By Courtney Saba
There are endless display options when it comes to digitally printed point of purchase (POP) signage. It is especially ideal for temporary promotions, creating a versatile and cost-effective solution for customers and vendors.
POP displays are particularly successful in retail and restaurant environments. Print service providers (PSPs) offering this service must be prepared to help clients stand out from the crowd. Everything from banners, lawn signs, and outdoor menus to window graphics are used in promotional advertising to boost business and profit.
Original Impressions
Established in 1982, Original Impressions is a marketing communications provider. At the outset, 12 full-time employees offered design, graphics, and print services. In 2010, it opened its sign division to meet its clients’ large format printing needs. Today a 98,000 square foot facility in Miami, FL houses 194 staff members.
50 percent of the firm’s work is considered POP. This falls under its sign services, which also includes banners, billboards, environmental, displays, and trade show booths. In addition, Original Impressions offers marketing, creative, e-business, and fulfillment services. Geographically, it reaches both national and international clientele.
To Digital
Original Impressions introduced digital printing to its hardware portfolio five years ago. “We started it to diversify our services and tap into the additional needs of our current clients. Our in-house design and manufacturing capabilities allow us to develop and manage large and complex graphics and POP displays,” shares Laina Kawass, marketing communications director, Original Impressions.
Kawass believes selecting the correct printer is an important factor to success. Two wide format devices run in the facility are from Agfa Graphics—a Jeti Titan HS and Anapurna M3200. The Jeti Titan HS is a three-meter wide, UV-curable flatbed with a flat-to-roll option. The Anapurna M3200 is a 3.2-meter roll-to-roll, UV-curable system.
When deciding between hardware from various manufacturers, the company relied on test prints to evaluate the different devices. Not only did the PSP qualify and examine each print, but so did its clients to ensure the printer chosen would meet their expectations.
According to Kawass, both Agfa printers change the way the company works with customers. “We have assisted many clients that tell their brand story beyond POP through a variety of substrates—brushed aluminum logos, acrylic timelines, and PVC geographic maps,” she says.
Pollo Tropical
The company regularly works with Pollo Tropical, an up-and-coming Caribbean cuisine restaurant chain. Each location—there are more than 20 in the U.S.—receives signage from Original Impressions. This occurs quarterly for small updates to existing stores in addition to full roll outs when a location first opens.
A variety of applications are regularly requested. Palram Americas’ Palight PVC is printed on for free-standing outdoor menus, mainly because it doesn’t scratch easily and offers a good quality print. Translucent and opaque styrene from Agfa is used for menus placed in custom illuminated light boxes, replacing commonly used backlit film.
13 oz. Agfa Duratex banner material makes up lawn signs and promotional banners. For window graphics, removable vinyl from Orafol Americas is used because it won’t leave any adhesive residue on the window. A 4mm coroplast is best for pole signs and drive thru header graphics due to its light weight.
When creating graphics for a new store launch, approximately 34,000 square feet of rigid media and 24,000 square feet of roll media is printed on. Both the Agfa Jeti Titan HS and Anapurna M3200 are used. They are essential in achieving success in quick turnarounds.
A specific challenge associated with Pollo Tropical is meeting the deadlines once the graphics are approved. “To make this happen, we work 24 hours, six days a week, and sometimes even on Sunday, all while making sure we get our regular work out the door on time,” explains Kawass.
Restaurant POP
Digital print introduces new POP trends within retail and restaurant display markets. Original Impressions offers a number of creative options to customers like Pollo Tropical—outfitting entire locations with both rigid- and roll-based signage—thanks to its Agfa Jeti Titan HS flatbed and Anapurna M3200 roll-to-roll printers.
Jun2016, Digital Output
