL SIGNAGE & DISPLAY (DOOH) MIDLANDS PACKAGE: BASIC: £70 - £100K, BONUS + CAR/CAR ALLOWANCE. FULL JOB ADVERT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PYRAMIDRESOURCESOLUTIONS/POSTS/400320890064510  PROJECT/ACCOUNT MANAGER RETAIL SIGNAGE & DISPLAY NORTH WEST PACKAGE: £30 - 35K + CAR/CAR ALLOWANCE. FULL JOB ADVERT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PYRAMIDRESOURCESOLUTIONS/POSTS/400448896718376  BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER POINT OF SALE NATIONAL PACKAGE: BASIC £35 – 40K, COMMISSION, CAR/CAR ALLOWANCE + BENEFITS FULL JOB ADVERT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PYRAMIDRESOURCESOLUTIONS/POSTS/404449359651663  INTERNATIONAL SALES & MARKETING DIRECTOR VISUAL IDENTITY & BRAND MANAGEMENT SOUTH EAST. PACKAGE: BASIC £60 – 80K + BONUSES & BENEFITS. FULL JOB ADVERT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PYRAMIDRESOURCESOLUTIONS/POSTS/404515902978342  BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR RETAIL POS/CREATIVE AGENCY. NORTH. PACKAGE: BOARD POSITION – SALARY, NEGOTIABLE DEPENDANT ON EXPERIENCE – BASIC UP TO £120K FULL JOB ADVERT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PYRAMIDRESOURCESOLUTIONS/POSTS/401859826577283  BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER SIGNAGE & GRAPHICS SOUTH EAST. PACKAGE: BASIC: £25 - 35K + COMMISSION, CAR/CAR ALLOWANCE FULL JOB ADVERT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PYRAMIDRESOURCESOLUTIONS/POSTS/404614836301782  PROJECT MANAGER GRAPHIC & INTERIOR DESIGN & BUILD AGENCY SOUTH WEST PACKAGE: BASIC: £25 - 30K + BONUS, CAR/CAR ALLOWANCE FULL JOB ADVERT: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PYRAMIDRESOURCESOLUTIONS/POSTS/404632542966678 FOR INDUSTRY NEWS, OUR LATEST VACANCIES, CANDIDATE PROFILES & PROMOTIONS, LIKE US ON FACEBOOK & FOLLOW US ON TWITTER: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/PYRAMIDRESOURCESOLUTIONS | WWW.TWITTER.COM/PYRAMIDRS

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 43

sign directory

DIGITAL PRINT SYSTEMS

LED SPECIALISTS

FLAT CUT LETTERS

MANUFACTURERS OF MAGNETIC MATERIALS

MATERIAL SUPPLIERS

FLEXIBLE FACE SIGNS SIGN MAKING SUPPLIERS

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 44

signdirectory The Sign Industry's Who's Who

MOULDED/FLAT-CUT LETTERS

SCREEN PRINTING

HUMPHREYS SIGNS LTD. Unit 6, Spencer Trading Estate Denbigh, N. Wales LL16 5TQ Tel: 01745 814066 Fax: 01745 815374 Email: sales@humphreyssigns.co.uk Web: www.humphreys-signs.co.uk Trade Printers for over 30 years.

Estate Agents board specialists.

Printing on Correx, PVC Vinyl, Magnetics, as well as digital printing.

Large or small runs.

CNC ROUTERS & CUTTERS

SIGNMAKERS

PROLICHT UK LIMITED 14, Spire Green Centre Flex Meadow, Pinnacles West Harlow, Essex CM19 5TR

ATA Engineering Processes Complete Routing Solutions

CNC Routers

Router Cutters

Router Cutters

BUTTERFIELD SIGNS LTD. 174 Sunbridge Road, Bradford West Yorkshire BD1 2RZ Tel: 01274 722244 Fax: 01274 848998 Email: general@butterfieldsigns.co.uk Web: www.butterfieldsigns.co.uk General signmaker offering Project Management and Sign Design.

Specialist in Neon, Illuminated Signs and Maintenance.

Tel 01442 264411 • Fax 01442 231383

Tel: 0844 412 2230 Fax: 0844 412 2231 Email: ukhelp@prolicht.com Web: www.prolicht.com Europe’s leading Corporate Identity Sign Designers and Manufacturers.

At ProLicht corporate design is turned into reality. Our commitment starts at the design and development stage and continues through prototyping, production, project management & installation throughout Europe. Contact our UK office for advice and assistance.

Email sales@ataeng.com

SIGN SYSTEMS

BENSON SIGNS 96 - 98 Great Howard Street Liverpool L3 7AX Tel: 0151 298 1567 Fax: 0151 298 1568 Email: info@benson-signs.co.uk Web: www.benson-signs.co.uk Design and manufacture of all types of signs, combining traditional skills with the latest technology, providing pub, hotel and retail sectors with a full installation and maintenance service, now incorporating wide format full colour printing on banners and signs as well as electronic digital displays and directory systems.

Nationwide Service.

Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 45

the last word

This month, Mark Godden explains why…

Special effects add value I don't remember ever having written Last Word actually themed to the focus of the Sign Directions’ issue in which it will appear, but this one's an exception to that rule.Welcome to Last Word - the Special Effects edition.

I love special effects and not just in films, but before getting into why, let me share some memories I have of one of the subject's sign industry pioneers from the early era of computerised production. I really ought to point out that it's memory of an experience or two I'm sharing, not memories in the sense of homage to a man who’s used the last metre wound upon life's core.

If you've never heard of Butch Anton, you may have heard of his alter ego, Super Frog. Depending on how you see the world, Super Frog was either a signmaker who saw the light and became a better-remunerated industry celeb, or someone with a real talent lured to the dark side. I'm still making my mind up and, until I do, I'm casting him in the role of a real talent.

Butch got his Super Frog moniker thanks to his love of scuba diving just in case you’re wondering. He hails from the days when the only things the sign industry touched that were ‘rapt’, were the audiences he used to command at the American and European trade shows he attended. He used to do stuff, strange stuff, with an equally strange medium we were then just getting to know. Today we call it vinyl.

By the time Butch hit his stride, we'd all figured out how to make vinyl lettering with computers, but the stuff Butch made was leagues beyond what anyone could produce with a computer alone, and you'd struggle to make the like of some of it even today with a modern printer. His production was alive with never before seen colour, tone and textures. Otherworldly patterns leapt out of what, minutes before the Super Frog treatment, had been plain coloured vinyl. The industry was fascinated.

Much of what Butch accomplished at those events he owed to gifted hands, a Sign Directions Feb/March 2013 | 46

real eye for lettering and layout, and to enamel spray paint. The effects were all his own, and his output in terms of volume and impact was prodigious.

I was once in Florida at a show and was watching him at work. The questions from the largely American audience were coming thick and fast: "Hey, Frog Dude how'd you do this... that... the other." Suddenly a pronounced contrast rang through the air and a cut-crystal English voice, a woman’s, ringing with obvious enthusiasm, made itself heard.

"Mr Anton” she asked, “what is it that gives you all of these a-maaaz-ing ideas?”

"Drugs ma'am," came the reply. Much leg slapping and laughing followed.

One more Butch Anton memory and then we'll get to the point. One of his party pieces was turning plain vinyl into something with a coloured rained-on pattern upon it. "Look at this," he'd say, and his audience would be all eyes and ears. Butch would then take a mouthful of water and theatrically flob the lot, with great velocity and a lot of stringy overspray, onto the vinyl in front of him, and over anything else unfortunate enough to be within his considerable compass. In the USA, people used to move in closer to see what happened next.

I saw him pull the same stunt in Wiesbaden and the shocked audience, faces locked in a bizarre combination of disappointment and disgust, retired about six paces and just stood there muttering and shooting hostile looks at the one idiot who found it funny - and that'd be me! Oh, and I almost forgot next you spray enamel paint onto the wetted vinyl, let the lot dry and stunning, is-it-or-isn’t-it, wet-look textured results.

If that's not a special effect, I don't know what is.

Special effects have moved on since the days when Butch Anton plastered his Evian-diluted DNA all over the German sign industry's finest, but the subject is no less fascinating now than it was back then. Today we have more materials and we have more tools to abuse those materials with. There's also an elevated appetite for things that look new and exciting and a novel effect may just qualify as such.

Special effects happen by accident.

They also happen by design. Special effects arise when something usable results from deliberate experimentation.

Good examples are coming up right now.

A basic requirement for producing good looking four colour print, is a substrate that reflects light so that you can actually see what you've printed. On that basis, a substrate that's erring towards transparent, gets off to a bad start.

However, that didn't stop someone out there being the first to print wide format output onto etch effect films. As four-colour print goes, the results are a disaster, but in the special effects charts, the results do more than just please - they sell.

I don't know anyone in the industry who has bought a water-jet cutter, but I've seen a few hopefuls demonstrating them at sign trade shows. One demo I saw featured a star shape cut from a solid lump of chocolate being inlaid into a flip-flop - no kidding! That's an uneasy alliance of materials, I'd have thought, and I see no application for the result.

Material alliances don't come much more versatile though, than digitally jetted UV cured ink and just about any substrate you'd care to spit it at. When is s door, not a door? When it's UV printed and has become a portal closure mural worth ten times as much as the stock item.

A theme emerges. Special effects add value.

A few blobs of doming resin look like water droplets and add both dimension and a tactile quality to what may be an otherwise pedestrian piece of print. An accent rendered in silver ink similarly lifts results beyond colour as usual. Is someone out there waiting to part with their money in return for something printed on crumpled aluminium foil? I have the answer - it’s probably yes.

One man’s bog-standard work is another’s special effect. To you maybe, conqueror of the signmakers’ Everest, wrapping, covering a domestic radiator in a texture or coloured film may be easy-peasy and you’d hardly give it a thought. To someone who wants to live in a forest themed house though, you’re a minor deity, you could whip Gandalf in a handbag fight. You don’t have to venture too far out of your own ploughed furrow to find markets where you’re not arguing the toss over the next van. What’s stopping you becoming the biggest thing in fridge wraps?

Selling what you know, to a market that looks at it through an entirely different lens, a market that regards it as nothing less than amazing, has its attractions.

Little or nothing is stopping you.

Equally, what’s stopping you from adding special effect condiments to more of your mainstream production?

Things that cost you little, but that add a lot of value. Use them instead of deep discounting perhaps, use them to raise the bar for your competitors.

Sign Directions would be very happy to feature work of an experimental nature so, give it a go and let us know how you get on!

Mark Godden mark.godden@me.com