BIG Images now offers Avery Wall Graphic Vinyl for decoration of any interior wall.  The media has been shown to adhere well to high gloss, semi gloss, and satin paints and is safe for wallpaper.  It is reposition-able, making installation easy.  Life expectancy is up to four years and can be extended with the application of a laminate. It removes cleanly with heat for up to a year. Ideal for both home and commercial applications, it can be used to display advertisements on interior surfaces, including windows.  Use it on trade show walls, in retail environments, in bank lobbies—anywhere advertising or information needs to be displayed.  It can even be used to display personal pictures at home.

Learn more about BIG Images Wall Graphic Vinyl offerings or request a vinyl wall graphic quote for your next job.

BIG Images was founded on the idea of revolutionizing large format printing through technology and relentless customer service. We’d like to say that’s the reason why we’ve made it these past 6 years. But truly, it’s because we have awesome customers and friends within this community.

We want to thank all of you who’ve remained with us as loyal customers, allowing us to serve you during the good times and the hard times.

BIG Images storefront in San Luis Obispo, Ca

]]> http://www.big-images.com/blog/customer-service/01/2010/business-of-the-month/feed/ http://www.big-images.com/blog/technology/01/2010/inkjet-printers-of-the-future/ http://www.big-images.com/blog/technology/01/2010/inkjet-printers-of-the-future/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:29:25 +0000 jon beebe http://www.big-images.com/blog/?p=211 Did you know that inkjet technology can print skin? How about electronic circuitry? Did you know that billboards are printed as a single piece on 16′ wide inkjets? Since its invention in the 70’s, the inkjet has been pushed to do things never thought possible. And now there are companies about to make the next big push in speed, up to 130x faster than their predecessors.

What Changed?

In 2005 Brother Industries and Kyocera demonstrated a prototype printer capable of 170 full-color photo-quality 8.5″ x 11″ prints per minute. Memjet, another company spearheading this new inkjet technology, demonstrated a large-format printer capable of 1 linear foot per second! At 52″ wide that’s 15,600 square feet per hour! For comparison, some previous-generation large format printers output 2 linear feet per minute (at high quality), or 120 square feet per hour. That’s a 130 times increase in throughput.

The new family of inkjet printers being researched have no moving print heads. Instead they have one long print head (pictured) that spans the entire media. For example, a letter-sized printer has an 8.9″ wide print head that covers the paper from side-to-side. This enables previously impossible speeds — 170 full color pages per minute at 1600dpi.

Memjet’s version of this technology is scalable: add another controller chip and you can either double the print speed or double the width of the printable area.

What it means…

When this technology makes it out of the laboratory and into industry you can bet large-format prints will become more commonplace. Simply using large prints wont be enough to attract consumers’ attention from the din. Everything, including banners and posters, will have to be part of the larger experience that the consumer is taken through.

Some specific changes that this technology will bring about:

• Large prints will become more of a commodity, less of a specialty item. Cost per print will fall.
• Variable-data opportunities will increase. Content can be changed based on location and/or target audience.
• Large-format printing will become more of an on-demand service. Individual posters and banners will have a shorter life since the imagery and message they cary can be updated so rapidly.

Summary

Faster, less expensive, and more on-demand prints are on their way. They are fueling a move towards experiential marketing. Imagine everything from full-color coupons, business cards, posters, and tradeshow graphics printed moments before they are needed, incorporating the latest news, trends, and memes.

Businesses in tune with these subtle changes in the market will capture new opportunities. Those adept enough will take advantage of subtle shifts, short-lived trends, and powerful micro-niches.

More Information

• Demonstration of new inkjet technology
• Memjet - developer of new inkheads
• Experiential Marketing

1. BIG Images cares too much — their customer service is just too customer focused. How can a print shop survive without thinking about themselves first?
2. They’re too involved in their community — if they’re so involved in the community then they probably don’t have time for you.
3. BIG Images is too creative — no one wants a printer that adds creativity to the experience. That’s why the customer is the designer and they’re just the printer!
4. BIG Images is too fast — how can anyone do quality work THAT fast?!?
5. They think too much — your head will hurt after talking with them. They have too much knowledge, too many ideas.
6. They’re too BIG — no one needs BIG posters when you can settle for a small Kinko’s print.
7. BIG Images is too concerned with quality — their prints are so good you wont want to get rid of them when your campaign is over.
8. They’re too committed — it’d be nice to have to fight ‘em to keep their guarantees, but they do it without you even asking.
9. They’re too advanced — who wants to work with a printer that writes their own software? Or studies color? Shouldn’t they concentrate on paper or something?
10. They’re too connected — no one wants a printer that understands Web 2.0 and the social internet. Who stays that connected to their printer anyways?

Please, spread the word to your friends. Don’t let them get lulled in by these “relentless customer service” tactics. It’s just not fair. And if you’re one of those affected by what you read above share your story in the comments.

For the month of March BIG Images is discounting its full-color indoor/outdoor banner. Take advantage of this opportunity and get your banners for half price!

Banner is very versatile. It is used for

• posters
• window graphics
• outdoor signage
• hanging graphics
• wall mounted graphics
• and just about any other signage you need

Your possibilities are endless. Take advantage of this low price to outfit your business with

• Counter-top banner stands for as low as $21 (includes banner stand and banner)
• Mid-sized banner stands for as low as $126 (includes banner stand and banner)
• Full-sized banner stands for as low as $184 (includes banner stand and banner)

Some might ask “why?” In this down economy it is very common for small-businesses to cut marketing budgets first. That is the wrong response; in a down economy you do not stop marketing. By offering this discounted rate we are making our most popular product more accessible to small businesses on a limited budget. Banner is one of the easiest and most successful methods of marketing. It’s flexible. It’s easy to install. It can be used as window graphics, posters, or just about any other temporary signage to attract a customer’s eye.

To get more details and a quote for your half-priced banners call Christine at 805-781-9301.

This offer is for the month of March, 2009. To qualify an order must be at least 6 square feet in size and have print-ready artwork. The turn-around time upon recieving print-ready art is 5 days.

During a down economy investors strongly recommend buying, not selling. Diversify… yes. Mitigate risk… definitely. Sell… absolutely not! Why? Because selling now is selling short, and when you sell short you lose money.

Marketing is the same way. Marketing is not an expense, rather it’s an investment into the company’s future. Let me say this again MARKETING IS AN INVESTMENT, NOT AN EXPENSE. If you cut marketing you are selling your company short.

Just so I don’t seem completely off base, here is what major industry players are saying.

“Historically, PR, Marketing and Advertising budgets are the first to be cut; however, that could be one of the first mistakes a business makes in an economic crisis.” –  CBSMarketwatch

“In a downturn, aggressive PR and Communications strategy is key.” — Doug Leone, VC, Sequoia Capital - Silicon Alley Insider

“It’s incredibly important to be risk-takers in the economic climate we’re in, when people have a tendency to pull back. In economic times like these, you don’t hunker down and go in the bunker,” — Michael Mendenhall, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Hewlett-Packard - New York Times

“Ramp up PR and marketing communications aggressively,” — Marketing Sherpa, (summary of Sequoia Capital presentation takeaways)

“Don’t go to the ledge. Don’t let the urgent overwhelm the important. It’s very easy now to panic, and we cannot panic. Invest in your brands now, especially in these dry times. The easiest thing is to shut down, and that’s the worst thing.” – Joseph V. Tripodi, chief marketing and commercial officer, Coca-Cola - New York Times

Now is the time to market. Now is the time to buy more market share for pennies on the dollar from your competitors. Right now they’re short selling. Do everything you can RIGHT NOW to strengthen your position.

Cut expenses everywhere you can and invest it into marketing and corporate stability.

Ken Pettit
big-images.com
addinteractivity.com
delicioussuite.com
slocama.com
linkedin.com/in/pettit805

Over the course of the next few months I will be publishing a series on up-and-coming technologies that will impact printing, and in a broader sense, imaging. Here I use “imaging” to refer to everything from posters to trade-show displays to power-points — anything created to communicate a message.

Current research and development is transforming the tools and media used to print and display imagery. This includes

• new print hardware such as super-fast inkjets
• new print methods such as ink-less printing
• and digital print replacements such as electronic paper

These new developments will have a direct impact on how we design, produce, and interact with the imagery that surrounds us.

I offer this series to educate you, our customer, on the future, in hopes that we are all poised to take advantage of the changes ushered in by these new technologies.

New Technologies

A New Family of Inkjets

Did you know that inkjet technology can print skin? How about electronic circuitry? Did you know that billboards are printed in a single piece on 16′ wide inkjets? Since its invention in the 70’s the inkjet has been pushed to do things never thought possible.

The newest wave of inkjets have no moving print heads. Instead they have one long print head spanning the media. In 2005 Brother Industries and Kyocera demonstrated a prototype printer capable of 170 full-color photo-quality 8.5″ x 11″ prints per minute. Memjet, another company spearheading this new inkjet technology, demonstrated a large-format printer capable of 1 linear foot per second! At 52″ wide that’s 15,600 square feet per hour! For comparison BIG Images’ current printers output 2 linear feet per minute, or 120 square feet per hour.

Inkless Printing

Another line of research being conducted by Zink (Zero Ink) and Xerox involves inkless printing. Their methods require no ink cartridges, but instead use new methods whereby heat or light are used to create an image on paper.

Zink is making their technology embeddable in small devices like cell phones, cameras and hand held printers, such as those recently released by Polaroid and Dell. They’re the SX-70 of the digital age.

Xerox’s inkless technology, pictured, uses light to write and erase paper. Currently they can reuse a piece of paper 50 times.

Electronic Paper

Lastly, the most ground-breaking advancement is electronic paper (e-paper.) It is perhaps best known through Amazon’s Kindle (pictured). E-paper requires electricity to change the image, essentially turning the ink on or off at each pixel. Once set, however, no electricity is required to continue displaying the information. This means these devices are very low power, unlike today’s cell phone and computer displays.

Today you can find e-paper displays in cell phones, digital school books, e-readers such as Amazon’s Kindle and Sony’s Reader, and even in newspapers that have begun to distribute electronically.

For you San Luis Obispo locals, if you have not seen an e-paper reader yet, check out The Parable downtown — they have a demo of Sony’s reader on display.

What it all Means

The processes and products we use to create imagery are changing. The way we interact with imagery is changing. Over the next few posts I will elaborate in detail on the new advancements in inkjets, new methods such as inkless printing, and new digital technologies such as e-paper.

Each of these has a direct impact on the experience of the end-user — the viewer of our prints and marketing materials. Future design and marketing must take this experience into consideration in order do differentiate itself from the din.

This post was written by Jon Beebe. You can see his other projects at addinteractivity.com and delicioussuite.com. Read his blog about being productive with Ubuntu Linux, read Jon Beebe’s profile on Linked In, follow Jon Beebe on Twitter, or view his photography portfolio.

Case Cards Increase Sales of Firestone’s Red Nectar and Hemp Ale

iii Design ran an extensive marketing campaign for Firestone’s Red Nectar and Hemp Ale. For the retail environment, they envisioned a rigid graphic that could be inserted among the six-pack cases. The design was very layered and dimensional—a surfboard leaning up against a collage of surfer images taped to a map of California’s Coast. They turned to BIG Images who advised the case cards be produced by printing on Adhesive-backed-vinyl and mounted to 4 mm Coroplast. The graphic was contour-cut to help enhance the dimensional look. Slits were cut at the bottom to create a fork for inserting the graphic into cases.

The marketing strategy was a great success and the results were immediately measurable by the reports of increased sales at each store where the cards were in use.

BIG Images receives the coveted 2008 Best of San Luis Obispo Award in the Printers category by the prestigious and well-known U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA)

The U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA) was kind enough to inform BIG Images that it has been awarded the prestigious “2008 Best of San Luis Obispo Award in the Printers category.” Yeah! Go BIG Images!

Actually, the USLBA just wants to sell us a plaque for $79.94 that says we won an award. An award that they appear to have made up The fun thing about this is they allow anyone to customize the text that appears on the plaque. So, in celebration of BIG Images winning this best-of printers “award” I am giving you, the reader, a chance to use our access key to print your very own best-of award. Just go here and fill in the form. If they ask you for an award code just type in 9A27GKC. Then, on the next page, note the “corrections” you want to make to the plaque. In moments your very own “2008 Best Of…” award will be on its way to your doorstep! Hehe…have fun

Just for fun, here is the “official” press release announcing BIG Images award.

Big Images Receives 2008 Best of San Luis Obispo Award

U.S. Local Business Association’s Award Plaque Honors the Achievement

WASHINGTON D.C., November 20, 2008 — Big Images has been selected for the 2008 Best of San Luis Obispo Award in the Printers category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA).

The USLBA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2008 USLBA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USLBA and data provided by third parties.

About U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA)

U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA) is a Washington D.C. based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of USLBA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

The USLBA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.

SOURCE: U.S. Local Business Association

CONTACT:
U.S. Local Business Association
Email: PublicRelations@USLBA.net
URL: http://www.USLBA.net

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This is part three (of three) in our outdoor solutions roundup. This article sumarizes the advantages and disadvantages of marketing with floor graphics. 

Look down to the ground

Floor graphics are the new playground of large-format marketing. Everyone has to watch where they walk; why not put your logo or product message in their line of sight? Put your product message at the customers feet during the critical moment when they make their purchasing decision. Guide the customers eyes (and feet) with compelling images and visual treats that lead them right to where you want them. 

And BIG Images floor graphics are not limited to easy, clean environments like supermarket floors. We provide outdoor floor graphics that stick to concrete and carpet. 

Advantages of floor graphics

• Inexpensive
• Still very novel so people are more likely to notice it
• Unlimited flexibility of placement—get your advertisement at the customers feet when and where you want it
• Focus the customer’s attention
• [1] Stimulate sales—retail stores have shown 20–30% increases in sales when there are floor graphics.
• [1] Floor graphics offer one of the highest returns based on the price per square foot, making them one of the most inexpensive advertising mediums a small business could invest in.
• Virtually every business with a brick-and-mortar storefront has floor space available—its free to utilize!

Disadvantages of floor graphics

• We have yet to encounter a disadvantage

Products of interest

• Sidewalk Graphics
• Carpet Graphics
• Floor Graphics

Gallery of Outdoor Solutions

[1] “In-store floor graphics” Published: 18 June 2006. Accessed: 20 July 2008.http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=738911 

Don’t forget to read our two companion articles, Graphics at eye-level, and Graphics up in the sky.