Finding Hard Profit in Soft Signage

In basic terms, a “soft sign” is printed digitally on fabric, and the ink bonds with the fibers. Mostly using a dye-sublimation ink set (for vibrant imagery), soft signage typically is printed on polyester-based or other synthetic textile substrates and, on occasion, on natural fiber such as cotton or cotton blends.

Opportunities in this segment of the wide-format (WF) graphics arena are vast and growing. What was once a specialty niche for WF print service providers (PSPs) now is a “must-have technology” for producing more mainstream applications, according to digital-print consultancy IT Strategies. Textiles bring advantages in ease of installation, recyclability and image resolution, reports the firm’s 2019 Wide Format Review. Soft-signage physical output enjoys a 20% share within the overall WF market, according to the annual review.

Last year, PSPs produced more than 388 million square meters of soft signage worldwide, as compared with fewer than 220 million square meters of dye-sub output in 2015. The total amount is climbing to over 435 million by the end of this year and should exceed 545 million square meters in two years. Such double-digit growth (CAGR averages >12%) is more than in any other WF sector – and ITS projects it will continue at this rate for the next three years. The breakdown of products/applications is as follows:

• 24% point-of-purchase (POP) signage
• 23 % tradeshow banners/stands
• 17% in-house branding
• 16% flags
• 11% POP banners
• 9% object wraps

(Source: IT Strategies)

The firm’s metrics reveal that OEMs sold 306 new printing units in 2019, up from 203 four years earlier. Expect that number to exceed 400 units by the year 2023, ITS forecasts. “We don’t have new data yet, but I don’t think the trend has changed much [in Q1 ’20],” reports President Mark Hanley.

Lily Hunter, product manager of e-commerce and supplies for large-format manufacturer Roland DGA, confirms that soft signage has, indeed, become more popular. “More companies are requesting it for their stores, tradeshow booths, etc.,” notes Hunter. While soft signage may not be as much of a differentiator for a PSP as it was, say, five years ago, “it has become more of a ‘must’ to offer so they can compete in the same marketspace,” she notes.

Tim Check agrees. Not having soft-signage capabilities becomes a “limiting factor [today]. Customers have come to expect and demand it,” says Check, senior product manager for Professional Imaging at Epson America, Inc. What’s not to like? “It’s lightweight, portable and easier to set up -- with no bubbles to worry about like with vinyl installations,” he points out.

While the novelty of seeing a banner blowing in the wind may have worn off a bit since 2015, it still can help to differentiate PSPs. “More than half the products on the floor last year [in 2019] at the ISA Signexpo were related to soft signage,” observes Check. “These signs may have really stood out five years ago, and they’re still eye-catching,” he believes, primarily because “they’re not a flat surface.”

Roland’s Hunter adds, “From an environmental perspective, more businesses are choosing sustainable and green alternatives to PVC-based signs. Digital printing, along with advances in inks, fabrics and coatings, have made doing so possible.”

Soft signage remains popular for tradeshow exhibits, hanging banners/signs, flags, and backlit signs. “Most fabrics are wrinkle-resistant and reusable, making them ideal not only for short-term displays but also for repeated use in recurring marketing campaigns,” Hunter says. “Soft signage printed using dye-sublimation inks is also washable just like apparel. From a décor standpoint, the aesthetics of fabrics – how they drape, the texture, etc. – make this type of output appealing, as it conveys a certain look and feel that the designer is trying to achieve. Designers and installers are becoming more creative with how they are using fabrics in their displays, as they break from the traditional molds of hanging signs and banners.”

Let there be (UV) light

Michael Maxwell, segment manager for Sign & Graphics at Mimaki USA, adds that in addition to the overall adoption of soft-signage output technologies, his OEM firm is seeing the continued “encroachment of the UV-curable market.” UV technology does not require a secondary, heat-based sublimation process. UV-cured printed products are lightfast due to their resiliency to ultraviolet exposure. Ink is placed on the substrate’s top layer and cures almost immediately. And unlike the latex process, “there’s low/no heat [used] to fix inks,” Maxwell adds, “so less energy is required … and there’s no distortion.”

UV-curable printing enables an almost limitless range of printable substrates. For the high-volume production of oversized graphics, Mimaki makes the UJV55-320. The super-wide (3.2 meters) UV-LED, roll-to-roll printer features seven colors, including white, and can produce banners, retail displays, wallpaper and more. “This printer is ideal for applications like the smaller, backlit display graphics we see in airports and train stations,” Maxwell says. With a maximum print speed of 1,184 square feet per hour, the UJV55 is eco-friendly, running low-VOC, GREENGUARD Gold certified UV-LED inks. 

The media used on UV-curable printers requires a receptive coating on one side. In late 2017 Mimaki purchased Rimslow Global Pty., an Australian manufacturer/seller of pre- and post-processing equipment -- such as coating machines, steamers and washers. “This acquisition is part of our ‘micro-factory concept,’ which is Mimaki’s comprehensive solution,” Maxwell describes. “It’s a connected eco-system for everything from software to fixatives and ink chemistries … to washing and coating processes. The printer technology is in the middle, surrounded by all these other components.” The cohesive approach helps PSPs to create (and manage) realistic expectations for customers, he believes. 

Understanding color capabilities can help manage customer expectations as well, says Mike Wozny, senior product manager for Display Graphics at Electronics for Imaging, Inc. (EFI). “PSPs have to learn and identify how to achieve consistent, repeatable color,” Wozny urges. “They need to have the right environment, develop a great profile and then modify that profile as necessary.”

Epson’s Check notes, “Heat presses run at different temperatures, so there are multiple variables, including humidity, that can affect color. Plus, they’re not looking at a flat surface.” For more accurate color matching, he recommends using Pantone’s polyester TSX swatch cards for apparel and textiles, “which carry their own standard.”

Wozny adds that that there is an intellectual-property (IP) component for wide-format print providers expanding into soft signage. When printing a 10-by-10-foot backlit display, for example, “there is all the ‘downstream stuff’ – the sewing, handling of the material and compensating for stretch,” he explains. “You either have to learn it yourself or bring people in house who know it.”

Trends for 2020 and beyond

PSPs seem to keep finding new places for traditional UV soft-sign applications, says Wozny, citing table throws as a prime example. “The ink formulations, coatings and materials allow for the consistent printing of deep, dark hues that are artifact-free,” he explains.

Mimaki USA thinks the wall-covering market will continue to develop, too. “It’s the ‘Amazon effect,’” Maxwell notes: “We are seeing more pop-up stores and transitional malls that need graphics with removable adhesive.” He sees a similar, ongoing surge in reusable branding applications as well, such as “decorative office and meeting environments for short-term need. These are inexpensive compared to 10 or 15 years ago,” he adds, “and they’re easy to install.”

Total cost of ownership (TCO) is a lot less than it was a decade ago, Wozny continues.  “The technology built into the [printing] systems today and the high-resolution, medium-viscosity inks used reduce TCO by as much as 50%,” he claims. “These advancements enable more profitability and better price positioning for PSPs to win more jobs.” 

He points to the EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340i aqueous-based printer, which is the first in its class to offer in-line sublimation. “This technology eliminates steps. It does not require a heat press for direct-to-textile printing.” The 3.4-meter wide device prints direct to fabric with in-line fixation for graphics that are immediately ready for finishing and packing. It produces four-color output with resolution up to 2,400 dots per inch (dpi) and four-level grayscale printing. Production speeds run up to 2,691 square feet per hour.

The OEM features a broad product portfolio, Wozny adds, with multiple device sizes (from 1.8 meter to 5.2 meter widths) and speeds/volume levels. “It all depends on how much soft signage is being printed – per shift, per day, per month,” he stresses. “Do you need to output fast at 16,000 square feet per hour, or will a slow pace of 4,500 suffice?”

Epson adds a productivity note: “Print technology is getting more efficient,” Check notes, “from fabric innovations and options, like true black-outs, four-way stretch [materials that conform to shapes] and better fade-resistance. Outdoor duration has improved, too, from three to six months to 12 months plus.”

New products on display

At ISA Signexpo, Epson is bringing its SureColor F6370, a 44-inch-wide, roll-to-roll, dye-sublimation printer that lists for under $20,000, including the heat-transfer press. The direct-to-garment device is ideally suited for “compact applications,” Check says, “such as 3-by-5-foot displays and even smaller wall coverings. It also works well for banners, flags and silicone edge graphics.”

The OEM also is showing the Epson SureColor F9470H high-speed, dye-sub system running fluorescent inks that “glow under blacklights,” he explains. “They’re great for things like midnight bowling and spirit distiller promos” in darker settings. He adds that hybrid fabrics feature coatings that work with UV-solvent inks on the entry-level SureColor S40 line. “These materials cost more,” Check notes, “but you can print things like backlit film and adhesive vinyl” -- without investing in a new printer.

In Orlando this month, Roland DGA will feature its SGIA 2019 Product of the Year winner: the Texart RT-640M multi-function, dye-sublimation printer. “This innovative, highly versatile inkjet is capable of printing directly onto soft signage media, or indirectly onto transfer paper, and then sublimating onto polyester fabrics,” Hunter explains. “We will be using the RT-640M in our ISA booth to print directly onto Fisher Textiles DD7701 Primary Flag media.”

In addition, different fabric samples and printing methods for soft signage, flags and wall coverings are highlighted. “If the end-user doesn’t have a dye-sublimation printer, coated fabrics like Roland’s SoftSign Woven Polyester (ESM-SSWP2) is ideal for use with eco-solvent and UV printers,” Hunter says. “In addition to yielding eye-catching colors, SoftSign Woven Polyester is lightweight and wrinkle-resistant. It’s a great choice for backlit applications.” Roland’s Media Partner display showcases a variety of fabric wallcoverings from partner manufacturers, such as Photo Tex, General Formulations, Sihl, and others. “These items were printed on our new TrueVIS eco-solvent printer/cutter,” she adds.

Meanwhile, EFI will be present at a trio of partner booths in Orlando. A LED inkjet dedicated flatbed printer, the new EFI Pro 30f, is on display at in the Nazdar SourceOne booth, #5500. The OEM anticipates some “significant introductions toward mid-year,” Wozny reports, including productivity enhancements and ways to lower cost of ownership even more. 

At the quadrennial drupa tradeshow in Germany in June, EFI (hall 9, stand A40-1) will show the aforementioned EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340i soft signage printer along with new LED inkjet production technologies and other solutions -- including EFI Fiery digital, front-ends and EFI Productivity Suites, the industry’s leading MIS/ERP workflow offering.

This past January, Mimaki started shipping its new Tx300P-1800 MkII, which supports dual ink sets and transfer as well as direct printing. “It works for display graphics in the sign space as well as for home-furnishing [textile] applications,” offers Maxwell.

Best practices

What industry “best practices” do OEMs and other suppliers typically share with PSPs who want to grow their market share in the soft-signage space? “Figure out how much of your business soft signage will comprise, and what types of signs you want to make,” advised Roland’s Hunter. “This will determine the ink technology you should go with. If you’re looking to make hanging banners, soft signage for lightboxes, etc., using an existing eco-solvent or UV printer may suffice. Just make sure you find the right fabric that will work for these types of applications,” she says.

For customers producing decals and vehicle graphics but who may be new to soft signage, Maxwell of Mimaki recommends looking into the UV-curable printers available. They are versatile and “can print on paper, fabric, PVC [vinyl], wall coverings. UV technology has bridged the gap between solvent- and water-based [latex] machines,” he says. “These devices turn jobs faster and offer more outdoor durability.”

Hunter continues, “If you’re looking to produce soft signage that isn’t reusable – but is washable and more durable – then investing in a dye-sublimation solution will be necessary. Keep in mind that it will require more space, and a higher start-up budget, to accommodate both the printer and a calender or wide-format flatbed press.”

It’s also important to find a good fabric manufacturer with which to work. “This will help ensure that you can get quality products that are consistent with each lot you purchase,” she says, adding a housekeeping tip: “Remember to make room for storing your rolls of fabric,” advises Hunter. “Unlike sign vinyl, fabric rolls cannot be stored standing upright; you’ll have to lay them down.”

EFI has a Professional Services Group that can help PSPs tackle obstacles. The add-on option takes a holistic approach. “We target applications, then decide which substrates to use, what device to print them on and how to handle the finishing,” Wozny notes. “It’s the next level of training, beyond ‘push the button.’ Our customers need to be able to produce soft signage reliably and repeatedly.”

Epson partners with its value-added resellers (VARs) for education, and “may roll out more end-user training” going forward, Check announces. The biggest tip he offers up: “Know your process and know your products. There are thousands of fabrics out there. Get to know some of them and their characteristics! Will they work for your purposes? What shrinkage percentage do you need to account for so your dimensions won’t be off?”

PSP owners and managers who want to learn more about fabrics and dye-sublimation can check out “Fabric 101,” a six-part webinar series that Roland DGA’s Hunter co-hosted with Michael Sanders of TVF Media.  https://www.rolanddga.com/pages/videos/webinar-series-digital-fabrics