Wide Format Imaging

By Roland Castonguay and Michael Chevalier

Retail advertising seeks to direct consumers? attention to products, services, and brands before the consumer enters the store and at that ?threshold? moment when the consumer is first inside the door. What better way to hit the target than putting the message right under the customers? toes? Graphic advertising for floors has been an increasing resource for hungry brand marketers looking for ways to maximize retail space and stand out in an overly stimulated environment. With ongoing advances in material and tools, this underfoot signage has emerged as a strong, viable advertising option.

Over the years, graphic advertising for floors has expanded brand visibility within the retail environment. While traditionally based on clean indoor floor surfaces, this fast growing market now includes carpet advertising. Video stores, pharmacies, wireless, and optical stores such as Lens Crafters and Eye Masters are spearheading this expansion with low-pile carpet schemes. In addition, more and more grocery stores are going upscale and are using carpeting to transform certain sections of the store, providing a new look to the pharmaceutical area, jewelry section, wireless phone, and optical extensions, such as T-Mobile and Walmart?s Eye Center. Carpet-based advertising is also a popular tool at trade shows and events, for short-term promotion that lasts as long as the event.

But who said graphic advertising for floors could only exist indoors? Outdoor walkway advertising, also known as sidewalk graphics, has also been growing strong. From the front entrance of an automobile parts store to a national convention center during a trade show to the Newport Jazz Festival, outdoor walkway advertising brings brand impact to the street.

For image producers, graphic advertising for floors is an opportunity to maximize use of imaging and laminating equipment, increase sales, and help clients meet their ultimate goal?to sell more product. How can an image producer thrive in an increasingly competitive marketplace? With the right tools and clients, image producers can make a risk-free introduction into the floor arena. In this article, where we use the term ?floors,? we also mean outdoor walkways and carpets.

The Right Tools

Most sign shops and imaging companies may already have the right tools, but just don?t realize their capacity for producing graphic advertising for floors. Wide-format digital imaging equipment and a cold laminator give image producers the ability to supply this service to the client. By adding production of these graphics to their menu of services, image producers are maximizing the value of their equipment investment while offering clients the opportunity to undertake a more comprehensive brand marketing or brand promotion campaign. In the end, it?s a win-win situation for both image producer and client.

The most useful digital imaging equipment for these applications is a wide-format solvent inkjet or flatbed UV inkjet printer. A cold laminator is also essential for producing graphic advertising for floors, though imaging companies without this piece can still delve into the industry by ?trying it out? before purchasing. Outsourcing of lamination is possible and can give image producers a way to gauge the benefits of introducing this service, without the immediate cost of acquiring a new piece of equipment. The result may be a higher initial cost for lamination, but will offer the image producer a chance to test the service and then cost-justify the purchase of their own laminator.

For those who already have both wide-format printing equipment and a laminator, the introduction of graphic advertising for floors can complement their traditional application offerings and be a valuable new source of revenue. The more the equipment is in use, the greater the projected return on investment of that equipment and overall sales. When offering graphic advertising for floors, image producers should seek the right kind of client and help the client realize the benefit of putting their message on the ground.