Tips for your Sign Shop Equipment Line

The increasing advancements in technology encouraged many sign shops to improve their business activities and pushed signs into a completely new era. Technology allowed sign companies to push to the new realm of sign advertising that was not possible previously. Sign shops continually adapt newer technology to meet the demands of the new marketing space.

With this shift in technology, many companies are looking to change the logos of their company and create new and modern signage for them. Such change provides opportunities to signage companies to experiment with the change. Signage for a shop, firm or big offices is the most exciting part of the process. The signage designing process yields multiple opinions when it is being done and the best reactions when it is done.

Therefore, it becomes very important to understand the steps involved in the designing of a commercial sign project, the fabrication required and, most importantly, the process of installment which determines the success of the project.

However, before going into the depths of one should know what signage is and why it is used.

I. Signage:

Any kind of graphic display intended to convey information to an audience is called signage. It is used for advertising, marketing, attracting customers, safety awareness, and improving sales. Signage is used to convey intended information to the audiences.

Mostly, signage is used for reasons like:

Moving ahead, there are different types of signage depending on the applications used when it comes to signing making the field. These can be classified into three big groups, namely:

• Indoor signage: Used as decoration at home or with an informative and commercial aim.

• Outdoor banners: Almost with similar purposes.

• Car Wrapping: Used for commercial purposes.

Usually, the same tools are required for the aforementioned types of signage. However, these tools can be more specific depending on the requirements of the project.

Although there are different ways used in the signage vinyl and digital printing are the most commonly used signage process that is followed in the market. Due to their cost-effective nature, they are one of the go-to materials for sign makers.

Sign Shoppe offers an extensive range of signage supplies including digital print vinyl, external signage systems, sign vinyl and sign making accessories. Sign shops offer bespoke signage to meet industry requirements. Let us take a look at the range of signage supplies:

i. Vinyl Signage: Vinyl is a kind of film that regulates the strength and durability of the project. For signage purposes, Vinyl is used to fulfill the needs of the market. There are two types of vinyl depending

On the material used in the project:

• Calendered Vinyl: It is chiefly used for interior decoration purposes such as advertising in business or at home. This kind of vinyl is homogenous and is, also, inferior in quality.

• Cast Vinyl: Due to its high quality and durability, it is optimal for vehicles and exteriors purposes. Thus, it is quintessential for projects that involve it is also perfect for applications on crumpled or erratic surfaces.

ii. Digital Printing Signage: The graphic displays are intended to communicate and advertise the product and services. Sign manufacturers follow standard printing methods to create intended designs and logos.

a) Purpose of Signage:

Signage is used as a way of providing information through a pictorial representation of the same. The basic purpose of signage is to promote, provide information, and (sometimes) give directions and for safety awareness. Digital signage helps in passing information in an interactive way and never fails to grab the attention of the audience.

Now that you know about signage, its purpose and the material are highlighted. It is substantial to understand the nuances of signage designing by getting in-depths of it.

b) Equipment, Tools, and Accessories that are used in the making of signage:

The choice of appropriate tools is necessary for the correct application of the chosen material. Further to choosing a material as per the need of the project, operations like small functions on vehicles are performed in a sign shop. However, there are times where the designer has to travel to the site and will be asked to carry their tools along with them. For this reason, it becomes necessary to carry all things to the place of work and have appropriate suitable accessories.

Here are basic accessories that a sign designer must carry:

c) Basic Accessories for Sign Designer

Every signage application has its own set of challenges. Despite that, some accessories are designed to make this arduous task look easy. These accessories help in bringing the best out of the material and that too with a little margin of error.

Nevertheless, squeegees and scrapers are the main tools for a designer dealing with the process of signage. Regardless of that, if a sign designer wants to fetch results that are worth calling ‘perfect’ then here is a list of a few articles that are essential when processing signage.

Let us take a look at some of the important accessories:

• Gloves: Materials are maneuvered in a way that suits the requirement of a designer. To match the needs of the designer the use of special gloves is recommended. These gloves not only protect marks coming from the dirt but also the marks on the printing material.

• Handle Magnets: Handle magnets are a must keep in a signage kit. These magnets help by easing the signage process. Not having magnets can impact the smoothness of the process of signage on rough surfaces. This is the reason why top designers endorse the use of handle magnets. Signage on vehicles becomes quite easier when a magnet is placed on them.

• Safety knife: Another must-have article. A safety knife helps in removing the materials quickly and safely. Safety Knife is doctored to withstand the tenacity of material removing environments. Furthermore, these safety knives are easy to sanitize.

• Rivet Brush to apply the printing material: Rivet Brush is an essential element. There are multiple facets to a rivet brush apart from just applying the concerned material over rivets. A rivet brush is also a handy tool for affixing vinyl on the wrinkled and synthesized surfaces like banners with a heavy background, concrete, stucco or cinder-block. When it comes to rubbing adhesives from rivet heads then it is advised to make use of the old rivet brushes. The same goes for the functioning of the graphics removal work. Old rivet brush is very handy in graphic removal work as well.

• Popping-pen: Easy to hang, a bubble popper pen is a must-have tool for a designer who is dealing with the installation of graphics or car wrapping. This is the perfect tool for the job. As mentioned, it is easy to hang as it clips in the shirt’s pocket like a “ball-point pen”. Furthermore, this pen has an ultra-sharp round tip that trackbacks just like a normal pen. This pen is used to pinhole the irritating bubbles that occur in the printed graphics or car wraps.

• Cutters: Cutters are machines that are used for trimming printing materials into many shapes or letters as per the requirement of the project. Not a very device, it is of the same size as that of a computer printer that can be connected with a cable. A cutter can make cuts in areas that are difficult to reach this, it is recommended that every sign maker should have cutters that have the best blades.

• Weeding tools: Usually, there are two models to use and that are ergonomic and comfortable pens that are used to separate the material from the surface. Graphic experts have praise for weeding tools and they also recommend for a precise finish.

• Tool bags: What are tools without a tool-bag? A tool-bag is the basic of the basic necessity for any sign designer. This helps in segregating tools from the magnets. Moreover, the tool bags offer easy access to the tools that are required by sign makers. Different pockets are used for keeping squeegees, cutters, lift the stick, cutter, handle magnet, rivet brush, gloves, and popping pen. This helps in keeping the tools in a well-structured form.

With the use of right squeegees, scrappers, accessories and an organized tool kit, a signage designer can create a useful set of tools in a kit for work.

It is necessary to make sure that the tool kit should have a clip or an adjustable belt. A tool kit is the best thing to have as it ensures that all the tools required for the signage project work are within reach. A tool kit having multiple pockets offers a whole new dimension to the kit as it allows more storage space for equipment.

To speed up the process of signage, designers should make sure that they carry a kit that can fulfill the essential requirements of the type of project that a designer decides to venture in.

Signage work requires precision and efficiency. Above mentioned are a few tips that help a designer to fetch the two principles of this artistic work.

II. Right Signs Stand Out of All!

Signs have a literal meaning and they mean something or the other. Sign shops help in meeting stakeholder’s expectations and allow them to excel in dynamic and challenging environments in which they do business. Any sign shop can get their business noticed by incorporating innovative ways to display your company’s image using the latest cutting-edge technologies. There is some important sign making tools that play an important role in creating and designing signs. Let us take a look at the same:

• Router: CNC routers give a precise cut to aluminum, acrylic, and many other materials used for creating signage. The quality of the end product produced by the CNC router has significantly improved after it started operating by a computer. Also, this type of machinery gives fabricators options in terms of shape and size.

• UV inkjet printer: UV inkjet printers are now used for direct-to-substrate printing. It is considered as the best to print directly on the substrate with Inkjet printer. This method gives a long-lasting finish to the end product.

• Paint booth: A lot of sign shops today consider setting up in-house paint booth. This makes filling large orders efficiently.

• Film printer: Many sign shops opt for a film printer to create high-quality screens that too with precise details to be placed on signage materials.

• Photopolymer processor: With the increasing demand, photopolymer processor can be found in many sign shops. This type of equipment allows the fabricator to expose the film to UV light. The structural property of the material is changed thereby making it durable enough. Such type of long-lasting materials is used for creating signage for high-traffic areas.

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November 1, 2019/0 Comments/by Author