By Melissa Donovan
Floor graphics are more than a simple decal, they are an extension of a brand, a complement to an interior display, or part of an immersive experience. Digitally printed floor graphics offer all of this at a fraction of the cost of more permanent flooring alternatives.
Above: Premier Graphics recently wrapped furniture pieces, a bar, and the floor around and leading up to the space for a client exhibiting at a large interior design show. A gloss red material was requested and ultimately used with 3M Controltac Graphic Film with Comply Adhesive 180mC. Drytac Interlam Pro Emerytex laminate was placed on top to prevent slipping when walking over the floor graphics.
All Things Graphics
Founded in 2006 by Mark Sorley, Premier Graphics Inc. is well known throughout Canada and into the U.S. for its large format production and installation of graphics and wayfinding signage. The company works out of Richmond, BC, Canada with 17,500 square feet of space to call home. It employs a total of 24 staff members.
Part of this crew is Sorley’s son, Jordan, who joined the company full time in 2018. Then Taylor Sellinger, partner/GM, Premier Graphics, became a member of the staff. “I joined the team with our sights set on Premier Graphics being the company synonymous with all things graphics in the Vancouver, BC area,” shares Sellinger.
And “all things graphics” is indeed what the print provider stands for. Large format graphics are approximately 60 percent of its offering. The remaining 40 percent is made up of wayfinding signage, window privacy films, displays, and installation services.
Hint of Floor Work
Under large format graphics comes a number of applications, including floor graphics. The company creates anything from short-term promotional to long-term floor graphics used in immersive spaces.
Sellinger believes floor graphics “help to create spaces at the varying levels of budgets we are given to work with and in a way that is fully removable when the time is needed.”
To create floor graphics, Premier Graphics works with media from multiple vendors, but favors Drytac. Specifically, the company’s Polar Grip material is a favorite for longer term floor graphics. Polar Grip is a polymeric self-adhesive vinyl featuring unique aggressive high bond adhesive. It also uses Drytac Interlam Pro Emerytex anti-slip laminate, which offers a matte pebble textured finish.
“We’ve had outdoor installations removed after two years installed to concrete with minimal adhesion issues. With Drytac Interlam Pro Emerytex laminate, you feel secure walking on it even in wet conditions,” explains Sellinger.
To print its floor graphics Premier Graphics uses HP Latex printers—an entire fleet actually, including the HP Latex R1000 Plus with White Ink, HP Latex 365, and HP Latex 800. Two main reasons for committing to HP are performance and sustainability.
“We love the HP Latex technology and the flexibility it provides in printing on a variety of surfaces. We also chose to increase our investment in HP Latex technology to better position ourselves as a sustainable provider, as well as for the health and well being of our staff,” shares Sellinger.
Seeing Red
Creativity and awareness are top of mind when it comes to floor graphics. Sellinger says more requests are coming in to use digitally printed floor graphics in immersive spaces like virtual reality rooms and even in temporary environments like film sets or trade shows.
Digitally printed floor graphics are an ideal alternative in this scenario compared to other options like paint, which is considered more costly.
An example of this is seen in a recent project Premier Graphics completed for a client exhibiting at a large interior design show. The request came in with a four week lead time and the client wanted the print provider to prepare a graphic that would serve as a focal point of the space. Furniture pieces, a bar, and the floor were all planned to be wrapped.
The floor graphic would be placed around a bar, so high on the criteria list was a substrate that needed to resist slipping even when wet, for example if a drink spilled.
The entire graphic was a solid color—gloss red—and being so specific a hue, Premier Graphics was tasked with creating a three-layered product with the help of its laminator from Graphic Finishing Partners, LLC.
“A specific red material was needed to match the client’s color, but this material has a permanent adhesive and we needed the material to have a removable adhesive as well as an anti-slip laminate,” explains Sellinger.
As a result, the gloss red permanent adhesive material was combined with 3M Controltac Graphic Film with Comply Adhesive 180mC, which has a removable adhesive; and then Drytac Interlam Pro Emerytex laminate was placed on top.
Combining the products through the laminator, roll slitters were then used to create a factory finished edge when the final product came off the laminator. Doing it in this way meant the team didn’t need to trim by hand.
Everything was completed on time and the client was thrilled with the final result. “We worked with them throughout the process, including having them in for a facilities tour during our initial planning process to ensure the best end results,” shares Sellinger.
Cost-Effective Alternative
Digitally printed floor graphics, whether an intricate image or a solid color, are popping up all over. Their ability to offer a cost-effective alternative to paint or permanent flooring like carpet, in addition to being easily removable, drives demand.
Dec2023, Digital Output
