Graphic design can have many challenges. From being creative to working with poor quality customer artwork. In this blog article, let’s talk about THINKING a job through before we even begin.

In fact, sometimes it comes down to the simple things. Spelling, punctuation, grammar are all items in a design that we must THINK through. By THINK  I also mean we need to SLOW DOWN enough to allow for that thinking to take place! Not doing so could be very embarrassing!

Well, why do you think Santa keeps a list and checks it twice. The wrong toy to the wrong child could be disastrous! LOL! But seriously, it’s good advice to make a checklist that you use on each design. What should that list contain? Well, to better answer that question, maybe we should go through all the consideration in design.

Visualize the Final Installed Product

The best way to begin thinking about design is to start by knowing what the final product is supposed to do and how it will be constructed.

• Is the sign indoors or outdoors? This will affect the choice of design media, print, vinyl laminated, not laminated etc.
• How large will the sign be? This is important to the number of design elements to be used, the size of those elements, whether they can be all done in one application or must they be applied separately etc.
• What material will be used for the messaging area? This can determine whether the sign can be made using certain types of materials; vinyl, channel lettering, neon etc.
• Will the signage be eye level or elevated? Again, this can determine things like print resolutions, sizes of design elements etc.
• Will the sign be lighted? Front or back? Could effect things like the choice in colors etc.
• Will you make the sign in your shop or will elements be added in the field? Access to in the field signage can determine some of the sign elements sizes, etc.

Who is the Designer You or Your Customer?

This is a really important question to consider. Remember, you are the professional, so it’s important that you “guide” your customer to a better design, but they pay the bill so ultimately, you may have to bend a little. This is where you may have to allow your customer to “design” what they want, but perhaps you may have to come up with 2 or 3 “alternatives” to show the customer to perhaps help them consider other factors like the ones previously described.

• Do a thorough customer interview. You’ll want to not only find out what the customer is trying to do with the design but spending a bit of time with the customer can help you “frame” the job and set expectations for the finished product.
• Will the customer be providing some of the design elements? This is very important to know ahead of the design. It can determine how much time you will be spending cleaning up poor quality art or whether you can match a logo color etc.
• What are the top 3 elements of the design that are most important to the client? Phone numbers, services, logo, color? It will determine how you will use those elements.

Gather the Right Design Tools

Now, this is a bit of a tricky subject since design tools and a lot like choosing a car. Everyone has their own opinion of what make and model is the best choice. So, what I am sharing here is my opinion and I want to hear yours in the comments. That said, let’s jump in with both feet!

• MAC or PC? Yep. I told you everyone will have an opinion! What I really want you to think through is design vs. production design. So in my opinion, the answer could be both.
• Now for the last 30 years, I’ve just used PC hardware, primarily because of output devices (production in mind). Most of the cutter, engraver, routers, wide format printers connect with PC devices. At the same time, when I do MUTOH live training workshop, I do come across numerous people who prefer to design on a MAC and then use a PC as a server to run the output devices. So can we just settle on looking at the workflow and tweak your hardware so that you get the easiest, most productive workflow.
• What software will you use for design? Again, this can be a tricky choice. In my opinion, there is no right choice. Over the last 30 years in this business, I’ve seen Adobe and Corel become great design software choices, but I have also seen their weaknesses. Of course, programs such as SignLAB or FlexiSIGN were originally created to offer a balance between design and production, so they are in own opinion, a must for the productive shop. Then there are stand-alone RIPs such as those made by ONYX, Wasatch and others. In addition to “design” software, you will also need to think about plugins or even stand-alone software that do things like resample images for enlargement, or trace bitmaps for vinyl cutting. I’ve even seen a great software choice that does vectorize and finds fonts, GraphicTracer Pro. Here are my recommendations:
  • Commercial Sign Software such as FlexiSIGN.
  • Adobe or Corel for handling tricky bitmaps and to take advantage of plugins for more design range.
  • PhotoZoom Pro for enlarging bitmaps.
  • VectorMagic or GraphicsTracer pro for vectorizing bitmaps.
  • SignElements for access to a collection of fonts, clipart, vehicle templates and more.
• How will you communicate with your customer? This doesn’t sound much like a design tool, but it actually can be. Customers may want to preview a design, make changes or corrections and the like before you actually begin manufacturing the design. Will you send me drafts using emails or will you have another way for them to review the copy. For instance, FlexiSIGN has a feature called the “Artwork Approval Tool” that allows you to upload a copy of the design and then allows your customer to add comments but not the ability to download the file and take it elsewhere. It also keeps track of revisions.

Match Software Features with Output Devices

Now that you have many of the design factors in mind, it’s time to consider the relationship between your software choices and your output device choices.

When designing, it’s a good idea to know the features and capabilities of your output devices so you can design for those devices.

• How wide are your printer and vinyl cutter? This is going to determine where you will apply overlaps if your design is wider than your devices.
• What are the contour cut and perfcut options for your printer/cutter? If your design calls for some elements that will be printed and then contour cut, you will need to know your software options very clearly. While you can certainly “design” a perfcut, some cutter, like the MUTOH VC series of cutters, may have built-in options for this that can take the guesswork out of the design.

Of course, there are other cutters with similar options, but the point is if you as the designer did not know this feature was available, you might spend hours trying to get a perf cut to work properly.

That’s not only design time that could be used on other projects but also cost for your company in design time and maybe even materials used to test your perf cut settings.

• Do you know the right color management settings for the job? Color management is probaby the number one tech support call that a software company receives. Lots of folks try to match a color and because they do not understand the color management options neeeded to do so, they struggle, maybe even printing lots of test swatches until they get close. Good color management would include applying the right monitor profile so you can use soft proofing while designing. Now, if you’ree interesting in a real-world application workshop on color management check out our nationwide tour of live seminar events where we teach students how to set up and use color management. https://www.thinkmutoh.com/live-flexi-training-2019-schedule
• What is the best media choice? Finally, be sure to consider the media choice. If outdoors signage, obviously durability may be an issue. If indoor, perhaps a textile could give the design not only a visual impact but also a tactile one. Will the final print need lamination or even anti-graffiti laminate.

Create A Checklist and Use It

Hopefully, we have covered many of the considerations in creating a great design. At this point, you should develop a checklist for yourself and be sure to use it. Once you hve one done, or if you already have one, why not share it with the rest of our community so we all get better at design?

What’s So hard About Wrapping a Wall?

We all know how difficult it can be to do a vehicle wrap. You have to plan, measure and even use your imagination if you run into an issue you just didn’t anticipate. Wrapsesh is a company that has seen it all.

Installers, creators, and operators of Wrapsesh consist of a powerhouse couple, Mike and Jess. Michael Shedd is a certified mechanic,  with over 6 years in the vinyl industry and 10 years in the automotive field combined.  Jessica Bonifacio, other co-founder, was mentored by Michael in an apprenticeship in 2015. By 2016, they started their company, Wrapsesh,  and the “Vinyl Vixen” persona with it.  Jess uses the Vinyl Vixen Wraps brand to promote a positive female presence within the vinyl industry, networking with girls around the world to create a united and stronger presence. Team Wrapsesh recently became self titled, “The Shark Mouth Squad” when they added two additional female installers to their team this year. Believing team work makes the dream work,  this wrap couple boasts efficiency,  a flawless finish, and a whole lot of whacky.

Recently MUTOH AMERICA hired this awesome company to install a wall mural. From what I see, it too requires planning and skill. Take a look at the video they made that explains:

UV-LED Printers Are Fast Becoming the Wide Format Printer of Choice

UV-LED printers are wide format printers that use UV curable inks that can print on many, many surfaces. For that reason, they are quickly becoming the printer of choice for sign shops, specialty graphics shops and print providers worldwide. UV inks allow fre a great diversity of printing media and thus can be sued to create an almost infinite number of applications.

What Can You Make with a UV-LED Wide Format Printer

Maybe items like smartphone cases, or pens or luggage tags come to mind what you think of UV-LED printers, but I’m here to tell you there is more. much more!

In a recent article about what can be created with UV inks, Flaar-Reports.org wrote a nice article that you should read: Creative materials you can print using UV-curable inks  where they describe in much detail many, many items that can be made with uv devices. As stated at the beginning of their article:

“First and before getting into all the media and substrates you can print with UV-curable inks, we should consider the fact that UV-curable ink printing offers a variety of advantages and benefits:

• Instant drying, achieved by curing
• Great print quality
• Light fastness
• Good adhesion on many substrates
• Printing without volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

With all these advantages over other types of inks, even if they more costly than the rest of the inks; many people choose to print with UV-curable inks.” (Images in the slider at the top of this blog are from this article)

From wine labels to 4 x 8 ft signage, UV inks are making a splash these days.

MUTOH UV-LED Wide Format Printers

MUTOH makes the widest range of UV-LED devices for the print market. Here are a few examples.

MUTOH ValueJet 626UF

Print directly to create custom promotional items, awards, mugs, signage and much more. The ValueJet 626UF offers up to six color capability, including white and varnish ink and Smart Printing technologies such as Intelligent Interweave print technique.

This is a great choice and if you add the option rotary unit to it, you can even print cylindrical items such as candles, bottles and more.

MUTOH ValueJet 1638UH

Need a little bigger printer but not yet ready for a true flatbed? The MUTOH ValueJet 1638UH may be your answer. It’s considered a hybrid device since it can print roll-to-roll or rigid media.

Print on material up to a half inch thick and save valuable floor space with its dual function and multiple application design. The CMYK plus white and varnish ink options are ideal for printing packaging prototypes, POP displays and indoor signage.

MUTOH PerformanceJet 2508UF

The all new performanceJet is a true UV-LED Flatbed that is 4 ft x 8ft and can handle many projects. It‘s standard staggered four print head design – Field upgradable to six heads when adding white and varnish inks, provides high print speeds and the dual UV lamps on both sides of the carriage provide exceptional cure times allowing for higher production capacity. Print media up to 4” thick and use the CMYK x2 or CMYKx2 plus white & varnish to create stunning applications with outstanding durability and color gamut.

Visit MUTOH at These Shows & See these UV-LED Printers at Work!

September 30-October 2      Print18      Chicago, Ill

October 18-20                         SGIA          Las Vegas, NV

Cool Vehicle Wrap in MUTOH Booth

MUTOH AMERICA had a great show at the recent NBM trade show in Long beach, CA. The booth was packed with people for all three days and they did a great job teaching the crowd tips and tricks in vehicle wrapping. The wrap was done by Wrap Nation. All printing was done on the MUTOH ValueJet 1638x wide format printer, the “wrapper choice” as its come to be know in the industry.

MUTOH Participates in NBM Seminar Program

7 Tips Every Sign Shop MUST Know to Solve Image Problems!

In addition to the show booth, MUTOH’s Mark Rugen, Dir. Product Marketing & Education presented two 1-hour seminars for NBM. “7-Tips Every Sign Shop  MUST Know to Solve Image Problems!” had over 200 registered and over 60 attending. The seminar demonstrated several free and commercial software programs for getting designs done faster.

In this seminar we demonstrated 7 tips and programs that will accelerate everyday workflow by handling the following issues:

1. How to get the fastest print, cut and perforation in making decals.
2. How to enlarge an image from inches to feet without loss in quality.
3. How to vectorize low-resolution color images with accurate results.
4. How to identify a font from a photo in seconds.
5. How to get rid of complex backgrounds in any image.
6. How to erase and replace items in any image.
7. How to handle and correct images that need color enhancement.

Attendees will walked away armed with tips that will change their workflow forever! If you didn’t attend, you can still get a copy of the presentation by going to the whitepapers menu and downloading your personal copy.

How-to-setup-a-profitable-craft-business-and-never-look-back

The second presentation was attended by over 60 as well and had nearly 200 registrations. Attendees learned how to put together a system of hardware and software that will allow them to create and produce craft & specialty type items that will sell like crazy. This seminar showed them all the items needed to get started but also give them some idea of the various products they can create, what they sell for and how to get a return on your investment in just a few short months. We showed all attendees how to get into this lucrative business with minimal investment and maximum returns. If you are just starting into business or just want to add another profit center to your existing one, then download a copy of the whitepaper.

Overall, this was a great show for both the exhibitors as well as the attendees. WRAPSCON, the wraps convention was held in conjunction with this show and was a huge success as well. Hope to see you in Long beach next year, we will be there with some surprises!