TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Month’s SBI Trivia Question Stumper:
SGIA '08 is next week in Atlanta. What was the total attendance at the SGIA '07 show in Orlando?
For the answer, scroll to the bottom of the newsletter.
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Industry News
[[HOT TOPIC]] SGIA's New Digital Guidebooks
SGIA's New Digital Guidebooks Available at SGIA '08
Discover the ins and outs of the wide-format digital imaging and digital garment decoration industries by ordering SGIA's updated 2009 Guide to Digital Imaging and all-new Guide to Digital Garment Decoration.
The guidebooks, which will be released at SGIA '08 (Atlanta; October 15�18, 2008), include the late-breaking technical upgrades, equipment, industry trends and new product listings specialty imagers need to stay abreast of market changes.
The 2009 Guide to Digital Imaging offers new information about recently introduced digital output devices, processes and updated industry terms.
Additionally, the brand-new Guide to Digital Garment Decoration provides a comprehensive review of the current digital technologies and processes available to garment decorators, including:
*An industry review with highlights of markets served
*Digital file and job preparation tips
*List of direct-to-garment inkjet technologies and other digital garment devices
*Suggestions on making digital garment decoration a profitable reality
"Today, more garment decorators use direct-to-garment inkjet printers to gain additional footholds in new and existing markets," said Johnny Shell, SGIA's Vice President of Technical Services. "It's important to fully understand the technology's features and how they can be employed in your apparel printing operation."
Pick up both copies ($16.95 each) at SGIA Booth 2003 at the Georgia World Congress Center. New SGIA Corporate Members and those who renew their SGIA membership on time can choose a free copy of one of the guides. Order your copies now at SGIA.org's e-Store.
Cree and Zumtobel Announce Strategic Agreement for LED Lighting Fixtures in Europe
Cree, Inc., a provider of LED lighting based in North Carolina, announced a long-term strategic agreement with the Austrian Zumtobel Group, a global market leader in the professional lighting industry and listed on the Vienna stock exchange, to supply LED downlights to the European market. The minimum first-year sales target is 50,000 LR6-230V luminaires. This accelerates the business relationship, which is anticipated to expand into other high-volume lighting categories in 2009.
The products under the agreement are European versions of award-winning Cree recessed downlights. They will be sold exclusively under two brands of the Zumtobel Group, Thorn and Zumtobel, in more than 40 countries throughout Europe and selected export markets.
"Cree provides us with a unique source of technological knowledge and leadership," said Andreas Ludwig, Zumtobel Group CEO. "By integrating this innovative LED luminaire into our portfolio, we are securing a significant technological edge."
"The Zumtobel Group is a forward-thinking, market-leading lighting company that understands that LED technology is changing the industry, and they want to help lead the change," said Chuck Swoboda, Cree chairman and CEO. "This strategic agreement is targeted to accelerate the LED lighting revolution across Europe by providing customers with energy-efficient and long-lasting products that save energy, save money and help protect the environment."
The LR6-230V downlight consumes just 12 watts of power, while delivering beautiful light of equivalent output and color quality to a 75-watt incandescent lamp and lasting up to 50 times longer. It is designed to lastmore than 20 years in homes and 10 years in businesses under normal use. Compared to compact fluorescent (CFL) lamps, Cree's downlight uses 50 percent less energy, lasts up to five times longer, and contains no mercury.
According to company statements, Cree is setting the stage to obsolete the incandescent light bulb through the use of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly LED lighting. Cree�s product families include recessed LED down lights, blue and green LED chips, high-brightness LEDs, lighting-class power LEDs, power-switching devices and radiofrequency/wireless devices. Cree solutions are driving improvements in applications such as general illumination, electronic signs and signals, variable-speed motors, and wireless communications.
Scala's Connected Signage Conference a Success
Scala, a provider of end-to-end solutions for the connected signage market, announced it convened the annual Scala Connected Signage Conference on September 15 - 16, 2008 in Philadelphia. The conference was held in the days leading up to Digital Signage Expo East.
The conference hosted 139 Scala Certified Partners, customers and industry partners from the 16 countries throughout the Americas and Oceania regions. The conference gave Scala Certified Partners and customers a chance to interact with the 35 Scala employees present, learn about how to optimize the use of Scala's Ad Manager and InfoChannel products and learn where the industry is headed in 2009.
Robert Koolen, Scala's president, said in his opening remarks "the purpose of the conference was to usher in a new era for digital signage and advertising management. With the acquisition of MISC and its Ad Manager product in April, Scala has been working to expand its digital signage footprint to include managing content for both traditional and print signage. The result is what Scala calls 'connected signage', a term that encompasses all forms of signage and dynamic media in the out-of-home environment."
"For Scala, the numbers tell the story for the past year," says Gerard Bucas, Scala's CEO. "Scala saw a 69% sales growth in U.S. sales in 2007. While the digital signage industry sales have been growing at a 20% CAGR over the past year, Scala's global sales have grown at a 40% CAGR."
"The integration of Ad Manager and InfoChannel is part of Scala's 2009 goal to simplify the digital signage ad-buying process for media buyers," says Jeff Porter, industry pioneer and Scala's EVP. "The biggest challenge is financing rollouts. The goal is to connect all of the dots for media buyers - they're screaming for solutions."
Scala will host its Connected Signage Conference for EMEA and Nordic regions on October 8 - 9, 2008 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Scala is a global provider of digital signage and advertising management solutions. By combining digital and traditional signage systems, Scala has become a connected signage company, offering the leading platform for content creation, management and distribution in digital signage networks, and a unified platform for advertising management of both traditional and digital signage networks. The company's solutions are used in retail, education, entertainment, government and other industries for diverse applications such as retail advertising networks, corporate communications (employee TV), traditional and digital billboards, digital menu boards, digital posters, cable TV, hotel lobby signage, gas pump toppers, outdoor advertising, interactive kiosks, etc. Scala pioneered the digital signage industry and today drives over 200,000 screens worldwide.
Panasonic Digital Signage Selected by Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises offer an escape from daily life in some of the world's most beautiful settings. Now several of their ships have been enhanced by the installation of large-screen LED systems from Panasonic Systems Integration, a division of Panasonic System Solutions Company.
Panasonic LED boards had already been installed on numerous Princess ships including the Caribbean Princess, Grand Princess, Sea Princess, Crown Princess and Emerald Princess. Now an additional Panasonic LED board is being placed on the Ruby Princess, an installation that is expected to be completed this fall. To date, the Panasonic large-screen systems have only been installed on Grand Class ships, those that carry more than 3,000 passengers.
"Princess needed a large-screen solution that would meet the unique needs of an on-board installation," said Keith Hanak, group manager, Panasonic Systems Integration. "Panasonic's LED provides the durability and performance they need for viewing during both daylight hours and at night."
The environment on board the ships is much more demanding than the typical large-screen installation on land. The Panasonic LED screens must withstand the ships' movement and vibrations as well as a range of extreme weather conditions and the salty air and water, for which the screens are IP 66 rated. A brightness sensor in each board automatically adjusts the screen according to the position of the sun with regard to the board.
"Movies Under The Stars" is one of the evening activities offered aboard the Princess ships. In addition to providing the displays for these movies, Panasonic's LED solutions are used for a variety of deck-side games and may be used for live camera shots in the future. A number of Panasonic plasma screens are also used on board in the ships' lounges, stage areas and common areas.
Guerrilla Billboards for Surprise Ad Attacks
In a world where everything is mobile, even billboards are starting to move in surprising ways.
Large advertising messages traditionally fixed to sides of buildings or planted along roadways are being freed by digital projectors and laptop computers to pop up in unexpected places. With these tools and some advance planning, Dennis Catalfumo and workers from Interference Inc. create advertisements where there were none before.
Though Catalfumo works primarily in New York City, one recent evening he was in Philadelphia doing "guerrilla marketing" for the Franklin Institute, a science museum and memorial to US founding father Benjamin Franklin.
Standing on a corner near some local bars, Catalfumo and an assistant projected images of a blackbird and a bicycle in a tree onto the wall of a nearby building.
"Curious?" the ad asked from the side of the building, enticing viewers to the institute's website. "It's a new way to approach people," Catalfumo told AFP. "It's better than doing a million dollar ad clip at the Superbowl where if it isn't ridiculous, you won't remember it. This is an interaction that will last."
As the night went on, the duo was approached by passersby eager for information about the website and the projected images.
"Some people hung out for a half hour to talk with other people coming up to see it," Catalfumo said. "The reaction from people on the street seems like instant gratification and they'll tell more people than if they just got a flier on the way to the train station."
Sam Ewen, chief executive of Interference, said a reason most people are so receptive is because it's so different from traditional billboards. "People might drive by a billboard and it might register or it might not," Ewen said. "People don't stand around and read billboard signs."
But projecting a video with unique images has an almost artistic effect. "It piques people's interest," Ewen continued. "And the more time they spend, the more interest they have."
Experience has taught Ewen's team that there is more to hitting marks with guerrilla ads then simply projecting television ads on buildings. They strive for unique, eye-catching images whether it is abstract art or a simulated tennis game between two opponents projected on neighboring skyscrapers. When the US-based Discovery Network was preparing to release new archival footage from NASA, marketing and branding officer James Hitchcock wanted projection advertising in their campaign.
"We had 50 years of archival imagery that no one had ever seen," Hitchcock said. "We wanted people to see it. We wanted to have rockets shooting off the buildings."
Guerrilla marketers will usually move on at the request of those that own buildings turned into projection screens, but it doesn't seem they are breaking any laws. Sometimes advertisements don't have the intended effect. In 2007, Catalfumo invented a box that could emit an image from the sides of buildings or under a bridge. During its first use advertising a cartoon movie in Boston, a passerby thought one of the boxes might be a bomb.
"It was so blown out of proportion," Catalfumo said. Since then, advertising firms have put more effort into striking deals with building owners or cities to avoid misunderstandings. "This is a form of advertising that's working, and we're telling cities they can regulate it and get a revenue stream," Ewen said. "And if not, we'll continue to do it anyway."
*From AFP Google
New Appointments
EskoArtwork,
the global supplier to the packaging, commercial printing, sign and display and professional publishing industries, announced it has appointed Mark D. Quinlan as President of its North American operations, effective October 1, 2008. Quinlan joins EskoArtwork coming from NCR Corporation, where he most recently served as Vice President, Business Development.
InteliCoat Technologies,
a global manufacturer of coated paper, film, and specialty substrates for digital imaging applications, announced the addition of Laura Wilson as regional sales manager. Wilson will be responsible for building and supporting InteliCoat's market presence by working with resellers and distributors in the Western United States. Wilson comes to InteliCoat from Graphic Materials International, where she served as its Western region sales manager.
Meetings and Events
OCTOBER
Oct 15 - 18: SGIA '08, the Specialty Printing and Imaging Expo, will be held at the Georgia World Congress in Atlanta, Georgia. This year, SGIA is also teaming up with the PDAA to present the hands-on WrapQuest '08 at this Expo. For additional information about attending this event, visit www.sgia.org or www.pdaa.com.
Sponsored Links
DPSBanners.com --
DPSBanners.com offers large format digital printing on vinyl banners, mesh banners, magnetic car sign and flatbed printing on foam board, Gator Board, Coroplast and more! Wholesale to the trade, best prices! Order Online! 1-888-790-2665. www.dpsbanners.com
This Month's Trivia Answer:
19,162 was the total attendance in 2007, with the 586 exhibitors, both records in the association's history, according to the SGIA.
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For in-depth coverage of these topics and other
sign industry topics, check out
www.signshop.com
ATTENTION ADVERTISERS and SUBSCRIBERS:
Coming up in the November 2008 issue of
Sign Builder Illustrated,
feature articles on:
Digital Printing on Banners
Gold Leaf Marketing
LED Video Displays
Neon Lighting
Vehicle Graphics Software
Large Format Vinyl
ATTENTION ADVERTISERS and SUBSCRIBERS:
Coming up in the December 2008 USSC Sign World USA issue of
Sign Builder Illustrated,
feature articles on:
Digital Printing Hardware
Dimensional CNC Routers
Digital Signs
LED Channel Letters and Sign Cabinets
Flexible Magnets
Aerial Platforms and Cranes
Cedar and Redwood Sign Blanks
Vinyl Cutters/Plotters
Contact your ad sales representative to reserve your space today.
As the premier e-newsletter for the sign industry, SBI Update encourages readers to send 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 Managing Editor Chris Ytuarte at cytuarte@sbpub.com.
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© 2008 Simmons-Boardman Publishing
345 Hudson St., 12th Floor • New York, NY 10014
212-620-7200
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Steel Art Company
"Exclusively to the Sign Trade"
Letters and Logos Waterjet cut or Channel Style. All metals. Standard and Custom Finishing. LEDs, Raster Braille in Metal, Etching.
Most solid cut ship in 8 - 10 days.
....at the start..consider the finish...STEEL ART COMPANY www.steelartco.com
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Rapid Tac Inc. is turning 21!! The original and still the best in the application fluids and adhesive removal products, we would like to show our appreciation by offering discount and promotional coupons this year. Look for our promo mailers and new product information in your mail box soon! Click here for free videos: www.rapidtac.com
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Mimaki's JV33 is the perfect wide-format solvent inkjet printer for those who want to stretch their budget without cutting performance. The JV33 has taken the best of the JV3 and made it better with 54" and 64" models for all types of applications. It's fast, it's solid and it's loaded with features. For information, click here: Mimaki USA
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An Affordable Cold Laminator Laminate or mount your prints quickly and easily with the Quikmount 4 cold laminator. It has all the features found on more expensive laminators, but costs thousands of dollars less. Ruggedly built from steel and aluminum, features include a heavy-duty motor, automatic take up shaft, and silicone rollers. For more information, click here: www.Daige.com
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See the new Océ Arizona 350 GT UV flatbed printer with White Ink at SGIA booth #1041. Print on non-white substrates, create backlits on transparent media and print spot white. It offers outstanding image quality, ink economy and tackles both rigid and roll based printing. Click here for more information: Océ
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Cyrious Software is a leading provider of estimating and business management software for the sign, digital and printing industries. Their new version of Control OOB features 75% faster setup, 50% more features, and has a new, lower price! Call 800-552-1418 to learn how Cyrious can help you increase your profits! Click here for more info: www.cyrious.com
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CrystalTek (West End Products LLC) manufactures Vinyl-Off, Adhesive-Off, and Ghost-Off for removing vinyl, adhesive, and ghost images. Their Wrap Care products safely prolong the look of vinyl signage. With distributors throughout the world, CrystalTek has become known for innovative, time-saving solutions to tough problems in the signage industry. 866-485-5202 www.vinyloff.com
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Discover New Products and Markets SGIA'08 (Atlanta, October 15-18) is where you'll find the tools and resources to create innovative, total solutions for your customers. From exhibitors showcasing the newest technologies and applications to educational sessions and
networking events, SGIA'08 is "where the Innovation Nation unites," and where you're sure to step up your business strategy. Register now and reserve your " target="_new">hotel room.
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Sign Builder Illustrated
Buyer's Guide 2008
Published twice per year in March and September, the Buyer's Guide lists manufacturers, distributors, and sign companies that comprise the industry in the U.S. and Canada. SBI Buyer's Guide
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Sign Builder Illustrated
Goes Digital With live hyperlinks to video clips, advertiser information, and other features, SBI Digital offers the newest online technology with the familiar layout of a hardcopy issue. To view an example, click on:
SBI Digital Magazine
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Sign Builder Illustrated presents:
Vehicle Graphics 101 Check out this special SBI supplement for all the information you need to get started, get good, and get profitable in the world of vehicle graphics. From wrap schools and required tools, to marketing your skills and paying the bills, this How-to supplement has it all. Check out the digital version here:
Vehicle Graphics 101
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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 Illustrated's trademark How-To articles. To visit the How-to Book Web site, click on: SBI How-To Book
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Cree's Strategic Agreement