Press Release Summary | |
Oostende, Belgium | October 29th, 2019 |
Japan based wide format printer manufacturer MUTOH Industries Ltd.- represented by Mutoh Europe nv for the EMEA business area – today announced that it has obtained GREENGUARD Gold Certification for its MS41 Eco Solvent inks. The certification was obtained for the category Wallpaper, which is the top category allowing the highest surface load of prints per classroom, office or healthcare environment. With this certification, Mutoh MS41 inks meet the UL 2818-2013 Gold Standard for chemical emissions for building materials, finishes and furnishings. The certification provides assurance that Mutoh MS41 inks meet some of the world’s most stringent and comprehensive standards for low emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into indoor air. As such, prints made with MS41 inks are perfectly suited for indoor applications including office, classroom and healthcare environments. GREENGUARD Gold Certification is a voluntary certification issued by UL with worldwide recognition. As opposed to GREENGUARD it offers stricter certification criteria and considers safety factors to account for sensitive individuals such as children and elderly. It requires lower total VOC emissions for indoor environments and helps print buyers to identify and integrate certified, healthier and more sustainable products into their buildings. To learn more, visit https://services.ul.com/service/greenguard-certification/ “We are very pleased to receive a GREENGUARD Gold certification for our MS41 inks for the new XpertJet 64” wide sign & display printers. Print businesses and print shops investing in a new XpertJet printer are offered full peace of mind and a competitive advantage of being able to offer a certified solution for wall finish applications”, says Kenji Yasuhara, Mutoh Europe’s Managing Director. “The certification demonstrates Mutoh’s continuous commitment in offering digital printers and inks which are safe and environmentally responsible and which contribute to healthier indoor environments”, says Yasuhara. About Mutoh’s MS41 inks Available in 7 colours (C, M, Y, K, Lc, Lm, Lk), Mutoh MS41 Inks feature a wide colour gamut and deliver vibrant high density prints with excellent dot gain. The additional Lc, Lm and Lk colours will bring extra quality to businesses focusing on highest quality prints with smooth skin tones & gradients for short viewing distances. The liter ink packs in foil go into re-usable ink pack cases, reducing waste. Suited for long term outdoor and indoor applications, Mutoh’s MS41 inks have an excellent weather, abrasion and chemical resistance. UV durability without lamination is rated up to 3 years outdoor. |
Print and Cut Made Easy with These Awesome Tips
What is the Best Workflow for a Print & Cut Application?
Ever since the first wide-format printer was released, most sign shops saw the potential to create smaller images that could be contour cut and made into decals or stickers for various applications. Print and cut projects can be made easy with a few careful considerations and thinking your project through from start to finish.
In this blog, we want to show you some of the things to consider when preparing for a print and cut application and give you some tips for getting the best workflow for a successful project.
Print and Cut Considerations
Before we give you some tips, let’s define a few considerations to the print & cut workflow.
- Print & Cut Equipment
- In our opinion, a separate printer and cutter are a necessity. Most likely, many print & cut applications will need to be laminated. That means they will be removed from the printer, laminated and then contour cut. A separate cutter is good in this workflow. In addition, separate devices mean they can be used separately, you could continue to print while contour cutting.
- The width of your printer will determine the width of the cutter you may want as well.
- Be sure to choose the best ink type for your application, eco-solvent, UV-LED or others are used for different applications.
- Media Considerations
- They type of media you will use is important because the cutter you choose will have a limit on the thickness it can cut.
- Media such as adhesive-backed textiles are fibrous, so choosing the right cutter and blade is important. The same would be true of card stock or vinyl.
- Software Considerations
- The design software should be capable of importing or opening many file types.
- The software should be able to easily add and edit contour-cut and perf cut paths.
- The software/RIP should be able to control the speed of the cutter, the pressure used and other factors related to cutting.
- The software/RIP should be able to control color quality and output.
Print & Cut Tips and Workflow Using a MUTOH Printer
Below is a video/webinar on using the MUTOH printer in a print & cut workflow.
For more information about MUTOH wide format printers, click here.
Read MoreMUTOH America to Offer Awesome 1 Day Design & Printing Training in Phoenix December 6, 2019
How to Handle Crappy Customer Artwork
This will be the focus of this live training event by MUTOH America. We will cover how to use FlexiSIGN , Adobe Photoshop and other third-party programs to “fix” the artwork that customer typically provide you. In addition we will show you how to match colors from monitor to printer AND we will even show you the best way to keep your printer working in top condition through a hands on printer maintnance session.
All of this in a ONE DAY live training session to be held in Phoenix, AZ at the new MUTOH headquarters.
Best Selling Christmas Crafts – Updated for 2019
Author: Lisa McGrimmon | Published: January 21, 2014 | Modified October 29, 2019
What will be the best selling Christmas crafts for the 2019 holiday season?
Of course, no one can flawlessly read the future, but we can look at holiday retail industry trends to make informed predictions about what Christmas shoppers will likely be buying this year and how they will shop.
Retail trend data can help you make smarter, strategic decisions about how to best market your brand, provide shoppers with what they’re looking for, and create crafts that sell for this holiday season.
Beyond the Christmas 2019 trends in the retail industry, you can also look at fashion and decor design trends to help determine what will be the best selling Christmas crafts for 2019. I took a deep dive into DIY Christmas trend predictions here. So we’ll stick with examining holiday retail shopping predictions in this article.
Were you looking for the older version of this page – Best Selling Christmas Crafts for 2018? Just click the link if you came to this page looking for holiday retail trends from the previous year.
We’ll look at several sources of holiday retail trend information to find out:
- when people will be shopping throughout the holiday season
- how much people will likely spend
- where people are shopping
- what, in general, shoppers are looking for
- what categories of products shoppers will buy
- ways to apply this information to boost holiday sales
When will customers be doing their holiday shopping?
Don’t wait until Black Friday to Start Holiday Promotions
Retailers will see a big surge in holiday spending during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which fall on Thanksgiving weekend. However, most people will have started their holiday shopping prior to that weekend.
In fact, Thanksgiving is late in 2019. Thanksgiving falls on November 28th, Black Friday is on November 29th, and Cyber Monday isn’t until December 2nd. Those later dates increase the likelihood that shoppers will begin their holiday shopping prior to that weekend.
Last year, 64% of people surveyed had started their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving weekend (source Deloitte*).
* I’ve included a lot of stats from a few different sources in this article. Every time I mention specific data, I’ve cited the source in brackets. At the bottom of the page, I’ve linked to all of the reports I used to research this article, so you can check out the reports yourself if you’re curious.
For 2019, 37.8% of shoppers who were surveyed indicated they would begin their holiday shopping in early November. That number is even higher for shoppers who plan to spend the most money. 45.6% of shoppers who say they will spend $500 or more plan to start shopping in early November. Shoppers who are more budget-conscious shoppers will start shopping later because they are waiting for sales. (source Tinuiti)
Best selling Christmas crafts should be promoted early in the year. Don’t wait for Thanksgiving, or you’ll miss out on customers who shop early.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday present huge opportunities
How many people shop on Thanksgiving weekend?
71 percent! (source Deloitte)
So while you shouldn’t wait until Thanksgiving weekend to promote your products to holiday shoppers, Black Friday and Cyber Monday can present huge sales opportunities.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping is expanding beyond the US
Black Friday began in the US, but it is expanding into European countries as well. In 2018, online shops saw increased sales in some European countries on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday. If you serve European online shoppers, these dates will present sales opportunities. (source Criteo)
% sales increased on Black Friday compared to average daily sales:
- US 328%
- Spain 92%
- UK 181 %
- France 141%
- Switzerland 88%
- Netherlands 146%
- Sweden 165%
- Germany 82%
- Poland 235%
- Russia 71%
% sales increased on Cyber Monday compared to average daily sales:
- US 164%
- Spain 40%
- UK 81 %
- France 66%
- Switzerland 24%
- Netherlands 50%
- Sweden 33%
- Germany 22%
- Poland 90%
- Russia 24%
How much will customers spend on holiday shopping in 2019?
Spending is predicted to increase for the 2019 holiday season, particularly online.
Retail predictions estimate 2019 holiday spending between November and January will total 1.1 trillion dollars. (source Deloitte) That number represents a lot of opportunities for business owners.
Shoppers who were polled indicated they planned to spend more this year compared with 2018. Predictions show that total holiday spending will increase by between 3.8% and 4.2% (source National Retail Federation).
Both in-store and online spending will be up, but online spending is driving most of the increase in sales. The predicted increase in online sales ranges from about 11% to 14% (source National Retail Federation).
Were will people be shopping in 2019?
As we’ve already seen, the biggest growth in holiday spending is in online shopping for 2019, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t shopping in person as well. Most shoppers plan a mix of in-store and online shopping.
31.6% of people surveyed say they plan to do most of their shopping in-store, which is actually up by 10.9% compared with 2018 numbers. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that younger shoppers, those aged 18 to 24, are showing the biggest growth in in-store shopping. (source Tinuiti)
Black Friday is all about in-store shopping. 70% of people surveyed plan to shop in-store on Black Friday, while 50% say they will shop online.
Cyber Monday is when most people plan to shop online. 73% of shoppers will shop online on Cyber Monday, and 40% plan to shop in stores. (source Deloitte)
Where do people shop online?
28.3% of people who responded to a Tinuiti survey indicated they start their shopping research by searching on Amazon.
28.1% say they start shopping research by searching in-store.
Think about that for a moment. The number of people who start looking for gift ideas on Amazon is equal to the number who go to all other brick and mortar stores.
Amazon, by far, leads the pack in terms of where people shop online. 82.3% of people who plan to shop online will shop on Amazon.
There’s good news for those who have Etsy shops. Etsy is showing strong gains in online holiday shopping. 12.3% of people who shop online will shop at Etsy. That’s up 29% since 2017. (source Tinuiti)
Etsy’s predictions for 2019’s best selling Christmas crafts.
What, in general, are people shopping for?
Best Selling Christmas Crafts Reflect Customers’ Values
73% of American shoppers are willing to consider a new brand. But if you want to build loyalty and keep that customer, you do that with the values your company represents, not with sales.
You might attract a new customer with a sale, but a sale won’t build loyalty. The shopper who was initially attracted by a sale is interested in the lowest price, not your brand. But you can turn your new customers into loyal, returning customers with the values your company represents.
51% of US shoppers say that the values represented by a brand will influence their purchasing decisions. And 35% say they are more likely to return to a shop because the company’s values are in line with their values.
Whatever values your company embraces, they need to be genuine and demonstrated throughout all aspects of your business. Don’t just follow the latest trendy cause. Support something that’s meaningful, and make it part of your company’s core values. (source Criteo)
Thanksgiving shoppers are looking for sales
As we’ve already seen, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are huge shopping days, but if you want to take advantage of these opportunities, you’ll need to offer some discounts. 82% of people surveyed say they are shopping on Black Friday to take advantage of great sales. (source Deloitte)
What categories of items are people buying?
Here’s what holiday shoppers say they will be buying:
- clothing 72%
- electronics 57%
- toys 57%
- food and beverage 36%
- home and kitchen 31%
- health and beauty 31%
(source Deloitte)
How can you use this information to sell more crafts over the Christmas 2019 season?
Don’t rely on Black Friday and Cyber Monday alone
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are big spending dates online and offline. But most shoppers will start holiday shopping before that. Also, those who are shopping on that weekend are looking for sales, which may or may not be right for your brand. Start your holiday promotions before the end of November, or you will miss out on opportunities.
Consider offering sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday
That’s what shoppers are looking for on Thanksgiving weekend, so if you want to attract customers, consider offering a discount. For example, you might slightly mark down some items in your Etsy shop just for that weekend. If you have built enough profit into your regular prices, you’ll be able to offer a bit of a discount and still sell at a profit.
Offering sale prices isn’t right for every business. Some handmade business owners worry that offering sale prices will devalue the special nature of their handmade items. Others worry that by offering sales at certain times, they will train their customers to only shop during sales and not buy at full price throughout the year.
There are certainly reasons why you might not want to offer sale prices, but if you want to capitalize on Thanksgiving weekend shopping, it’s something to consider.
Support a cause – Be genuine, not trendy
If there are key values you’ve been wanting to embrace in your business, do it, but be genuine. Shoppers feel loyalty to businesses that embrace values they believe in. So supporting an important cause not only allows you to do some good, it can also help to build your business.
Best Selling Christmas Crafts are Promoted via Email
Whether you sell your crafts online or in person, or a bit of both, you can promote your company with email marketing.
Everyone who sells online seems to always be excited about social media marketing, but in fact, email marketing is more important than social media marketing when it comes to influencing purchases. 58.5% of people surveyed say they sometimes make holiday purchases based on email offers. On the other hand, only 1/3 of shoppers say social media influences in their purchasing decisions.
Shoppers aged 35 and over are more influenced by email than younger shoppers, so if your target market is aged 35+, this strategy can be particularly impactful. (source Tinuiti)
Retail Industry Trends Data Sources
Here are the sources of the data used in this article. Each report contains additional topics I haven’t covered here, so it’s worth having a look at the reports if you want to dive deeper into holiday retail trends for 2019.
You’ll need to provide your email address to receive two of these reports, which will put you on each company’s mailing list. You can easily unsubscribe if you don’t want to receive further mailings from them.
Deloitte 2018 pre-Thanksgiving Pulse Survey
The 2019 report should be out in mid to late November. I wanted to get this information into your hands as soon as possible, so I used data from the 2018 report. You can return to the Deloitte site closer to Thanksgiving to find the 2019 report if you’re interested in that data.
Tinuiti 2019 Holiday Shopping Predictions and Behaviors
You’ll need to provide your email address to access this report.
Criteo 2019 Holiday Marketing Report
You’ll need to provide your email address to access this report. They want people to use a company email address, so their system won’t accept a gmail address.
National Retail Federation
Holiday sales forecast article.
More Best Selling Christmas Crafts for 2019
DIY Christmas Trends – Trending Crafts to Sell for Holiday Season 2019
DIY Christmas trends for 2019. Popular trending crafts handmade business owners can sell at holiday bazaars, Christmas markets, and craft fairs.
Need a printer to make a craft? Check this out: www.mutoh.com
Need to learn to USE your wide format printer for great color? Check this out: www.thinkmutoh.com/Phoenix-Dec6
Going digital modernizes city traffic sign shop in Seattle
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For decades, the city of Seattle’s sign shop produced signs by screen printing or computer cut overlays. But today’s sign shop looks nothing like its past. Thanks to a dedicated team, the shop is clean, lean, and reliable; an example of what is achievable by transitioning to modern digital printing with the Avery Dennison TrafficJet Print System.
Leading the transformation was sign shop Crew Chief Robin Ford. While digital printing was not new to Robin, its use in the shop had been limited to non-regulated signs and decals. For years, Robin watched as the industry worked to improve technology suitable for digitally printed traffic signs. “We were looking for production speed,” Robin said. “We’re also looking at how it performs with reflective sheeting. Printing on reflective material was huge. Having multiple colors printed on reflective material meant that 70% of our signs didn’t need to be screened or plotter cut.”
His initial plan was to integrate the printer into their production for small batches only and continue to screen print and weed as needed. Three years later, the shop now runs three TrafficJet printers and has discontinued screen printing, going nearly 100% digital.
A nuisance for the shop operators, inks and cleaning solvents posed an environmental hazard. “We had to be fitted for respirators and work with our health and safety department to monitor wastewater and track chemical use,” explained Robin. TrafficJet inks are contained in sealed cartridges, with minor exposure to the atmosphere. “There is no noticeable smell with the TrafficJet printer and we’re no longer known for that awful screen printing smell.”
Robin brought up several examples of how the move to digital printing has helped his shop be more responsive to the needs of the public.
- Last year a rare snowstorm struck Seattle. The city needed 400 emergency road closure signs. “There’s no way we could’ve done that with screen printing or with plotter pens. The physical labor of weeding and then 8-10 hours of screen printing drying would take too long.”
An emergency bridge closure resulted in traffic engineering requesting a rush order of detour signs. “Being in a public service role, I need to be able to respond swiftly,” said Robin. The shop quickly produced 150 detour signs using digital printers.
With digital printing, Robin is quickly printing signs, eliminating the need to keep an inventory of purchased signs from outside fabricators. He has freed up shop space and reduced the capital costs of carrying a larger and complicated inventory of roll goods.
To learn more about the Avery Dennison TrafficJet Print System, visit reflectives.averydennison.com/
Mutoh’s New MS41 Inks Obtain GREENGUARD Gold Certification
Japan based wide format printer manufacturer MUTOH Industries Ltd.- represented by Mutoh Europe nv for the EMEA business area – today announced that it has obtained GREENGUARD Gold Certification for its MS41 Eco Solvent inks. The certification was obtained for the category Wallpaper, which is the top category allowing the highest surface load of prints per classroom, office or healthcare environment.
Sending Large Files is Easy with Any Web Browser
Firefox Send: Use With Any Web Browser
Firefox Send is a useful option to transfer big files with people who don’t want to rely on Google, Microsoft, or Apple. It lets you upload and encrypt large files (up to 1GB) to share online. To use Firefox Send, you don’t have to install an add-on. Point your web browser to the Firefox Send homepage and click the Select a file to upload button.
Once the uploading gets completed, Send creates a link that you can then send it via email. At a time, you can send a link to 20 recipients (one download per recipient). You can also set a password to encrypt the file. Each link created by Send will expire after 24 hours. The file also gets deleted from the Mozilla server and leaves no traces.
Be sure to visit www.mutoh.com for details on award-winning wide format printers.
Need more ways to send large files? Check out this article: https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/8-ways-to-email-large-attachments/
Read MoreMUTOH the No. 1 Wide Format Printer Manufacturer in the World Expected to have Enormous Impact at Printing United
MUTOH Expected to Have a Huge Impact at the Printing United Show
Looks like MUTOH, manufacturer of the world top line of wide format printer is preparing to have a huge impact at the Printing United show. They will have all of their Product of the Year printers to show as well as their all-new XPJ ExpertJet series of wide-format eco-solvent printers.
The “XpertJet 1682SR 64” Eco-Solvent Printer from Mutoh has a staggered dual-head design that provides ultra-fast print speeds. It’s capable of producing smooth gradations while delivering high-quality printing even with reduced resolution thanks to the 7-color ink configuration (CMYK Lc Lm Lk).
The newly designed platform is packed with features like automatic bi-directional alignments, a user-friendly touch panel, added LED lighting, and an upgraded media feed flange that allows operators to easily and quickly load media and exchange multiple rolls. These features are designed to increase user-friendly operation and maintenance while continuing to offer high production, high-quality output. The “XPJ” 1682SR is paired with Mutoh’s “MS41” Eco-Solvent ink, which offers users a larger color gamut, outstanding durability, and improved dot gain.
Features:
- 64″ Eco-Solvent Printer
- Uses Mutoh’s new MS-41 Eco-Solvent ink
- Environmentally conscious 1-liter ink bags
- Staggered dual-print heads
- Print speeds up to 1000 sqft/hr
- User-friendly touch panel
- Automatic Bi-Directional Alignments
- New media feed flange
- Internal LED Lighting
- Mutoh edition FlexiSign & Print RIP software
- 30kg take-up included
- One-year on-site limited warranty
Meet the Experts at the MUTOH Booth
All printer product managers will be attending the show and they are experts in UV-LED, Eco-Solvent and Dye-Sublimation & Textile printing. Even if you just have a few questions about the market or a process or how to set a job up, they can help and want to help! So stop by booth 4404. Come by and see how a MUTOH wide format printer might just be the answer for your shop or just meet with the experts!
Be sure to visit www.mutoh.com for more information about all MUTOH wide format printers.
You might also want more information about the training sessions we offer: www.thinkmutoh.com/events
Read MoreRyan Arakaki Promoted to Product Manager of Technical Training at MUTOH America
Ryan Arakaki, Product Manager, Technical Training
Ryan Arakaki, formerly Marketing Manager at MUTOH America has been promoted to Product Manager of Technical Training. Ryan is a talented individual with tremendous experience in video production as well as being thoroughly familiar with all MUTOH printers. His capabilities will be used to develop an extensive video library of technical training for our resellers as well as for our end users of our wide format printers.
Along with assistance from the entire Product Marketing team and Service Department, he will reorganize, and reignite the already great reputation for service that MUTOH America resellers and end users receive.
How MUTOH Training Just Got Better!
While, Ryan will coordinate and execute the training for our resellers on procedures for servicing our wide format printers, MUTOH will also draw from the talent of other individuals in our company such as Brain Armenta and Mike Davenport both of which currently serve in the Service Department of MUTOH. These individuals are intimately familiar with the entire line of wide format printers MUTOH offers and will assist Ryan in the hands on portion of our break/fix classes for our resellers.
MUTOH believes in training and education for our resellers so they can assist our printer users first hand, but we also believe in the training and education of our user base and will continue to develop online classes, webinars and live training sessions to assist them in printer maintenance, as well as software and application education.
Printer Info & Live Training Sessions
Find out more about all the MUTOH wide format printers: www.mutoh.com
See where we will be hosting a LIVE training event: LIVE EVENTS
Read MoreChoosing the Best Transfer Paper for Great Output from a MUTOH Printer
Choosing a transfer paper for your MUTOH printer for optimal output.
So, you’ve either bought a MUTOH dye sublimation printer or are looking at one. If you are now looking at transfer paper for a MUTOH printer there are some things you may want to consider.
Raw papers vary in particle size and particle distribution affecting its density and uniformity which in turn affect the absorption and adsorption of ink without any dot gain control while at the same time making the release of the dye uncontrollable as well. MUTOH printers are industrial designed printers designed with high resolution capability to output very high quality images for hard substrates while providing the speed capacity for high volume output, so uncoated papers are not recommended.
The secret sauce in dye sublimation transfer paper is the coating and there are primarily two basic types of coating.
High load or solid surface ‘clay’ coated papers have the most universal applications and can be used on the widest range of finished products. These work well for solid surfaces like metals, ceramics and glass as well as fabrics for soft signage, apparel, home décor and rubber koozies. Clay coated papers are high load papers, they can take high ink loads at print, but then dry fast. They are also gas permeable allowing excess sublimation gas to escape through the paper rather than creating blowouts or ghosting. While they don’t transfer as efficiently as CMC coated paper, they are friendlier to unstable print room environments making it a better choice first time and lower volume users.
High release or CMC (CarboxyMethyl Cellulose/ cellulose gum) coated papers work well for textile applications like fashion, apparel, home décor and soft signage. The high ink release property of these papers means it leaves less ink on the paper, requiring less ink to achieve the same color gamut, therefore reducing ink costs. The ‘high release’ property of these papers means this paper also releases that ink quicker, for less ghosting, shorted dwell times and higher productivity. While CMC papers are slower drying, they are still the choice for high speed printers.
Coatings plus.
Take a CMC coated paper and add a heat activated adhesive to it and you have Thermo Adhesive or ‘tacky’ paper. This allows the paper to ‘stick’ to the polyester fabric eliminating ghosting with slippery textiles and sports apparel. It eliminates difficulties when using clam shell presses that can shift during pressing causing blow outs or ghosting. It is a bit more expensive than other CMC coated papers and does not stick to hard substrates. It really shines when sublimating pre-sewn clothing, sticking to the garment allowing pressing of the second side while still attached leaving no lightening of the first side, giving a uniform two sided garment. https://www.thinkMUTOH.com/it-is-a-bit-tacky-but-for-me-it-really-is-all-over/?v=7516fd43adaa
Coatings plus, take two.
Take a coated paper and add a special UV inhibitor formulation and you have Kaspar Papir’s Sunpaper. The UV inhibitors in this paper actually gas with the dye sublimation dyes and encapsulate the dye around the layers of polyester fabric fibers, absorbing into the polyester with the dye molecules. So this is not a surface treatment and it needs no additional processing. Print and sublimate as normal to get extended outdoor protection typically double that of unprotected processes.
Special thanks to:
Rob Repasi – who provided the technical information.
Mark Freeman – President Digital Print Solutions, Inc. for providing the information on Kaspar Papir Sunpaper. http://www.kaspar-papir.com/
Need help choosing the right MUTOH wide format printer? Use the link below for assistance. we can walk you though a simple process to make sure you get what you are looking for.
http://www.thinkMUTOH.com/help-choosing-a-MUTOH-printer/
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