ISA International Sign Expo 2018 Preview

The ISA Sign Expo gets down to business. It's the perfect time and place to make investments in your company. The largest gathering of sign, graphics, print and visual communications professionals is where you want to be and where you'll get programming and exhibits that offer serious solutions, real results, and provide opportunities for attendees to make powerful connections.

Held annually, the event location alternates between Las Vegas, Nevada, and Orlando, Florida. ISA Sign Expo 2018 will be held March 22–24, 2018 (education and events will be March 21–24, 2018) at the Orange County Convention Center, South Hall in Orlando, Florida.

The industry is making unprecedented advances in products and technology that are changing how people engage and interact with signage and ISA Sign Expo connects you to it all.

• Dare to explore what's new. Source all of the new cutting-edge products on display and find new revenue streams for your business.
• Dare to seek out new partnerships. Connect with industry professionals from all facets of the industry from 100 countries around the world.
• Dare to try something new. Get new ideas, learn from the experts and bring back critical information to your colleagues to keep your business competitive.

ISA Sign Expo is the most comprehensive trade show for the sign, graphics and visual communications industry, showcasing products from exhibitors in wide format printing, digital signage, vehicle wrapping, LEDs and so much more.

The ISA Sign Expo 2018 Innovation Awards

The ISA Sign Expo 2018 Innovation Awards are designed to recognize and honor the leaders in the sign, graphics and visual communications industry for creating new and innovative products.

A panel of experts will determine a winner for each of the following categories: Print; Business Solutions/Software; Electronic & Traditional Signage. You can join us at Booth xxxx for the innovation awards. 

New! Ultimate Wrap Star 2018 Competition

Mr. Clipart is thrilled to be hosting a three-day car wrap competition at ISA International Sign Expo 2018, March 22–24, in Orlando, Florida. Anyone is invited to compete for the title of ISA Sign Expo 2018 wrap star! All participants take home a swag bag of products from all sponsors with a value between $1,000 US (first round) and $8,500 US for the winner, plus extra hardware prizes. Check out the competition on the trade show floor at Booth 253 Thursday through Saturday and contact Dirk Moebes at [email protected] if interested in competing.

Powerful connections abound at ISA Sign Expo. As the largest gathering of its kind, ISA Sign Expo is the place to negotiate, source new business, and make local and national partnerships. Exchanging new ideas and sharing experiences enhance the value of your time in Orlando and provide new perspectives and insights.

Education Sessions

ISA Sign Expo offers three Game Changer sessions for 2018 to expand your thinking and inspire you to push the limits of innovation. On Thursday morning, March 22, 2018, Shannon Huffman Polson will lead a session on Leading From Any Seat: Stories from the Cockpit. With real-world stories and insights from in and out of the cockpit, she offers tangible leadership lessons for audience members to seek out their own targets and, where passion and purpose intersect, incorporate them into their own professional lives. By examining everyday leadership and situational challenges, Shannon empowers others to effectively lead and thrive in any dynamic environment. 

Later that afternoon, Jeff Henderson will lead an educational session called If You Can See It, You Can Be It. With his 12 inspiring and pragmatic street-smart recipes for success, audiences will discover their hidden business aptitudes, make life-changing decisions, and secure personal and professional success.

On Friday, Kim Lear will share her expertise on the subject of Leveraging Generational Diversity. Organizations are feeling the pain of generational differences as they struggle to manage productivity and morale while maintaining high standards of quality and service in an unpredictable economy. This session will give you the tools to convert generational diversity from an obstacle into an opportunity.

There are 33 educational sessions over Thursday and Friday, giving attendees every opportunity to learn from experts on grow their business and gain new skills. 

A Preview of ISA Products on the Show Floor

When the ISA International Sign Expo sets down its roots at the Orange County Convention Center, nearly 600 exhibitors will have their latest products on display. But where do you start?

Wide-Format & Signage has done some of the leg-work for you. The products listed on the next few pages include some of the newest and most interesting on the trade show floor. Use these pages to plan your stops on the exhibit floor before you go.

3M—Booth #3308

With 34 new shades, including Deep Sea Blue, Regal Red and Glacial Green, 3M’s selection of colored translucent films now features a total of 103 options. The expanded lineup bolsters 3M’s Illuminated Sign Solutions portfolio – which also includes inkjet printable films, light management films, overlaminates and flexible substrates. This comprehensive portfolio positions 3M as the go-to provider of backlit sign color and design options, which enable companies to achieve unparalleled global consistency and creative potential.

Banner Ups—Booth #3935

Make SEG Signs without sewing! Try Banner Ups KederTape. KederTape is a high-quality keder that is laminated with a premium pressure sensitive adhesive. Simply peel and stick KederTape onto textiles. Finish fabric SEG  signs without the hassle of sewing.  Try a sample of KederTape at booth 3935.

Marabu—Booth #4229

Marabu North America will be showcasing their latest line of UV-LED digital inks and their ClearShield liquid laminates. Designed for a wide range of applications, UltraJet inks are the newest products in Marabu’s line of digital inks, specifically tailored for high-resolution print heads in both traditional UV printing and UV-LED printing. The ClearShield line of liquid laminates offers protection and durability as well as the benefit of a Type II certified solution for commercial applications.

GMG Americas—Booth 4942 

PrintFactory, powered by GMG, is the most complete production workflow software suite for banner, sign and super wide format printing. The software offers all the professional job preparation and file correction tools needed to maximize productivity and profitability, with its pioneering automated workflows dramatically cutting media wastage and providing average ink savings of 20%. Centralized GMG color management and smart profiles deliver exceptional color control to guarantee consistent, high quality color reproduction across multiple devices.

Ultraflex Systems, Inc.—Booth #5011

Ultraflex will feature several new products in our VorTex soft signage solutions line including MultiTex® S285.   MultiTex ®S285 is a 8.4 oz. multi-purpose canvas made from 100% polyester spun yarn and looks the same as True Canvas. The synthetic canvas delivers exceptional value and versatility while being the economical choice for canvas materials.  It can be stretched and framed and is easy to print and finish.   Ideal for fine-art reproduction and indoor applications including wall murals.

Rolinx—Booth #1019

The Kala Mistral 1650 Laminator is by far the best value for money in its class. Unique features include Kala’s patented “auto-calibration” system which assures even pressure for perfect tracking. The one-piece steel welded frame makes it very sturdy and compact. It comes with a built-in storage area for up to 4 rolls. Waste-free roll to roll lamination requires no supervision.

AGL—Booth #2163

AGL will showcase the very popular Patriot laminator. The Patriot is designed to specifically address the issues associated with finishing UV, Latex and Solvent based printing technologies. AGL’s proprietary nip roll design and the industry’s best heating system solves the problems associated with poor laminate adhesion and silvering. Processes include roll to sheet lamination, roll to roll lamination, mounting, pre-masking and one sided thermal laminating. Fully pneumatic tension control, cantilevered material supply stations, heavy-duty construction and through put speeds of up to 30 fpm make the Patriot a true high production laminator.

Graphtec, Inc. —Booth #3045

Known around the world for its high precision cutting and build quality, the FC8600 cutting plotter is the ultimate finishing solution for the signage, apparel, and automotive markets.  Included Graphtec Pro Studio and Cutting Master 4 software provide all of the tools needed to create stunning products.  Utilizing the strength of the ARMS sensor and 600g of down force, even the most challenging medias such as high intensity reflective are cleanly cut.”

Cyrious—Booth #3142

Cyrious Software is launching a Production CloudApp for Control at ISA. Accessible via phone and tablet browsers, users will be able to clock in and out of jobs and move orders through production via online job boards. Installers and staff can take pictures of a sign, print, or installation work and add it directly to the order along with customer signatures needed for approval. This Production App can be linked to Artwork Approval and Online Payments (additional fees may apply).