A New Flatbed Printer!

Santa came early to the Charlotte office of American Image Graphics! We just received our new wide format flatbed digital printer. We’re in the process of wiring and setting it up but it will be ready soon.

We will be able to print direct to materials like foamboard, Sintra and styrene in addition to the roll materials like decal vinyl. In addition to printing four color process we can print an opaque white.

Now we have digital flatbed printers at PA and NC Plants. Look for more information soon as we print samples and use it to be more efficient on production.

Here’s a manufacturers video showing printing of roll material.

All graphics installers are not the same

All graphics installers are not the same. As with any other product or service you have many who do the job correctly and some who either take shortcuts or don’t understand the process.

All of our installers are seasoned veterans of the industry. The following example shows the steps we take to have a successful installation and a happy customer!

As an example, the attached video shows us installing Di-Noc on convenience store cabinets with doors. There are many steps for a successful install. First clean the cabinets thoroughly. It is better for the installer to clean the cabinets since few end customers realize how squeeky clean you need to get them before install. All doors are removed from the hinges and wrapped individually. Every edge and sharp turn of the material needs to have 3M Primer 94 applied. Primer 94 accelerates the adhesive bond and prevents decal failure. As a finishing touch, all exposed hinges or hardware are hand painted with a color matching the Di-Noc.

Truck visibility with reflective vinyl

For many years high intensity reflective striping has been required on all new and old over the road tractor trailers.  It has added safety by making the trailers more visible and also giving you a sense of the shape, size and distance from the trailer.

The graphics of the trailer can also be reflective adding to the safety plus increasing your advertising for vehicles that operate at night.  According to a 3M/ATA study local delivery trucks average 14 million visual impressions (annually) during the day and 16 million at night when reflective material is used.

This video though geared toward the safety striping does also show day and night shots of reflective advertising graphics.  It’s a powerful message you can deliver to your customers.

Want to know more or see a material demo? Contact me at rjarrett@americanimagegraphics.com

Time lapse of large building graphics installation

Large format building graphics are a great way to advertise and promote.  This time lapse video show crews installing 3M textured wall graphics vinyl and 3M perforated window graphics vinyl.

Textured Wall Graphics

For the last several years we have used 3M’s textured wall graphics vinyl for a number of our clients. This material has the ability to conform to surface textures like brick, concrete, and tile.

This week we used it on our own building for advertising. Our building is in an industrial area and we have a lot of drive-by traffic. Now we are more visible.

Does it work? The day of installation we had two prospective customers stop in thanks to seeing our new graphics!

Let us help you with creative solutions.

Gallery Wraps

 

Gallery wrap images are getting a lot of attention with our customers.  The images are digitally printed on canvas and then covered with a protective varnish and wrapped around a wooden frame.  The two gallery wraps above are unique with the curved tops.  They required making a special frame for the shape.  These wraps also fit into a recessed area in the bricks.

Di-Noc Swatches

There are over 500 colors/patterns of 3M Di-Noc available.  Here are some of the most popular items that are typically in stock.  If in stock they can be ordered in less than full roll quantity. 

Please search this blog for other Di-Noc entries including installation photos and videos!

“Dr. Di-Noc” and the convenience store remodel

No I’m not a doctor!  Dr. Di-Noc is a nickname my 3M rep has given me since I have embraced this great line of 3M products. 

If you are not familiar with it, Di-Noc is a pressure sensitive vinyl with patterns like woodgrain, marble, and carbon fiber.  Over 500 finished are available!  It’s a great solution to remodel without using more expensive products like laminates.

The attached video of a recent remodel of a convenience store shows the dramatic changes that Di-Noc and printed graphics can make.

Zoom Raleigh-Vikuiti

We are excited to be part of the Zoom Raleigh interactive display.  This dispay offers a guided tour thourgh the history of downtown Raleigh.  It was kicked off on October 23 on the eve of Raleigh Wide Open. 

This is a project that was many months in the making.  From a technical standpoint our part was easy.  We worked with them on the Vikuiti screen with demos and produced the screen on a clear acrylic so that it can be used for other projects.  The challenging part of this project was their team who not only researched the photos used, narration but developed the interactive portion of the display. 

Gallery wrap photos on canvas

Karen Stutler, our rep in Pennsylvania worked with a local photographer and a regional hospital to print the images in the photos above.  The hospital displayed these in the hallway of their outpatient center.

These photographs represent local landmarks.  Digital output was onto canvas with our Vutek and a custom frame was made from wood.  The printed images were coated with a varnish for protection of the image.  The graphics were then stretched over the frame.  These gallery wrap images are 12 feet wide and make a huge impact in the hallway.