Digital Output - March 2008 - (Page 22)

application spotlight Signs and Scape These signage offerings are anything but traditional. by Kim Crowley scrolled metal poles—are another example of the company’s capabilities. Signs and Scape I ncorporated in 1994, Art & Sign F/X Inc. of Fredericksburg, VA, offers more than just traditional signage. Originally launched as a partnership between childhood friends, the company is solely owned by Troy Dawson. Art & Sign F/X is made up of two divisions—visual communications Customers benefit from the ondemand, eye-catching output and become repeat customers. A Roland SOLJET PRO III XJ-740 allows Art & Sign F/X to offer large format printing at up to 74 inches wide. The device uses Roland DGA Corporation’s ECO-SOL MAX ecosolvent inks, which Roland says produce virtually no odor, require no special ventilation, dry fast, and resist scratching. Projects, including banners, POP, vehicle graphics, and canvas prints, are rated for up to three years of outdoor use without lamination by Roland. A Gerber EDGE FX thermal transfer printer is used to produce items including labels and vehicle graphics on materials such as pressure-sensitive vinyl. Art & Sign F/X uses Gerber OMEGA design and output software for its Gerber EDGE FX and its Gerber SABRE router. With the addition of the Gerber SABRE a new niche evolved. “It was one of the best investments I’ve made on the sign side,” notes Dawson. Mostly used to cut dimensional high-density urethane (HDU), the Gerber SABRE is perfect for dimensional signmaking, woodworking, and parts fabrication. It cuts foam, plastic, wood, composites, and nonferrous metals. The shop also uses a Summa D160 SE cutter for vinyl production. Dawson notes how tools like Delcam’s ArtCAM software help to produce high-detail 3D design projects. Other software used for design, layout, and sign production includes Adobe CS3, Roland DGA Corporation’s VersaWorks RIP software, and SA International, Inc.’s FlexiSign. The company recently invested in estimating software from EstiMate Software Corporation. EstiMate Software is designed to streamline the www.digitaloutput.net The union of sign shop and landscaping was not exactly intentional, Dawson confides. With a degree in urban planning and a 12-year career as a civil engineering site planner, Dawson always had an interest in art. A drive to do something with his career that incorporated this passion led to the start of Art & Sign F/X Inc. Initial work consisted of entrance monuments, with the shop designing and producing outdoor signage; the majority of which was permanent. Today, this work includes carved entry signs for builders, developers, and retail establishments. In the early stages of the company, Art & Sign F/X subcontracted landscaping jobs. Dawson found that many customers wanted to accentuate outdoor monuments with landscaping to draw attention to their business. But, he says, “We just couldn’t get the quality we wanted.” To ensure the product was top notch, Art & Sign F/X decided to bring landscaping in-house. This business model is so successful for Art & Sign F/X that they rely solely on repeat customers, word of mouth, and people who see the branding on the company’s two landscaping trucks. “I’ve never marketed the company at all,” says Dawson. “The only thing I did was a newspaper ad for the landscaping side in 2007,” he recalls. Sign Tools Signage and landscaping created by Art & Sign F/X for Hopyard Farm. Letters, border, and contour of hops created with Gerber SABRE router. and landscape. This business model is unique. Dawson says he does not know of any other company in his area that provides such a well-rounded solution. With 24 employees, the shop offers a diverse portfolio of projects that help customers build their brand. The Art & Sign F/X sign division designs and produces logos, multiple density overlay (MDO) and wood signs, vehicle graphics, street signage, business identification packages, entrance monuments, and more. Routed and painted letter work, as well as digitally-printed graphics and vinyl are produced for office lobbies, storefront signs, store windows, and other business identity campaigns. Street signs—from routed signs decorated with metallic highlights and attached to wooden fixtures to reflective traditional signs attached to Digital Output March 2008 Today, the sign world is anything but traditional. “Large format digital printing is really changing the sign industry,” says Dawson. He remembers a time when most sign work was painted and graphics were cut vinyl that had to be assembled. Large format digital printing offers customers a high-end, dramatic product at a speed that was once inconceivable. Output 22 http://www.digitaloutput.net

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Output - March 2008

Digital Output - March 2008

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