By Melissa Donovan
Wall graphics, wallcoverings, wallpapers, wall decals—whatever the terminology the fact remains that any wall is the perfect canvas for a marketing message, company branding, decor, or even wayfinding practices. Most print service providers (PSPs) offer one if not all of the aforementioned variations.
These applications overlap in terms of materials, printing and finishing, and even installation techniques. So if you offer one, it’s very possible to offer another related application. This gives customers endless choices when it comes to their graphics.
Combining Past and Present
Lexington Signs & Graphics of Burlington, MA has been in business since September 1993. The full-service sign company works out of a 1,800 square foot location with two bays equipped with 22-foot high ceilings. It primarily services the greater Boston area and New England, but it has shipped signage all over the U.S.
The company’s principal players have unique backgrounds, with sign painting/hand lettering experience under their belt. This timeless technique marries well with the rest of the PSP’s offerings which include everything from design services to exterior dimensional signs, vehicle wraps and graphics, and wall and window graphics.
On its shop floor you can find a Roland DGA Corporation TrueVIS VG-540 54-inch eco-solvent printer/cutter, which was purchased in 2017, mainly for its ability to print and cut as well as its integrated easy-to-use RIP software. This is not the company’s first Roland device, as it first implemented a Roland 54-inch printer in 2014.
Wall Graphic Gamut
When it comes to wall graphic applications, Lexington Signs offers the gamut—printed vinyl wall wraps, printed and contour cut graphics, printed canvas with adhesive, as well as cut vinyl graphics. It relies on media from multiple brands including 3M Commercial Graphics for any projects requiring vinyl paired with matte laminate like wall murals and full wallcoverings. Presto Tape self-adhesive canvas is a favorite if the job necessitates a texture or a certain finish aesthetic.
Customers of Lexington Signs that require wall graphics generally look to install them in offices or retail/service brick-and-mortar businesses. Prior to COVID-19, this application category was about 30 percent of the company’s sales, however wallcovering requests have been significantly less since many local offices aren’t operating at 100 percent.
“In 2019 we completed roughly one or two wallcovering projects a month, this was a significant increase compared to years prior. Since COVID-19, interior office projects have decreased to very few with so many working remotely,” admits Raychel O’Donoghue, owner/CEO, Lexington Signs.
Working Close to Home
A recent wall graphics job involved QSR International, a software company with its Americas headquarters located in Burlington. The company’s designer—based out of AZ—reached out to Lexington Signs for help with a project involving graphics for the MA-based office building. Once the design was supplied, O’Donoghue and her team surveyed the site, scaled the art to fit, and prepared the files for printing.
“The client initially wanted the windows to have cut graphics, but I suggested printing on frosted vinyl material to achieve privacy and provide a more cost-effective solution rather than cutting complex graphics,” explains O’Donoghue.
Graphics were printed using the Roland TrueVIS printer on 3M Controltac Graphic Film with Comply v3 Adhesive IJ180Cv3 and protected with a matte laminate.
From initial contact with the designer to setting up print-ready files, the entire process occurred over a couple of months. The printing was completed within a week and installation—handled by Lexington Signs—happened in two days.
Options Galore
Lexington Signs offers its customers a range of options when it comes to wall graphics applications. It is able to achieve this thanks to its Roland printer/cutter and substrates from trusted suppliers like 3M and Presto Tape.
Nov2020, Digital Output
