Sign Shop Profile: 1 Hour Signs Sudbury

by all | 26 May 2016 12:01 pm

By Ginny Mumm
Jodie Parnell, owner of 1 Hour Signs & More in Sudbury, Ont., finds he needs to work hard not only to deliver on the promise embedded in his company’s name, but also to be ready for whatever comes next.

“We’re always aiming for the highest-quality production in the shortest possible amount of time,” he says, “That said, you never know who’s going to walk in the door and what they’ll order.”

Indeed, Parnell’s shop has been visited by clients asking for everything from three-hour car wraps to massive runs of posters to immediate decals and lettering for a 15-m (50-ft) long boat.

“I think the next reality TV series should be Sign Shop,” he laughs.

Ready for anything
Appropriately enough, being prepared is one of Parnell’s guiding principles. He keeps his shop ready for almost anything with a production department anchored by a 1.6-m (64-in.) wide Roland VersaArt RS-640 four-colour piezoelectric ‘eco-solvent’ inkjet printer, two VersaCamm VS-series large-format inkjet printers with integrated contour cutting and two VersaUV LEF 0.5-m (20-in.) wide ‘benchtop’ ultraviolet-curing (UV-curing) light-emitting diode (LED) flatbed printers.

“All of these machines can use the same brand of inks and the same printheads, so we can provide consistent image quality,” says Parnell. “When a client comes in needing 30 to 40 banners, we just set up the machines and let them print away.”

While his business has grown steadily over the years, he has kept overhead costs low, maintaining a staff of only four full-time employees.

“We made the decision to bring in state-of-the-art equipment instead of hiring more people,” says Parnell. “That decision has really worked out well for us. The three wide-format printers can pump out a ton of graphics in an hour.”

From wraps to props
A member of the 1 Hour Signs network, Parnell’s shop serves a variety of small and medium-sized local businesses, educational institutions and civic organizations. His wide-format printing equipment is kept busy every day with wraps for vehicles, walls and windows, along with trade show displays and banners.

“It seems like more and more of our customers start their branding efforts with a wrap,” says Parnell. “Wrapping your windows and walls is a great way to showcase your brand, before moving onto vehicle graphics. And they are so cost-effective compared to other methods of advertising.”

In the last few years, 1 Hour Signs & More has also developed a new area of specialty in producing props for Ontario’s film and television industry. Among other benefits, clients in this burgeoning market value the shop’s ability to print metallic silver inks and a range of gold and bronze tones with its wide-format machines to create eye-catching effects on labels, decals and signage.

Parnell’s shop also specializes in printing trade show graphics, apparel and banners, as well as producing parking, wayfinding and compliance signage. In addition to working from internal and client designs, the company also prints collateral for other local graphic designers.

“Our printers produce clean, bright, vibrant, colourful graphics and all of our customers appreciate the difference,” says Parnell.

Synergistic production
With his fleet of wide-format printers, as mentioned, Parnell can double or even triple his output when needed to meet a very tight deadline. The depth of his shop’s production capabilities also allows him to create and support new, nuanced designs for his clients’ graphics.

The benchtop UV-LED flatbed printers, for example, can add texture to graphics that have already been printed and cut on the other presses. In addition to cyan, magenta, yellow and key/black (CMYK) and white inks, these printers’ clear UV-curable inks can be layered to create such textures and patterns in both matte and gloss finishes. Using files from an electronic ‘texture library,’ Parnell has added such further dimensions as foam on a beer graphic, raised sparkling highlights on window graphics and texture on a brick-wall wrap.

“Options like shine and texture give our company an edge when competing for work,” he explains. “The effects can be subtle or more pronounced, but either way, the viewer notices a difference.”

The shop’s diverse portfolio of printers also enables Parnell to go beyond signage and create custom promotional products.

“Our VersaUV flatbeds can print logos directly on travel mugs, pens, hockey pucks and golf balls,” he explains, “while our wide-format printers can produce and contour-cut graphics that are then heat-pressed onto garments to create customized apparel. Our range of production equipment means we can use the most appropriate and cost-effective technology for each job.”

The benchtop flatbeds also serve to expand 1 Hour Signs’ range of specialty substrates for signage applications. They can print directly onto wood, for example, to produce camp signs or customized picture frames with vectorized samples of clients’ handwriting.

“We love the creative opportunities that are made possible by our UV flatbeds,” says Parnell. “We can customize and personalize almost anything that fits on these printers.”

Showing off with the showroom
Sudbury’s 1 Hour Signs is located on Lasalle Boulevard, the city’s main drag, in a 100-year-old building that was originally a farmhouse.

“It certainly isn’t the average sign shop,” Parnell laughs. “We’ve really gone out of our way to make it look phenomenal.”

This approach has involved showing what the shop can do, by highlighting and playing off of the building’s stonework, fireplaces and natural features with large-format printed graphics and wallpaper.

“I’m not afraid to lay vinyl on anything,” says Parnell.

He has also brought in new natural elements, such as a T-shirt display made from the trunk of a tree. Old windows are reused as picture frames. Sample signs are created from recycled boards.

All of these unique features help keep clients—both new and old—in the shop longer and showcase the wide range of applications Parnell can provide. Most of his customers are locals who have either heard about or happened to see the shop.

“Every week, I get new people who just drop by,” he says. “I want to make sure they leave as clients.”

The showroom also displays the same graphics side-by-side to demonstrate 1 Hour Signs’ print quality versus that of its competitors.

“I want people to understand what they are paying for when they choose us,” says Parnell.

Focusing on the bottom line
By staying focused on providing a wide range of products and good service, Parnell’s shop has been able to build a loyal client base that can support the business’ profitable growth.

“Geographically speaking, our city is huge,” he says. “Greater Sudbury takes an hour to drive across!”

Another key to profitability has been ensuring all details of each job are confirmed with the client beforehand. Parnell even produces a small sample print for proofing by the client before he commits to the full work.

“We keep our ‘redo’ rate extremely low by doing much of the work upfront,” he explains. “Everything we print has been fully disclosed before we start. Raster image processor (RIP) software makes it easy to get samples out to our clients quickly. And then when we blow those graphics up to full size, they’re accurate and clean.”

Knowing equipment and materials
After nearly 20 years in the business, Parnell understands the capabilities of both his equipment and his materials. He enjoys conversations with clients that start with questions about rough ideas and end with high-quality answers to their needs, all while staying within projected budgets.

“I’ve had the opportunity to do lots of experimenting over the years,” he says. “As a result, I now enjoy being able to propose projects without the guesswork of the early days. Our equipment produces excellent prints and we do the work right the first time. There’s no doubt in my mind this is our competitive advantage.”

Ginny Mumm is a freelance consultant for digital inkjet printer/cutter vendor Roland DGA. For more information, visit www.rolanddga.com[1].

Source URL: https://www.signmedia.ca/sign-shop-profile-1-hour-signs-sudbury/

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