Vinyl Signs: A Tutorial
August 31, 2010
Understanding what vinyl is and its qualities will help you to understand it’s prevalence in the sign business and some of the factors affecting its removal. Vinyl or “Polyvinyl Chloride” is a chemical that produces a flexible vinyl film used to produce a large variety of decorative as well as protective film products. One class of product “graphic film” possesses a unique feature set that makes it very well suited to decorating stationary surfaces (or substrates), as well as mobile ones.At SignWorks this opaque vinyl film, which is usually four thousandth of an inch in thickness, is fed into our Eco-Solvent Printer and printed images and lettering are applied to the surface. Once the non-permanent pressure sensitive release liner (or underside of the film) is removed, the resulting graphic can be transferred to a variety of surfaces using transfer tape. Often, the resulting graphic, whether it’s text, a logo or a photo-realistic image, is over laminated to protect the image against damage.
The ease of removal of vinyl from a substrate will be determined by a variety of factors, including how clean, smooth, warm or cold the vinyl was when it was applied. Other factors like whether the installation surface was properly prepared and the type of installation (wet or dry) that was done will have an impact. Environmental considerations like aging and the amount of indoor/outdoor exposure will likewise have an effect. The effects of pollution, pollen, airborne particulate, rain, cold, snow, ice, chemical cleaning agents used, etc., will all have an effect.
Best Practices: Scoping Out Your Sign Services Needs
August 26, 2010
There a many instances when a sign service is in order. For example you are moving your business to a new location and the landlord is requesting that the tenant sign be removed from the marquee or monument sign that bears your company name. A sign service may also apply when you are updating the window or storefront lettering to include new information such as a new phone number, service offering, or adding a newly designed logo.
Take for example the instance when a critical aspect of your branding was unintentionally omitted from the approved art, and yes no-one caught the unfortunate error, including you! You may be very happy with the new graphics overall, but your customers complain that they can’t find you based on this missing key word or phrase. Perhaps a complete redesign is beyond your budget, so you are looking for creative yet cost effective ways to add a critical word or phrase. Don’t despair; the folks at SignWorks are really good at solving even the most complex sign service problems! Call us at (510) 357-2000 and we will explain all your options.
Sign Services: Updating Vehicle & Fleet Graphics
August 24, 2010
A business with a single vehicle or fleet of trucks may decide that it’s time for a more updated look. This could be the result of a change in branding or the fact that the service area or phone number of the business has changed. Perhaps you, the owner, have only minor changes that need to be made to the vehicles, making a complete re-wrap of the vehicles or door panels unnecessary.
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Depending on when the original vinyl graphics were installed and their condition, it is possible to “peel off” and correct the erroneous text and replace it with up to date information and graphics. Generally, such work is quoted as a sign service and the hourly shop rate is applied to the actual time and materials aspect of this work. This is due to the fact that it is virtually impossible to know how easily the existing lettering and graphics will “peel off.” If the graphics have only been in place a short time and the vehicle is garaged, as opposed to being left outside, the vinyl will likely be easy to remove and will peel away in large sections. However, there are instances when the vinyl, due to its age and sun exposure, will be baked on and will peel off in very small sections making the job tedious and time consuming. Also, the quality of the former installation will play a part in determining how easy the old vinyl is to remove.
Based on our experience, we at SignWorks are generally able to estimate the amount of time needed to perform even complex lettering removal projects based on an inspection of your vehicle. Call (510) 357-2000 today to schedule an inspection and estimate!
Unique Vehicle Wraps: Selecting Specialty Materials
August 19, 2010
Owners of high end vehicles such as Bentley’s, Ferrari’s and the like will often select specialty vinyl to wrap there vehicle because they want a very unique non-pictorial look for their vehicle. The choices are varied and include several matte colors including the very popular matte black or white. Other stock matte colors include red, green or blue. There is also the option of placing a matte laminate over a digital or photo-realistic print to create a unique or custom look. Other specialty vinyl’s include carbon fiber, and several simulated looks including weave patterns, wood grain, metallic’s and leather-look effects, to name just a few. A few of these specialty vinyl’s are pictured below.
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If you are in the market for a unique vehicle wrap featuring specialty vinyl, give SignWorks a call at (510) 357-2000 and we’ll work with you to find that “special” look!
The Importance of Site Surveys
August 17, 2010
Site surveys are particularly important for large sign projects, especially those with a large installation component. It allows the sign fabricator to view the site and determine the installation parameters, including evaluation of the surfaces that the sign(s) will be mounted to. It will also be important to identify the location of underground utilities, particularly in the case of a monument or post and panel sign which require a concrete pad or footing. This will avoid accidently puncturing a water or utility line which could be potentially disastrous.
With illuminated signs, the site survey is needed to identify the source of the electrical power and its proximity to the location where the sign is to be located, as well as the voltage needs. Permitting requirements and building inspection sign-offs can also be assessed at that time.
It is during the site survey that a more accurate assessment of the installation time, the number of installers needed, the need for specialized equipment, such a boom truck or scissor lift, can be more accurately determined. With smaller sign projects a site survey can often be managed via a photographic exchange and direct communication with the client, especially for small wall mounted or simply interior signs.
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If you are currently planning to upgrade your signage, open a new business or relocate your existing one, give SignWorks a call at 510-357-2000 to schedule your site survey!
The Fire Marshall
August 12, 2010
Compliance is a tricky area because most agencies reviewing health and safety sign compliance will often interpret the requirements differently. The guidelines, though clear, are still subject to human interpretation. That being said, the Fire Marshall, when inspecting a building will look at fire and safety requirements and may still call for additional signage to more clearly delineate exit routes, or in the case of multi-story buildings, call for specific stairwell marker signs. Last year we worked with a construction company to provide stairwell signs for a newly renovated multi-story building because the Fire Marshall did not believe the new stairwell signage was adequate. We are currently working with a boutique hotelier on the third revision to their evacuation map based on feedback and input from the local Fire Department. In fact, we are going through what we hope will be a less iterative process with a local commercial property management company, because part of our internal process will be to solicit the Fire Department’s input as part of our design process.
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If you have received a notice from your local fire department regarding upgrading or adding fire safety signs or evacuation maps, give the folks at SignWorks a call at (510) 357-2000 to arrange for a free consultation!
Vehicle Graphics: Design Consultation
August 5, 2010
We are pleased to report that we are working with a local company to develop fleet graphics for two small trucks and one large one. The challenge has been, and continues to be, keeping affordability in mind given the multiple vehicle nature of this project and the business owner’s specific budgetary guidelines. Our staff designer is helping to design a combination of digital graphics and bulleted cut vinyl lettering. One of the ways that this saves money is that only the digital print will need to be over-laminated. Other cost cutting measures include:
• Using stock vinyl colors
• Optimizing the size and complexity of the design
• Making the installation component very efficient
If you want to work with a sign company that is sensitive to your budget constraints give SignWorks a call today at (510) 357-2000!
Why Laminate?
August 3, 2010
There are many reasons to laminate, including protecting your digital print from scratching or adding life to a digitally produced banner, especially one that is being used with a retractable banner stand. In the case of vehicle and fleet graphics that contain a photo realistic image or digital logo, it is essential to over laminate the print. Not doing so would be the equivalent of getting a custom paint job on the vehicle and then taking it to the local automated car wash. This is not a good idea! Those spinning rubberized carwashes blades can do damage to your print or custom vehicle wrap.
Also, if you have a retail store front in a metropolitan area and are mounting digital graphics to your exterior windows, then graffiti guard, a special type of laminate, is highly recommended. Unfortunately there is a budding teenage graffiti artist population that this type of neighborhood may attract. While “Goof Off” or similar products represent a way to clean graffiti from cut vinyl, the harshness of the chemicals will remove ink from a digital print that has not been over-laminated.
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There are a variety of over-laminates, including spray-on laminates, so check with the sign company producing your graphics to be sure you select the type that is most appropriate for your specific application.
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