Sign Africa Journal November / December 2018 | Page 40

FEATURE
HOW TO TAKE
ADVANTAGE
OF YOUR LARGE
FORMAT SIGNS
BY MARCELO GIRÓN, DPI INSIGHTS/FLAAR REPORTS
Indoor and outdoor advertising are a basic part of
advertising, in most cases you use large format printing.
Currently, different techniques and different types
of materials have been developed to make these
advertising campaigns more creative.
The biggest challenge is scale, since your signage is going to be a lot larger in
size than what you are accustomed to. Other things to consider when designing
signage are location, colour, typography, contrast and material the sign will be
printed on. Thinking about each of these factors in advance will help you avoid
mistakes in the long run. Media And Substrates
Here are some things you should consider when designing or printing large
format signs: • Canvas: also in glossy and matte, which has similar characteristics to
vinyl. The canvas type mesh is perforated after printing, enabling a higher
resistance when it is placed in windy areas; and the backlight is used
for illuminated advertising, since it allows the passage of light without
changing the colours of the print. The advantage is that canvas and vinyl
are materials that are impermeable and of higher strength.
• Sintra board sheet: a lightweight polyvinyl chloride print that is used for
exhibitions, decks, backboards and outdoor marketing displays. Sintra
printing is affordable, flexible and doesn’t require much attention.
When deciding to print material for indoor and outdoor, we must understand
that different materials are used for each environment and that can be affected
by the longevity of the ink, exposure to light and elements, etc.
Indoor Or Outdoor
Whether your sign will be placed inside or outside is a determining factor, since
indoor signs are less exposed to the elements, so you do not need as much
protection as with outdoor signs. Since outdoor signage runs the risk of getting
wet, you should consider using latex, solvent or UV-curable inks, onto any
material that is waterproof, or apply a protective coating layer or lamination.
40
ISSUE 98 NOV/DEC 2018 | www.SignAfrica.com