Graphic design is concerned with controlling a viewer's eye by emphasizing the visual impact of specific elements in the design field and diminishing others. The designer is compelled to consider how the visual symbols are scaled, colored, and positioned for emphasis.

Tone and color relationships also create visual hierarchies. Brighter, more intense colors have a tendency to be emphasized over more subdued color values. Another important factor that effects the visual gestalt of a design field is the position of elements relative to each other on the page. A static composition rests the eye in a central location and prevents it from wandering. A dynamic composition forces the eye to move and to emphasize specific visual elements. This can have a profound effect on the viewer's perception.

Most designers work within a grid. A grid enables the designer to align the extremities of text and images to contain the content so that the viewer's eye does not wander aimlessly around the page or off into the margins. Grids can be very creative, employing sub-grids and diagonals to align the edges of elements on the page.

However, even the most creative grid structure is no substitute for the designer's sensitive eye for unity and balance. The grid provides a framework but the designer must still make decisions about the scale and location of the graphic elements and their relationship to each other. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator both offer the ability to display non-printable grids that are used as a convenient layout tool. The grids can be configured with grid-lines and subdivided to any dimension, and are editable in the Preferences function.

Design is such and important aspect of production that it can make or break the message of a printed piece, especially where type and images are combined. With a strong, well-balanced design that contains texts and images that work in harmony, the concept will be enhanced for maximum effect. What follows are a couple nuts-and-bolts software techniques that combine words and pictures. These operations are relatively simple tricks that can be used under a variety of circumstances.

Stayed tuned for Part 2!!

Virtually all graphic elements, from the simplest letter-form to the most complex color image, have duel identities. They are optical phenomena with visual characteristics, and they are symbols that communicate a concept, whether it be a simple sound as with a text character, or a profound inner reality as in a surrealist painting.

Graphic design is concerned with controlling a viewer's eye by emphasizing the visual impact of specific elements in the design field and diminishing others. The designer is compelled to consider how the visual symbols are scaled, colored, and positioned for emphasis.

Tone and color relationships also create visual hierarchies. Brighter, more intense colors have a tendency to be emphasized over more subdued color values. Another important factor that effects the visual gestalt of a design field is the position of elements relative to each other on the page. A static composition rests the eye in a central location and prevents it from wandering. A dynamic composition forces the eye to move and to emphasize specific visual elements. This can have a profound effect on the viewer's perception.

Most designers work within a grid. A grid enables the designer to align the extremities of text and images to contain the content so that the viewer's eye does not wander aimlessly around the page or off into the margins. Grids can be very creative, employing sub-grids and diagonals to align the edges of elements on the page.

However, even the most creative grid structure is no substitute for the designer's sensitive eye for unity and balance. The grid provides a framework but the designer must still make decisions about the scale and location of the graphic elements and their relationship to each other. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator both offer the ability to display non-printable grids that are used as a convenient layout tool. The grids can be configured with grid-lines and subdivided to any dimension, and are editable in the Preferences function.

Design is such and important aspect of production that it can make or break the message of a printed piece, especially where type and images are combined. With a strong, well-balanced design that contains texts and images that work in harmony, the concept will be enhanced for maximum effect. What follows are a couple nuts-and-bolts software techniques that combine words and pictures. These operations are relatively simple tricks that can be used under a variety of circumstances.

Stayed tuned for Part 2!!

The following is an application checklist that is essential for wrapping any vehicle, with any type of wrap media.

1: Know your surface and its limitations (gaskets, rust, channels)

2: Provide a controlled environment and a clean vehicle.

3: Always use a sharp knife for trimming (snap-off or replace blades frequently).

4: Use an air release tool, not a knife, to relieve air bubbles.

5: Heated media applied to cold metal will cool quickly. Apply enough heat to do the job correctly and work in small areas.

6: Use heat to soften the film prior to stretching.

7: Use heat to relax the film after it has been stretched into the channels. This also allows the adhesive to build to a high bond quickly.

8: Seams and edges are common failure points. Be sure that edges are clean and dry. Cut all seams and then heat and re-burnish all edges to insure a good bond.

9: All printed material MUST be given a minimum48hrs at 70°F (21°C) flat exposure to flash off any residual ink solvents before using the clear overlaminate. Failure to do so will trap residual solvents altering the performance of the product increasing the potential for premature film and adhesive degradation.

The following is an application checklist that is essential for wrapping any vehicle, with any type of wrap media.

1: Application begins at the back of the vehicle for vertical panels and from the bottom up for horizontal panels. This allows for all overlaps to face the back or the bottom which prevents wind and rain from causing a premature failure. Seams should have a 1/4 to 1/2 inch (0.64 - 1.3 cm) overlap.

2: Use firm pressure on the squeegee to apply the media to the surface, starting at the high points in the middle and working out toward the edges.

3: For channels, wherever possible lay the media through the channel rather than bridging and stretching the media. Any vinyl film(cast or calendered) can exhibit shrinking or tenting when overstretched or overheated.

4: In some instances it is not possible to negotiate complex curves. In this case, you will need to bridge the vinyl. Be sure only to stretch the vinyl and over laminate combination until firm. Overstretching may result in memory failure. At this point, it is suggested to cut the film in this are to relieve tension.

5: In many difficult areas, a thin layer of an adhesion promoter or acrylic spray primer can enhance adhesion. Be sure to use the primer sparingly and allow it to cure completely according to the directions on the can, prior to graphic application.

6: To bridge a gap properly, apply the film to the flat areas first as indicated above. Use heat to soften the film, somewhere around 160° to 200°F (71° - 93°C). Immediately stretch the film into the groove, starting at the middle of the groove and working out to both sides. Sometimes using a cotton glove or soft cloth instead of a squeegee is the way to go. Since the film cools quickly, it is important to work in small areas and continue to heat the film as your work moves along. Finally, after the film has been applied, to eliminate the stretching stresses created in this application, you must heat the film to a higher temperature, somewhere between 220° and 250°F (104° and 126°C). Move the heat source slowly. Now that the film has been applied, you are also heating the body of the vehicle and it takes more heat to achieve the final temperature requirement. Using a no-touch heat gauge is strongly recommended to ensure this very important step is done correctly.

7: Edges, seams and trim should be cut and resqueegeed to ensure good adhesion. It is a very good idea to also use high heat along these areas to speed up the adhesive build (this is to overcome the repositionable adhesive we built into the film for ease of application) and ensure a good application. Do not wrap films around 180° turns, as this will most likely result in failure. Do not wrap films under the edges of the car or into areas that do not clean well.

8: For over rivets, digital media with an over laminate may tent and is not considered a reason for failure. To apply, use the same technique as the bridging described above, apply the film over the flat areas, bridging the rivet head. Using an air release tool or pin, (do NOT use a knife blade as this will result in a cut propagation issue), poke multiple holes around the rivet head to release the air, then using heat and a rivet brush work the film down. Finally apply high heat to release any tension stresses and to ensure a quick high strength bond. The only proven way to eliminate tenting around rivets with an overlaminated film is to cut completely around the rivet head after application.

9: Do not over-heat or over-stretch the graphic media. Channels that result in the filmbeing stretched too far must be cut.

10: After all the film has been applied, go back and apply heat to the graphic to a high temperature, 200 to 250°F (71° - 126°C), in the areas the vinyl has been stretched to relieve stresses created by stretching.

Stay tuned for some more tips and tricks for vehicle wrap installation!

The following is a pre-application checklist that is essential for getting ready to wrap any vehicle, with any type of wrap media.

1: The ideal location for an installation is indoors in a climate controlled environment. If this is not possible, do your best to protect the surface from changes in temperature, moisture, wind and dust as these will affect the integrity of the application.

2: Prior to application, remove all trimthat may interfere with the wrapping process. This would include: license fixtures, antennas, nameplates, lighting fixtures, etc.

3: Identify possible points of failure, which may include: poor paint jobs, clear coat chipping, rust, dents, nicks, scratches, seams, silicon seals, and rubber window gaskets. The adhesive is designed to adhere to the painted vehicle surface, it doesn’t stick to silicone, rubber etc…The material must be trimmed around these areas!

4: Ensure the vehicle has been kept indoors and surface has been cleaned with IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol, 70%concentration minimum) prior to application. Allow to air dry. The use of towels or rags may contaminate the cleaned surface. Pay special attention to edges, seams, around moldings and gaskets and where objects were removed. Use compressed air or a heat gun to ensure dryness.

5: The vehicle and environment temperature should be above 60°F (15°C) (prior to application.

6: Always ensure the finished graphic lines up with the vehicle before application.

Stay tuned for the next checklist for applying the vinyl to the vehicle!

This blog post is the second of a series of three relating to successful color matching for screen printing. The author of this very informative article is Mike Ukena, and he is a part of the Union Ink Company.

COLOR

Color is the most subjective criteria we have to deal with as screen printers. Everyone seems to be an expert. Everyone sees things a little differently, and color varies depending on the light you are viewing it in. There are expensive machines available that will analyze a color sample and tell you exactly what it is so you can match it... the key word here being expensive.

Most people go by eye, and that is most likely what the customer is going to use to approve a sample, so it is still the overriding criteria in any matching system. Plus, some of the man made colors that we use in screen printing throw off the expensive measuring equipment. Fluorescent/neon colors are very difficult for most of the devices to measure, especially when they are a part of an ink mix.

The key in any shop is a system that works and meets your customer's needs. Whether it is an expensive measuring device or a good eye is not as important as being able to hit a color. And, once you have matched a color, can you do it again and again?

MATCHING SYSTEMS

Most of the major manufacturers have at least one Pantone ink matching system. The advantage to these systems is that they allow you to make exactly what you need for an order. With a little practice, most ink departments can cut their waste by over 50% by using a matching system.

Matching systems are not expensive for the printer to use. The base inks are about the same price and pre-mixed inks and the only extra equipment that is required is an accurate weighing scale and a mixer. A smaller printer can be up and running with a matching system starter kit, a scale, and a small mixer for under $1,000. Larger printers can expand upon the base concept by adding dispensing equipment to speed up the process and to allow for larger batches. These systems run as much as $50,000 but are often subsidized by the ink manufacturer in return for a commitment to their ink.

The disadvantage to these systems is they are either opaque or general purpose, but not both. A small shop can do just fine with an opaque system and the use of a soft hand extender base (a product which reduces the opacity of the ink and makes it more economical to use on lighter fabrics) when printing on light garments. A large shop can justify two systems.

Color matching systems are design to allow a printer to mix specific color shades from a group of basic colors. They are most commonly used to simulate specific Pantone Matching System (PMS) colors. The Pantone colors are the most common system used by advertising agencies, corporations, advertising specialty companies and clothing designers to designate the colors that they want to use on a screen printed product.

TWO DISTINCT MATCHING SYSTEM TYPES

There are two types of systems in use. The differ greatly in philosophy. The two types are generally referred to as "finished ink" systems and "base and pigment" systems.

A finished ink system relies on base inks that are in an RFU (ready to use) formulation. These inks can actually be used right out of the bucket as is. If you like the color, it is printable without mixing.

Base/pigment systems rely on ink bases into which the printer adds a series of pigment concentrates to achieve a color. These systems cannot be used right out of the bucket.

WHICH TYPE IS BETTER?

The usual "it depends" fits real nice right here. Both types have their advantages and disadvantages. Finished ink systems are much easier to use and in general, they are a little less expensive overall. They are easier because it is much more difficult to make a big mixing mistake. If you add too much of a specific color, it is not a huge deal to adjust the other colors to the corrected formula. On the other hand, a finished ink system is less flexible in terms of base formulation. You get the base that the ink is made in and that's it. You can adjust opacity downward, you can put in additives to make it into one of several specialty formulations, but overall, it is more restrictive in terms of different specialty inks that can be made from it.

Stay tuned for part three!

This blog post starts the first of a series of three relating to successful color matching for screen printing. The author of this very informative article is Mike Ukena, and he is a part of the Union Ink Company.

The various ink companies generally formulate screen printing inks in a series of standard colors. There is no effort by the ink companies to match their colors to each other. In fact, most colors are intentionally slightly different from company to company and any match is purely coincidental.

This lack of consistency from ink line to ink line does not help the printer to meet the demands of their customer. The customers, for the most part, do not care what the standard colors are. They know what they want and they specify it on every order.

Traditionally, screen printers have had to take standard colors and blend them together by eye, to try and match specific Pantone colors. The process can be very frustrating and the results disappointing.

Most finished screen inks contain several different pigment colors. These different pigments are necessary to manage the color and make sure it is the same from batch to batch. The ink company is, however, always trying to minimize the number of pigments in a particular color for several reasons. First, the more pigments required, the more time necessary to weigh them out each time a batch is made. Second, the more pigments that are present, the more difficult it is to minutely adjust one pigment and get the desired color.

For instance, the easiest way to make a bright red ink would be to use a single pigment that is that color. However, in practice that is not practical. Either the pigment does not exist in that shade or there is enough variation from batch to batch of the pigment that at least one other complimentary color is necessary to match the shade to the standard. The more various the pigments that are required, the more difficult the practice of matching becomes. When the printer then tries to make an ink color from several different colors of finished ink, the problem is compounded by the many pigment colors in the various inks they are blending.

The problem is even more acute when mixing opaque inks together. Opaque inks contain additional ingredients called opacifiers. These opacifiers help to make ink opaque while decreasing the amount of pigment that is required. The ink companies use these opacifiers to decrease their cost and be more competitive. The opacifiers can play havoc when attempting to match colors. Different inks contain different amounts of opacifiers, and combined with the multitude of pigments it can make matching almost impossible.

The results of many efforts to match colors with standard inks are that the printer ends up with more ink than he/she planned on. In practice, it is not unusual to begin mixing for a quart of a product and end up closer to a gallon before hitting the shade.

Another problem with using standard inks for color matching is the great deal of variation in white inks. White is a major part of many color matches and most white inks are intended to be printed alone and may have brighteners and other ingredients to enhance their coverage. These extra ingredients can play havoc in a color match, throwing it off completely.

The white inks that are a part of ink matching systems are formulated without extra brighteners and are generally referred to as "mixing whites". They have the advantage of not unduly shifting a color match and negatively affecting the other pigments.

Stay tuned for part two!

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!

In this, and any, economy, a business has to keep a close eye on dollars going out. As a business owner, you do not want to spend money on things you can maybe skip or wait out. But, as with any automobile, skipping or waiting out the maintenance on an expensive UV-curing digital printer is asking for trouble and will most likely cost you a lot more than you expected.

When it comes to our UV-curing printers, a lot of redundant maintenance and automatic fail-safe procedures are built into most of the machines to ensure anything terrible does not happen. Some maintenance tasks are simple and some are complicated. Some, if not carried out in time, will simple cause the machine to turn itself off. The good news is that the more complicated the tasks are, the more the machines made these days do the maintenance automatically.

Something to remember: maintenance is not the same as repair! Instead, it just prevents a lot of very expensive repairs! Something else to remember: the first rule of printer maintenance is to always make sure the machine stays clean. Maintenance is not fun, and it's not exciting, but it is very necessary. UV-curing printers are exponentially more complicated than other printers. The water based printers are great workhorses that don't ever really break. Water based printer maintenance is simple: oil a couple of places, wipe off a couple of places and it runs forever. If something does need to be replaced, it's usually a matter of taking out the old part and plugging in the new one. With our UV machines, it's more complicated. There are moving parts, more electronics, UV-emitting light bulbs that must be monitored and in general, just more to keep up with. Maintenance is a critical part of performance and longevity, and the process is different for each individual model.

All things considered, the best strategy to ensure you get the most value from your UV-curing printer is to follow all manufacturer recommended maintenance procedures and schedules. The printer manual is a useful reference book. Most users will go through a period of training during which they learn the basics of how to operate a machine. The manual has recommended procedures and can be a digital printer owner's best friend. It may not be the most exciting reading, but it is filled with essential information you need to keep your printer in optimal working condition.

Here's a common scenario. You've installed some window perf with a laminate overlay. After a week or so your customer calls back because the edges are coming up. You end up calling your vendor and really end up not getting the help you need. So, what do you do?

Let's go through the process of prepping for the installation, and then we'll give you the tips on how to handle peeling. It's really important to make sure that all contaminants are off the window before installation. The common thought is to use Windex or something similar, but not only does Windex not touch silicone, but it actually contains it. Alcohol will not cut through silicone either.

It is actually highly recommended to clean the windows using Soft Scrub, or something similar. Don't waste you time on fancy smells or bleach, as you're just using this to remove silicone from the window. Spread it on a sponge; apply to the window and scrub. After doing this, wash it down with water, and you can finish with isopropyl alcohol to speed the drying process.

After installation, cut the perf back 3/8-inch from the edge of the window and seal it with optically clear tape. It is basically a roll of optically clear overlaminate slit down into thin rolls. It ensures that the edges are not exposed to the elements. You'll notice great success when using this method and the common failures when not.