Printing: Back to Basics

If you're creating artwork for print, you'll only get decent results if you've got a basic understanding of image resolution. Don't worry, it's actually quite a simple concept - nowhere near as complex as some people seem to think. So stick with me here, I'm going to try to make this as painless as possible...

Resolution:

Resolution is a concept that continues to baffle even graphic artists. In the context of editing photos, resolution is a measurement of the output quality of an image. The most common units to measure resolution include: PPI (pixels per inch), DPI (dots per inch), LPI (lines per inch), and SPI (samples per inch). For our purposes, we will focus on DPI and PPI because that is what you will be dealing with most often when printing photographs.

As you probably know, when you view a photograph on your computer monitor you're actually looking at a grid of tiny dots or 'pixels'. Similarly, when a photograph is reproduced in print, it is made up of thousands of small dots of ink. Resolution refers to the number of these dots (or pixels) which are squeezed into a given area. The smaller the dot, the more dots you can fit into a horizontal inch, and the sharper an image will appear to the human eye (up to a point).
If you zoom into a photograph on your PC monitor you will be able to see the grid of pixels which make up the image.

The resolution of an image is usually measured in dots per inch (dpi) or pixels per inch (ppi). Essentially dpi and ppi refer to the same thing, it's simply the number of dots or pixels which make up an image. For more information on pixels see my earlier post Vector -VS- Bitmap: A basic breakdown.

If you view an image on your computer monitor its resolution will need to be at least 72dpi to appear sharp and clear. A lower resolution will result in large pixels which will be detected by your eye, resulting in a fuzzy or 'pixelated' image. However, if the same image were reproduced on paper using a commercial printing process it would need a resolution of around 300dpi to achieve a sharp result.

A printed image requires a much higher resolution than an on-screen image (4 times greater to be precise). Therefore, just because your image looks sharp and crisp when viewed on-screen, it doesn't mean it will reproduce correctly when printed.

Tune in Friday for how to improve the resolution of an image for printing!

Realtor Wars Caught on Camera!

I was perusing the recent blog posts for yesterday and today, and came across the piece below. As many people know, especially during election time, yard signs tend to grow legs and walk away, get torched, or vandalized in many different ways. Most of the time, there really isn't much that authorities can do to combat this type of behavior because they generally don't have evidence as to who the vandalizing party is. Art Mullen, of South Mills, North Carolina, decided to take extra measures and caught his vandal on camera...

A Fort Mill real estate agent ended up in handcuffs after he was allegedly caught on tape cutting down a competitor's business sign.

"Shows him vandalizing the sign, stomping down the sign, that's when I called the authorities," said realtor Art Mullen.

NewsChannel 36 cameras were there when deputies with the York County Sheriff's Office took real estate agent Daniel LaFranca Jr. into custody Monday afternoon. The deputies were serving a damage of property warrant.

"Were you vandalizing your competitor's signs?" we asked LaFranca as deputies escorted him into a squad car.

"Not at all," LaFranca responded.

However, Mullen says his hidden camera video solved a five-month mystery.

"I've had a lot of my signs go ahead getting cut up, stolen, vandalized and I never really knew who it was," Mullen said. "I was frustrated. So what I did is I had some friends and some colleagues, we set up video surveillance."

Mullen claims the surveillance video shows his former boss, LaFranca, using a box cutter to slash his sign.

"He signed a non-compete clause with my company," LaFranca told us of Mullen.

Mullen says he's done nothing wrong and has had hundreds of signs either stolen or damaged after he stopped working for LaFranca.

"We didn't leave in the best of terms," Mullen said. "I made a lot of money in that company."

LaFranca denies wrongdoing.

"That's not you on video?" we asked LaFranca.

"Not that I know of," he responded.

Mullen says it's the ugly side of business during struggling housing market.

"I think it's a sign of the times," said Mullen.

The York County Sheriff's Office told NewsChannel 36 LaFranca wouldn't face jail time, but if found guilty he could end up paying a fine.

Gwynn~

Original story by MARIO ROLDAN
NewsChannel 36 Posted: Tuesday, Mar. 10, 2009

Operation Clean Sweep!

Operation "Clean Sweep" (as I like to call it), was enacted on February 28, 2009, by Pete Constant and a group of volunteers partnered with code enforcement to sweep the neighborhoods of San Jose clean of signs.

"No signs are allowed on the city's property or on telephone poles regardless of the message," said Matthews, the code enforcement division manager. After fielding countless complaints about signs in his constituents' neighborhoods, one city councilman recently decided to take matters into his own hands. More than 80 students, parents and members of the surrounding neighborhood associations, scoured the streets to get rid of temporary signage such as "garage sale" signs, "open house" signs, "for sale" signs, etc. The group removed more than 300 signs.

This was the first organized sweep ever conducted by a public-private partnership in San Jose to address a community concern. Though volunteers had never been utilized in such an action, it is apparent that they were up to the task and willing to answer the call. This poses a question: How many more community partnerships might be called for in future? And where? With ordnance codes becoming stricter as time goes by, this author is left to wonder where companies will find themselves standing when it comes to affordable advertising. Though sign ordnances differ with each city, county or state, there has always been a way for wily businesses to skirt the edges and advertise their services and/or products with this type of cheap signage. I have to wonder if this type of community sweep will become a catchy thing for other neighborhoods. If so, I'm afraid that the average small businesses public exposure will become severely limited.

Gwynn~

Original story: San Jose neighbors hit the streets in search of illegal signs
By Tiffany Carney
West San Jose Resident
Posted: 03/03/2009 06:15:34 PM PST

Thinking Outside the Box

In the wonderful world of marketing it helps to think outside of the box. After all, just about everything you can conceive of has been tried in one form or another and to avoid the same old thing, we have to get creative. We have to take what we know works and figure out how to present it in a NEW way. This is a never ending battle and one of the reasons corporations spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on marketing strategies. While browsing the web and researching sign strategy, I ran across an article that nearly knocked me out of my seat. Not only was this "outside the box", it was bold, daring and (believe it or not) a community service.

Dan O'Connor, a real estate investor who spends his spare time developing cutting edge systems to help other real estate investors, decided to launch a fairly peculiar marketing strategy not too long ago. He termed this "Operation Bandit Sign Traffic". As everyone who is familiar with bandit signs (yard signs) knows, it has become illegal to place signs at most intersections. But what if the signs were placed at the intersections in a way that completely looped around the laws? Is there actually a way to do that without getting into trouble or fined? Obviously so. Mr. O'Connor jumped through the loops when he hired homeless people who were panhandling the intersections to hold his signs. Basically, he put the homeless people to work and gained an advertising advantage all in one surprising sweep. Not only that, but the media got involved when Mr. O'Connor called to inform them of his intention to employ the homeless as a community service project for the day.

It appears that Mr. O'Connor's bold strategy was a huge success. He was able to net $37,000 in profit in 10 days, attract 5 qualified tenant buyers, get his company name on peoples lips, gainfully employ a large population of homeless people in a day AND gain recognition through the media. Flabbergasted, I stared at the screen of my computer, blinked a few times to ensure my eyes were working properly, then silently congratulated his ability to think THAT far outside of the box. I can honestly say that, in all my years of reading and researching marketing ideas and strategies, I would never have dreamed of anything like this. Just goes to show what thinking outside of the box can accomplish!

If you are interested in reading more about "Operation Bandit Sign Traffic", click here.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Gwynn

Pricing Yard Signs

So... you've been looking to buy yard signs but the pricing seems to be all over the place. What gives?!?

Real Estate sign pricing (business lawn & yard sign pricing) can be a daunting challenge. With all the different pricing on the internet, the truth is, you never know if you have gotten a good price on real estate or business signs unless you do hours and hours of research, keeping track of business sign companies who called you back, those who did not call, who sent you email from which business sign company... how much were the signs...it goes on and on.

Real Estate/Business Yard Sign pricing varies, sometimes wildly, from one sign company to the next..why? Pricing for business signs seems to vary from one sign company to the next because each business sign company offers a different type of product or service. It sometimes may be a matter of how a sign company prints the signs as to how they price them. Quality varies, along with pricing for different types of materials used to create the signage. Corrugated Plastic coroplast, for instance, comes in different sizes and thicknesses and is sometimes mistaken for a less sturdy type of plastic or paper when business agents are pricing signs. Corrugated Plastic is typically sold in a 4ml thickness. Coroplast is the most rigid of yard sign materials. Coroplast is an outdoor material and is made from corrugated plastic, which gives it strength and rigidity.

Fold over yard signs are typically made of paper with a gloss finish or a type of plastic coating, which means they are not as sturdy as corrugated plastic, and they usually cost less. All weather Cardboard Yard Signs are printed on an outdoor 24pt. cardboard that is plastic coated to protect it against the elements. The design is printed double-sided, folded along the top, and sealed smoothly along the sides with glue. The yard sign is formed like a pocket so it slides over wire stakes.

Poly bag yard signs are made from tough thick sun-blocking film known as high density polyethylene. These plastic yard signs use a weatherproof, no-show through material; the finished sign is a co-extruded multilayer polyethylene containing ethylene to make it stronger and extend the life of the sign.

When pricing yard signs remember to take into account the type of material you wish to use and the amount of signs you need because this will affect the pricing you receive. Many companies offer discounted pricing the more signs you purchase no matter which material you choose. And though pricing signs can seem daunting, just remember that the effort and time spent are well worth it. In the end you will have a great advertising tool for a relatively small investment.

How One Sign Company Stays at the Top...

On December 9th I included information pertaining to SuperCheapSigns.com which is mainly an internet based sign business with occasional walk in customers. Recently they have added a sign editor to their site allowing new and existing customers to create and view their sign content before ever submitting an order. There have been many changes implemented over the past year as they believe in offering the best quality at the lowest price. In an effort to maintain quality standards for their customers, they have become one of the top sign companies on the internet.

Jon Holmquist, the owner, is proud of this accomplishment... and well he should be! For the most part, Jon relies on repeat business and word of mouth rightly believing that customer satisfaction speaks louder than anything else. No mass marketing strategies there! And though some would think this detrimental to continued success in an economy that seems to be sliding downhill, the company is rolling along as strong as ever. When asked how he has managed to keep his company among the top sign suppliers, Jon had this to say:

"Obviously we attract a certain customer... that's right - cheap. They want what they need at the lowest price they can get it for. They spend a lot of time comparing prices before buying. We've noticed a trend of even more customers asking for a better price, or new customers just "shopping around". This was validated by our online statistics which told us three things: more visitors, lower conversion rates and lower average orders. This all started in November 2007 and in an effort to adapt or respond, we decided to rethink our pricing. First, we hired an accounting firm (VCFO) to review our books (my wife was our bookkeeper and we weren't ready for a full time controller). After a lot of help we were finally able to see exactly what our costs were. We were surprised to find that we were losing money on small orders and possibly overcharging on large volume orders. So, we adjusted. We tweaked what needed tweaked, lowered prices, implemented cost saving strategies, and really listened to what our customers had to say. We were always aware of the feedback we received (and grateful for it) and we did our best to maintain positive feedback... but when we started to implement more ways to help the customers get what they wanted, exactly as they wanted it (like the design tool we now use), and at a price too good to beat, customer satisfaction went through the roof. The key to success lies in the customers hands. They can make you or they can break you... that is the plain and unvarnished truth in any industry. And when you are willing to listen... really listen... to what the customers are saying and adjust to their needs, the impact is astounding."

To this bloggers mind, that is probably the best advice any company can receive. Regardless of your marketing strategy, it is imperative to be receptive to the wants and needs of your customers... but always make sure you take the active role as well. Just being receptive won't keep you at the top; you have to be willing to go the extra mile and give the customers what they want.

Legal Issues

Previously, I posted regarding yard signs and their effectiveness. I also spoke about the different laws in different states regarding the placement of yard signs. I would like to expand on that for just a moment...

Zoning codes and laws regulating sign placement are typically developed and enforced by cities and counties, not by the state government. Most cities have sign ordinances that restrict the size and placement of signs on public and private property. The specifics of the rules and regulations vary by municipality and region. The sign shop you use will probably not be able to advise you of the rules for you city. To avoid warnings and fines you should familiarize your self with the sign ordinances in your area. For example, here is a summary of State of Texas House Bill 212 (HB212) .

Additional revisions to this proposed ordinance were made in response to HB 212, which was enacted during the last legislative session, effective September 1, 2003. The final language in HB 212:
1. Does not explicitly address public safety/aesthetic regulation of political signs.
2. Explicitly states that a city may not prohibit signs from being placed, unless it exceeds the limits described in Section (d) of the same bill. Subsection (d) provides that the limitation on municipal regulation doesn't apply to a sign that:
A. Has an effective area grater than 36 feet
B. Is more than eight feet high
C. Is illuminated or has any moving elements


HB 212 also states that a municipal charter provision or ordinance (for a sign that contains a primarily political message) may not prohibit
the sign from being placed but is silent when it comes to regulating signs with regard to reasonable time, and setback restrictions by ordinance.

Current ordinance puts reasonable time limits on the placement of political election signs (up to 30 days after the election).

Unfortunately, the specific language of your city's sign ordinance may not be easy to find. Sometimes the law is available on-line, but often it is only available in written form from the police department or city offices. Anyone interested in erecting a sign should check with the City Zoning Office to see if a permit is needed to ensure that the sign meets City code. something else to keep in mind is that these ordinances have been in a constant state of change since they were implemented so it is important to check back regulary.

Click here for local ordinances from American Legal
Click here for local ordinances from Municode.com

Here is a sample of sign ordinanence laws from around the U.S.

• Albuquerque NM


• Austin TX


• Dallas TX


• Frisco TX


• Pacifica CA


• Palm City FL
  

Information for this blog was provided (in exact content and verbage) from CompareSignPrices.com a site that not only keeps you up-to-date on sign information, but helps you find signs at super cheap prices. CompareSignsPrices.com sponsors SuperCheapSigns.com which happens to be one of the lowest priced sign companies you can find. I highly recommend both of these companies for anyone looking to price or buy signs.

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