Are you a sign shop that offers magnetic products to your customer? Sure, they're a simple and easy way to advertise someone's business, but are you really making that great of a profit for them? Most resellers normally offer magnetic signage for around $45-$65, and only make $10-$20 on average for the job. Maybe it's time you learn a few steps that can enhance your magnetic products and give you a way to make much more money off of them. Begin a new life of creating magnetic signs that retail at a life-changing $250-$350 price point. Of course, this signage is not for every client, but after being given our explanation (a.k.a. sales job) on what a custom-created mag graphic can do for them, they are usually convinced to pop for the full treatment.

Step 1 - White Ain’t Right - Change the magnet’s background, if possible, to a color that matches the vehicle, or create a contrasting gradient background, or a compatible but non-distracting pattern fill.

Step 2 - Shape It Up, Ship It Out - It’s not hip to be square, so whenever possible sculpt the magnetic piece into a custom shape by cutting around the logo or other elements, or using an oval background, for instance. If it has to be a rectangle, create a secondary smaller rectangle or creative cove for the client’s license number or other secondary copy.

Step 3 - Get Graphic - I know a picture really is worth a thousand words, because there’s a little magnet on my fridge that says so. Add some kind of an illustration or photo-realistic image of the client’s product or work. Truly fine clip art libraries - some offered in the pages of this fine publication - are often well worth the investment in time savings and graphic layout improvements.

Step 4 - Flaunt Yer Font - Limit your type styles to two at most, and since the surface area of magnetic vehicle graphics is usually small, make sure the fonts are bold and/or legible. Keep it simple with only the necessary copy.

Step 5 - Run for the Border - Many cheap magnetic signs look unfinished because they don’t have a border. Unless the graphics don’t lend themselves to it, add a compatible weight border to help give the graphics a more finished appearance.

Digitally printing magnetics make the above steps even easier to work with. MN Designs offers digitally printed magnets, which are printed on our flatbed, UV ink printer. More information can be found at mndesignsinc.com or by calling us toll free at 866.663.3746.

There's no denying it, our nation is becoming increasingly aware of our environmental responsibilities. Today's American consumer is consciously seeking out every "green" product alternative that addresses their deepening concerns. The push is definitely on to create new products successfully reprocessed from materials harvested from old products that outlived their usefulness and destined for a landfill.

Compared to the heavy and cumbersome painted angle-iron or welded-wire "banjo frames," or the flimsy spaghetti stakes commonly used, our sign frames and sign stakes are made entirely of near 100% recycled structural plastic. And, because they're light weight it even takes less energy (and less wasted $$$) to ship. Not only can you offer your customers "green" sign frames and sign stakes at competitive prices, but you’re also doing your part to protect and conserve America’s natural resources.

MN Designs is a proud distributor of the USA Sign Frames and Stakes. They are definitely innovative, high-quality and environmentally-responsible sign frames and sign stakes at competitive prices. All our sign frame and sign stake products are engineered to be sturdy, durable, and light-weight. Each USA Sign Frame and Stake design offers integrated features that a welded-metal version simply can’t match. And, just as important, you can be confident that all our sign frames and sign stakes are exceptionally efficient to ship. That factor alone is solid savings right to your bottom line.

To view are selection of USA sign frames and stakes, please visit our website!

Today's blog post is going to be one that should be quite simple to all the sign makers in the world; finishing banners. We will be looking at tackling banner tape, the very popular form of sewing, and the new form known as heat welding or sealing.

Banner tape is reinforced double-sided tape that can cost up to about $20.00 per roll. This product can actually be found on the MN Designs website for about $12.00 per roll. This method may prove to be a cheap way to finish your banners, but it can definitely be a nightmare. Most banner tapes are designed to bond banner material together, and although most perform quite well, there can always still be problems. In regards to being outdoors, banner tape just doesn't compare to sewing or heat sealing. You can also run the risk of dealing with puckering. This happens when you take two pieces of banner and attach them to each other with something that does not actually bond them together, like tape, and you roll the two surfaces up together, one of the surfaces puckers. This happens because the inside part of the rolled surface becomes compacted as you roll. Rolling the banner on a core (preferably 6") can help with this problem, but who has 6" cores!? Not to mention the fact that this adds to the shipping expense and the overall expense of the banner.

Sewing and stitching has been the accepted way of finishing banners since forever. The reasons for this are: a double-needle sewing machine has a low cost of entry, most people can run a sewing machine with a little bit of practice, and you can stitch just about anything. Sign makers can either buy their banners pre-stitched and pre-grommeted, or they can get their banners stitched and grommeted by an outside company. We here at MN Designs provide both services! Sewing provides a very strong and durable reinforcement for banners, and the outdoor lifetime is extraordinarily longer than banner tape.

Heat welding is considered by many to be the latest and greatest way to weld vinyl banners together. The process uses hot air (around 700 degrees) and with a small, flat pipe the system fires hot air between the two pieces of vinyl causing the top coat of the banner to melt. A roller follows, applying pressure to the two heated surfaces, forcing them to bond. The speed is great, and the finish is clean and very solid.

All three of the mentioned finishing banner techniques are offered through MN Designs!

For those of you who haven't noticed yet, MN Designs now offers a full scale online shopping site for those sign guys who need to order supplies during any hour of the day. We know that working face to face with our customers and clients is very important, but we also know that easy accessibility is also important, especially for our customers and clients, both new and old, that aren't close to our office, and who are looking for great wholesale prices.

There are tons of sign supplies to choose from that are offered on the MN Designs web page. One of our biggest categories is our vinyl. We are official distributors of both FDC and Avery vinyl. We offer out customers a wide variety of color options and sizes as well. Our blank banner section also offers customers many varieties and sizes. Both of these sections, along with the others, are extremely easy to navigate, and each product has item explanation and pricing for even more ease.

Using the website to purchase blank and digital banners allows our customers to receive free shipping on these products. As stated, this is a website promotion only. MN Designs ships anywhere in the United States, and all orders placed before noon as each business day will ship out that same day!

Customers can also take advantage of daily specials throughout each month to save even more on their sign supply needs. Each day the special is updated in the news section of the web page, and on the official MN Designs twitter. These specials are call-in only, but there are also sale items on the website that customers can also take advantage of.

To visit the MN Designs website, click here.

To follow MN Designs on twitter, click here.

Vinyl banners are by far the most common banner type in use today. They are used everywhere from Albany to Zambia, from National Parks to car parks and from the poles to the equator. But rather than making them easier to understand, this ubiquitous nature has made them more complex and difficult. The variations of substrate, printer, inks, lamination and finishing techniques have become almost infinite.

Vinyl banner substrates have a variety of surface textures, but these are just cosmetics, and personal preference should apply. The important bits are in the composition of the banner material. Most vinyl banners are made of calendered PVC. Woven into some banners are polyester scrims. In these banners the PVC is coated over the scrims, providing a lot of extra strength. The weight of the banner also determines strength. Common weights range from 10 to 16 ounces. Backlit banners are translucent for even light transmission. Some banners allow small amounts of light to pass through, others have a block-out layer in the middle. Different situations require different choices here.

Choosing the right printing ink and substrate combination is also critical. Aqueous inks are only acceptable for short-term indoor use. The banner materials have to be coated to accept the inks and these coatings are not very durable or water resistant. UV inks do not bind very well to vinyl banners and scratch easily. Eco and mild solvents bond lightly to many banner types, but every substrate needs testing before any purchasing decisions are made. True solvent inks bite deeply into vinyl banner materials. The inks are resistant to abrasion and fading, making for excellent all-round banner choices. If a longer term product is desired, the banner can be coated with a liquid lamination. This can be applied with a special coating machine or the old-fashioned way with a spray gun or roller.

After printing, most banners will require some form of edge finishing. For simple, short-term indoor use, banner tape is quick and easy. This double-sided adhesive is formulated for use with vinyl banners and will provide a good light-duty product. For a stronger bond without using any equipment, chemicals are available that actually alter the chemistry at the join. They are much stronger than adhesives.

If you want to get some machinery to make the job easier, heat welding is a good entry-level product. The heat seams are attractive and relatively strong. Radio frequency welding requires more expensive equipment and training, but gives a stronger, more consistent and almost invisible edge finish. The strongest, but ugliest, edge finish is sewing. Thread cannot be beat for a tough, durable hem. This also allows for reinforcing material to be sewn in when heavy-duty use is expected.

Banners can be used almost everywhere. They are good looking enough for even the chichiest occasion. Vinyl banners are tough enough for the wildest outdoor locations and they are cheap enough for the lowest budgets. Stand and framing systems are available in sizes that range from the personal to the gigantic, but almost anything can be turned into a banner holding device. They can be fastened to surfaces or stretched between poles. They can be attached rigidly or left floating like flags. There’s not much that you can’t do with a banner. One artist is even recycling old banners by sewing them into shopping bags.

There are lots of reasons why vinyl banners are so popular today. Easy to print, easy to fabricate, inexpensive to stock and easy to handle are reasons why printers push them, but durability, attractiveness, versatility and cost effectiveness are reasons why clients keep coming back for more.