A finishing touch keeps fabrics at their best. Compiled by Lou Dzierzak Colorful awnings invite customers to take a moment and stop into a new retail store. Large banners hanging on an exterior wall announce the grand opening of a local theater’s new play. Sidewalk cafés protect their patrons with large logo-festooned umbrellas. Walk through [...]

Dealing with several printing supply vendors may seem complex, but it has its benefits. Compiled by Jamie Swedberg Telecommunications companies are always talking about bundled services: If you buy your cable, phone, and Internet from one vendor, they’ll cut you a deal. Even better, you’ll only have to pay one bill every month. It’s a [...]

The owner of every car, boat, minivan, helicopter, semi-truck trailer, and fleet vehicle in your city is a potential new customer. By Lou Dzierzak Hey, look at that! Ten years ago, a car, truck, or van driving down the street covered in colorful vinyl graphics would have stopped pedestrians in their tracks. Now, vehicle wraps [...]

Creating advertising and event banners large enough to cover the façade of a building is a market that can’t be ignored. By Lou Dzierzak At the 2000 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, more than a dozen buildings were decorated with super-sized banners celebrating the competition. Since then, sports related venues and events have been [...]

There are no easy answers or “magic” fibers, yarns, finishes, and coatings to meet every application. By Phil Age and Jean K. Dilworth Selecting the best fabric for your final application or product depends on the manufacturer’s method of creating fabric from fibers and yarns. The fabrication contributes to the appearance, product end use, cost, [...]

Your guide to asking the right questions before you buy. By Phil Age and Jean K. Dilworth There are numerous factors to consider before making the decision to by a new printer. First, does your current printing operation have excess demands that can only be met by labor working overtime? If the answer is a [...]

Better fabrics, inks, and equipment, as well as exciting new markets, have converged to create an explosion of graphics on fabric. By Jill C. Lafferty Patrick Hayes still remembers a comment from one of his company’s earliest customers, the proprietor of a screen print shop. “I recall the owner saying, ‘The money is in the [...]

Q&A with Roberto Santos You’ve purchased a printer that looked so good on the show floor. The price was right, and for good measure, the salesperson threw in some ink cartridges and a free RIP package. But is this particular RIP right for your shop? For your employees and workflow? For the substrates you use? [...]

Making the chemistry work: Choose the right ink for your particular application. By Samit Chevli Digital textile printing is fast gaining ground and seeing market acceptance in printing on a variety of fabrics. Diverse markets such as apparel, home furnishings, tradeshow graphics, flag and banner, swimwear, and point of purchase displays are all showing rapid [...]