Monthly Archives: September 2019

It might seem early to some, but most retail and brand marketers are already busy working on the upcoming Christmas advertising campaigns.  That's not surprising because this festive season gives a great opportunity to boost your sales.  It's not only the time to eat, drink and share gifts but of course a time of top customer spending - at least if you come up with a smart marketing campaign.

Applying stickers in extreme outdoor conditions

For most retailers and brands, self-adhesive decals are a big part of their Christmas marketing campaign. After all, it is a fast and easy way to get your message out. Although the holiday season is a great time of year to advertise, you also have to deal with an unavoidable factor: the weather. It is often forgotten that when applying stickers, the temperature is essential for good adhesion. This applies to the outdoor temperature as well as the temperature of the substrate. Temperatures that are too low can negatively affect adhesion. This could turn into a problem when applying your stickers on the outside of shop windows during winter

Tips for outdoor application:

• Dry method at a minimum of 5 degrees centigrade (10 degrees centigrade would be better) is essential.
• In extremely cold temperatures, it is best to apply the decals in the afternoon, as it is warmer.
• Make sure that the surface is properly cleaned and free of grease and dust.
• The substrate should be completely dry and free of condensation, otherwise, the moisture might freeze.
• For 12-24 hours after application, it is important that the temperature does not fall below 5 degrees centigrade. During that time frame, it is also paramount for the decals not to come in contact with rain.

The best method: Applying window graphics from inside

Since many factors have to be considered when applying the window graphics from the outside, it is best to apply the graphics from the inside. Not only does this protect the ads from vandalism, it also protects them from weather exposure. Additionally, the application is a whole lot easier, since the window's temperature does not fall too low on the inside. This makes the application process a lot less complicated. In order for the ads to be seen from the outside, mirror image printing should be used. For this type of application, easy dot and window grip solutions from Neschen are excellent choices

Bespoke suitcase company Personalised Luggage has installed two new HP DesignJet Z6810 to help it meet the increasing demand for its unique product - while making substantial savings on ink.

Personalised Luggage prints on-demand standard suitcases with images or corporate branding, inserted into a transparent shell on the case.  Popular designs are colourful artwork, bold monograms, caricatures and brand logos.  The business was built on the foundation of a corporate gifts company, which works with blue-chip companies to fulfill bulk orders of printed merchandise.  Seeing an opportunity to move into a new category of customised products - print-on-demand - Stephen Isaacs founded Personalised Luggage in 2014.

With no minimum order and an easy-to-use website, Personalised Luggage sell to both individual customers looking for a one-off product and big names buying several branded pieces for use by its sales team or as corporate gifts. 

The new business began by outsourcing the printed work but soon invested in second-hand printing systems to have greater control over quality and costs.  However, as production grew, these printers began to creak under the pressure and this summer one eventually suffered a breakdown.

"We had been using second hand and ex-demo printers, but we're now at the next stage of our business: to buy new, more and better equipment," comments Stephen Isaacs.

Personalised Luggage had been using software from OneFlow, which HP acquired in June, so Stephen explains 'it made sense' to also install HP hardware as part of its workflow. HP, with HP Gold Partner PSW Print & Paper Ltd, were called in to see how it could help this small but rapidly growing business.

Initially, Personalised Luggage was loaned a HP DesignJet to enable it to get back to work, just two days following the breakdown. Looking for a permanent solution, Stephen Isaacs reviewed his options and – with advice from Tom Skinner of PSW – selected the HP DesignJet Z6810 aqueous production printer. This system delivers consistent, accurate colours on a wide range of printing materials at high speeds – and offers exceptional ink efficiency.

The Personalised Luggage Director comments: "The new HP DesignJet uses around 40 percent less ink compared to our old non-HP printer so we're seeing those savings already, following its installation in August. The print quality is also better, and the printer is more efficient and cost-effective overall.”

Stephen Isaacs does not come from a printing background and says he 'is learning every day' – but is finding the new HP DesignJet Z6810 easy to use. Personalised Luggage is already expanding into other travel accessories, such as passport wallets, luggage tags and earpods, with more plans for the future.

For further information on Personalised Luggage, please visit www.personalisedluggage.com.