by lweber | Sep 14, 2021 | Business and Industry News, Featured Jobs, What's New
If you’re ready to employ a little creative marketing or artistic flair at your business, school, church, or home, look no further than floor decals to beautify your space and command attention. Floor graphics can be used for a wide variety of applications and are durable, long-lasting, and removable — making them an economical choice with a big return for your investment. Here’s what you need to know as you consider why, where, and how you want to use them.
Types of Floor Decals
Decals are essentially giant removable stickers that are durable enough to withstand regular foot traffic. They are made of vinyl or aluminum and consist of three layers: the base layer on which your design is printed, an adhesive layer to make it stick, and a non-slip laminate coating that protects your design from scratches, scuffs, and fading. Floor decals come in indoor and outdoor applications, are printed in full color, and can be cut into any shape (regular or irregular) that you desire.
Indoor
Vinyl floor graphics are best suited for hard, non-porous surfaces, such as tile, hardwood, laminate, and indoor concrete. If you want to install your decals on carpet, a different type of vinyl is used that is made especially for carpeting. Not all carpets are good candidates for decals, however. They must have a very tight weave and a short nap — commercial or automobile carpeting, for example — so they are generally not suitable for residential applications. Both floor and carpet graphics have a non-slip, non-skid surface that is safe to walk on and holds up well for up to 2-3 years on floors and 3-6 months on carpeting.
Outdoor
Outdoor floor decals are made with an aluminum foil base and are best used on concrete sidewalks and asphalt. The non-slip protective layer is also waterproof, making it durable enough to handle various weather conditions in addition to regular traffic for up to 4-5 years.
Uses for Floor Decals
You can use custom-designed floor decals to provide instruction or direction, advertise, attract attention, or even just add beauty and design to a bland or unattractive floor. Whether utilitarian or creative (or both!), there are endless possibilities for their use. Here are few ideas to get you started:
- Social distancing guides
- Traffic pattern guides
- Sale advertisements
- Designated “selfie spots” (social media advertising)
- Wedding and event photos, text, or logos
- Decorative, non-slip designs for bathroom floor tile
- Logo designs for churches, schools, gyms, or garage floors
- 3D art or advertising
How to Design Floor Decals
No matter how basic or creative you want your floor graphics to be, good design is important. For informational graphics, choose a font that is easy to read. Not only is the typeface important, but also the size and color of your text and background. There are some color combinations that are difficult for people with color-blindness to read, for instance. It’s also important that your design is the correct size and resolution, so your text and graphics are crisp and clear.
You can design your own floor decals with a graphics program and upload them to your printer, use your printer’s templates or designs and customize them, or hire a graphic designer to create something for you. Many printers have designers on staff who can work with you to design exactly what you need. Whatever you choose, your design will be printed in full color on high-quality vinyl or aluminum and cut into whatever shape and size you want.
How To Apply and Remove Floor Decals
Whether indoors or out, the most important rule to follow in preparation is to make sure your surface is clean, dry, and smooth. Dust, debris, moisture, and cracks all compromise the adhesion of your floor graphics, shortening their lifespan and weakening their durability. Equally important is to use the correct material for your application — if you are unsure, your printing company can advise you on what to use.
To Apply:
- Peel off adhesive backing.
- Apply carefully from the center outward, using a squeegee to flatten and push any bubbles out the edges.
- Allow your floor decals to sit undisturbed for 8 hours (more for very large graphics) to ensure proper adhesion.
To Remove:
- Peel the graphic back slowly at a 90-degree angle. It should come off cleanly, but if it does not, you can use a heat gun and a thin, plastic scraper to assist in the removal.
- Use your scraper to gently remove any sticker residue that remains, followed by citrus- or alcohol-based cleaner to thoroughly clean the floor underneath. Rinse and dry the area to ensure the floor is neither sticky nor slippery once you’re done.
Affordable, durable, and easy to install on nearly any surface, floor decals ensure that your ads, information, and designs will get noticed, particularly because people tend to look down when they’re walking or on their phones. Minuteman Press of New England can help you from start to finish on any design you can dream up — contact them today for a quote.
by lweber | Jun 22, 2021 | Business and Industry News, Featured Jobs, What's New
We live in a profoundly visual culture. Evidence of that is seen in nearly every aspect of life, but nowhere is it more obvious than in the realm of marketing. Every year, more and more companies leverage window, wall, and building graphics to their advantage to promote their products and services. These compelling statistics demonstrate the power of visual advertising:
- Since 2018, more than 85% of all communication is visual-based.
- People form their first impression in about 50 milliseconds.
- Social media posts that include images generate 650 times more engagement than those with only text.
- The average consumer’s attention span is 2-8 seconds.
You only have a moment to grab your customer’s attention and make a lasting impression. There are a number of creative, attractive, and practical ways you can do this with window, wall, and building graphics.
Custom Window Graphics
There are several different uses for graphics on your exterior or interior windows: for privacy, to promote sales or your latest product, to inspire passersby with compelling art, photographs, or quotes that echo your brand image, or to creatively frame your physical window displays with eye-catching colors or designs. Practically speaking, you can use window graphics to display information such as store hours, directions to various departments, or to list your company’s social media accounts. Utilizing Instagram or Facebook to highlight your creative window graphics can bring twice the attention to both your online and brick-and-mortar presence!
Custom Wall Graphics
Wall graphics and murals serve similar purposes as window graphics, but they give you an opportunity to take creativity one step further because they are specifically aimed at those who are inside your building — your customers and your staff. Here you can target “insiders” with images and messages that will inspire them as they work or shop and give them the information they need. But you don’t need to limit your custom-printed graphics to serve only practical purposes — use them to add beauty and visual interest to your spaces. According to a Harvard University Project Zero study, art in the workplace enhances the work environment, fosters learning, promotes social interaction and connectivity, and elicits emotional responses — in short, custom-printed window, wall, or building graphics can powerfully affect how people experience your organization. The one-two punch of visual and experiential can leave an impression no words can match.
Custom Building Graphics
Creating a larger-than-life, building-sized mural is like a billboard in-residence within your community. It becomes part of the cityscape and a powerful neighborhood fixture. Your mural can do the work of a billboard — directly advertising your business — or it can pay homage to a local hero, highlight the work of a local artist, or share words of unity, peace, and inspiration by an esteemed author or activist. You can use your custom-printed building graphic to benefit and beautify your community while making your brand synonymous with goodwill. What’s better than that?
Whether you’re looking for custom-printed window, wall, or building graphics, (or even all three!) Minuteman Press of New England can take your design and turn it into a quality product that will set your business apart from your competition. Contact us for a quote — we have fast turnaround times, expert design help, and customer satisfaction that can’t be beaten anywhere else.
by lweber | Feb 11, 2020 | Eco Friendly, Featured Jobs, What's New
T-shirts are a highly-effective way to promote your brand. Consumers keep t-shirts for an average of 14 months, longer than every other promotional product category except outerwear. Brand recall is higher for apparel than other promotional items, with 85% of consumers being able to remember the advertiser that gave them a shirt or hat. In addition, branded T-shirts generate an average of 3,400 impressions, more than pens, umbrellas, or mugs1.
Unfortunately, fabric manufacturing can be harmful to the environment. From the growth of cotton to the by-products of manufacturing, there is an impact on the earth.
When Michael canvassed the floor of the PPAI show in Las Vegas, he was happy to see many vendors focusing on sustainability and environmental awareness. We’ve always believed in voting with our dollars and supporting companies with ethical and eco-friendly practices. He found several t-shirt brands that have re-thought the traditional manufacturing process.
The Allmade sample we have is possibly the softest t-shirt we’ve ever felt. When we picked it up, it actually made us take pause. It’s that t-shirt you’re always reaching for when you open the drawer. The kind that makes you feel disappointed when you realize it’s still in the hamper from last time.
The way Allmade manufactures their shirts is a huge bonus. Their tri-blend shirts are made from three eco-friendly and responsibly sourced materials…US grown organic cotton, recycled polyester, and Tencel Modal. Each of these tri-blend shirts contains the equivalent of 6 plastic water bottles. The Allmade 100% cotton shirts are made from cotton grown in Texas and fabriated in the Carolinas, reducing the environmental impact of shipping.
Allmade has a nifty impact calculator so you can see the real-world effects of choosing sustainably made shirts.
District is making waves with their new Re-Tee. Made from entirely recycled content, it’s an eco-friendly choice with budget-friendly prices. The colors come from old t-shirts and recycled polyester fibers, so there’s no need to re-dye it. This process eliminates the need for a traditionally water-intensive dyeing process and the need for new raw materials. By recycling existing fabric scraps, District is keeping materials out of the landfills, too.
We’re pretty sure that you’re familiar with Hanes. The good old standard in t-shirts and socks is probably found in most American homes. Did you know that Hanes prides itself on social and environmental responsibility?
Their website has a fantastic interactive tool that explains how Hanes t-shirts are responsibly made. They focus on water conservation in their cotton fields, low-waste yarn spinning, and state-of-the-art renewable energy in their facilities, They’re also reduced their carbon emissions from transportation by 50% since 2008. Way to go, Hanes!
We also thought we should share their effort to help homeless people around the US with their 10th National Sock Drive. Since starting this program in 2009, they’ve donated 3 million pairs of socks. Click here for more info on the Hanes 2019/2020 Sock Drive.
Marine Layer is a fun brand based in San Francisco with stores around the US. Their focus is on shirts that are so soft you’ll never want to take them off. From day one, they’ve focused on people and the environment. Their signature fabric contains micro-modal, made from recycled beechwood.
…and then Marine Layer got even better when they introduced Re-Spun. They recycle old t-shirts into new t-shirts with an entirely water-less, closed loop system. Talk about dedication to sustainability! They make their Re-Spun shirts without any water, dyes, or new materials. Their process starts with donations of old t-shirts, sorted by color and broken down to the fibers. They add recycled plastic water bottles to the fabric and create super-soft new shirts! Here are some fun FAQs about the process.
Marine Layer makes most of their shirts in the US, but when they occasionally have to outsource overseas, they utilize factories with the same standards we’d have here.
So whatever your vibe or style, we have an eco-friendly shirt for you! From the traditional look of a Hanes tee to the laid-back weekend attitude of a Marine Layer tee, we can help you choose the right style for your employees or customers. We can imprint all of these styles with your logo or message, and you can feel good knowing that you made an eco-friendly choice while still promoting your brand.
1 source: https://www.asicentral.com/news/web-exclusive/january-2019/2019-ad-impressions-study/
by lweber | Feb 4, 2020 | Eco Friendly, Featured Jobs, What's New
When Michael went to the PPAI show in Las Vegas, we promised to share some exciting new ideas from the promotional products industry. Many people think of “give-aways” and the old standards are brought to mind…pens, mugs, keychains. There is still a time and a place for these classics, but the world of promotional products is SO much more interesting now.
If sustainability and environmental impact are on your mind, the industry hears you. Each year, more companies introduce products that help you market your business with minimal environmental impact.
Who would have thought that someone could re-think paper? It seems like such a basic product. Sure, it comes in different weights and colors, but it’s just wood pulp, right?
A few years ago, we started using synthetic papers for printing menus. Some of our restaurant customers want extremely durable paper that won’t dissolve if it lands in a ring of water. Synthetic paper means that their menus are durable if they get wet and last much longer than standard cardstock.
Michael found something equally interesting this year. Washable paper. And yes, we tried it out.
The sample we received is a small portfolio with a removable wrap-around elastic.
The instructions say to machine wash with cold water and dry flat. We washed it three times to see what would happen.
Here are the results after it fully dried. You can see that the inner right side has a wrinkle. The left side with the pockets is still completely smooth, and the outside looks about the same.
The washable paper looks and feels more like leather than paper, but it’s just made from layers of kraft paper.
And the best news…we can produce shopping bags with this reusable paper! Stores recommend washing bags after several uses to prevent the spread of germs. No problem with these paper bags!
Want another environmental benefit? Evidence shows that plastic-based fabrics release small particles into the wash water, which in turn end up in our waterways. With these washable paper bags, you’ll be making a choice that’s better for the environment during the lifetime of the product.
Contact us if you want more information about the portfolios or bags. Stay tuned for more eco-friendly product features coming soon!
