Issue Preview: Specialty Wraps, Eco-Friendly Business, and GP+ Sublimation

In the April issue of GRAPHICS PRO, set to mail on March 27 and hit a screen near you on March 28, print and graphics professionals cover the versatility of specialty films; custom gifts for moms, dads, and grads; and being eco-friendly.

Plus, don’t miss GP+ Sublimation, which takes a deep dive into dye-sublimation, the technology involved, and products you can make to increase profits.

Film to Wrap Anywhere

Shelley Widhalm

• “If you have the right set up, it’s straightforward. You can make a mistake quickly if you don’t plan it correctly.” — Justin Pate, The Wrap Institute
• “You can install three inches of film per second. It’s a slow, tedious process of rolling over the film and getting that film to adhere to the surface.” — Adam Sumner, Wrapix Academy and Wrapix Imaging
• “With aluminum, you don’t have to push it into the cracks as deep (as vinyl). In order to last, it doesn’t have to be in every corner and crevice of the stone or brick. Vinyl will dry out and crack. This won’t. This will stay there when you leave it.” — Jim Miller, Miller Decals
• “The most important tool is patience. We’re working outdoors, and the wind might blow up a bunch of dust, and we’re trying to align graphics onto a spot on the ground. When you tear something, it can be difficult to repair depending on what the graphic is.” — Todd Gilens

Gift Ideas for Moms, Dads, and Grads

Travis Ross, Make Your Mark Design 

• “In our business, the second-most profitable gift-giving holiday right behind Christmas is Mother’s Day. We see a major uptick in our sales about four weeks prior to this day every year and it’s like clockwork.”
• “While Mother’s Day is usually one of the best gift-giving holidays for sales, Father’s Day is right behind it in popularity. One reason for this is simply that most of the gifts for dads, grandpas, and uncles are being purchased by the women in their lives.”
• “Every year a new crop of grads throws their caps into the air and their friends and family will inevitably purchase a gift for them. This provides another opportunity to plan for and capitalize on an annual revenue stream.”

Eco-Friendly Business

Kristine Shreve, Kristine Shreve Consulting

• “It seems everyone is talking about how becoming eco-friendly is best done, and perhaps fewer people are asking about the costs and benefits of doing so and, maybe more importantly, does it help at all?”
• “While studies are showing that consumer awareness and willingness to buy environmentally friendly products has increased, that doesn’t mean your customers may all be on that bandwagon.”
• “The answer seems to be that there are benefits to an eco-friendly approach but that creating such a business model also comes with associated costs.”

Find these articles and much more in GRAPHICS PRO April.