went smoothly. “It was an easy transition to the Platinum, and Liyu were very helpful throughout. With any new machine, you need to build up a library of standard profiles, so in those first few weeks, we established some standardised settings. The machine has so much flexibility it can be fine-tuned to deliver exactly the right balance of speed and quality. These settings can be preserved for use with specific media and applications, and once we had done these for our most common uses, we were flying.”
In the year since the Liyu Platinum Q3 Hybrid was installed, Poppy Signs has been able to put in place some major changes to its business. Dave explains, “Some applications have really taken off thanks to the Liyu. Wallpaper, in particular, has been transformed. We previously provided narrow-format wallpaper, but now we can offer full-width output that can be installed more easily with fewer drops and far fewer joins. We marketed this very heavily across our customer base, and it has been hugely successful for us. In this area, speed and quality are vitally important, and that is what the Liyu gives us in spades.”
He continues, “We have also increased the amount of print we are providing
for promotional events. Our workflow bottleneck has been removed, and we can produce hundreds of square metres of great-quality print quickly and accurately. We rarely use our latex machine now because the Platinum is faster, wider and considerably cheaper to run – both in terms of energy and ink costs.”
On the back of the additional capabilities of the Liyu, Poppy Signs is in the process of launching dedicated e-commerce websites. “Selling online is something we have been working towards for some time, and the Liyu has enabled us to do this. It provides the capacity, production speeds and versatility to allow us to offer a broad range of products that we can sell directly from the websites. Because it is cold LED-cured printing, the Liyu will print to virtually any media with no issues, and this flexibility is what you need for successful online sales. We have been through a discovery process of looking at all sorts of media from many different suppliers to see what we can print on successfully, and the Q3 can handle pretty much all of them,” says Dave.
“We rarely use our latex machine now because the Platinum is faster, wider and considerably cheaper to run,”
In conclusion, Dave predicts great things for Poppy Signs and Liyu UK. “This has been such a good investment for us. The Liyu has transformed our business and allowed us to increase markets, revenues and margins. In terms of quality and value, there is nothing that comes near the Liyu printers. I have no doubt that they will soon be one of the mainstream suppliers of UV and digital cutting machines in the UK, just as they are in other countries.”
www.liyu-uk.com Drytac Polar Grip is used to stunning effect
Barnsley-based family-run signage business Turner Signs recently used Drytac Polar Grip white gloss vinyl with matching Drytac Weathershield Matte UV laminate to produce a range of colourful and inspiring wall coverings for a nearby school.
Founded in 1990, Turner Signs specialises in all types of signage, ranging from shop fascia and illuminated signs through to vehicle graphics and all manner of print jobs such as wall wraps and banners.
Turner Signs works with a wide range of clients across Barnsley and the surrounding areas, including a number of schools. This diversified network of customers led the company to its latest project for Wingfield Academy in Rotherham, with Turner Signs having been recommended by another school it worked with in the past.
The project required Turner Signs to produce a series of 21 educational wall wraps ranging in sizes from 3m (9ft. 10 ins) to 7m (24ft) in length. These were to be applied to painted breeze blocks, with the aim of offering inspiration, useful
information and words of wisdom to students passing through the corridors of Wingfield Academy.
Turner Signs printed all graphics in house on its Mimaki CJV150-130, with the design featuring images of and quotes from famous faces including sports stars Usain Bolt and Michael Jordan, as well as a host of other influential people. The coverings also included a range of other educational material such as maps, examples of artwork and key maths skills.
Applied to breeze blocks, Drytac Polar Grip reinvigorates a school hallway
Having worked with Drytac’s materials on similar applications for other schools, Turner Signs once again turned to Drytac for this project. The company opted to use Drytac Polar Grip white polymeric self-adhesive vinyl with matching matte laminate.
“We chose Drytac Polar Grip with matching matte laminate as we have used this product before in previous jobs and were confident that it would perform well on the surface that we were sticking to,” Turner Signs Director Curt Turner said. “The whole project featured roughly 270m (more than 885 ft.) of Drytac’s vinyl and laminate.
“Their head teacher was blown away with the end result and couldn’t believe the difference it made to the school. He is already planning on using us again for more wall prints and other schools in their Academy.”
www.drytac.com ISSUE 212 JAN-FEB 2024 Sign Update 19
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