Kevin Rourke of Davis Marketing was profiled by a new publication by the International Sign Association on large format graphics. An excerpt of his interview is below:
It is an exciting world for digital printing with the literal reinvention of existing ways of working. The biggest change has been the introduction of durable white curable inks for flatbed printing. This allows the creation of a second surface for a wide variety of materials at a much higher resolution. Even more significant is the combination of laser etching and printing, either to remove materials or provide another layer to graphics. Additional processes like thermoforming and embossing to acrylic provide a similar effect. The result is an application on multiple surfaces and dimensioned effects.
The world for vinyl and fabrics graphics is changing completely, from a medium for wallpaper and surface graphics that reinvent interior and exterior spaces. The biggest issues preventing these innovations from finding practical use is education. The design community needs to be aware of the applications for use in all these approaches. Sign fabricators and material manufacturers have to get much more aggressive with introducing new approaches.