Sign Africa Journal November / December 2018 | Page 32

FEATURE
WHY
A LASER FITS SO WELL
IN A SIGN SHOP
BY SIGNCRAFT
‘I remember reading,’ says John Ralph of Quail Run Signs, ‘where someone said that it’s hard to build a business around
the laser in most areas, because the market just isn’t that large yet. He went on to say that you can successfully use
a laser in almost any sign shop in almost any market to increase your sales. That stuck with me. A laser lets you do so
much more in a sign shop. It complements both the tools you have and the work that you do really well.’
Of course, you can make complete signs with the laser, like interior signage,
nameplates, wayfinding systems and ADA signage. It’s a natural for a sign shop
and Ralph, who added his laser seven years ago, does a lot of such work. Coupled with your CNC and digital printing equipment, the laser has even more
potential as a sign making tool. This lets sign makers use more of the laser’s
power and potential, and get even more value from it than many users.
'Along with acrylic and other materials,' he said, 'we use a lot of laser-specific
materials as well. We do a lot of interior signage for office buildings as well as
promotional items with those materials. There are quite a few materials to pick
from and loads of colour options.' Shops that have added a laser recognise this right away. 'With sign work, there
are a lot of other related uses for the laser,' said Steve Shepherd of Custom
Engraving & Signs. 'For example, we often cut a poster board template as a
pattern for letter installation. If it’s large, we do it in panels and tape it together.
We can walk into an office, tape it to the wall and install the letters in a matter
of minutes.'
In most sign shops, though, the laser engraver/cutter quickly finds a home
for many aspects of production. You can make components for other signs:
cutting out acrylic and HDU lettering and graphics, cutting out acrylic panels and
engraving graphics that get applied to large signs.
Laser-cut acrylic letters, painted red, on a panel made of two layers of Extira.
John Ralph, Quail Run Signs, Virginia.
32
Of course, a laser also lets you do all the incredible engraving feats that a
laser can do on almost any surface — detailed photos on marble tile, wedding
announcements on paper, intricate logos on leather coasters and perfect
monograms on knife blades. But most likely, it’s how the laser helps you
enhance your signs and speed production that will keep you wondering how you
ever got by without it.
Two layers of laser-cut 6.4mm (1⁄4 inch) acrylic. 'The back layer is cut
a little smaller just to pop it off the wall,' said Ralph. 'Rather than use
12.7mm (1⁄2 inch) acrylic, I prefer to use two layers of 1⁄4 inch bonded
together with tape, and let the top layer float. It makes a cool effect. The
back layer can be clear, black or white, depending on the look you want.
It’s not really any more work. Instead of cutting thick acrylic slowly, you
cut thin acrylic faster.'
ISSUE 98 NOV/DEC 2018 | www.SignAfrica.com