Utilizing ultraviolet printing capability

by carly_mchugh | 3 May 2023 11:06 am

By Ginny Mumm

These days, custom-printed designs for personalization and branding are everywhere. Digital ultraviolet (UV) print technology enables easy full-colour customization on a wide range of media, including tile, glass, plastic, and wood, as well as on 3D objects such as drinkware and promotional products. Thus, it is not surprising to see its popularity surging in the sign fabrication industry. In fact, according to a report from Mordor Intelligence, the worldwide UV-cured printing inks market was estimated to be valued at US$1.27 billion (C$1.59 billion) in 2021, and is expected to yield a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 4.5 per cent from 2022 to 2027.¹

For more details on the benefits of incorporating UV’s printing capability, we spoke with Jeff Parker, a franchisor and owner of 24 Hour Signs in Saskatoon. Launched in 2022, this is the first location in his network of franchises. We asked Parker about his decision to incorporate UV printing capability from the start, as well as what types of products he offers, and what it takes to make a sign shop successful in today’s marketplace.

What services does 24 Hour Signs offer, and why did you choose to offer those specific services to your customers?

Jeff Parker (JP): 24 Hour Signs is a full-service shop, with six separate divisions: signs, marketing and consulting, design and branding, custom printing, decorated apparel, and promotional products. We want to be able to provide all the design, signage, and branding needs for our clients.

In this day and age, keeping business local is top of mind for most of our customers, and for other businesses we work with daily. We say, “Skip the middleman,” and get it done locally in our shop.

Why was it important for your shop to have UV print capability right from the start?

JP: UV print opens up a world of possibilities. We chose to incorporate UV print capability from the beginning, so we could offer our customers a one-stop shopping experience.

We have a Roland DG VersaUV flatbed printer with a 762- x 1,524-mm (30- x 60-in.) bed, an 812.8-mm (32-in.) throat, and a height allowance of almost 203.2 mm (8 in.). We can use it to print on a wide variety of items. Whether it is a quick turnaround for a high-end braille sign, 500 custom poker chips, or 250 water bottles, our UV flatbed handles all projects with ease and precision.

What other types of equipment do you have in your production area?

JP: For this store, we also brought in a 1,625.6-mm (64-in.) Roland DG TrueVIS VG3-640 wide-format printer/cutter. For our eco-solvent machine, we chose a wider ink gamut, including orange ink. I really like the colour spectrum this machine offers, as well as the user interface and the take-up roller changes. We use it to produce a lot of decals, vehicle wraps, and outdoor signage.

We use our UV flatbed printer in combination with a 1,524- x 914.4-mm (60- x 36-in.) laser cutter to manufacture some of our products, which helps keep our costs down. We cut all kinds of shapes and sizes in acrylic, high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), Lamacoid, and wood, and then print on them using our UV flatbed. We’ve printed on acrylic, glass, HIPS plastics, foam board, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), wood, metal, and more.

For UV inks, we’re running a mix I really like, with cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK), gloss, white, orange, and red. We find this mix gives us a larger colour spectrum to choose from, including some fluorescent colours and realistic looking metallics, such as gold and silver.

What UV-printed products do you offer?

JP: We produce all sizes of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) braille signs, along with PVC, HIPS, and acrylic signage. We also print on coasters, ID cards, golf balls, drinkware, and many other items in-house, including large volumes of promotional products.

We’ve printed several framed canvases, hundreds of water bottles and pens, thousands of hockey pucks and mini sticks, and, most recently, thousands of custom poker chips, along with three full-sized Plinko peg boards.

How has having UV print capability helped your business?

JP: Our UV printer allows us to deliver specialized products and signs quickly, as we promise in our company name.

We recently had a large order of specialized custom journal books for 84 Home Depot stores. They had a tight deadline, and no other shop could make the books and print them in the time frame they needed. We made the books and used our laser cutter to create a jig to hold each book in our UV printer. Then, we printed the store name and employee name in raised ink on each of the books. We made the deadline with plenty of time to spare.

We were also able to help out some local paramedics at an emergency medical services (EMS) company with a previously purchased giveaway. They had changed their logo and location and needed the items to be updated with the new information. We were able to print their new logo over the existing logo on 500 pieces—all in just a couple of hours.

In a nutshell, speed is probably the biggest advantage we gain from having in-house UV printing capability. In a matter of minutes, we can print on almost anything, and within a couple of hours, we can create beautiful acrylic signs with bright colours, and raised print and graphics.

Is the demand for promotional products still strong?

JP: The demand for high-quality promotional products is getting stronger every day. With our UV printer, we can print on high-end items in smaller quantities to give our customers exactly what they want—even if they only need five or 10 pieces.

How are 24 Hour Signs shops laid out?

JP: This first facility is the smallest of the three packages we offer. It’s 204.3 m² (2,200 sf), consisting of a showroom for signs and apparel, an apparel production area, and a separate sign production area. We’re currently offering franchise opportunities in Saskatchewan and Alberta, for an investment ranging from $500,000 to $750,000.

We have a large showroom that features a variety of cut and printed signs, apparel, and promotional products. However, we operate by appointment only. We avoided choosing a main street location because we don’t want constant foot traffic. In our plan, those who come to the store are mostly people we’ve already spoken with or who have submitted a request online.

How many people work at a 24 Hour Signs franchise location?

JP: This store has four team members. A sales manager (franchisee) meets with clients and brings in the business. A designer handles all the graphic design work for clients who want signs and apparel. Two production assistants, who will become production managers over time, are responsible for all the production. One of them looks after all our apparel production, while the other focuses on the production and installation of signs.

This model size starts with a team of four and works up to a team of eight over the first one to two years. Our largest store will start with a team of six and grow to 13.

In today’s crowded marketplace, why do you think your clients choose 24 Hour Signs?

JP: We operate our business on three simple statements:

• When you need a job done fast, and you want it done right, we’re the company to call.
• We understand the importance of taking care of a customer—we deliver every time, no exceptions.
• Having a full complement of production equipment, including UV print capability, helps us keep our promises.

At 24 Hour Signs, we always surpass the expectations of our customers, and that keeps them coming back.

Notes

¹ For more information, visit https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/uv-cured-printing-inks-market.

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

Source URL: https://www.signmedia.ca/utilizing-ultraviolet-printing-capability/

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