Gilding is an ancient art that dates back to Egyptian times. Get some time-tested tips from modern-day pros. Gilding with gold leaf is the ancient art Egyptians used to decorate King Tut’s coffin, but 21st century artisans are continuing the tradition on everything from automobiles to store windows.om modern-day pros. Read more »
Application Tape Tips
Here are some helpful tips for working with application tape: Whether you laminate application tape by hand or with a laminator, avoid trapping air bubbles between the vinyl graphics and the application tape. Bubbles and wrinkles in the application paper often result in bubbles and wrinkles in the applied graphic, regardless of the skill and effort […] Read more »
Illuminated Signs Help McGruff Take a Bite Out of Crime
The National Crime Prevention Council sanctions illuminated signs as a crime prevention tool. Find out how on-premise signs can help your business and your community. Need a new angle to sell on-premise illuminated signs? Several studies that show lighted signs help reduce crime are good weapons in your sales arsenal. Read more »
Reading, Writing and Profits With The School System Near You
You can position your company for profitability by serving the growing market for in-school advertising. When George Mason High School needed funds to install lights in its new football stadium, it looked for advertisers to foot the bill. Read more »
Comparing Heat Transfer Films with Screen Printed Graphics
A high quality polyurethane heat transfer film will outlast a screen printed garment hands down. In fact, if you properly process and care for a polyurethane heat transfer, the applique should last the life of the garment. We all know what happens to a screen printed shirt after a dozen washes. Plastisol inks crack. By […] Read more »
Banners Are Everywhere, but Professionals Want Vinyl That Pops!
Get rid of your humdrum banner designs and start creating vinyl banners that demand attention. Your customers will thank you. We’ve all seen them – and probably wished we hadn’t. You know those unsightly banners on buildings and in stores that only get your attention because they are so poorly designed. These banners are overloaded […] Read more »
Stripping Vinyl Graphics Made Easy
Stripping vinyl graphics may never become a sign makers’ dream, but it does not have to be a nightmare, either. Ask most sign makers about stripping vinyl graphics and they’ll cringe. Let’s face it. Stripping vinyl is not the most glamorous of tasks. “Stripping vinyl is the ugly side of our work,” said Frank Barbaria, […] Read more »
Cleaning Vinyl Graphics
Sign makers should assume that many of their customers will do some pretty stupid things when cleaning graphics. For this reason they must provide the end user with instruction covering proper cleaning and care of any graphics. When I sold fleet graphics, many years ago, I would give my customers an instruction sheet which included the do’s and don’ts listed […] Read more »
Faux Finishes
My flight out of New Orleans wasn’t leaving for several hours. Just a few miles from the airport, was the antebellum Destrehan plantation overlooking the mighty Mississippi River. So I had plenty of time to take the guided tour. Walking through the mansion, the marble mantles and sides of some of the fireplaces caught my […] Read more »
What Causes Ink Adhesion Problems?
The $64 question is: what causes ink adhesion problems when screen printing polycarbonate film? While some have suggested moisture absorption as the culprit, the most likely candidate is exposure to UV light and oxygen. As the polycarbonate absorbs UV light, it excites the photons of the atoms, which in turn creates free radicals. Free radicals […] Read more »
