Product news and information for the sign, screen and graphic arts trade
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Selling was so much easier when I first hit the streets nearly forty-five years ago. At my first sales job, I didn’t even need to do any prospecting. Telemarketers unearthed all of the leads. In most cases, they even made the appointment for me. My task was to make the presentation and close the sale. Read more »
Walk-in business is usually easy money. That’s because it is more about the customer buying than about you selling. Real selling, in which you must hunt for new business, isn’t so easy. It fact, it can be a complex process. First you need to track down viable prospects: those who need your products and services […] Read more »
What makes painting a challenge for sign makers, compared to vinyl application, are all of the variables. And with each variable the chance that what can go wrong increases. In fact, it seems that that guy Murphy has stacked the odds against us. Our only recourse is to identify the causes of our failures and learn how […] Read more »
Here’s detailed information on solvents used in sign painting. Solvents described include Pure Gum Turpentine, Mineral Spirits, Lacquer Thinner, Toluene, VM&P Naphtha and Xylene. Hingst extensively covers solvent safety, the new safety data sheets and the HazCom2012 standards. Read more »
Using most black paints in the shadow areas of a painting can create a dull, muddy color when mixed with other colors. Here’s a recipe for chromatic black that darkens a color without changing the color’s hue. Read more »
There are two basic curing units used for curing UV inkjet prints: Mercury vapor UV lamps and UV LED curing systems. Mercury vapor lighting is an old technology, which has been around for at least a century. UV inks were originally developed for this type of lighting, which emits a broad spectrum of UV light. Read more »
While hard work is important, it is equally important to take time off… Read more »
To avoid problems with vinyl or any other pressure-sensitive material, carefully read the vinyl manufacturer’s technical data sheet. Product bulletins will usually contain all of the information you need, including application temperature range. The application temperature range for most vinyl films is usually between 50⁰ and 90⁰F (10⁰ to 32⁰ C). For some films, the minimum application temperature […] Read more »
When screen printing polycarbonate film, learn what causes ink adhesion problems. Read more »
Heat transfer materials are comprised of either polyurethane, vinyl or flock facestocks coated with a heat-activated adhesive, and laminated to a plastic release liner or carrier film. Using a plotter cutter to cut heat transfer vinyl is a little different than cutting pressure sensitive vinyl. Some problems have resulted from using a dull blade. Other […] Read more »
