Sign Builder December 2022

THE HOW-TO MAGAZINE

D E C E M B E R 2022 | S I G N S H O P.CO M

SIGN BUILDER

ILLUSTRATED

FLATBED: GIFT-MAKING IDEAS

ARCHITECTURAL:

EASY TO DIGEST RECAP

2023 PREVIEW:

TRENDS & TECHNOLOGIES

CONTENTS

DECEMBER 2022

HOW-TO COLUMNS

10 12

THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND

By Joe Arenella Change your mindset and build your business.

VOL. 36

NO. 329

16

SURVIVING THE NEXT RECESSION

By Jim Hingst As Shakespeare once wrote, “The readiness is all.”

DEPARTMENTS

4 6 8

Cover Photo: Reimagines.

30 32

EDITOR’S COLUMN

Ho-ho-ho! Editor Jeff Wooten puts on his Santa hat and checks his list of some nice healthy markets that sign shops are reaching.

IN THE INDUSTRY

Large format digital art enhances an upscale Hollywood property, and Principal Industries makes a new acquisition.

SIGN SHOW

The newest products and services from sign manufacturers.

SBI MARKETPLACE

Advertisements and announcements from the sign trade.

SBI OPERATIONS

ISA Vice President of Government Affairs David Hickey explains why, when things are at their darkest, signs appear at their brightest.

10

FEATURES

16 18 22 24 28

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PRINTING UNITED EXPO REVIEW

By SBI Staff Highlights from this year’s in-person event.

EASY TO DIGEST RECAP

By Jeff Wooten Creating a sign program for a new gastrointestinal facility.

2023 PREVIEW: DIGITAL SIGNAGE

By Jeff Wooten Looking ahead—and back—to this dynamic field.

BUSINESS IS FLATBED

By Jeff Wooten The art of building a custom print business.

2023 PREVIEW: PRINTING & GRAPHICS

By Jeff Wooten What to expect—and prepare for—with inkjet printing..

December 2022

Sign Builder Illustrated

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December 2022, Vol. 36, No. 329 Sign Builder Illustrated (ISSN 0895-0555) print, (ISSN 2161-0709) digital is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation

Subscriptions: 402-346-4740

EXECUTIVE OFFICES

President and Chairman Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. Group Publisher Gary Lynch 1809 Capitol Avenue, Omaha, NE 68102 Office: 212-620-7247; Cell 646-637-5206

EDITORIAL

Editor Jeff Wooten 323 Clifton Street, Suite #7, Greenville, NC 27858 212-620-7244 jwooten@sbpub.com Managing Editor Alex Marcheschi 513-490-6227 amarcheschi@sbpub.com Contributing Writers Joe Arenella, David Hickey, Jim Hingst

ART

Art Director Nicole D’Antona Graphic Designer Hillary Coleman

PRODUCTION

Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers

CIRCULATION

Circulation Director Jo Ann Binz joann@qcs1989.com

ADVERTISING SALES Sales Manager David Harkey 212-620-7223​ dharkey@sbpub.com

Sign Builder Illustrated is published monthly. All rights reserved. Nothing herein may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher. To purchase PDF files of cover and layouts or hard copy reprints, please call Gary Lynch at 212-620-7247 or e-mail glynch@sbpub.com.

SBI®

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December 2022

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MONEY REALLY DOES GROW ON TREES

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EDITOR’S COLUMN

AGENDA

BY JEFF WOOTEN

Note: All events listed below are subject to change. Please check show sites for the most up-to-date information.

DECEMBER 2022 DECEMBER 7-8:

PRINTING United Alliance and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) will jointly present the Digital Textile Printing Conference at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Durham, North Carolina. (aatcc.org/aatcc-events /printing2022)

It’s That Time of Year!

APRIL 2023

The season to counter Scrooge-like headlines.

4

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ucts to full-time customers (p. 24).

The New Year typically means resolutions, and many shop owners may be thinking about getting a foothold into some new markets. Might I suggest the health care sector as one?

We have a feature detailing how Harbinger Sign worked with a client and their ad agency to create a comprehensive signage program for a newly opened gastrointestinal facility in Florida (p. 18).

Mike Lev, vice president of Industry Relations and Innovation at Harbinger Sign, says the industry is fortunate to have access to many materials and products that allow sign shops to produce “outside the box” elements and features that aren’t necessarily signs yet provide appealing aesthetics to health care facilities.

When it comes to the this sector, one expanding trend Lev mentions is the implementation of digital technology, kiosks, and monitors that allow patients and visitors to enjoy a more interactive experience while visiting a campus.

“Also trending is higher end architectural signage that has a theme synonymous with the facility, which then incorporates elements like copper, brushed metals, a variety of vinyls, and brilliant substrates,” he adds.

JEFF WOOTEN Editor, jwooten@sbpub.com

December 2022

MAY 2023 MAY 21-25:

LightFair, North America’s largest architectural and commercial lighting tradeshow and conference, will be conducted at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.

The organization announces that this show will transition to a biennial schedule after this event. (lightfair.com/new-york-2023)

AUGUST 2023 Photo: Shutterstock.com/Roman Samborskyi.

W

ith supply chain worries, recession threats, and inflation continuing to make headlines, it can feel like a very thin margin between not knowing whether your shop is going to be receiving a bag of goodies from Santa or a lump of coal from the Krampus, in terms of how profit margins and customer expectations on projects turn out these days. I hope this issue helps you enjoy the former.

End-of-the-year issues always feel to me a little bit like something straight out of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol—a look at what’s come before and previews of what’s to come. This issue is no different.

You’ll find a recap of some of the developments and announcements at this past October’s PRINTING United Expo that could affect how you shop produces work over the coming year (p. 16). At the end of each entry, a website address directs you to where you can find further details.

We also have previews of what to expect from digital signage and inkjet printing in 2023—as well as some discussion about the past twelve months to see how they arrived at this forecast point. ’Tis the season for gift giving, but you may want to consider that it’s also the time for gift making. With “custom” an increasingly popular philosophy amongst clients these days, I spoke with Elizabeth Schroer, owner of the print shop Reimagines in Somerset, Kentucky, about how she adopted a flatbed printer to reshape her business goals from seasonal prod-

APRIL 12-14:

ISA International Sign Expo 2023, featuring everything you need to be successful in the sign, graphics, print, and visual communications industry, is scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pre-conference events happen April 11. (signexpo.org)

AUGUST 24-26:

2023 SEGD Conference Experience Washington DC promises four inspirational days of interactive workshops, tours, networking opportunities, case studies, and programming from renowned speakers celebrating the evolution and challenges of fifty years of experiential design. (segd.org)

signshop.com

IN THE INDUSTRY PRINCIPAL INDUSTRIES ACQUIRES SLOANLED

S LARGE FORMAT

DIGITAL ART ENHANCES UPSCALE L.A. PROPERTY

L

OS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA— Leftchannel, a Columbus, Ohiobased company that specializes in high-end digital content, recently designed a bespoke digital art piece for The Rise, an upscale apartment community located in the heart of Hollywood.

The art piece brings life to the property and complements the community’s array of resident-centric characteristics.

From advertising to short films to digital art, leftchannel’s collaborative approach to purposeful design generates highly intentional video pieces that tell stories, shift perceptions, and motivate action.

The unique ability to shape communications at the intersection of art and business intent has made leftchannel a strategic creative partner for a diverse array of companies—including Nike, Sheraton, Nationwide Insurance, Verizon, Disney, Comic-Con, and more.

The Rise was beautifully designed to harmonize with the outdoors and offer signature amenities that give residents spaces to retreat, relax, and revive. Inside the residences are styled interiors with modern looks and the latest finishes and smart home features. All of this comes 6

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together to create a truly elevated living experience in one the most connected and cultured locations in Los Angeles.

Leftchannel created video/motion graphics content that embraces the building’s harmonious relationship with the outdoors, as well as pays tribute to the film industry for which the city is known.

The dynamic digital art piece adds a component of modern and sophisticated visual interest and creates moments of joy for residents and visitors alike.

Known for their intentional, purposedriven design, leftchannel’s captivating art piece leverages a distinctive trapezoidal LED video wall, spanning sixty feet long within the building’s airy and welcoming parking structure.

SNA Displays manufactured and installed the LED video wall, which features 6.67 mm pixel spacing.

The display measures 6-feet-3-inchesby-60-feet-11-inches along its longest edge and features a resolution of 288 pixels high-by-2,784 pixels wide.

As is the benefit with digital art installations, modules can be continuously refreshed with artful content, which injects fresh energy into the experience as desired.

December 2022

AN ANGELO, TEXAS— Principal Industries, a leading provider of electrical components and services to the commercial sign industry, has acquired SloanLED, a California-based specialist of highly engineered LED solutions to the signage, retail, hospitality, and petroleum markets.

This acquisition strengthens and diversifies Principal’s product portfolio in new and existing end markets while expanding its footprint in and outside of North America. Other brands include Principal LED, P r i n c i p a l S e r v i c e s , Ve n t e x Technology, and LED Wizard.

“The Vincent brothers and I are b eyo n d exc i te d to we l c o m e SloanLED into the Principal family.

Bringing together the two most highly regarded LED brands in the industry gives us access to a vast array of capabilities.” stated Principal Industries CEO Todd Fiske, “This will accelerate our development of innovative and useful solutions, while striving to simplify the lives of our customers.”

Steve Shotwell, president and COO of SloanLED, added, “I look forward to combining the strengths of two market leaders and providing our customers with the best and most innovative product solutions, services and support, across all of our business segments.”

signshop.com

DEDICATED TO YOUR SUCCESS

Congratulations to the Watchfire Award Grand Prize Winner

AJ Sign Company

Watchfire Signs remains the sign industry’s best strategic partner for job sites that range from durable signs on Main Street USA to vivid interior displays and large, spectacular projects. We are dedicated to measured innovation that focuses our attention on the new ideas and designs that bring you the most reliable, efficient, and effective products. We continue to be driven by the same expertise and passion that has sustained us for 90 years.

Align your business with a partner that makes growing your business a priority.

Sales support services and demo trucks available.

Contact your Watchfire representative at 800-637-2645 or visit watchfiresigns.com to learn more.

SIGN SHOW DIGITAL PRINTING EQUIPMENT/ SUPPLIES Mimaki USA Announces a 3-Liter Maximum Capacity Ink Supply Option The new 3-liter External Ink Supply Option from Mimaki USA increases the ink tank capacity of the company’s JFX600-2513 large format flatbed UV inkjet printer to a maximum of 3 liters per color while allowing for the 3-liter tanks to be replenished from 1-liter ink bottles. The 3-liter ink tank capacity reduces the frequency of having to refill inks, resulting in improved work efficiency.

This new option enables ink replenishment even during printing processes, further reducing printer downtime and allowing for longer operating time and improved productivity.

Automatic white ink agitation functionality is integrated into the 3-liter External Ink Supply Option, eliminating the need for manual mixing and reducing operator workload. Weight sensors for remaining inks are also incorporated, enabling a more accurate determination of ink levels. The JFX600-2513 has a broad range of applications including sign graphics such as large indoor/outdoor signboards and advertisements for architectural applications. mimakiusa.com

DIGITAL SIGNS/ EMC/VIDEO DISPLAYS Daktronics Offers Light Mitigating Solution for Digital Billboards LightDirect from Daktronics addresses municipal requirements concerning light mitigation by providing a simple solution so digital displays can be good neighbors while providing the advantages of digital technology; at the same time, billboard owners can make sure their advertising messages are seen. LightDirect uses strategically placed louvers to limit light output from the side, satisfying regulations for digital billboards as needed. LightDirect digital billboards come with an integrated SmartLink, a multi-directional light sensor, a 400-millimeter standard module size, and a lifetime image quality. LightDirect digital billboards join the already extensive offering of Daktronics OOH products, including multiple options for roadside digital billboards, close-view urban billboards, eye-level displays, and high-resolution indoor advertising displays.

Daktronics also offers site-specific light emissions analyses to alleviate concerns about illumination effects from digital billboards. daktronics.com

SOFTWARE-DESIGN/PRINT/ROUTER/ESTIMATING All Flexi Users Can Access Sign Design Elements Image Library SA International (SAi) has announced that its popular Sign Design Elements online assets library will now be available to all users of the company’s flagship Flexi signmaking software. The extensive library, comprising a continually expanding collection of downloadable images, graphics, and templates for sign and display users, was previously only available as an add-on feature to SAi’s subscription-based customers. Via its ongoing partnership with providers of the assets library, Ingram Publishing, Flexi users can access over ten million different graphics (including high-resolution images, logos, fonts, cut-ready vector illustrations, vehicle outlines and wraps, and metallic-ready files). There are over 25,000 templates alone for global car and truck makes and models. Additionally users are now able to conveniently access Sign Design Elements through the Flexi software application.

This removes the need to open a separate browser, saving time for customers. All Flexi users can take advantage of five free-of-charge Sign Design Elements downloads with new product tiers available for those needing additional assets. sde.thinksai.com

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December 2022

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HOW TO BUSINESS MGMT.

BY JOE ARENELLA

The Right Frame of Mind

W

hen I first ran my sign shop, I suffered from a bit of imposter syndrome, always telling others I was “just a sign guy.”

I rarely thought of myself as a “real” business owner, someone working with a team of creative and talented people.

The result? I felt stuck in those early days—like I was treading water, unable to see a path forward to significant growth.

So what changed all that? The answer was fixing my mindset!

It took me a while to tame that beast, but once I was able to see myself and my employees as a team of professionals (business owners, designers, fabricators, and installers), everything changed—how I saw my shop’s offerings, what goals I aimed for, and how well I was able to ex10

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ecute every single day.

If you, as a sign shop owner, find yourself struggling in a similar way now, just a few small adjustments in your thinking can lead to giant leaps in your business and profits.

Here are three tips that will help change your thinking and your shop’s position in the marketplace.

1. Stop thinking about your products and services as commodities. This trait will trap you into being price-driven, and continually lowering your prices will leave you no other choice but to increase your volume of sales to cover operations.

However, the greater your volume of sales, the more expansion you require and the less money you end up making.

Your overhead increases, your ability to

December 2022

manage the workload is strained, and the opportunity to attract better employees and clients all but vanishes.

The reality is that you produce custom-designed products requiring expensive equipment, quality materials, and highly skilled labor. These are not off-theshelf products but rather creative statement pieces that represent brands, help ensure the success of businesses, promote events, create beautiful environments, and so much more.

So hold your head high and price yourself accordingly. Remember: You and your team of dedicated professionals deliver off-the-charts value to anyone lucky enough to work with you.

2. Change your client relationships.

Strategically position yourself as a “partsignshop.com

Photos: Depositphotos.com.

Change your mindset, build your business.

HOW TO

BUSINESS MGMT.

ner” with your clients rather than just another vendor. Become a dedicated problem solver who is committed to understanding your customer’s needs.

It is stressful for your clients to manage every detail of their projects. Problem solving will put you in a space all of your own, and you will attract clients who are willing to pay a premium for that service.

There are many ways to position yourself in your market.

Start with the basics. Get and stay organized and, from start to finish, make sure your customer’s experience is positive. Clean up your shop a bit, provide a welcoming lobby, update your website to convey a more design-oriented feel, and show off your work with a story about the problems you have solved (not just photos of completed projects). For inspiration, visit other sign shop or design firm websites that show the types of projects you’re wanting to showcase on your site.

Most of all, communicate with your customers through the entire process. It relieves your clients to know you are on top of their work. Your fees for services will still need to be fair, but you will never have to worry about being the low-cost provider again if you make these changes.

If your client knows that they have a partner who will work hard to preserve the integrity of their brand or ensure that their event goes perfectly, they will love and trust you forever.

So many new developments are mixeduse properties with retail, offices, and apartments all in one. If you are able to help your clients develop and manage a cohesive and creative signage program for their property, fabricate the signs and

THE REALITY IS THAT YOU PRODUCE CUSTOM-DESIGNED PRODUCTS REQUIRING EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT AND QUALITY MATERIALS. graphics that you have the capacity to produce, and then outsource the rest to your trusted wholesalers, you can enjoy years of profitable work from one property alone.

BY JOE ARENELLA

Conclusion To sum up, whether you believe it or not, you have what it takes to build the business you want.

So step back and take a breath. Then make some changes, test what works, and enjoy the fruits of your newfound success.

I leave you with these wise words of advice from David Bowie: “…If you feel safe in the area that you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in.

“Go a little bit out of your depth, and when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.”

Joe Arenella founded two sign shops before launching SignTracker, a software program that helps sign shop owners track their jobs, quote more consistently, and provide their team a birds-eye view into what’s going on in the shop. He also recently started the Facebook group and YouTube channel Behind the Signs, featuring resources and advice for sign shops.

3. Focus on quality vendor partnerships for growth. Another trend I am seeing in the sign industry is outsourcing, and there are several good reasons for this.

First off, it makes great business sense to find wholesalers that produce quality products. Partnering with them allows you to expand your product offering without having to expand your shop’s footprint. This will free you up to focus on systems and staff development for design, project management, and customer support.

Also, the landscape of retail development is changing, and you need to adapt to take advantage of these changes. signshop.com

December 2022

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HOW TO INVENTORY

BY JIM HINGST

Surviving the Next Recession

T

he economy is continually expanding and contracting. In fact, since the end of World War II, the United States has experienced a dozen recessions.

Whether you believe that we are in a recession or not, you can be sure of one thing: an economic downturn will come.

What’s important is that your business is prepared.

As Shakespeare expressed: “…if it be not now, yet it will come; the readiness is all.”

Effective Cash Management More than 80 percent of businesses fail not because their sales are unsatisfactory or their jobs unprofitable; rather, they have not appropriately controlled their cash flow.

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In a nutshell, a negative cash flow is when your company spends money faster than you can make it within a given period. The result is that you don’t have the funds to pay your bills on time; neither the banks nor your suppliers will extend you any credit. Ignominiously you go out of business—“not with a bang, but with a whimper.”

Effective cash flow management is an ongoing juggling exercise that balances money coming into your business with the flow of money leaving your business.

Knowing where you stand financially is critical when making decisions, such as investing in new equipment.

Assiduous maintenance and a weekly review of key financial reports will provide you with a clear picture of how your money is being spent and help you

December 2022

control spending. Accurate records also ensure that you are paying your bills on time so you don’t incur penalties.

Once you create these reports, updating them will not take much of your time if you do it weekly. Some of the key reports you may need include: Accounts payable. Review your payables every week, so you track how much cash is outgoing.

Rolling sales forecast. This forecast also helps track trends compared to your historical sales records.

Accounts receivable aging report.

If you extend credit to your customers, you need to develop and update an aging report for receivables. It lists outstanding signshop.com

Photo: Shutterstock.com/Andy Dean Photography.

“The readiness is all.”

HOW TO

INVENTORY

BY JIM HINGST

MORE THAN 80 PERCENT OF BUSINESSES FAIL NOT BECAUSE THEIR SALES ARE UNSATISFACTORY OR THEIR JOBS UNPROFITABLE; RATHER, THEY HAVE NOT CONTROLLED THEIR CASH FLOW.

receivables according to how long an invoice has been outstanding and the unpaid balance.

Cash flow forecast. This rolling forecast projects cash into the business from sales and loans as well as estimates for cash out of the business, which includes fixed operating expenses, loan repayments, and a computation for cost of sales (raw materials). You can build your annual cash flow forecasting model in Excel.

Deposits To improve your cash flow, get deposits on all orders (especially large ones) to cover your raw material, raw labor, and other direct expenses. Many shops require 50 percent down on all orders.

By offering flexible payment terms, you not only make it easier for customers to do business with you, but you also ensure faster payment if you need to extend credit. signshop.com

Improving Collections If you have extended credit to any of your customers, they are much less likely to pay promptly during challenging times. Prior to offering terms, always check the client’s credit rating and make sure that you explain your expectations on payment.

Send out invoices immediately after completing the job. This helps speed up collections. Another effective practice to accelerate payments is to offer an early payment discount.

At the time your customer gives you the approval for the order, take the time to review the terms of the sale. Do they understand the terms? Do they agree to them?

When working with a large customer, ask to whom the invoice should be sent (the person who signs the contract, or a specific person in Accounts Payable?).

In the customer’s file, note whether he or she has a history of paying late. Some people will hold on to invoices, especially during an economic slowdown, until you call them. Consider sending them a friendly reminder a week before payment is due, asking if they are satisfied with your work.

When you call, politely request the reason for the slow payment. Was there a problem with the order or the invoice?

What can you do to speed up the payment process?

If payment is delayed, your collections person needs to follow up, inquiring about the reason for the delay. Then get an agreement regarding when they promise to pay within a certain period. If the customer fails to keep his or her promises, follow up immediately!

Build Your Cash Reserves In a recession, the health of a company’s cash position is often precarious.

Cash position simply denotes how much cash your shop has on hand at any specific point in time. This comprises the current amount of money that you have in the bank as well as your receivables and any liquid assets that you can quickly turn into cash (if conditions require).

Securing Lines of Credit Prepare for the worst-case scenario before an economic downturn impacts your business.

In planning for the possibility of a cash shortage, you need to meet with the bankers where you have your company accounts because you already have a relationship there. Discuss the various lines of credit that are available to your business and the steps you need to take to qualify for additional lines of credit, and how much you can get. If you already have a line of credit with a bank, see if you can have the credit limit extended.

Investigate the advantages and disadvantages for each line of credit option.

These options could cover secured and unsecured business lines of credit, a home equity line of credit, credit cards, and checking line of credit. Secure these lines of credit before you need them.

Better Inventory Management Inventory management is especially important in a recession, because the more inventory you have, the more your cash is tied up. That’s cash that you may need in a crunch for financial obligations, such as

December 2022

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13

HOW TO INVENTORY

BY JIM HINGST

INVENTORY MANAGEMENT IS VERY IMPORTANT IN A RECESSION, BECAUSE THE MORE INVENTORY YOU HAVE, THE MORE YOUR CASH IS TIED UP. THAT’S CASH YOU MAY NEED IN A CRUNCH.

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paying building rent, making payroll, and so on.

It is always a sound business practice to reduce your stock of raw materials to the bare minimum. When you order material and supplies, make a resolute effort to order less but more frequently.

That’s the essence of a just-in-time inventory management strategy.

Of course, you still need a stock of the essentials; other than that, order materials and supplies to fulfill the needs of individual jobs. How to best manage your inventory is a conversation that you should have with your distributor.

By stocking a varied and ample range of raw materials and provid9:29 AM ing fast delivery, distributors can help shops reduce their inventory by carrying the inventory so you don’t need to, which helps free up your cash.

10/12/22

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December 2022

Protect your business base. If you apply the Pareto principle to your business, you might discover that 80 percent of your sales come from 20 percent of your customers.

Photo: Shutterstock.com/wavebreakmedia.

EdgeLight_Oct22.indd 1

Improvements in Operations Analyze the productivity of your shop.

One of the best ways to gauge efficiency is to compare actual costs on select jobs with the estimates.

Any discrepancies between estimated direct costs and actual can be a red flag for problems in costing or production. The same goes for variances in cycle time, scrap rate, and returns and allowances.

To quantify the efficiency of your shop, establish key performance indicators for all aspects of job production to correct deficiencies and save money.

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signshop.com

HOW TO

INVENTORY

If a group of key customers represents the bulk of your revenues, concentrate your sales efforts on keeping them happy. Institute a practice of calling these key accounts at least once a month, making sure that they are happy with your services. Better yet, meet with these customers face to face over a meal. If a customer is satisfied with the way you handle his account, do not be afraid to ask for a referral.

BY JIM HINGST

Probe for additional opportunities.

If you’re selling a customer fleet graphics, explore their other graphics needs— safety signage, aisle signage, banners, tradeshow graphics, etc.

Ask open-ended questions to allow them to talk about their needs and problems. Once they reveal their pain points, you have an opportunity to provide solutions that will end their difficulty and distress.

Costing and pricing. During an inflationary period, continually update your costing standards to adjust for increases in raw material and labor.

While you certainly do not want rising costs to erode your bottom line, in times of high inflation, you have an opportunity to test new pricing strategies, thereby increasing your profit margin.

If you have a reputation as the leading graphics company in your market, take the lead in gradually increasing your prices until you start to lose business. In many cases, as you raise your prices, your competitors will take notice and follow suit.

Try different approaches to closing deals. For example, you could offer to sell twenty-five sets of fleet markings for the fifty-set price, if the customer commits to buying the remaining twenty-five sets within a specified time period.

Explain to the customer that the smart money is that inflation is not transitory and prices are expected to rise. By committing to the additional graphics, the customer benefits by locking in the agreed-upon price.

Note: To read additional advice about this topic, visit signshop.com.

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EX PO

FEATURE NAME REPORT

BY SBI AUTHOR STAFF

PRINTING UNITED EXPO

REVIEW

Highlights from this year’s event.

Durst showed off numerous products in its portfolio including the North Amer16

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ican premier of its “superwide” Durst P5 500 roll-to-roll printer for production of flexible materials. An integrated roll support greatly simplifies media loading and changing. Rolls can be processed in single-, dual-, and triplemode—in dual-mode even asymmetrically. (https://bit.ly/3hM83Cd) Electronics For Imaging, Inc., announced that Ingram Express Services had installed the world’s first EFI™ VUTEk® XT hybrid flatbed/roll-to-roll display graphics printer at their facility in Nashville, Tennessee to address a growing demand for highervolume rigid substrate work. The new VUTEk XT printer is built on an entirely new platform and produces litho-like image quality to help sign and display graphics providers expand their applications. (bit.ly/3fWrrM6) Epson hosted the “Seventy 5 Café,” a pop-up coffee stand where visitors enjoyed a free gourmet coffee drink while viewing real-world applications—menus, mugs, branded t-shirts, etc.—produced with Epson technology. The Sure-

December 2022

Color® F6470 and SureColor F6470H 44-inch wide format dye-sublimation printers also debuted at their booth. (bit.ly/3WTegfw) Gilman Brothers Company, in collaboration with Zünd America, Inc., rocked out with a show-stopping, 10-by-30-foot rockand-roll stage booth put together by T3 Expo of Lakeville Massachusetts and filled with electric guitars, amplifiers, drums, and giant guitar picks made entirely from Resilient® Soft Touch Graphic Board, INFINITY® Styrene Faced Foamboard, and EAGLECELL™ All Paper Graphics Board. The companies also hosted an exciting, invitation-only rock concert event featuring veteran musicians from the bands Whitesnake, Slaughter, Starship, and Survivor that doubled as an informal setting for industry partners to network. (bit.ly/3fZ2waI) HP promoted two announcements. The first introduced their new 126-inch-wide HP Latex 2700 series printers featuring new, vivid white inks and automatic ink recirculation. All devices in the Latex signshop.com

All Photos: (Clockwise) HP; Durst,MiVo Creations, and Orbus-EFI.

P

RINTING United Expo took place October 19-21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. After a couple of pandemic-related virtual gatherings, this was the first inperson edition held since 2019. Tens of thousands of attendees walked the aisles over the three days, taking in the latest print technology has to offer.

At one press conference, Benny Landa, founder of manufacturer Landa Digital Printing, identified trends impacting PSPs (automation, sustainability, software and cloud-based solutions, AR/VR, and ongoing analog-to-digital conversion) while pointing out current obstacles (global supply chain challenges, labor shortages, inflation, energy, and the war in Ukraine).

Talking with exhibitors, we noticed convergence remains a big selling point; however it seemed textured printing and soft signage were heavily promoted too.

Other notes of interest that caught our attention on the show floor included:

EX PO

2700 series run on fourth-generation HP Latex ink that allows PSPs to embrace jobs in even the most sensitive environments. Meanwhile PSPs can now choose between two different HP Professional Print Service Plans—Basic and Plus—with each containing a portfolio of service and software solutions tailored to their business needs. (bit.ly/3EpN7ty) Kornit showed off their Kornit Atlas MAX for high-quality mass customization and previewed the Kornit Appollo platform for highly automated, digital mass production on demand. “Be the Change!” The company also touted their second-annual Impact Report, showing their commitment to climate action, waste management, green chemistry, and diversity in the workplace (noting an increase in women in management from 30 to 55 percent in 2021). (bit.ly/3EysAmB) LexJet, an S-One Holdings Company, has entered into a strategic partnership with Mimaki USA to improve customer efficiency. They will now be signshop.com

carrying a full line of Mimaki printers and consumables (including the two 330 series flagship models—the JV330-130/-160 and CJV330-130/-160). (bit.ly/3Uuz2kd) Nazdar highlighted the G7 color control methodology that achieves color similarity across all print processes. The G7 method balances the four primary CMYK process printing colors and their three RGB overprints (representing the “7” in G7) to achieve neutral grey within a raster image. (bit.ly/3UPpzUh) Orbus Exhibit & Display Group® recently selected the EFI™ VUTEk® FabriVu® 340+ soft signage printer to meet surging demand for dye-sublimation soft signage graphics. The new printer, now running at their Las Vegas facility, is also the 300th EFI VUTEk FabriVU printer installed worldwide. EFI and Orbus executives celebrated with a ceremony on the show floor. (bit.ly/3fVlnn6) Roland DGA gave attendees a firsthand look at their recently launched VersaUV

LEC2 S-Series flatbeds and belt-driven hybrid models. The new thirty-inch and sixty-four-inch belt-driven hybrids use a conveyer belt to transport substrates along the bed to a stationary gantry, enabling them to print not only on flexible and rigid materials but also on roll media for maximum versatility. The company also marked the selling of its 10,000th VersaSTUDIO BN-20 desktop printer/ cutter to Mi-Vo Creations of Las Vegas by presenting owners Bogard Perez and his fiancée with a commemorative plaque and complimentary gifts. They are starting an online store that will offer a selection of customized stickers. (bit.ly/3tnTdEE) Vycom® promoted its ability to custommanufacture its comprehensive line of Celtec® premium signboard solutions to incorporate user-specified colors and sizes. The company also collected printed and unprinted rigid PVC and acrylic sheets from select exhibitors for a pilot version of their recycling program to turn into internal products. (bit.ly/3NZId9F)

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FEATURE SIGN PROGRAM NAME

BY JEFF AUTHOR WOOTEN

Harbinger Sign builds up branding for new gastrointestinal facility.

B

orland Groover is Florida’s largest gastroenterology clinic, serving over 100,000 patients each year. Headquartered in Jacksonville, this health organization has eighteen locations across the state—stretching from Port Orange to Fernandina Beach—and is still actively growing.

The Borland Groover St. Augustine Endoscopy Center is one example of this expansion. This seven-story gastrointestinal facility opened earlier this year and is reflective of executives’ directions to move away from being part of a behemoth hospital system and instead toward a standalone, devoted building or campus. At this new facility, Borland Groover exclusively provides upfront diagnosis, consultation, and surgical capabilities.

The new St. Augustine location also hosts a bevy of complementary exterior and interior signage solutions. Borland Groover had earlier worked with a design agency to retool their overall

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branding and marketing initiatives, and its officials deemed it “top priority” to mold this branding into a new signage program here.

Harbinger Sign, a full-service sign company also based in Jacksonville, completed the comprehensive sign program for the new Borland Groover St. Augustine Endoscopy Center this past spring.

Ed Busey is vice president of Business Development at Harbinger Sign, and one of his professional contacts with ties to Borland Groover introduced him to leadership to discuss signage ideas. “They wanted implicit trust that they were dealing with an expert,” recalls Busey.

The agreed-upon goal was to combine the newly designed branding program through signage to reflect Borland Groover’s architecture, interior design, fittings, and furnishings.

Harbinger Sign designed, fabricated and installed multiple sign types—including outdoor wall signs, a ground identity

December 2022

sign, an interior lobby sign, and assorted small canopy and directional signs.

Look closely at the redesigned circular logo and you’ll probably notice that it subtly incorporates intestines that act as a divider between the calming blue and gray color schemes. The ad agency designed this as intentionally minimalist, an effective suggestion of Borland Groover’s specialty without being obtrusive about it.

Harbinger Sign employed the specialist’s hues into their signage and typography for a seamless look. “But, first and foremost, these signs had to be functional in nature,” says Busey.

Harbinger Sign is adamant about blurring the lines over the role of a traditional sign-providing partner when it comes to capabilities and services. Their focus here was on helping tell the Borland Groover brand story to both patients and staff.

“We always ask clients to tell us how we can help tell their story outside the traditional realm of channel letters and ADA signshop.com

All Photos: Harbinger Sign.

EASY TO DIGEST RECAP

Freshly designed branding has been incorporated into the signage for the new St. Augustine facility—including exterior-mounted reverse channel logo signs, an LED-illuminated architectural ground sign, and a halo-lit interior lobby sign.

signs,” explains Busey. “I’m excited to work on aspirational, high-level goals that are far beyond just putting up a postage stamp of one’s logo onto a building.”

When Harbinger Sign started this project, construction on the new St. Augustine facility was nearly 30 percent complete, which meant construction crews were already on-site while the finished building’s appearance was consigned to technical drawings.

Harbinger Sign conducted multiple site surveys, with Busey emphasizing the word “multiple!”

Busey and Harbinger Sign’s field superintendents, designers, and installation managers met on-site with the senior construction team and facilities management team, as well as the general contractor, to determine best practices for signage placement, scale, size, attachments, and electrical accessibilities. signshop.com

Harbinger Sign created two reverse channel logo signs for placement atop the building. One roosts above the front entrance and the other is perpendicular on the side and accompanied by channel letters. Both are populated with internally illuminated white LEDs. The sign company CNC-routed the Borland Groover emblem faces and returns from solid aluminum, welded them together, and then attached them to a Plexiglas backing panel. They then studmounted and epoxy-fixed the circular signs to the new building as soon as that section was completed.

Borland Groover officials specifically asked Harbinger Sign to develop the fincapped, angular, illuminated architectural ground sign to be harmonious with the brand and the architecture.

The fin element of the sign matches the portico located at the entrance to the

facility, and its trapezoid shape reflects the building’s architecture from certain vantage points. The blue and gray paint on the sign matches the building exterior.

Blue LED border lighting elements fit in nicely with the branding.

This vertical, angular steel cabinet sign can be considered three pieces.

“You have the central cabinet,” explains Busey. “Then you’ve got some in-depth push-thru illuminated faces that attach to each side of it to scallop or wrap that fin element. It appears nice even when not illuminated.”

Its installation involved digging subterranean-engineered footing and then using a bucket truck and crane to guide the heavy steel pieces into place.

Harbinger Sign fabricated the interior lobby sign as a two-piece logo with string module blue LEDs strategically placed along its curves for halo illumination.

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The architectural ground sign complements the building even when unlit.

Harbinger Sign provided small front canopy lettering indicating patient drop-offs and pick-ups, while directional/wayfinding signs on the property help navigate and circulate traffic (whether pedestrian or vehicular). “They make sure the right entrance and exits are being observed, or if a particular street is ‘Ambulance Only’ accessibility,” explains Busey.

When Harbinger Sign was awarded the job, they had to ramp up their completion schedule. Borland Groover had planned a hard grand opening event on a specific date with staff, team members, and invited health-care providers coming in from all over the country.

While there wasn’t a need for breakneck speed or manic panic on the part of Harbinger Sign, Busey admits crossing the finish line using this timeline was a bit challenging. They had to make introduc-

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tions, develop designs, and go through the St. Johns County permit process (which took thirty days) before they could even begin fabrication, let alone installation.

“Harbinger Sign was an excellent partner that worked with us to execute our vision,” said Melanie Wood, director of Facilities at Borland Groover, in a press release. “The end-result was a sign program of exceptional craftsmanship delivered with professional expertise.”

In fact, Borland Groover is working with Harbinger Sign on three brand-new facilities in North Florida. “What you see deployed at the St. Augustine location has essentially become their go-to exterior signage program at other locations,” says Busey. “I appreciate a client who puts that investment into their partners like Borland Groover has for us.”

“Our partnership with Borland Groover on this exciting project is an ex-

December 2022

cellent example of how dynamic signage can boost the patient experience while building brand awareness,” added Steve Williams, CEO of Harbinger Sign, in a press release.

Mike Lev, vice president of Industry Relations and Innovation at Harbinger Sign, says that the health sector dynamic, as it relates to signage, can be very fastpaced and timely, noting that a vast array of value-added partners, product manufacturers, and seasoned team members has allowed his company to maintain a competitive edge and strong presence in this field. “[These clients] are most interested in using signage that complements or stays consistent with their brand and the overall design of their campus or facility,” he states. “This might include stone veneer bases, architectural columns, and wood elements on pylon/monument signs/wayfinding.”

Busey says that, over the past decade, while branding and architecture have increased their role in the health-care sector, psychology and social and spiritual aspects play a role in sign design not only for patients, but also the staff and healthcare teams working there.

“It goes into comfort and anxiety reduction and what kind of positive emotions that design and signage can actually do for a patient, a team worker, and a health-care provider,” he explains.

“There are countless studies that show the positive equity and effect that this signage has on people.”

Note: Some portions of this article appeared in a press release.

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CNC ROUTER FORECAST: DIGITAL SIGNS

BY JEFF BRADWOOTEN BURNETT

Looking ahead— and back—to this dynamic field.

A

ccording to prior market research, digital signage is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.6 percent from 2021 to 2026. The coming year puts us smackdab in the middle of that forecast.

Some factors cited driving this growth and acceptance include an increase in commercial applications, ongoing technological advances with displays, and interest in 4K (and even 8K potential).

Sign Builder Illustrated spoke with Deacon Wardlow, continuous improvement manager at Vantage LED in Ontario, California, to get his viewpoints on where sign shops should expect the digital signage market to be headed in 2023 when 22

Sign Builder Illustrated

it comes to communities and cityscapes.

Education. Wardlow mentions that one of this year’s big stories continuing into 2023 is education versus marketing push. “Marketing push creates demand, but a push without education creates problems,” he says.

One problematic example he cites of this is in the area of tighter pixel pitch that the market has shifted toward over the last two years—more specifically, is more always better?

“This year, a big focus on interior highresolution systems is present, and the impression given to the market is that tighter pixel pitch is a ‘new technology’ and a better way to go,” explains Wardlow, noting that a recent planning committee meeting in Orlando discussed recommending 6mm as the “standard LED pixel pitch required for all displays in the city.”

Wardlow says that pixel pitch is ideally determined based on a number of factors.

December 2022

“The simplest method of the ideal pixel pitch is average viewing distance divided by ten,” he explains. “Display size and content can come into play. Typically a tight pixel pitch (like 6mm) is only recommended with a large number of pedestrian traffic viewers and close viewing (like an open-air shopping plaza or location where traffic is within sixty feet of the display and holding due to traffic signal or other holds that increase viewing time).

“The impression a single tighter pitch is always the solution leads to misunderstandings and buyers getting a highdefinition display that costs them more money, but not getting the full benefit of that higher resolution.”

Adoption. Wardlow feels that we are likely sliding hard into a recession, which means that people will be tighter with spending. But he doesn’t believe that signage will take a hit, as businesses signshop.com

All Photos: Vantage LED.

2023 PREVIEW: DIGITAL SIGNAGE

need to stand out even more than before.

“Digital helps organizations communicate directly with the market and showcase their unique selling points,” he says.

“Increasingly, convenience stores will be including ‘fresh meal options,’ quickservice restaurants will have smaller footprints with a focus on drive-thru, and businesses will be focusing on quality/ value presentation. All of this is served by digital signage—but people overlook the flow of a digital program.

“An outdoor LED is the calling point to get people’s attention; interior HD digital is the ‘closer,’ hitting on value and primary sales targets. There’s an increasing trend in the market to personalize, and when a company can deliver a comprehensive, planned program that allows for more engagement (and personalization showcasing the organization), they’ll better meet the needs of the market.”

Another discussion you will probably see more in 2023 is the use of digital sig-

nage as art versus business. “Why can’t they be both?” asks Wardlow.

Systems. Wardlow says that a shift in technology will be long-term, as LED has gone from DIP (Dual In-line Packaged, a.k.a. “oval” LEDs) to SMD (Surface Mount Diodes) to COB (Chip on Board). “Laser and other digital options will start to take a forefront position with this technology,” he states.

In the short term, Wardlow believes that the details of a system will become more important to end-users.

“In a market that appears to be increasingly commoditized, there are big differences in manufacturing, materials, and support/development,” he says. “These differences aren’t immediately apparent with many displays. A high-resolution display looks beautiful when it first goes up. The better materials, manufacturing, and build show out over time.

“This makes a difference between a very satisfied long-term customer with a

display that looks great over several years versus a one-shot client who’ll be spreading the word on a poorly performing system that failed to operate well after a couple of years.”

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December 2022

Sign Builder Illustrated

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FEATURE NAME FLATBED PRINTING

BY JEFF AUTHOR WOOTEN

BUSINESS IS

FLATBED Reimagines is able to create higher-end corporate gifts like custom Moleskine notebooks.

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December 2022

signshop.com

Photos: Reimagines.

B

ack when she was teaching high school business classes, Elizabeth Schroer would often ask her students, “What would your business be?” One day, after creating enlarged “bitmojis” to decorate her mom’s classroom, she asked herself that very same question.

Encouraged by similar requests from friends and colleagues for the personalized décor that she was creating at the school, her answer was Reimagines, a shop she currently owns and operates in her hometown of Somerset, Kentucky.

Reimagines produces and sells decals, posters, wall and window graphics, and most notably, one-of-a-kind items designed by local artists that are customprinted onto different products.

“The personalized goods market is huge,” says Schroer. “Everyone wants something with their name on it or something that represents them.”

Reimagines actually started back in 2019 on Schroer’s dining room table but today is located in a standalone building in the downtown area. The business has expanded to e-commerce, as Schroer has shipped to all fifty states and seventeen countries!

Schroer eventually purchased a Roland DG TrueVIS VG2-540 printer/cutter to keep up with full-color production needs (cling, removable vinyl, banner vinyl, canvas, etc.). She also uses a heat press to handle apparel projects and heat transfers.

A majority of Reimagines’s work is customization. Because Schroer wanted to further enhance her business’s offerings by printing directly onto the substrate, she added a Roland DG VersaUV LEF2300D flatbed UV printer to her production floor. She opted for the deep printing model (printing onto materials as much as 7.87 inches thick), which expands the variety of products she can print onto.

Inks are important for Schroer’s business, because the color and image quality of whatever she prints have to be excellent. “The UV-LED flatbed lays down ink just like my eco-solvent wide format printer but cures it immediately,” she says. “I can also add a gloss or matte finish on top and highlight certain areas with a texture, which creates a three-dimensional look and feel.”

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The Reimagines website sports a design request page (including pre-done designs), allowing people to let Schroer know what they’d like her to produce.

Since Schroer began her career selling directly to teachers and parents, her business has found a niche creating custom decals out of static cling material for classroom doors and windows. “I also offer customized whiteboard clings to help teachers organize the day for their students,” she says.

Schroer says that parents are a big

The art of building a custom print business. market for customized products. She has found these types of clients want to have a fully personalized experience for their children when it comes to parties, gifts, and school.

With this in mind, Schroer started using her flatbed printer to produce custom OmieBox Bento boxes (sustainable lunchboxes), adding the child’s name and having the customer select the clip art and colors to use. “It’s a refreshing change from the cookie-cutter ‘sameness’ of many popular themed products,” she says.

Another niche Schroer has jumped into with her flatbed involves creating higher-end corporate gifts like Moleskine notebooks customized with the company’s logo, an employee’s name, or both. She recently produced customized Moleskine notebooks for the local Chamber of Commerce, which purchased them for board members.

In fact, Schroer benefits in this area by having a partnership with the Moleskine notebook producers. “My corporate clients are always looking for personalized gifts,” says Schroer. “Promotional products can be cheap and disposable, but if you print a name on it and it’s a good brand, then you’re providing a highquality alternative and a thoughtful and

unique gift.”

One customer recently approached Schroer to add a Proof of Concept, a logo, and instructional arrows to a 3D-printed prototype of an invention they were looking to create. She loaded the 3D-printed piece onto her flatbed table and quickly fulfilled this request.

Schroer added an all-metal Rotary Rack accessory to her UV flatbed printer a few months ago in order to print onto round substrates, which has excited her customer base even more.

“Since I started doing lunchboxes, people started wanting matching water bottles. Things just went from there into gift giving,” says Schroer. “I get a lot of customers shopping for gifts, so being able to print onto a round substrate really opens you up to a lot more options for them.”

With the rotary rack, she prints custom designs on bourbon bottles for a family keepsake, as well as on candle tins and glass vessels for Somerset Candle Company. The latter is a perfect example of how she is combining her UV flatbed printer and rotary rack capabilities.

“Somerset Candle has these tins that they are creating specifically for wedding gifts and bridal showers,” says Schroer.

“I employ a two-part process for those.

“I use the all-metal rotary rack to print on the sides of the tin, going all the way around it. I then align the lid onto the table of my flatbed and print directly onto it.”

Schroer is a self-taught designer, so it makes sense that she has found success incorporating the works of local artists into her wares. She has created an arrangement with these artists that provides them with commissions, while she handles marketing, sales, and production.

“Artists generally have many pieces of work that they’ve created over the years– but they may not be able to take their art as far as it could go,” she says. “Their work keeps my design collections fresh.

I can apply their art directly to canvases, stickers, personalized notebooks, Tshirts, and other items.”

Right now, Reimagines is just Schroer. Well, that’s not exactly accurate. She does bring her one-year-old son to work with her and has even custom flatbed-

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25

printed items for his on-site playroom that double as showcase pieces to potential customers.

Schroer attracts customers to her shop by placing her biggest machine (the VG2-540) in the front near the window where downtown pedestrians and motorists are able to view her work.

“When it’s printing, people can see it in action,” she says, “which catches a lot of attention and lets them know the different things I can make.”

Schroer says educating the public in the art and technology of her flatbed printer has proven pretty organic. She uploads videos showing her UV flatbed in action, demonstrating the different things that can be printed using it.

“You tell people that you can print onto wood, leather, plastic, and lots of other materials,” she says, “and it gets them thinking.”

—Additional content for this article provided by Ginny Mumm.

Schroer uses her flatbed printer to produce customized OmieBox Bento boxes.

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December 2022

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ILLUSTRATED

Interested in digital signage but don't know where to start?

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SBI Dynamic Digital is a “how-to” guide to digital signage, including: • A close look at new products and services providing digital signage solutions.

• Case studies of sign shops successfully selling and installing digital signs, including which products and services were used.

• Insights from digital signage experts on what you can do to capitalize on this fast-growing market segment.

• Advice on how to fully leverage your existing assets and expertise to retain and attract clients seeking digital signage solutions.

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FEATUREPRINTING DIGITAL NAME

BY JEFF AUTHOR WOOTEN

2023 PREVIEW:

What to expect— and prepare for— with inkjet printing.

C.J. Forker.

Timothy Mitchell.

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T

imothy Mitchell, senior director of Print Technology at S-One, has been a key influencer in the digital printing community for thirty years now, and he believes the hot trend concerning this field going into 2023 is direct-to-film printing—but with reservations.

Mitchell understands why DTF technology is popular (it competes well with direct-to-garment and simplifies the process by removing some pre-treatment obstacles), but he warns that major endto-end manufacturers are not directing this process at the moment.

It is instead being “Frankensteined” by companies out of China and (to a lesser extent) Korea using third-party inks and parts—companies he predicts probably aren’t “going to be in business” a year from now. “I’m not going to sell any ink or powder that doesn’t have a safety data sheet and an understanding of the risks,” says Mitchell.

December 2022

White ink for these printers is another issue. “These inks have issues of habitually clogging,” he states, “so you need to use a good circulation system that won’t damage your printheads or ink lines, resulting in a major repair bill.”

Mitchell currently labels DTF technology as the territory of “bleeding-edge beta testers,” which he and his company are not. “But if someone can figure out the details—the inks, the white circulation, reliable printheads, the powder, the process, etc.—then we would be very interested,” he says.

Still Mitchell finds DTF a sound idea and something worth looking at in the future. “A lot of those details just have to get worked out and vetted first,” he states.

Another area worth taking note is the development of Silicone Edge Graphics in large format jobs. “It’s just too appealing and easy to do,” says Mitchell.

Mitchell is also keeping a watch on development of dye sublimation signshop.com

Photos: (Top) Mimaki USA, (Left) S-One Holdings Corp.

PRINTING & GRAPHICS

technology that hits the deep black and allows users to print directly to backlit and multiple other hard surfaces.

C.J. Forker, vice president of sales at LexJet, feels efficiency will be a big focus in 2023. “Given current inflationary pressures, removing a step in the printing process, making things easier, and increasing throughput are important factors that can lead to improvements in the bottom line,” he explains.

“Green” and “sustainability” continue to be hotly discussed in relation to graphics media.

However Mitchell advises PSPs against using “inferior” materials with higher prices just to “save the planet” on their own accord. He mentions the Holy Grail of Sustainability being manufacturers finally providing a green product within a price point that performs as well as the original product being replaced. “Whoever can deliver this is going to be leading the sustainable green path moving forward,” says Mitchell.

Forker believes sustainability will move more and more throughout the customer base in 2023, as they see eco-friendly solutions being driven through marketing campaigns by major brands. “As larger companies advertise it, that messaging gets in front of the everyday consumer,” he remarks. “Then when those consumers need graphics and come their local printer requesting sustainable solutions, you’ll see greater overall demand.”

Customization and décor will continue to be huge trends—especially wall coverings and customization of living spaces and work environments. Since many corporations are in flux with their real estate, Mitchell suggests focusing on residential clients, especially since home-based businesses appear to be sticking around for the foreseeable future.

For example, Mitchell printed custom privacy screens featuring Japanese imagery and installed them at his home using Ultraflex Block Out double-sided liner mesh and Banner Ups. “Custom back-

drops hung up in home offices are replacing virtual backgrounds,” he says, “and people want them to look right.”

As for new job opportunities, Mitchell says a shift of removing COVID-related directional signage off floors and walls is happening. “If your company is familiar with adhesive sign removal, you should consider this market,” he advises, “as businesses further pare back on this type of signage in 2023.”

And Forker says that, while supply chain issues during COVID have proven problematic across the board for lots of industry segments, he feels things are in good shape now—mostly.

“Lead times, especially when you get into equipment, can still be challenging, because you have a lot of components and chips in there that haven’t quite ironed themselves out,” he comments. “But, by and large, things are much better than where they were. You just have to plan accordingly and have great communication with your partners and vendors.”

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO MANAGE A SUCCESSFUL SIGN BUSINESS To run a successful sign shop, you need to run a successful business. Sign Builder Illustrated can help. Not only do we focus on the work you do on the shop floor, but we also focus on the work you do to improve the success and wellbeing of you and your team.

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SIGN BUILDER’S

BUYER’S GUIDE

Your Direct Source for Products & Services Get access to vital product and service information from manufacturers and distributors by visiting www.signbuilderdirectory.com.

COMPANY

URL

Duxbury Systems Inc.

www.duxburysystems.com

PAGE 30

EdgeLight LLC/EdgeMax LLC

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Epilog Laser

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Laminators Inc.

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LMT Onsrud LP

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SDS Automation

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Signs365.com

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C4

Sign Tracker

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SinaLite

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Southern Stud Weld

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Stamm Mfg.

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ThinkSign

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C2

WatchFire Signs

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Wilkie Mfg., LLC

www.wilkiemfg.com

C3

YardSignsReseller.com

www.yardsignsresellers.com

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5

3

9

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COMPANIES IN SIGN SHOW Daktronics

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Mimaki USA

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SA International

www.thinksai.com

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3. Request info about advertisers & products

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WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED Sign Builder Illustrated’s newsletters keep you up-to-date with timely news, industry trends and “how-to” articles on every aspect of the sign industry.

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December 2022

Sign Builder Illustrated

31

SBI OPERATIONS

BY DAVID HICKEY, VP OF GOV’T. AFFAIRS, ISA

Disaster Plans

When things are darkest, signs prove brightest.

I

n our industry, we know the value of signs. In good times, signage drives customers into new businesses or showcases new features at favorite locations. But it may be in the midst of a difficult time—pandemic, weather event, or economic downturn—that signs speak the loudest.

This mindset has been reinforced time and again over the past few years.

In 2020, soon after the pandemic and related shutdowns began, ISA was able to persuade the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to classify signs and graphics companies as “critical infrastructure.” This proved that signage and graphics are vitally important in communicating messages during uncertain and difficult times.

In recent natural disasters, we’ve only seen that reinforced even further.

Visible and effective signage is critical. Government-operated digital signs provide vital information in a confusing time, alerting everyone to hazardous conditions or providing up-to-date information as situations change.

Signs used by private establishments (like businesses and churches) also can provide useful news about services and resources available. Iconic signs that survive relatively unscathed can boost morale or provide a community touchpoint if destroyed.

When signs are damaged, it becomes important that they are repaired quickly. Without a sign, that business is no longer able to tell the community that it is open or that it is even at the location.

This lack of branding and visibility can cost the established business customers and threaten its very existence.

Sign Builder Illustrated Magazine (Print ISSN 895-0555, Digital ISSN 21614709) (USPS#0015-805) (Canada Post Cust. #7204564; Agreement #40612608; IMEX Po Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Canada) is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, 1809 Capitol Avenue, Omaha, NE 68102.​ Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at Omaha, NE. An additional mailing offices.

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Pricing, Qualified individual working in the sign industry may request a free subscription. Non-qualified subscriptions Print version, Digital version, Both Print & Digital versions: 1 year US/Canada/Mexico $50.00; foreign $99.00. Single Copies are $15.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid

For Subscriptions & address changes, Please call (402) 346-4740, Fax (847) 291-4816, e-mail signbuilder@omeda.com, or write to: Sign Builder Illustrated, Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, PO Box 239, Lincolnshire IL 60069-0239 USA.

32

Sign Builder Illustrated

COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2022.

All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission.

For reprint information, contact: Gary Lynch, Publisher (212) 620-7247 or glynch@sbpub.com.

December 2022

Studies show that more than 40 percent of small businesses close permanently after a disaster. Among the businesses that reopen, another 25 percent fail within a year.

Obviously it’s hard enough for a small business to survive in the aftermath of a natural disaster, which is why it is critical that local governments have laws in place that enable affected businesses to repair their damaged signage.

The last thing a small business that is reeling from a natural disaster needs is lengthy, costly, and unfair sign permitting requirements.

It is imperative that repairs to sign faces, illumination, and sign structures should be allowed so that the sign can be restored to its pre-disaster appearance without triggering any non-conforming requirements.

Far too often, these signs that were once grandfathered in to changing regulations are expected to meet new—and often costly—changes. These changes likely aren’t covered by insurance, meaning the business owner now needs to come up with more cash out of pocket to meet the new standards. It is no wonder that so many small businesses do not survive.

ISA’s Advocacy team works with local officials in key states that are most affected by natural disasters to help them understand the importance of allowing small businesses to replace signs without costly changes. But more work still needs to be done.

We’ve long said that signs mean businesses. In the midst of a disaster, this becomes even more vital in helping communities rebuild.

If you work in a community affected by a natural disaster and need ISA’s help in conveying this message to local officials, reach out to me at David.Hickey@signs.org.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sign Builder Illustrated, PO Box 239, Lincolnshire IL 60069-0239 USA. Instructional information provided in this magazine should only be performed by skilled craftspeople with the proper equipment. The publisher and authors of information provided herein advise all readers to exercise care when engaging in any of the how-to activities published in the magazine. Further, the publisher and authors assume no liability for damages or injuries resulting from projects contained herein.

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All Photos: Shutterstock.com/solarseven.

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