Often, the firm will rely on different sign shops for the fabrication of different components of a project.
In the last couple of years, we have also started working with PrintHub, which has grown substantially in Peterborough. They produce just about anything for print and signage. The capabilities of the company continue to grow, and the sales and production staff are dedicated to their customers and trade clients, with quick turnaround. We no longer have to seek out trade suppliers in Toronto to produce certain types of printing and signage—such as SwissQ and computer numerical control (CNC) capabilities for Alupanel and Coroplast signage—which avoids extra shipping costs. Printing direct-to-substrate has been amazing, as vinyl applications, when applied directly, tend to weather after a number of years. We recently completed a large wayfinding and signage project for a trailer and cottage resort in Buckhorn, Ont., which involved about 200 pieces. PrintHub produced these for us, and the client was able to install them with our guidance.
Since we work with print projects almost daily, we often rely on Trent University’s Campus Print to produce many items for our clients, including short-run digital prints, stickers, brochures, envelopes, banner stands, smaller signage, posters, and promotional items that can be laser-etched, as they have a Glowforge in their shop. The team is great to work with and their turnaround is always quick. They run a couple of Epson and Roland large-format inkjets, as well as a number of Xerox Production Series printers in their shop, which help them achieve accurate colours. They also do bindery, stitching, folding, and trimming, which is great for many of our short-run needs.
However, our longest relationship with a sign company—spanning almost 15 years—has been with The Media Works, of Norwood, Ont., just 20 minutes east of Peterborough. A custom-build shop with a long family history of signmaking, they have specialized in pylon signs, awning builds, channel lettering, and fascia signage, as well as many other unique projects, for more than 50 years. They also offer support for other sign companies, including custom builds, LED retrofits, repairs, installation, and maintenance throughout central and eastern Ontario. They have been of great support for our design firm, as they help with some of the more technical acumen we lack, along with permit drawing requirements. They take care of the permitting issues for projects—which can sometimes be complicated—and turn our vision and ideas into reality for our clients, which is for sure a win-win.
