Wide-Format Applications That Drive In-plant Profit and Success

Wide-format inkjet opens many new opportunities for in-plants to both add value for their internal clients and to extend their commercial capabilities if they choose to do that. From simple wide-format posters to elaborate specialty applications, if you can imagine it, you can produce it.

Already, in-plants are swarming to applications like POP/signs, window graphics, and decals. According to a survey produced by NAPCO/InfoTrends, in-plants' use of wide-format applications has rocketed between 2013 and 2015. POP displays/signs jumped from 51.2% to 71.7%, window graphics from 34.1% to 52.9%, and decals from 30.1% to 48.6%. Backlit displays, vehicle graphics, and floor graphics grew significantly, as well. Packaging samples more than doubled from 8.1% to 19.6%.

Why outsource applications that you can produce yourself faster, on-demand, and with greater flexibility? Wide-format is coming in-house!

What follows is a showcase of some of the fastest growing and creative applications being produced by in-plants using Canon Solutions America flatbed printers, cutters, and software.

This project was printed on polycarbonate with an Océ Arizona and ProCut digital finishing system.

Imitation Stained Glass
Got an ugly view out a side window? Employees complaining that they are staring out into brick walls or overlooking the loading dock? Don’t replace the windows. Cover those unsightly views with gorgeous imitation stained glass instead. The cost of imitation stained glass is a fraction of installing new windows, and they can be printed and installed in the same day.

These décor-enhancers were printed on an Océ Arizona printer to add style, while allowing in filtered light.

Click here to watch a video on how this stained glass application was created.

Creative Signage
Who says signage has to be dull? Wide-format lets you print on everything from wood and glass to plastic and vinyl.

Today’s wide-format machines can print on metal, too. This means they can help with mundane issues, as well. For example, hosting a last-minute fundraising run or flea market on-site? Bid unruly parking good-bye! Create a “Flea Market Parking ONLY” or “Runner Parking ONLY” sign to let people know where to go, but also make them feel catered to. Print traffic signage to remind employees that the white arrows facing into the parking lot mean “No Exit!”

Or just bring a smile. Reward your best employees with their own personalized “employee of the month” parking signs.

To download the full white paper, Applications That Drive In-plant Profit and Success, click here. 

This award was printed on aluminum on a wood base using an Océ Arizona printer. It was cut using the Océ ProCut digital finishing system.

Plaques and Awards
Awards ceremonies always sneak up on you at the last minute, don’t they? Reduce stress and lower costs by printing them in-house. Wide-format printers from Canon Solutions America can print on metal, wood, and plastic. This puts your designers on a mission to do the amazing.

To learn more about how plaques and awards are produced click here. 

Window clings offer a cost-effective way to get a message out there.

Window Clings
Need to outfit your plant, school, or corporate headquarters with event-specific décor? How about to communicate a brand new message to shoppers, employees, or company visitors? Window clings are an easy, cost-effective way to get that message out. Print them big or small. Adhere small clings on the windows of doors, offices, or cafeterias. Plaster huge clings in your retail locations. Shout your message in bright, eye-catching, “can’t miss it” graphics and color.

This pop-up stand was printed using an Océ Arizona UV printer on a honeycomb board with vinyl finishing strip added to the stand base.

Pop-up Stands
Print pop-up stands right in-house. Alert employees and students to critical information. Provide a listing of events at your next seminar or open house. Because pop-up displays are mobile, they can be moved as needed to optimize visibility or facilitate traffic flow.

This all-purpose, transportable pop-up “stand in a box” can be taken anywhere you need it to go.

Click here to find out how this pop-up stand was created. 

This example was output on an Océ Arizona printer.

Day/Night Backlit Displays
Traditionally, graphics designed for displays have been printed either for daytime or night-time (backlit) viewing, but not both. Recent advances allow the printing of images that look gorgeous whether the light is coming in from the front or behind. Maximize your viewing opportunities in areas with shifting light conditions, including for POP displays, retail signage, sports arenas, public venues, and commuter locations.

Displays can be printed on any suitable transparent substrate like polycarbonate or PETG.

To see how the day/night backlit in the example above was created click here.

This example was printed on black foam board on an Océ Arizona printer. It was finished on an Océ ProCut digital finishing system.

Pre-cut Substrates
Sometimes you just want something fun to display on a table or at an event. Whether it’s a creative way to promote a new appetizer on the menu or congratulate an employee at a retirement party, pre-cut substrates can spur imagination, while creating an element of fun and surprise. We’ve even heard of pharmacies and medical centers printing cutouts of their pharmacists and on-staff doctors for lobbies and waiting areas to create a more personal connection with their customers and patients.

Click here to watch a video on how the cutouts in this example was produced.

Floor Graphics
It’s the day of the open house and the school will be flooded with prospective students and their families. Add creative, branded floor graphics to direct people where to go. Point visitors to the cafeteria, to the fine arts wing, or to the auditorium. Or focus attention on the latest promotion or sale with an eye-catching shout from the floor. Cover outdated flooring with updated patterns and designs at a fraction of the cost of replacing the substrate.

Trade Show and Freestanding Displays
From retail displays to waiting room racks, print and assemble your own branded freestanding displays. Make them eye-catching. Personalize them to the location or event. Or just have fun!

Displays aren’t limited to cardboard. Because our Océ Arizona series can print on everything from rigid board to roll media, you can outfit your entire trade show booth with everything from product displays to privacy screens. With the flexibility offered by in-house production, you can tailor your presence to each show and its individual attendee base.

You can produce branded toys and games.

Toys and Games
Wouldn’t it be great if your fundraiser went beyond hoagies and boxed chocolates? What if you could produce branded jigsaw puzzles, toys, and games with your school’s mascot emblazoned on them? Or better yet, each child’s face! Now you can. Create branded and personalized gifts, fundraisers, and incentives.

Packaging
Packaging is increasingly segmented by geography, niche, and even language. Printing in-house allows you to produce smaller runs more cost-effectively and even experiment with personalized versions.

• Print sample packages to enable in-house and outside designers to refine their designs more cost effectively.
• Do something fun for employees on special occasions by printing branded company packaging with their faces on it.
• Pitch short-run, niche packaging to local retailers or specialty product manufacturers to keep your new wide-format printer busy.

Creativity, Cost-Savings, and Cool
In this day and age of social media, everyone wants to reflect their personality and put their own personal stamp on their content. Let the flexibility and in-house cost efficiencies spur your creativity and experimentation. In the B2B environment, digital printing allows in-plants to justify their value far beyond simply producing in-house printing less expensively.

• Customize signs and banners.
• Produce personalized graphics.
• Save money by enabling creative solutions (such as covering unsightly floors instead of replacing them).
• Offer fast-turn services with extremely high quality.
• Produce customized applications that command a higher value than commoditized printing.

When you can use wide-format technology to solve problems that your internal clients didn’t know you could solve, when event registrations are up and the only thing that changed is the in-house signage, or when you can save the day by cranking out displays at the last minute, you are not just meeting a need. You are making your clients more in love with you.