WINDOW GRAPHICS BRING BABYLON TO LIFE

RICHMOND, VA Babylon, a major motion picture about the early days of Hollywood movie making starring A-listers Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and Tobey Maguire, opened in theaters this past December. Movie-goers visiting the multi-screen AMC The Grove in Los Angeles that month were also treated to a set of giant window graphics that had been installed there to celebrate the launch of the star-studded film.

This promotion began when National Installations, a full-service labor and project management specialist, and Olson Visual, a global provider of visual marketing stunts, approached Applied Graphics & Signs also of Los Angeles to project manage and install the eye-catching graphics.

Servicing Southern California and Chicago, Applied Graphics & Signs specializes in architectural resurfacing, wide format installations, decorative window films, and hardware mounted signage, working with partners across the retail and corporate sectors to produce a host of striking graphics.

So it really shouldn’t prove any kind of spoiler to let you know that the company was expertly knowledgeable about what needed to be done here to pull off this movie-magic-on-print campaign.

With image quality and reliable adhesion both of paramount importance, Olson Visual opted to use Drytac SpotOn Clear Gloss media purchased from Epic Distribution. “Drytac SpotOn was chosen for this short-term application [because] it can be easily repositioned in tight obstructed areas,” said Applied Graphics & Signs President Fadi Ballut.

The application space for the graphics was 559-inches-wide-by-220-incheshigh. This required fifty-four panels to be trimmed so they could fit each glass panel of the cinema’s giant front-facing windows.

Applied Graphics & Signs flood coated the Drytac SpotOn Clear Gloss media with white for opacity to produce this set of window graphics so that they could attract even more attention.

The graphics, which included large-scale images of some of the film’s leading names, were printed onto the media using a Durst Rho 512R five-meter roll-to-roll UV-Curable machine.

The customer ended up being delighted with the final application. “[AMC The Grove] was ecstatic with the results of our production partners and installation team,” concludes Fadi.

Catherine Monson, CEO of Propelled Brands, who has served as CEO and president of FASTSIGNS International since January 2009, knew it was time for a president solely devoted to FASTSIGNS who could continue to drive innovation and growth for its franchisees.

“It has been a true joy to be the dedicated executive focused on the FASTSIGNS brand for over thirteen years,” says Monson. “[Hohermuth’s] franchising knowledge and experience, strong leadership skills, broad skillset, and technology background–along with her passion and drive–make her ideal to continue to grow the FASTSIGNS network.”

Hohermuth met with franchisees and spoke about her vision for 2023 from the main stage at the FASTSIGNS International Convention held in Las Vegas in January.

DYE SUBLIMATION EQUIPMENT/ SUPPLIES

Epson is Now Shipping New Dye-sublimation Printers

Epson's new forty-four-inch

SureColor® F6470 and SureColor F6470H dye-sublimation printers are available through authorized Epson Professional Imaging resellers. Four-color SureColor F6470 and six-color SureColor F6470H are designed to maximize productivity by quickly and efficiently producing high-quality images that are ideal for promotional products, apparel, home décor, soft signage, and more. SureColor F6470 and SureColor F6470H leverage an innovative PrecisionCore® MicroTFP printhead and produce high-speed, high-quality transfer images. The SureColor F6470H allows for multiple ink configurations—

CMYK plus either Light Cyan/Light Magenta, Fluorescent Pink/Fluorescent Yellow, or Orange/Violet—making it an ideal solution to meet specific brand colors requirements for corporate clients and designers. Both models also feature an integrated ink pack system utilizing 1.6-liter UltraChrome® DS Ink packs that allow the printers to continuously deliver rich color saturation and contrast. Additional features include a touchscreen control panel, a built-in cutter, and a take-up reel system. epson.com/dyesub

WAYFINDING/ IDENTITY SIGNAGE

On the Path: New Planning Guide for Parks and Trail Signage

Responding to the growing specialty field of trail sign design, the Sign Research Foundation (SRF) has released a new guide to drive innovation, funding, and maintenance processes in this field. Trail Sign Manual: A Planning Guide for Parks and Trail Signage is now available for download on the SRF website. This manual grew out of SRF’s popular Urban Wayfinding Planning and Implementation Manual, initially published in 2013 and updated in 2020. While working on the updated version, it became clear that trail wayfinding was another area ripe for growth yet one without guidance (particularly specific durability, maintenance, and management issues particular to park projects). The Trail Sign Manual is the first piece of its kind, exploring the latest trends in trail signage, financing and development, and management and maintenance. An included case study explores the successes of the Empire State Trail in New York. signresearch.org/trail-sign-manual

DIGITAL PRINTING EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES

Experience Astonishing Productivity with MUTOH's New Eco-solvent Printer

The new sixty-four-inch XPJ-1682SR Pro eco-solvent printer is powered by MUTOH’s award-winning VerteLith™ Genuine RIP Software bundled with FlexiDESIGNER MUTOH Edition 21. Dropmaster 2 automatically calibrates bi-directional alignments, saving time and reducing adjustment variations among printer operators. The Feed Master sensor allows for automatic media feed adjustments. Nozzle Area Select will reduce downtime by allowing you to temporarily turn off clogged print nozzle blocks and select active nozzle blocks for printing. (Note: Pairing this feature with the optional Automatic Nozzle Detection Unit will allow you to achieve seamless print jobs.) Media Tracker prints a barcode prior to removing media. When specified media is loaded again, a built-in sensor reads the barcode and recognizes the remaining media, providing valuable information about whether you have enough left for any given job. New four-stage head height adjustment allows for printing a wide range of media, while multi-stage pressure rollers optimize print feed on various media. The XPJ-1682SR Pro eco-solvent printer also utilizes a new set of print effects known as i-screen, created from MUTOH’s Intelligent Interweave printing technology, that greatly reduces banding for smoother print images. mutoh.com

DIGITAL PRINTING EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES

Six New Inkjets Join the Best-selling TrueVIS Product Line

Roland DGA Corporation has announced a major expansion of its best-selling TrueVIS™ line, with six new and innovative inkjets joining the product family. The newly launched models include the AP-640 resin printer, the LG-640/540/300 highproductivity UV printer/cutters, and the value-packed MG-640/300 UV printer/cutters—all offering unsurpassed TrueVIS quality, reliability, and performance. These new additions complement the four incredibly popular TrueVIS eco-solvent models—the VG3 and SG3 series printer/cutters—that were introduced last year. The TrueVIS family now includes models that use three different ink types (resin, UV, and eco-solvent) with each type offering the same outstanding productivity and unmatched reliability that has become synonymous with the TrueVIS brand. All TrueVIS inkjets share a sleek industrial design, durable construction, and state-of-the-art user features that maximize efficiency and convenience. Like the TrueVIS VG3 and SG3 eco-solvent printer/cutters, the new AP-640 resin printer and LG Series UV printer/cutters are equipped with seven-inch touchscreen control panels that make operation easier than ever. All TrueVIS inkjets include powerful, intuitive VersaWorks® 6 RIP software that incorporates HARLEQUIN RIP dual-core operation for even faster handling of complex files with drop shadows and transparencies, advanced nesting, variable data, and color profiling tools, plus a host of additional features that help optimize production, ease of use, and convenience. rolanddga.com/products/printers/truevis

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Alumalite® Standard

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Alumalite® Economy

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Alumalite® Ultra

The only panels available in 15mm and 25mm thicknesses for maximum rigidity and flatness!

SOFTWARE-DESIGN/PRINT/ROUTER/ESTIMATING New SAi EnRoute 23 is the First Major Upgrade Since EnRoute 7

Along with more than twenty new features, EnRoute 23 CAD/CAM design software from SA International (SAi) is another major step in the evolution of this software and the first iteration of a new product strategy from the company— annual updates to deliver more features and refinements to users on a regular basis. These users typically span those at CNC woodworking, sign making, and fabrication companies, as well as nested-based manufacturing users. New capabilities found in EnRoute 23 enable more types of jobs to be done and expansion into new applications and industries with similar operational needs. Setup Manager enables users to configure the menus and tool bars to display the tools necessary for specific jobs, giving a clean, easy-to-use, custom dashboard that can be saved for repeat jobs. Also support for ogee and beading tools has been developed for expanded capabilities. Sample tools have been added to the tool library by SAi to enable users to quickly begin using them. In addition, DXF and PDF files can now be used to define tools by users. A new Simulation of Profile Tools feature enables users to ensure that results are what they expect before cutting by displaying a graphic representation of the toolpath (saving time and expensive material waste). Meanwhile Corner Fine capability is built into Hatch, Island, and Spiral fills and enables the selection of smaller radius (ball-nose) endmill tools to achieve sharp internal corners. Other practical features include a Unit Converter for accurate unit conversions (including inches/seconds to mm/minutes) that will benefit users around the world. thinksai.com/en-eu/products/enroute

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