Sign shops are finding a breakthrough to survive the depression. It seems that the shops may not make enough profits any more simply by doing their own job like large-format printing or sign fabrication. We will introduce some sidelines that sign shops can make profits not to interfere with their main job. Let's see how to prepare and how much profits sign shops can expect.

Large-format printed Wallpaper

Less cost for the new market

Channel sign is booming by the government's dimensional sign drive while the large-format printing market is endlessly going down. There are some reasons of the large-format printing market's stagnation. The first reason is because the government's sign guideline is against flex signs and banners. Another reason is that the most of shops have a large-format printer if they are in the sign industry. It caused price destruction. Large-format printing shops want to find a breakthrough and the wallpaper printing market is one of markets that printing shops take interest. Wallpaper printing isn't different from large-format printing and it makes printing shops approach easily. Also printing shops can use their existing machines which isn't operated that much because of the reduced order. Shops just can change some parts from the existing machines to use wallpaper inks. It doesn't cost much. It is getting more and more for sign shops to the wallpaper market 3-4 years ago and this year we can see more active movements.

Designs and Eco-material are key elements

Even though the wallpaper printing is quite similar with the large-format printing, it is definitely different between them. It is because that sign market has a different structure with the interior design market. Design and eco-material are taken as the most important factors in the wallpaper market.

Shops must provide various designs to attract more customers. But shops have to pay for the copyright if they don't have their own design. To buy the copyright highly costs and sometimes limits the usage like no. of use, not allowing any other place except for wallpaper, and so on. Therefore, shops have to make their own designs or cooperate with a design company. Customers can bring their own design for their wallpaper.

Digital Photography

Using High resolution

equipment and original inks

You can see that the digital photography and large-format printing are totally different markets. They are different in ink, machine, material, customer, CMS, etc.
Ink is the most important key point in photography for the color expression. Digital photography is a product that customers see the image closely than the one from large-format printing. So original ink is advised for digital photography market.
Also black&white expression is what digital photography market put a high value on. So black and white ink is necessary to express a black&white photography. Also shops must have the skills to express colors and black&white in retouch and correction.

Color matching and

portrait oriented retouch

Digital photography needs some skills. To express true colors, editing skill is necessary to meet the customers satisfaction. Digital photography printing output can be different according to camera, monitor, printer, material, etc., so CMS(Color Management System) must follow in the process.
Digital photography needs more sensitive editing skills than the large-format printing because it needs retouching skin correction, hair line, gradation, etc. Therefore, shops have to be equipped with the skills to express a true color correction through photoshop and so on. Also, shops have to understand photography to make customers happy because shops have to edit the photography by customers' opinion. Through many trials by shops themselves, they can collect their own skills.
Digital photography needs the finishing work as like the large-format printing. The finishing works include picture frame, album, coating, and so on. They are sources to make more sales so shops have to develop various items as printing only doesn't bring much profit.
Preservation is the one of important parts in digital photography because it is kept for a long time, not like advertisement by a short term basis. So the finishing work must follow for the preservation. Also various materials such as fine art paper, canvas, PET, sticker including sensitized paper can be used for development. These materials can bring more profits.

Dye-sublimation system

Preference for

direct printing on the material

Recently, dye-sublimation has been interested in the large-format printing market. Dye-sublimation uses transfer ink to print and then fixes the color through the heat. The machines using this method are called dye-sublimation system or color fixation system in the market and many companies are developing those systems.
This system needs transfer ink. The ink is fixed on the material by being heated. Once the ink is fixed on the material, the ink has a long durability. This dye-sublimation system can be applied to the banner market to extend its hanging period than the banner printed by water based ink. There are two types of dye-sublimation system. One is to use transfer sheet and the other is to print directly on the material. These two methods commonly use the same inks and heat but according to media and target markets, they are divided their usage.
Garments or interior props use transfer sheet. Especially, it is heavily used to sports wear like swimsuit or cycling suit. An image is printed on the sheet and the image is transferred on the textile by the heat and pressure. If the textile is strong to heat and pressure, transfer sheet can be applied to anywhere. The ink shouldn't be decolored as the textile is on our skins.

Choosing a machine

suitable for purpose

Current dye-sublimation system is to print directly on the media and put it into dye-sublimation system or color fixation system to make the color vivid and durable. This system can be detachable to printer. If the system is attached to printer, the work process is shortened as the dye-sublimation system can catch the printing speed. Shops can choose the system according to their purpose.
As dye-sublimation system uses the heat, the contraction must be considered. It is helpful to make a database of each media's contraction ratio.
Dye-sublimation systems can be used to garments or interior props. But they are used only to flags or banners so far in the sign industry. It is told that dye-sublimation system isn't suitable for garment or interior props in the sign market because flat-bed dye-sublimation system is needed.

Digital Textile Printing

Good for DIY or small production

with multiple products range

Limited editions are sold very well even though the price is relatively high. This reflects the trend of how people cares their characters and want their own. This brings the production system to small production with multiple products range from mass production with small products range.

Digital printing can be an alternative to fulfill various needs of customers who care their characters. Especially, Digital Textile Printing(hereinafter DTP)'s usage is getting more and more in textile market where the design and trend are quite sensitive. DTP is not a new method as it is one of textile printing but it gets people attention these days.

Mr. Jeon ChangHo, professor of textile fashion design in Yongin Songdam College, said, "Trend must provide what the market wants. DTP coincides the today's character concerning trend and it is good for DIY and small production with multiple products range."

DTP is available for small production and it can produce the product very quickly once order comes so it doesn't need to keep any stocks. DTP digitalized the analogue dyeing to removes the process of film making and reprint into printing. This makes the production time shorten for quick response.

Analogue dyeing always have to do a mass production so it can't provide various designs to customers. Also this needs labors to every process like making film once design is made then separate the films by the colors and get steamed. It takes much time to make a sample and can't respond quickly.

DTP controls colors by using a computer while color expression is also free. This color expression can make a gradation to show subtle color differences. But analogue way is done manually so it is hard to express the gradation.

DTP also provide multiple choice for customers to choose. Moreover DTP is eco friendly as it uses the exact amount of pigment.

DTP thus has more advantages to meets customers' request than analogue textile printing.

Specially designed items

for customers's need

DTP and large-format printing have a common thing, printing. But the markets are totally different. Textile market cares how various designs can be provide for customers' characters and desires. Machines and skills among shops are similar. Key point is the design that makes customers happy and items from the design to succeed.

Professor Jeon said that Digilog(Digital + Analogue) is important. Digilog can digitalize the analogue works and make reproduction and mass production possible. DTP has to go further to focus on small production with multiple products range. So to speak, don't do small production with multiple products range, using the advantage of mass production by digitalization. Digitalize a specially unique design and produce small to make more value. This is why DTP takes digilog's character.

Sticker Printing

Profit through thorough market

survey and equipment knowledge

Survey is a necessary process before starting a sideline. Thorough preparation must be done because the sideline is another business area to the current job. Shops will be failed even how good machines shops have if they don't prepare for the new business.

Yang Doosik, manager of Office Supply which buys new machine for sticker printing said, "Even though it is a sideline, thorough market survey and equipment knowledge. We are running a new business with sticker cutting machine and it was important for us to build and keep the business connections even though the amount is small at the beginning. It is definitely vague for companies when they couldn't get any big business connection. But you can't abandon small connections. They will eventually become big connections. And it is quite important to build small business connections as the nature of the sideline is a small production with multiple products range. So to speak, we get order for 100 pieces from 1 company in the large-format market but in the sticker printing market, we get 10 each from 10 companies."

Fast-learning

the new machines

It is also important to know the machines as well as doing market survey or keeping business connections. They are new machines. They can't bring any profits if shops don't know them. They may even jeopardize the existing business. Not like other printers, sticker cutting machine has to cut the outline. Sticker cutting machines can print and cut in a same process. Outline cutting accuracy makes the sticker's output quality. that is why shops, having cutting machines, have to learn as fast as they can through continuous trial.