As digital print technology continues to evolve, graphics providers and sign makers need to keep abreast of some of the latest trends in this field that will help them grow their client base and boost their profits even further.
Sign Builder Illustrated recently spoke with several manufacturers and suppliers about several of these hot topics.
Consumables. Competitive pressure is driving down the cost barrier to entry for using white ink, leading to growth in backlit printing.
“While backlit printing can feasibly be done without white ink, it’s significantly more difficult to get right, especially when going for ‘day/night’ applications that look good with or without backlighting,” says Chris Wysong, senior manager, Product Marketing-Print Production Business Group, Wide Format & Finishing at Ricoh, technology advancements. “In corporate environments, consistent logo colors are vital and, as such, equipment with more than just CMYK allowing these colors to be accurately reproduced is a must have!”
Flatbed printers. Printing directly to rigid materials continues to be popular.
“Removing the laminating step saves considerable time,” says Wysong. “Although there is considerable investment in both purchase price and space (these machines are big!), the ROI can be seen very quickly. This is due to the time savings as well as new business that would have traditionally been out of reach—such as industrial applications and wrapping objects like phone cases.”
“Printing directly on items made of wood, glass, plastic, ceramic, and metal makes it simple to customize literally thousands of items at a minimal cost per square foot,” agrees Daniel Valade, product manager, Color Products, at Roland DGA.
Customization/Personalization. Speaking of customization, demand remains strong from both print providers and their customers for these types of graphics.
From wraps and decals to customized apparel and interior décor, personalized products are becoming more popular—a trend expected to continue for years to come within both commercial and consumer markets.
“Hotels, retail, airports, and residential housing are just a few of the areas in which we’re seeing increased demand,” says Valade. “The potential for wallcoverings alone is huge, especially among architects, graphic designers, restaurant chains, interior designers, and businesses in small and large office spaces.
“We’re also seeing increased demand for wall decals, window blinds, upholstery, and flooring that extends to all customers within these consumer and commercial markets.”
To keep up with rapidly increasing customer demand, a lot of PSPs are using UV-LED printers and UV-curable inks to transform everyday objects (table tops, metal lunch pails, leather notebooks, cell phone cases, key chains, and more) into extraordinary personalized items.
There’s been an increased demand for specialty materials, like various types of heat transfer vinyl (HTV) for customizing apparel.
“We’re seeing HTV that can be printed on eco-solvent printers and applied to cotton, polyester, Lycra®/spandex, leather, and poly/cotton blends,” says Valade.
Latex. Quick turnaround is becoming the norm in large format printing, which is leading to interest in latex technologies.
“Everyone wants their jobs yesterday,” says Wysong. “Latex can dry nearly instantly and requires low-drying temperature, which helps customers meet this demand for quick turnarounds.”
He says technology advancements, especially in curing processes and adhesion capabilities, have made latex inks considerably more viable in the wide format space. “In wide format, customers’ price points are based on quality, eye-catching output, first and foremost,” says Wysong.
Retail/P-O-P. For retail/P-O-P projects, many retailers are looking to grab customers’ attention by transcending the traditional flyer, instead leveraging five-color technology to print on dark substrates that really pop or using creative window clings to grab passersby’s attention.
“Contour cutting to show off a unique shape often can grab the attention of a distracted buyer. Point-of-purchase displays on unique substrates can empower users to stand out from the advertising clutter we all are initiated with each day,” suggests Wysong.
Advancements in UV-LED printing have made it easier for providers to also customize high-end P-O-P displays in shopping malls, restaurants, hotels and hospitals. “These businesses can now produce and use highly creative promotional aesthetics, instead of the same old canned, tired patterns,” says Valade.
Dye Sublimation. Over the past several years, dye sublimation has made significant progress into the digital print vocabulary. One reason for this is that there are numerous capabilities that are attractive to a sign or graphics business.
Dye sublimation technology allows for the application of vivid graphics, rich colors, and high-definition photos onto highly durable interior soft and hard signage substrates that won’t peel, crack, or fade over time. “Sublimated signs can withstand a lot of environmental factors, such as extreme heat, cleaning, and touching and still be as perfect as the day they were printed,” says Robin Kavanagh, public relations manager at Sawgrass.
Kavanagh finds customers are willing to pay more for sublimated signs because of their superior graphic delivery and durability. “For example, a customer would likely pay more for a sublimated menu featuring a design created specifically for their business and interior décor than they would a simpler, more generic type of menu,” she says.
Even more attractive is that now you can sublimate in fluorescent colors to create high-visibility signage. “There’s also an expanded gamut ink that gives sign makers greater color-matching capabilities for logos, brand colors, and PANTONE®,” says Kavanagh.
Finally, adding sublimation technology to your shop enables you to offer a wider array of products to your customers. Because you can sublimate onto hundreds of different kinds of products, you can become a one-stop shop for many of their needs. “Say you have a new hotel opening in town, and they come to you for interior and promotional signage,” says Kavanagh. “With sublimation capabilities, you can also offer to make name tags and uniforms for the staff, drinkwear and linens with logos, artwork for the walls and lobby, promotional items, and more.” 
To get set up, you’ll need a computer with graphics software, a printer designed to work with sublimation inks and transfer paper, and a heat press. “Buy the smallest printer and press that will accommodate the largest product you want to offer,” recommends Kavanagh.
Printers can run as small as desktop models with maximum media sizes of 8-1/2-by-14 inches and 13-by-19 inches to mid-level roller printers at twenty-five-, thirty-six-, and forty-two-inch widths to wide format printers at forty-four inches or wider. “Your heat press should be large enough to accommodate the largest print you can make,” concludes Kavanagh.
By Jeff Wooten
Photos (Top to bottom): Sawgrass, Roland DGA, Sawgrass.
