digital wide-format printing: it's more than posters & signs...at the time, mills was...

Digital Wide-Format Printing: It’s More Than Posters & Signs

DIGITAL WIDE-FORMAT PRINTING | NAPCO Research | Ricoh Business Booster page 2

Table of ContentsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Stepping Up Creativity with Floor Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Reimaging from the Floor Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Supporting Wayfinding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Taking Floor Graphics to the Next Level. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

A Window of Opportunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Enticing Customers to Come Inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Offering Aesthetics and Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Helping Patients to Heal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Decking the Walls with Digitally Printed Coverings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Custom Packaging and Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Making a Big Impression in the Retail Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Macy’s Transformed Into a Floral Wonderland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

The Pop-Up Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Key Investment Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Understanding Technology Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Demystifying Color Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Consider the Opportunities for Your Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15


IntroductionIf you can envision it, you probably can create it on a digital wide-format printing device. The technology

got its start in the commercial printing market as an alternative to film-based proofing and then migrated to

printing posters and signs. Today’s wide-format devices produce an impressive array of applications from floor

graphics to window graphics and privacy screens to vehicles wraps to wall décor to garments. For printers

of wide-format applications or those looking to add wide-format capabilities, the creative possibilities are

inspiring, and so too are the business growth opportunities.

Companies looking to add wide-format printing or expand current offerings have many application opportunities they can pursue. This article will showcase a sampling of applications beyond signs and posters.

A core factor driving the creativity and diversity of applications is that a wide variety of digital wide-format

printing devices can print on an extensive collection of media and substrates. As a result, wide-format devices

can produce products that can make nearly any surface a canvas for a message or graphic.

Digital wide-format devices accommodate oversized print work that standard printers cannot achieve due to

size limitations. For service providers that already have small-format digital printing capabilities, adding wide-

format printing equipment is a logical extension. Recognizing the opportunity, many providers are investing in

digital wide-format devices to complement product offerings and grow revenue.

According to a recent NAPCO Research survey of wide-format providers, 87% of respondents reported they

are optimistic about the current state of the wide-format market and 79% expect wide-format sales to

grow in the coming year. As for commercial printers, 79% responding to a recent NAPCO Research survey

indicated solid demand for digital wide-format applications.

Digital wide-format printing offers boundless application possibilities and there are numerous technology

options for producing them. All industries can benefit from wide-format products. While posters and signs

and are the most thought of applications printed on wide-format devices there are many other unique and

interesting wide-format products. Let’s explore a few applications that are capturing brand owners’ attention

and imaginations.


Stepping Up Creativity with Floor GraphicsAn interesting wide-format application gaining ground is floor graphics. This application can be found

indoors and outdoors across many venues including retail stores, grocery stores, trade shows, shopping malls,

schools, airports, sports arenas, downtown areas, entertainment attractions and other highly trafficked areas.

This application serves both aesthetic and practical purposes. Floor graphics can enhance décor, promote a

product, convey instructions or provide wayfinding and directions.

Reimaging from the Floor UpFloor graphics can also transform the typical function of a space into something new. For example, a very

large floor graphic transformed a space within a shopping mall in Calgary, Canada, into a tennis court.

Shoppers and their families were invited to take to the court for a few sets of tennis, clearly marked with

blue and white lines printed by Print Three, Calgary, on a specialized floor graphics media from Drytac/Print

Three Calgary.

The goal of the project was to promote the first Men’s ATP Tennis event in Calgary, hosted at the Alberta

Tennis Center. This innovative floor graphic application served an ace for the customer’s promotional effort as

many mall visitors stepped on to the court.

Figure 1: Transforming Spaces with Floor Graphics

Source: Drytac/Print Three Calgary


Supporting WayfindingA key use of floor graphics is wayfinding. Colorful floor graphics printed by Trinity Graphic, Sarasota, FL,

(Figure 2) give directional information to students and visitors to a college campus. Schools, hospitals, hotels,

convention centers, manufacturing facilities and just about any venue can benefit from the addition of floor

graphics for helping people find their way.

Figure 2: Floor Graphics Used in Wayfinding Application

Source: Trinity Graphic

Taking Floor Graphics to the Next LevelThinking creatively, Trinity Graphic expanded the definition of a floor and created a new floor graphic

product category and business. Given the flexibility of wide-format printing, Trinity Graphic’s owner saw

an opportunity to transform his golf cart’s boring black rubber mat into a work of art and offer others

the opportunity to add artwork, images, logos or any other type of messaging to the mat. The company

developed DekoMat™, a patent pending golf cart mat. The printed mats are functional, durable and

completely customizable.

Figure 3: Trinity Graphic Creates Floor Graphic Product: Printed Golf Cart Mats



A Window of Opportunity Window graphics printed on digital wide-format devices are used by many industries from retail and

healthcare to hospitality and transportation for marketing services, improving ambiance and engaging

customers. A key benefit of window graphics — and a reason for the applications’ continued growth — is

this typically short-term graphic is relatively easy to install, so customers can have employees change out

images as necessary.

Enticing Customers to Come InsideAny industry looking for ways to entice, attract, engage and better serve customers can benefit from the

addition of window graphics. Most people walking by a location of Roti Mediterranean would be hard

pressed not to stop in for a bit to eat. The restaurant chain adorns its windows with appetizing dishes and its

tagline “Food That Loves You Back.” The window graphics were printed by Graphic Alliance, Wheeling, IL, a

full-service marketing firm specializing in graphic design, printing, web design and vehicle wraps.

The company started out as a commercial print shop but quickly adopted wide-format printing and has carved out a substantial niche in restaurant graphics.

Figure 4: Appetizing Window Graphics Printed by Graphic Alliance

Source: Graphic Alliance


Offering Aesthetics and Purpose Window graphics can also serve a multi-function purpose. Trinity Graphic printed a dual-purpose window

graphic at Tampa (FL) International Airport (TPA) which was designed to let sunlight in but block out views of

outdoor construction and the airport’s tram railway system. Like many large airports, TPA features numerous

floor-to-ceiling windows — bringing Tampa’s often-sunny skies, inside. While these clear glass windows bring

in the Florida sunshine, they also provide an open viewing pane of any outdoor construction.

The window graphic fulfilled its dual purpose of letting in the sun, while blocking out the view of the construction.

Figure 5: Airport Window Graphic Improves the View and Lets in the Sunlight



Helping Patients to HealRegional Health in Rapid City, SD. offers another innovate window graphic example.

The healthcare facility transformed the windows of select patient hospital rooms — which looked out over rooftops with air-conditioning units — into scenic landscapes to help brighten its patients’ stay.

The facility’s in-plant printing operation printed the colorful graphics on window film. The project started

when Larry Mills, manager of Regional Health’s printing services, was approached by a nurse manager looking

for ideas on how to make patient rooms feel more appealing and welcoming — specifically the windows.

At the time, Mills was looking for new ways to use the in-plant’s wide-format equipment and came up with

printing window graphics as a solution to the nurse’s request.

The project began with six rooms, but another eight are now in the design phase. Each room has a unique

set of graphics, with all of the photography done by a doctor on staff. There is even talk of bringing the

concept to rooms without windows to expand the project even further.

Figure 6: Window Graphic Offers a Change of Scenery in Surgery Intensive Care Unit

Source: Regional Health


Decking the Walls with Digitally Printed CoveringsDigitally printed wallcoverings are growing in popularity as more people become aware of the ability to

produce this customized décor product. This application is typically found in corporate offices, homes,

hospitals, hotels, retail stores, school and sports arenas.

Personalized interior design for homes, hospitality, restaurants and corporate environments is a rapidly growing market.

Adhesive wall decals, floor-to-ceiling wallpapers and coverings provide an affordable, easy-to-apply, semi-

permanent solution for customers looking to decorate, customize and brand their spaces with unique

designs.

MegaPrint, Plymouth, NH, designs and prints wallcoverings for worldwide clientele, using an arsenal of wide-

format printing and finishing equipment to support the industry’s fast-growing array of media. According

to MegaPrint’s Owner Tim Corbitt, “Advances in technology are driving growth, and the actual production

machinery itself has become very accurate. The inks that these printers now use — from traditional to latex

and modern UV — are extremely durable, and print speeds are two to four times faster than we could run

five years ago.”

A few examples of MegaPrint’s digitally printed wall coverings include eye-catching wallpaper for a hotel and

wallpaper that transformed an office into a fishing trip.

Figure 7: Eye-Catching Wallpaper Creates Ambiance in Hotel Room and office space

Source: MegaPrint


Custom Packaging and Labels Another interesting wide-format application is labels and packaging. Print providers exploring new revenue

streams may want to consider investing in printing and finishing equipment that supports digital label

production. Some wide-format printers and printer/cutters are well-suited for this application, as well as

stickers and decals.

Digitally-printed labels are gaining ground with features that enable personalization and economical short

runs. The ability to offer cost-effective runs in the hundreds presents value to startups as well as big brands.

Brand owners are exploring versioning for many competitive reasons: to capture customers’ attention on

crowded retail shelves, improve the customer experience with packaging and to engage with customers on a

more personal level. This requires multiple versions of packaging and labels.

Brand owners understand the value of digital printing. According to a recent NAPCO Research study, 79% of brand owners agreed that packaging is a key marketing tool for their company and 80% preferred to work with print providers that offer digital printing.

Figure 8: Ricoh Print Samples Showcasing Reatil Packaging and Promotional Stickers.

Printed on a RICOH Pro C9200 Series Graphic Arts Edition



Printed on the RICOH 5th Color Station Digital Press

Making a Big Impression in the Retail Experience Brand owners are looking for new and engaging ways to entice consumers into their locations, and wide-

format applications are playing a major role in that evolution. Today’s “retail experience” is about more than

just the décor of a shop and graphics on the walls. Retailers want to create engaging experiences consumers

can’t find anywhere else by extending the experience beyond shopping.

Using print effectively in the retail space requires using graphics in targeted, innovative and engaging ways

to give consumers a reason to walk through the doors. Successful retailers create experiences for customers.

Print providers looking to serve retailers need to offer them innovative ideas for creating more immersive in-

store experience, so customers remember marketing messaging, come back often and refer others.

Oftentimes the retail experience also includes “small-format” digital print work, such as brochures, sell sheets

and catalogs, so wide-format is a logical product extension. This means commercial printers that add wide-

format have more applications to offer customers.


Macy’s Transformed Into a Floral WonderlandPremier retailer Macy’s knows how to create a retail experience. For over 65 years Macy’s has celebrated

the arrival of spring in key flagship stores with a flower show event. The two-week extravaganza, initially

launched in 1946, showcases the colors and smells of a flower garden inside the store.

Macy’s stores in New York, Chicago and San Francisco showcase lush, gorgeous gardens and include a variety

of flora and fauna. Ferrari Color, Salt Lake City, has produced vibrant, whimsical graphics printed on digital

wide-format devices for the annual event.

A key display, printed by Ferrari Color, featured a gorgeous and massive (72 x 48 inches) butterfly wall that

was created using 21 different pieces printed on digital wide-format devices. The butterfly prints were

produced on a photo matte paper and mounted to 1/2-inch Gatorboard panels for extra stability.

Figure 9: Macy’s Butterfly Wall Produced Via Digital Wide Format

Source: Ferrari Color


In another Macy’s flower show display created by Ferrari Color, stunning nature prints were produced on

repositionable vinyl which is easy to remove; the prints included an opaque backer so does not leave any

residue when the graphics are taken down.

Figure 10: Nature Prints Printed on Easy-to-Remove Vinyl


In addition, Ferrari Color printed storybook-themed wall graphics which added to the atmosphere of Macy’s

event experience.

Figure 11: Graphics Turn Macy’s Into A Living Story Book


Floor graphics were another addition to the show, with themes representing the different seasons. Ferrari

Color printed these durable graphics on floor vinyl with laminate to protect the images from the thousands of

shoppers visiting the event.

Figure 12: Floor Graphics Enhance the Macy’s Flower Show Experience



The Pop-Up Store Another key retail trend presenting opportunities for digitally printed wide-format applications is pop-up

stores. These short-term retail spaces are popping up across the retail sector, as they offer retailers the

ability to test new products, branding campaigns, in-store technologies, and store layouts — all without the

financial risk of a longer-term real estate holding.

While the pop-up store phenomenon started off as the domain of digitally native brands looking to

experiment in physical retail, its use has spread to all types of retailers. The trend involves retail environments

“popping up” one day, then disappearing anywhere from one day to several weeks later. These temporary

stores are often used by marketers of seasonal items such as Halloween costumes, Christmas gifts, Christmas

trees or fireworks.

Pop-up stores offer many opportunities for print providers. Ricoh recently created and featured two examples of pop-stores to highlight the opportunity and showcased them at recent trade show events.

Visitors to Ricoh’s booth exhibits were presented with mock stores named “Eyes and Tees” and “Peak

Outfitters.” Each of the simulated pop-up stores included floors, walls, apparel and other items that were

printed by Ricoh devices. The stores also showcased an interactive experience that featured augmented

reality.

According to Dan Johansen, Marketing Manager, Ricoh Commercial & Industrial Printing Group, “We wanted

to show seasoned sign and graphics professionals and those commercial printers just getting into this arena

the breadth of wide format opportunities—it’s not just banners and posters.”

In addition, Johansen (previously the general manager of sign and display graphics printer before joining

Ricoh) explained that pop-stores demand some of today’s hottest, and more profitable, wide format printing

applications. He says, “Wall and floor graphics are in high demand for pop-stores, and across all markets. The

diversity of substrates is fueling growth of these applications by enabling more options. These applications

have a higher market value, so they command a higher price per square foot.”

Figure 13: Ricoh’s Pop-Up Stores and Interactive Floor Graphics


Key Investment Considerations

Understanding Technology OptionsThe possibilities for wide-format applications are endless and may seem a bit overwhelming as a result.

An important step in determining which applications to offer is ensuring that you have the right printing

equipment.

Overall, there are three different types of wide-format UV printer configurations: flatbed, roll-fed or hybrid

devices that support flat and roll media. These devices come in various sizes (from 36 inches to 16 feet wide)

and print with various types of inks including: aqueous, solvent, eco-solvent, latex, dye-sublimation and UV-

curable.

A key benefit of wide-format devices is that they can print on a wide variety of media types. Overall,

substrates can be rigid or flexible. Printing devices (roll-fed, flatbed or hybrid) typically dictate the type of

substrates (rigid, flexible or both) that can be used, but there are many media options for each type. It is

impossible to list all the many available substrates. Each printing technology has its own strengths and

limitations, so the applications you will be producing — now and in the future — can help dictate the printer

type that is right for you.

Demystifying Color Management An important consideration for those offering or considering adding digital wide-format printing is color

management. Given that customers’ print projects can be produced across multiple printing processes,

devices and substrates, it is important to understand and implement tools and procedures that will ensure

that the color output produced on a digital wide-format device is consistent, repeatable and matches other

client materials printed on other devices or via different processes.

Color management is an important part of each step in the workflow chain starting with design. While the

color produced by wide-format devices is extremely stable, the devices offer a wider color gamut than most

other types of printers and the ability to print on just about any surface.

Because of this wide flexibility, it is important to make sure jobs are designed to maximize the capabilities of a wide-format device, ”Toby Saalfeld, Ricoh’s US Director of Color Management.

There are many tools available to demystify color management and more easily implement the necessary

practices. Robust software packages are available to assist in better managing color, along with color

management services offered by equipment vendors.


For example, Ricoh offers a portfolio of color management services that includes system calibration, operator

training and ongoing color maintenance. Investing in software and support services to improve color

management offers many benefits to print providers. The cost-savings realized from reducing staff time

created by trial and error efforts to match color, along with material waste, can justify the investment in

consultative color management services. In addition, taking steps to better manage color can accelerate the

return on investment of printing equipment.

According to Saalfeld, “If we can teach our customers how color management really works, they get the most out of their wide format printing devices and they better understand the upstream processes to meet customer needs.”

Consider the Opportunities for Your Business As print providers are investigating new ways to grow their businesses, digital wide-format printing offers

many opportunities. The wealth of applications these devices can produce, beyond posters and signs, offer

print provides that ability to better serve current customers and attract new ones. Companies that have

invested in digital wide-format printers are stretching the boundaries of what is possible to serve customers of

all size, across nearly all industries. As technology and substrates evolve, print providers that invest in wide-

format devices are limited only by imagination.

digital wide-format printing: it's more than posters & signs...at the time, mills was...

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