Like all of our sister divisions in ARC, we are focusing a great deal on helping our customers create awareness of their services, products and value through the production of outstanding promotions.  If your plans for 2010 include promotion – whether that be a POP display, signage, or other high-impact displays – here are five tips for creating an eye-popping and value-oriented projects.

Tip#1: More dots aren’t always better; it’s the type of dot that counts

Color quality is often assumed to be a factor of resolution – the denser the pixel count, the better. And while that’s a safe bet for computer monitors and television screens, it can be misleading when it comes to printed materials. When you discuss your project with our production staff, make sure to describe what you’re trying to achieve and how the sign or display will be used. Are you looking to impress, capture attention, or simply inform? Will it hang from the ceiling? Adhere to a storefront window? Mount to a frame to be seen from the sidewalk or road?

With a huge variety of output options and substrates (see Tip #2), we can help you determine not only the quality of print you need, but the best output device, as well as the best value for your project. If you can accomplish your goals with a high-end inkjet print and forgo the continuous-tone, photographic-quality print you had in mind, you might be able to reallocate your budget to include some cool mounting alternatives, or a custom cut-out.

Tip #2: What you print it on is just as important as what you print

Toner, like ink, is absorbed into a substrate; how much it’s absorbs often determines how vibrant the color is. Over the years, paper manufacturers have put as much R&D into how papers react to digital printing technologies as they previously did with offset presses, and the differences are huge. Papers with “hard” finishes are typically more expensive, but not always. If you laminate your pieces, any shine you might be looking for from the paper will be overwhelmed by the finishing process, so why pay for it?

Likewise, if you use a “softer” finish paper, too much resolution (see Tip #1) will result in muddy color as the dots bleed and blur as the toner is absorbed in the substrate. A quick talk with our production department can steer you in the right direction.

Tip #3: Cut-outs capture attention

Not every job needs a cut-out of a celebrity in front of it to capture people’s attention, but shaping your display can make a big difference in how it’s perceived. Got a coffee cup that’s prominent in the graphic? Print it separately on a direct-to-substrate printer and have our production department use our high-speed, robotic cutters to slice out everything from the handle to the steam coming out of the cup! Flat displays have their place, but silhouettes and layered graphics add dimensionality that can sometimes draw more attention that the most vibrant color.

Tip #4: Installing your ideas

The graphic that was meant to turn heads can easily be ignored if it’s in the wrong place, lit poorly, or hung upside down (it happens, believe us!). We can’t say it enough: Talk to us about your objectives and the context in which your promotional graphic will be used. We have professionals who can not only fit your print on an arched ceiling, but who can recommend the proper hardware and lighting considerations for all the great work you do.

Tip #5: Choose your supplier carefully (Hint, hint)

Anyone can talk about how good their service is and how talented their people are, but the proof is in the pudding – so make sure to taste the pudding! We’d like to invite you in to see the variety of production options that are open to you. A shop tour can be an eye-opening experience. It can also give you the chance to talk about options, ideas and new techniques or technologies to get you ready for your next big project, before the deadline is bearing down on you. Call us today and schedule an hour in our facilities; we think you’ll walk away impressed and excited about your next promotion.

We’ve got more great information to share with you on how to make your projects work harder. To talk with one of us about your next job, click here.

A client was looking for a way to shield his business from the sun’s heat, but our colleagues in Minneapolis went the extra yard and turned the venerable Rand Tower, a downtown landmark, into a gigantic cast iron frame that met the client’s immediate needs – and also showcased his business and artwork in a bold new way.

Rather than create some random window coverings, our team in Minneapolis opted to take the client’s personal photographs, print them on a suitable substrate and mount them on clear Plexiglas that could be displayed with pride while keeping the effects of the sun at bay.

If you have an office space you would like transformed, Contact Us and we’ll call to discuss the best approach.

We have created a tailored suite of products and software for use in local schools and made it available to schools across the country, and to widespread acclaim. The on-site school print packages consist of a 24” Canon poster maker, a scanner, and a computer if the school requires one. Software is included so kids and teachers alike can get up and running swiftly on a variety of related school work.

If you know of a school that would benefit from having its own on-site center, Contact Us and we’ll contact them.

Our mission was to create a dramatic backdrop for the customer showroom. A series of panoramic photos at the Pebble Beach Golf course was taken, we spliced them together (careful to account for the curvature of the earth apparent in each splice) and created a visually seamless transition between the actual putting green in the showroom and our wall graphic.

The overall effect is so realistic we wonder if a customer could resist the urge to tee one up and send a ball down “No. 18 at Pebble Beach.” Aren’t sure if we can do this for you? Contact Us and we’ll be happy to show you.

The venerable Fraunces Tavern Museum in New York collaborated with our Ridgway’s division in Houston, TX last week to come up with supportive signage for its “Foundations of Freedom” exhibit – to be built around display of the Magna Carta and other historic items at the museum Sept. 15 through December 15.

For this rare and historic viewing, Ridgway’s developed specialized signage and printed banners for use in the museum’s exhibit rooms. The job included the creation of four 9’x9’ fabric banners, printed and sewn back to back.

The museum wanted someone who cared about how history was presented and we fit the bill. If you have a similar job and would like to talk with someone about it, Contact Us and we’ll be sure to contact you.

Our Blair Reprographics in Southern California asked Mattel for schematics of a proposed project and Mattel came back with a request for mock-up packaging of their “Combat Rock” sonic blaster.

Blair’s color services team printed the job on one of our GT350 flatbed printers and then die-cut the mock-up on a Zund precision cutter, handing the finished product back to Mattel within 48 hours. ARC technology minimized the client’s set-up time, streamlined their production processes, and greatly reduced the time needed for final assembly.

If you’d like to do the same thing,Contact Us and we’ll be sure to contact you.

The right technology can make your next color project something to behold, capable of passing the most expert scrutiny. To put our exacting standards to the test Pete Soulen, color finishing tech for Engineering Repro Systems in Plymouth, MN, recently printed a die-cut standee of a species native to his hometown, using bits of scrap substrate and one of our Arizona GT250 flatbed printers.

Pete took his “undercover turkey” out to the property close to his home and was rewarded by a visit from the real deal “within a few minutes.” Turkeys, you may know, have great eyesight – if we can turn out work good enough to pass their scrutiny, we can certainly accommodate your needs.

If you want to talk with someone about having some color work done, contact us now.

The San Francisco Ballet company asked if we could create inkjet prints on canvas for their production of “Lilacs” and we said “sure.”  The design and color departments at our San Francisco branch collaborated with the ballet company to find an appropriate look and produced the job on their UV Curable inkjet printer.

Four different backdrops were produced, each consisting of ten 4’ x 9’ panels (1440 sq ft total) which were subsequently assembled by the ballet company’s production crew.  The results, as you can see, were stellar.  The reviews from the ballet company were as plauditory for the backdrops as they were for  “Lilacs.”  Need some large-format print work done?

To learn more, click here and we’ll be in touch shortly.

The owner of a brand new baseball stadium in downtown Reno, NV needed an 8’x128’ barrier to keep fans out of a construction area. It had to be sturdy, and attractive, but given the expanse of the barrier, it was a perfect target for local “taggers.”

With the help of a local designer, and a special paint-resistant substrate our Sacramento office created an attractive barrier in keeping with the historic nature of the neighborhood. They printed 32 4’x8’ panels and fit them together seamlessly as one long wall, completed the installation in less than four hours, and left the owner with a construction barrier that was both attractive and effective.

Graffiti vandals left their mark the first night it was up. The next morning, a call from the ballpark superintendent brought our team to the rescue. The graffiti came off in seconds, and reports from the client are that the taggers have given up their attempts to deface the barrier.

Is graffiti a problem with your project? Let us show you how to defeat the taggers on your next job, defeat the taggers.

A non-profit client in Virginia wanted an advertising poster that told people what they did and tasked our local design team to come up with a memorable and visually arresting indoor poster for their offices.

The result was a combination of high-quality, large-format printing, and an inexpensive but creative way of cutting and mounting graphic panels to add dimension and visual interest to the installation. As a result, it not only told the client’s story, but made people stop and ask: “How’d they do that?”

Cost-effective and creative can go together. Let our designers help you create memorable advertising that helps you get noticed and tells your story. Contact us and let us show you some of the latest twists in promotional signage.