Posted by Marty Kauls on Fri, Feb 26, 2010 @ 03:46 PM
Here are some graphics industry related articles from around the Web that we came across this week:
SGIA Backs G7 as the Preferred Color Control Method for Screen and Wide-Format Digital Printing
Author: Wide Format Imaging
SGIA is now backing G7 Color Control. Coincidentally, we will have an announcement regarding G7 very soon…
Colorful World
Author: Dan Marx of the SGIA Blog
A nice post on how digital printing technology has changed the printing industry. Good thing to keep in mind.
HP Bans Export of Non-Working Electronics to Developing Countries
Author: Gail Nickel-Kailing of What They Think Going Green Blog
It is nice to see a business make a stand on this issue. Hopefully, there will be more that follow…
A Resource for Today’s Green Business - Reading List
Author: What They Think Going Green Blog
A handy list of books for businesses wanting to go green.
Posted by Marty Kauls on Wed, Feb 24, 2010 @ 12:54 PM
Last month, we began experimenting with Active Wall™ Magnetic Receptive Primer, which is made by MagnaMagic and distributed by Xcel Products. It is very similar to a traditional primer. Once dry, Active Wall™ can be painted over with regular wall paint. Like Xcel’s Visual Magnetics Magnetic Receptive Media (Visual Magnetics – which I wrote about here), Active Wall™ allows users to easily apply their graphics (we print on Xcel’s Invisilock™ double-sided magnet with our Durst Rho UV printers) directly to treated walls without adhesives or traditional graphic holders, making this an ideal solution for long-term wall graphic applications. It also makes changing out graphics quick and easy.
We tested Active Wall™ in our facility by painting a wall with three coats of the magnetic primer (the manufacturer states that one gallon yields approximately 100 -ft²). Once this dried, we painted it over Active Wall™ with standard latex paint. We were able to hang our magnetic graphics onto the treated wall with ease. Active Wall™ was also able to hold up multiple layered graphics without any slipping. To say that we were impressed with Active Wall™ Magnetic Receptive Primer is an understatement!
Posted by Marty Kauls on Fri, Feb 12, 2010 @ 03:13 PM
Here are some (mostly) graphics industry related articles from around the Web from this week that we found interesting:
Print Service Providers Are Going Social!
Author: Barb Pellow of What they Think
A very insightful post about several printing companies and their adoption of social media.
Resisting The Road Map of Change
Author: Howie Fenton of Graphic Arts Online
Mr. Fenton writes about those who “get” the changes currently affecting the graphics industry (and every other industry for that matter) versus those who don’t. It will be interesting to see how these changes play out over the next few years… Perhaps a reading The Cluetrain Manifesto is in order for those that don’t...
Plugin’ in to the Creative Suite
Author: Chris Main of Layers Magazine Blog
A comprehensive list of plug-in for the Adobe CS4 Creative Suite – very helpful! A great resource.
The Customer CAN Handle the Truth
Author: Gerry McGovern of Customer Carewords®
Not necessarily graphics related, but a common sense plea to honesty in business.
Posted by Marty Kauls on Thu, Feb 11, 2010 @ 12:04 PM
A few weeks ago, I came across Darren Gapen’s blog post UV Printing: Can You Afford Not to Make the Investment? on his blog on the PIWorld site. In his post, Mr. Gapen pondered the question of purchasing UV printing equipment and asked if printers could afford to not take the UV printing plunge. His blog post resonated with me because we were faced with those same questions nine years ago.
In 2001, we were primarily known in the printing industry as a large-format photographic printer. We were printing with Durst Lambda digital photographic printers in addition to traditional photographic printing with negatives and enlargers. The industry at that time was in a in a state of flux – it seemed like our niche was going to move towards ink jet based printing, but we were not sure if it would settle on solvent or UV inks. In a fortunate stroke of serendipity, Durst informed us that they would be introducing their first UV digital screen printing press – the Rho 160. We were able to get a preview and see some samples produced by this machine. We were impressed enough to take the plunge – we purchased one of the first Rho 160s in the US.
It took us several weeks to get the Rho 160 integrated into our production flow, but once we did, it slowly but surely began to change our business – for the better. We could now offer our clients new products and services produced more efficiently and economically. As we began to experiment with the Rho, we began to realize that we could also begin producing brand new products as well. We installed two more Rho 160s within six months of our first installation. Over the next few years, we added two Rho 351s, a Rho 600, and two Rho 800s. We are now running seven UV digital screen-printing machines around the clock.
Adding UV digital screen-printing capabilities was more than just a good move for us – it was transformative. UV printing allowed us to enter markets that had previously been closed off from us, in addition to giving us a whole new set of products to offer our clients. We went from competing against other photographic printers to contending against screen printers. Most importantly, UV printing helped us move into the realm of green printing. A quick word on the environmental benefits of UV printing:
UV inks are environmentally friendly because UV ink printers don’t emit volatile organic carbon compounds (VOCs). VOCs are emitted by traditional solvent-based screen printing inks. UV inks have three major green benefits:
- UV inks are healthier for the employees working around these machines.
- UV inks use less energy to print, because the ink is dried as it is printed – the inks do not require the lengthy drying period that solvent-based inks do.
- UV ink is easily liberated from the substrate when the substrate is pulped; it does not permanently stain the substrate fibers (like traditional printing does), allowing for better greater yield with material recycling.
Reading Mr. Gapen’s post reminded me how far we have come in the last nine years. In reflection, I think that had we not jumped into the UV screen-printing pool, our business would be struggling or we would be out of business completely. With that in mind, I do not know how any large-format printing company could not afford to add UV printing to their repertoire. I understand that each company’s circumstance is different, but for Graphic Systems, the advent of UV printing was a significant game changer as the move from traditional photographic printing to digital photographic printing. For us, there is no going back. We wouldn’t want to.
Posted by Marty Kauls on Wed, Jan 20, 2010 @ 11:31 AM
We are pleased to announce the addition of ACT II Recycled and Renewable fabric to our line of environmentally friendly products. ACT II is part of Aurora Specialty Textiles Group’s Weaves of Green® fabric collection. This fabric is composed of 100% post-consumer recycled polyester, which gives this fabric a real, positive impact on the waste stream and our environment. The fiber source for ACT II fabric is recycled plastic drinking bottles.
ACT II Fabric is a plain weave, 7.5 oz fabric with a canvas-like texture. It’s been scoured and heat set for direct, UV cure digital printing. It’s available in 60” and 120” widths, making it an ideal fabric for most large format printing needs.
Key Features:
- Made from 100% post consumer polyester.
- Source of polyester is clear plastic drink bottles.
- Perfect for in store graphics, banners, POP displays and signs.
- Also well suited for short term outdoor signs (6 months).
We can usually have this material in house with in 3 – 4 working days. Contact me directly for a sample of our printing on this product at
marty@graphicsystems.com,
click here for more information, or give me a call at 800-235-0387.
Posted by Marty Kauls on Tue, Jan 12, 2010 @ 01:40 PM
Last fall, we began testing Wincos UV Custom Designed Glass Film, which is made by the Lintec Corporation. Wincos UV Glass Film is a UV ink receptive, optically clear polyester film that is an excellent solution for window graphics. It can also be used on any transparent glass surface, such as doors, skylights, glass dividers – basically any glass surface.
The transparency of this product is really quite remarkable; it is truly optically clear. The test graphics we produced and applied to our windows looked like the graphics were hanging in mid-air. The ability of this product to create optical illusion effects such as waterfalls, exotic gardens, landscapes, and directional queues is ideal for creating a visual impact that will pull people into your store. Wincos UV Glass Film is also ideal for increasing store banding – you can put your logo, promotional images, basically any image or text onto a glass surface.
We were also impressed with its ease of installation. Wincos UV Glass Film is easily installed on a pre-cleaned glass surface with water and a squeegee. We created a simple, five-step set of instructions and a companion video of an installation of this product. Installing Wincos UV Glass Film is a snap!
We are always exploring new materials to print on, but its not often that we truly get excited about them – in this case, Wincos UV Custom Designed Glass Film is an exception. It is an impressive product that we are proud to add to our arsenal of materials that we can offer our clients. Contact me directly for a sample of our printing on this product at marty@graphicsystems.com, leave a message below, or give me a call at 800-235-0387.
Posted by Marty Kauls on Mon, Jan 04, 2010 @ 04:44 PM
In this, the second part of our two part series on digital file preparation, I will focus on the proper set up for CMYK files for output on our digital screen press devices (Durst Rho digital screen presses). This information is very similar to our previous post on preparing files for RGB output. The differences are subtle, but very important. Make sure that you are setting up your files for the proper output device or the final product will be less than satisfactory.
Image Preparation: Images should be saved as CMYK TIFF or EPS files at 100 - 150 dpi final size. For example, if a 10x10 InDesign document needs to be output at 400%, the placed image file needs to be 40x40 at 100 dpi or equivalent.
Program Support: InDesign up to CS4, Illustrator up to CS4, and Photoshop up to CS4.
Filename Extension: Ensure filenames are properly updated in all layouts. Please include appropriate extensions (for example, filename.eps).
Layout Accuracy: Provide one accurate and fully updated color copy of each layout for proofing and placement checking purposes. If discrepancies exist between hard copy and supplied digital files, indicate and initial changes.
Color Matching: Include Pantone® numbers or their equivalents for all solid colors. For continuous tone images, provide a hard copy or a sample that is color accurate.
Bleed: Include .25” bleed on all jobs that require mounting or die cutting.
Fonts: Always supply all font suitcases, including both screen and printer fonts. Whenever possible, convert type to outlines.
PC Files: Please follow these guidelines for file creation on a PC:
- Illustrator - convert text to outlines and save as an EPS file
- Photoshop - render text, do not use text layer files, and include all elements associated with the file (for example, vector graphics and image files)
InDesign: When creating layouts in InDesign, the maximum document width is 216”, making it easier and more accurate to create large layouts at 100% size.
Illustrator: When creating layouts in Illustrator, use a minimum document size of 25% of the final size. Include all linked images. Save files as AI format. Convert strokes to outlined paths on all vector artwork and text.
Important - convert all fonts to outline.Logos: For best results, supply all logos as VECTOR files from Illustrator, not as raster files such as PhotoShop EPS, JPEG, GIF, or TIFF.
If you have any questions regarding digital file preparation (or anything else) shoot me an email at
marty@graphicsystems.com or leave a comment below. I will get back to you ASAP.
Posted by Marty Kauls on Tue, Dec 29, 2009 @ 03:38 PM
Getting your digital files to print correctly does not have to be a frustrating endeavor; you just have to make sure that your files are correctly prepared. Over the next two blog posts, I will describe file preparation tips for RGB (digital photographic) and CMYK (digital screen) output. I am splitting this topic into two posts because we output to both RGB and CMYK devices (Durst Lambda and Durst Rho, respectively), both of which have different requirements. This post will focus on preparing RGB files for photographic output.
Image Preparation: Images should be saved as RGB TIFF or EPS files at 200 dpi final size (a minimum of 100 dpi). For example, if a 10x10 InDesign document needs to be output at 400%, the placed image file needs to be 40x40 at 100 dpi or equivalent.
Program Support: InDesign up to CS4, Illustrator up to CS4, and Photoshop up to CS4.
Filename Extension: Ensure filenames are properly updated in all layouts. Please include appropriate extensions (for example, filename.eps).
Layout Accuracy: Provide one accurate and fully updated color copy of each layout for proofing and placement checking purposes. If discrepancies exist between hard copy and supplied digital files, indicate and initial changes.
Color Matching: Include Pantone® numbers or their equivalents for all solid colors. For continuous tone images, provide a hard copy or a sample that is color accurate.
Bleed: Include .25” bleed on all jobs that require mounting or die cutting.
Fonts: Always supply all font suitcases, including both screen and printer fonts. Whenever possible, convert type to outlines.
PC Files: Please follow these guidelines for file creation on a PC:
- Illustrator - convert text to outlines and save as an EPS file.
- Photoshop - render text, do not use text layer files, and include all elements associated with the file (for example, vector graphics and image files).
InDesign: When creating layouts in InDesign, the maximum document width is 216”, making it easier and more accurate to create large layouts at 100% size.
Illustrator: When creating layouts in Illustrator, use a minimum document size of 25% of the final size. Include all linked images. Save files as AI format. Convert strokes to outlined paths on all vector artwork and text. Important - convert all fonts to outline.
Logos: For best results, supply all logos as VECTOR files from Illustrator, not as raster files such as PhotoShop EPS, JPEG, GIF, or TIFF.
Stay tuned - our next post will focus on setting up files for CMYK output.
Posted by Marty Kauls on Fri, Dec 18, 2009 @ 12:00 PM
Posted by Marty Kauls on Wed, Dec 02, 2009 @ 12:40 PM
GS Snaprails are poster mounting backbones with a bottom-feed feature for quick sign changing.
Key Features:
- Ideal for large signage.
- Reusable, great for long term signage programs.
- Friction bar holds slippery sign materials fast.
- Rounded toe on swinging door skims over delicate sign stocks, reducing crumpling and scratching of your printed material.
Note: Stock colors are black, clear, white, or silver PVC. 1” high x 1/4” wide. Five stock lengths available, from 22” to 72”.
Media: Use on sign materials from .005” to .070” thick. For Varied Sign Stock Usage. Works especially well on soft, flexible and slippery poly stocks. Works on styrene, Tyvek™, soft vinyl, nylon, aqueous coated papers, sheet poly and card stocks.
Product Codes:
SP'R-22 GS Snaprail Black/Clear/White/Silver
SP'R-24 GS Snaprail Black/Clear/White/Silver
SP'R-36 GS Snaprail Black/Clear/White/Silver
SP'R-48 GS Snaprail Black/Clear/White/Silver
SP'R-72 GS Snaprail Black/Clear/White/Silver
Price: Click here for pricing information.
Click here to request more information about our line of graphic holders.