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Vol. 1, No. 7 | February 15, 2006
TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Month’s SBI Trivia Question Stumper:
In 2004, what were total worldwide revenues from wide format and narrow format inkjet hardware, media, and chemistry?
For the answer, scroll to the bottom of the newsletter.
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Industry News
[[HOT TOPIC]] Digital Printing vs. Old School Analog
Last month, SBI Update looked at the emergence of digital printing technology as one of the hottest verticals in the sign industry today. [*Ed. Note: To read SGIA President and CEO Michael Robertson’s comments on this topic, scroll to the bottom of the
page, click on the SBI Update Archive logo, and select the January 2006 edition.]
This month, we talked to Jerry Mathel (pictured above), a recently retired (congratulations, Jerry!) commercial sign shop owner with more than 50 years of experience. Can analog printing techniques co-exist with the digital juggernaut? In the world of “old guard” hand-painters, screen printers, and
sign makers, is there animosity towards the digital newcomers? Let’s see what Jerry had to say:
“Every sign making technique has its place, and I don’t think you can say any one is the panacea to everything. I probably look at things a little differently than a big production shop that deals in multi-thousand-dollar projects all the time. Throughout my whole career I was pretty much a one- or two-man operation, though I did everything. And when you got into the really high-technology
things like printing, there was a lot of money involved, and you either passed on them or farmed them out.
But, if you look at a single field—like truck lettering—I don’t really feel that a person could eliminate any one of the analog techniques and be truly successful in truck lettering. There are some things that still have to be done by hand, with a brush. If you haven’t learned those techniques, you’re leaving things out that should be included in your work.
When vinyl
processing and cutting came along, I said ‘This is never going to work.’ And then I began to think, ‘Maybe it’s not too bad.’ And I began to see that, using the knowledge I had with the hand-lettering and applying it to vinyl cutting, I could do some things that were really nice. And that’s what’s happened with printing. If a person was to go out and just buy and printer and say ‘I am a sign maker,’ they’re fooling themselves and cheating their customer because they’re not doing the quality
work that they should do without having that background behind you of using the other processes.
There has been, and still is, a lot of animosity on behalf on small sign shop owners toward those who were coming on to the scene with digital technology only. People express it in their own way. I went my own way and let them do whatever they wanted. And most of them didn’t last. If someone’s sole target was price, these people could get them. If someone wanted some really nice looking sign
work, they weren’t getting it there, so they went other places.
Essentially, every technique is a viable part of the sign business. If I was going to start up a new sign company and go out and buy the quarter-million dollars worth of equipment that it takes today (instead of the $50 sign kit that you put in the trunk of your car and drove down the street to do sign work, like when I started), I would definitely have a large format digital printer.
Incorporate every single tool you
can into your work. I would hope that analog techniques would not be rendered obsolete by digital technology. There are people that went into the sign business when vinyl cutting first came out who had absolutely no artistic ability, and, frankly, their signs looked like crap. Someone who was a sign painter, and who had that knowledge of layout and kerning and spacing and negative space balance, use of colors, etc—their signs looked great, especially in contrast to sterile red and black
Helvetica letters on a white sign. There’s just so many people doing sign work who don’t know what they’re doing—they bought a machine or a franchise and they’re not sign people. I went to a city college sign-painting course in the mid-1950s. I started painting signs in the late 40s. And it took years to learn that trade. I don’t think the learning curve is any less now than it was then; you just have some machines that can turn out a perfect letter. But it still takes artistic ability to turn
out a good sign."
Thanks to Jerry, and last month's guest Michael Robertson, for this HOT TOPIC look at digital vs. analog printing. Check in with SBI Update's HOT TOPIC in March, when we start a new, two-sided discussion about computer software and technology in the sign industry. What type of software is the best investment? Do PC’s have a place in sign design, or is it a Mac Mac Mac Mac world? Find out next month!
VUTEK Printers Produce Polish Election Banners
Democracy in Poland had a banner month of January, thanks, in part, to VUTEK.
The Meredith, New Hampshire-based printer manufacturer supplied two of its top high-speed products to a
Polish large format digital printing house which used them to produce some 250 vinyl banners for the Polish general election.
Opinion, the Polish digital printing house, created the banners using the VUTEK UltraVu® 5300 and UltraVu II 3360 printers. Designed to promote governmental and regional election candidates, the banners ranged from 1 square meter to 10 by 7 meters in size, and were installed on buildings in the capital city of Warsaw and other Polish metropolises.
“In
Warsaw today, you see screen printed billboards on every corner—the city is completely saturated,” said Opinion Sales and Marketing Director Slawomir Krynicki. “Because of this, we actively encouraged the election committees to use digitally printed banners that could be personalized and installed in more unusual and eye-catching locations.”
VUTEK’s UltraVu II 3360 was used to produce frontlit and double-sided banners. The 5-meter UltraVu 5300 generated the larger vinyl mesh banners,
printed in panels and seamed together. As the elections grew near, the speed of the VUTEK printers was an asset.
“We were working like crazy, producing banners up to five days before the elections,” said Krynicki. “We were required to take orders in the evening and have it ready for installation the following morning, without compromise to print quality.”
In printing large images of the Polish candidates, Krynicki was also concerned with color issues. “We were able to print at 300
dpi and produce the vibrant colors, skin tones, and facial details of each candidate’s photograph correctly,” he said. “The job was a great success."
Microsoft Wins Digital Printing Lawsuit
A U.S. district judge has cleared Microsoft Corp. of any wrong doing in a federal lawsuit filed against the software giant claiming it infringed on patents for a process that improves the speed and
quality of digital printing.
According to a report in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, U.S. District Judge Manuel Real said three patents for the “Blue Noise Mask” process, owned by Tuscon, Arizona-based Research Corporation Technologies (RCT), could not enforced because the inventors withheld “material information” from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in the application process. Three other patents were ruled invalid.
The inventors of “Blue Noise Mask,” Kevin
Parke, the dean of the school of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Rochester, and Theophano Mitsa, a professor at the University of Massachusetts, first filed suit against Microsoft in 2001. Through the RCT, which manages the patents, the pair claimed that Microsoft infringed on their “Blue Noise Mask” design for creating halftones when the company installed similar technology in its Windows operating system and Office software package.
A 2004 ruling in the
infringement case went against Microsoft, but that ruling was nullified when the patents were deemed invalid or unenforceable. The latest ruling, coming on January 23 in Microsoft’s favor, saw the case thrown out. RCT plans to appeal.
New Company, New Product for Former Cree CEO
Neal Hunter, the former Cree chairman and chief executive officer, continues his journey in the sign business as chairman of his new venture, LED Lighting Fixtures. Recently, the company
unveiled its first LED product: a fixture that provides as much light as a 60-watt standard light bulb while consuming just 27 percent of a light bulb’s power.
According to a report on LocalTechWire.com, Hunter and LED Lighting Fixtures have filed for five patents related to the development of the company’s first fixture.
“One hundred days ago, we served notice that were going to usher in a disruptive change in general lighting technology coupled with a dramatic increase in
lifetimes (decades) and greatly reduced energy consumption,” said Hunter. Our first results exceeded our expectations, and we now believe that existing LED technology can go much further. The days of choosing between a grossly inefficient incandescent bulb or a mercury-laded fluorescent product may soon be coming to any end.”
Energy-efficient Signage Encouraged
The New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA), a public benefit corporation designed to support certain programs during the transition to a more competitive electricity market,
recently announced it was making available funds for businesses that install energy-efficient signs.
Following the precident set by several West Coast energy agencies in encouraging businesses to switch to LED lighting, the NYSERDA has made a total of $750,000 available, to be distributed in sums of up to $250,000 for the development of use of efficient signage and displays.
According to a report by Buffalo Business First, the state agency is seeking proposals from New York
businesses to create energy-conserving digital signage. The NYSERDA also wants research reports about the results of such installations, for which it will pay $50,000 each.
“The continuing decline in price of existing display technologies—LED, LCD, plasma—and the emergence of new technologies—thin film, OLED, etc.—is increasing the development of digital signage into both traditional and non-traditional applications,” said NYSERDA Project Manager Joseph Borowiec. “The display/digital
signage market is estimated at over $53 billion and growing at 30 percent per year.”
Proposals for the new initiative, known as Program Opportunity Notice 954, are due by March 21. For more information, go to www.nyserda.org.
New Appointments
Eastman Kodak Company announces the planned retirement of Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President Robert H. Brust, who will step down when his employment contract expires in January 2007.
NUR Macroprinters Ltd. announced the appointment of Yossy Zylberberg as its chief financial officer.
OnScreen Technologies, a provider of LED signage technology, announced Stephen M. Sunshine has joined the company as director of sales and business development.
PIA/GATF (Printing Industries of America/Graphic Arts Technical Foundations) announces John M. Hamm has joined their consultant line-up as senior advisor to PIA/GATF for digital printing.
Meetings and Events
MARCH
March 10 - 12: Sasekalahewata Letterheads, an event devoted to gold leafing, glue chipping, pinstriping, glass etching, airbrushing, and sandblasting, will be hosted by Fred’s Sign
Company, Inc., of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. For additional details, call 405/235-8696 or e-mail FREDSSIGNCO@aol.com.
March 27 - 29: The National Environmental, Health & Safety Conference for the Graphic Communications Industries, hosted by the Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, Indiana. For reservations, call 317/827-3500 or 877/640-7666 or visit www.nehsconference.org.
APRIL
April 5 - 8: ISA International Sign Expo 2006. Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida. www.signexpo.org.
Sponsored Links
Elliott Equipment Corporation -- Award winning HiReach & BoomTruck aerial-workplatforms and cranes. Elliott products increase your productivity, and give you the highest ROI available. Do more with
Elliott. www.elliottequip.com
M2 Lighting Solutions, LLC -- NEW epoxy-encapsulated UL recognized LED channel letter lighting system that will stay bright even in your most challenging conditions.
www.M2Lighting.com
This Month's Trivia Answer:
$42.1 billion
According to I.T. Strategies, a digital imaging consultancy firm based in Hanover, Massachusetts, those revenues are forecast to grow to $58 billion by 2009.
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For in-depth coverage of these topics and other sign industry topics, check out
www.signshop.com
ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS:
Coming up in the March 2006 issue of
Sign Builder Illustrated,
feature articles on:
Awnings
Digitally Printed
Floor Graphics
Gold Leaf
Architectural LED
Neon Channel Letters / Sign Cabinets
Paints
Fabrication Tools
ATTENTION ADVERTISERS and SUBSCRIBERS:
Coming up in the April 2006 ISA Sign Expo 2006 issue of
Sign Builder Illustrated,
feature articles on:
Acrylics/Plastics/Polycarbonates
Digital Vehicle Graphic Printing
Dimensional Sign Blanks
LED Channel Letters and Sign Cabinets
Routers/Engravers
Design Software
Vinyl
Banners
Contact your ad sales representative to reserve your space today!
As we shape SBI Update into the premeire
e-newsletter for the sign industry, we encourage our readers to send us feedback on what you like, what you'd like to see, and any other comments you might have. To do so, send an e-mail to Associate Editor Chris Ytuarte at cytuarte@sbpub.com.
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© 2005 Simmons-Boardman Publishing
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Sheffield Plastics Inc, a Division of Bayer Material Science, manufacturers extruded polycarbonate sheet or reels known as Makrolon® SL for the sign industry. Sheffield Plastics produces VIVAK HT, a proprietary copolymer for indoor or outdoor signage, and has a full line of "None Tougher / None Clearer" signage products to meet the most demanding specifications. Visit our Web site
by clicking on our logo above.
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Mimaki USA has stood at the forefront of technology with its large-format plotters and cutters. Headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia with branch offices in Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles, key strengths include large-scale printing and cutting solutions, smaller, affordable plotters, and breakthroughs in printing for UV curable ink jet systems. Click on the Mimaki logo above to visit their
Web site.
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Sixty Years of Explosive Growth
ISA is proud to announce the 60th anniversary of the ISA Sign Expo, taking place in Orlando, Florida on April 5-8, 2006. The Expo offers hundreds of exhibitors from around the globe, displaying innovative sign products. To learn more about the ISA Expo, click on our logo above
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At Digital Media Warehouse, we know the wide format industry. Our customers range from production houses with multiple HP DesignJet 5500's to enterprising individuals with a vinyl cutter in their garage. Whatever your situation, contact us, and you'll be making great big prints and great big
profits in no time. Click on the Digital Media Warehouse logo above to go to the Web site.
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Sign Builder Illustrated:
The How-to Book Vol. 1
Learn secrets to fabricating neon, illuminating with LED, sandblasting signs, applying paints, cutting and printing vinyl and more in this 288-page, full-color reprinting of Sign Builder Illustratedís how-to articles. To visit the How-to Book Web site, click on the image above.
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