Amazingly, the calendar has already flipped to 2019. Good news: no more holiday shopping for 10 months or so.. Bad news: time for those New Year’s resolutions. What’s on your list? Last year, I jotted down both practical (up my cooking acumen, decorate the walls of my apartment with pictures of family and friends) and existential (pursue life balance) goals, ultimately with varying levels of completion. Do you make New Year’s resolutions for yourself or your company?

不知不觉，2019年已经到了。今年的新年目标定好了吗？相比去年，今年的目标有什么崭新的突破？你会为自己或公司制定新年计划吗?

Perhaps one of your business pursuits is (further) expansion into the vast realm of digital printing. According to our annual State of the Industry Report, 34% of respondents purchased a digital printer during the previous year. More new products and new developments are surely on the horizon – walking the halls at the 2018 SGIA Expo was another reminder of the constant innovation within the digital printing industry. Heck, since SGIA, more machines have made their worldwide debuts, including EFI’s Reggiani BOLT, a single-pass digital textile printer, and Fujifilm’s J Press 750S, in part designed for retail POP signage. 

也许你的商业追求是进一步扩展到数字印刷的广阔领域。根据我们的年度行业状况报告，34%的受访者在上一年购买了一台新的数码打印机。更多的新产品和新开发肯定即将出现——在2018年SGIA博览会的大厅里漫步，再次提醒人们数字印刷行业的不断创新。自SGIA问世以来，越来越多的机器在世界各地首次亮相，包括EFI公司的单道数字纺织打印机Reggiani BOLT，以及富士公司(Fujifilm)的J Press 750。 

Print continues to intersect with other industries, with the demand for shorter job times and standout work increasing. Competition is a healthy thing though, and continued entries into the industry by a new generation of both traditional and non-traditional signmakers – check out the forthcoming February issue for our second annual “Makers of Tomorrow” special section – promises to keep sign companies, print shops, manufacturers and customers alike on their creative toes.

打印行业继续与其他行业交叉，对更短作业时间和更突出的工作需求不断增加。 竞争是一个健康的事情，并且新一代的传统和非传统的标识制作者会继续为这个行业努力奋斗。

AQUA VAN

Aqua面包车包装

When Top Shelf Aquatics, a saltwater aquarium store in Winter Park, FL, wanted a new wrap design for one of its vehicles, it reached out to a previous partner – Fresh Ink Signs + Graphics of nearby Orlando. After working with Fresh Ink a few years back on a Ford Econoline van wrap, Top Shelf desired a partial vehicle wrap this time around, a rolling aquarium that presented more than just words. Top Shelf and Fresh Ink – led by designer Christian Stanley – traded multiple proofs, said Fresh Ink general manager Gabriel Boy. “I learned a lot about fish from this project,” Boy said with a laugh. “The only problem was picking the right fish. But give [Top Shelf] credit; they made all the right calls.”

佛罗里达州冬季公园(Winter Park)的一家海洋水族馆“顶架水族馆”想要为他们的一辆车设计一种新的包装，于是它找到了以前的合作伙伴——新墨标识和奥兰多附近的图形制造商。几年前，他们在福特公司(Ford)的一款伊科诺林(Econoline)面包车上使用了新墨公司的包装，这一次，店家想要的是一款局部的汽车包装，图案是一个滚动的水族箱，展示的不仅仅是文字，还有色彩鲜艳的图案。新墨公司总经理加布里埃尔•博伊尔（Gabriel Boy）说：“由设计师克里斯蒂安•斯坦利（Christian Stanley）领导的顶架水族馆和新墨公司交换了多份证明文件。我从这个项目中学到了很多关于鱼的知识，唯一的问题是能不能选对‘鱼’。我们给予顶架水族馆最好的服务，用优质的产品告诉他们选择新墨是正确的决定。”

The final design is an intricate wrap that displays Top Shelf’s business basics (logo, website, phone number, services, social media account awareness) as well as the types of fish and sea anemones sold by Top Shelf. “You toe a line as a designer between your own input and giving the customer what they want,” said Stanley, who used Roland VersaWorks and Adobe Photoshop to design the wrap. “It was a little tricky getting that swoosh [on the top of the wrap] coming around and making it look seamless. I had to work some Photoshop magic.”

最终的设计成品是一个复杂的包装，它的内容涵盖了顶架水族馆的商业基本信息(logo、网站、电话号码、服务、社交媒体账户)，以及顶架水族馆销售的鱼类和海葵的种类。“作为一名设计师，你必须在自己的想法和给客户他们想要的东西之间保持一定的距离。”斯坦利说。他使用Roland Versa Works和Adobe Photoshop设计了包装。他说:“要让顶架水族馆那个汽车包装看起来天衣无缝有点棘手，我不得不使用Photoshop。” 

Once the design was finalized, Fresh Ink embarked on its typical three-day process to complete the project. “The first day is printing the wrap, which usually takes around 24 hours,” Boy said. “The next day is gassing out – airing out the ink, then lamination. The third day is wrapping.” Fresh Ink’s Roland VersaArt RE-640, a machine the com-pany acquired about six years ago, ably handled the printing. “We use it for everything that’s not cut vinyl,” Stanley said. “It’s very consistent – we know what we’re going to get out of it.” Fresh Ink printed on 3M IJ180Cv3 film and protected it with 3M Scotchcal Gloss Overlaminate 8518.

设计完成后，新墨公司开始了为期三天的典型流程来完成项目。“第一天是打印包装，通常需要24小时。”博伊尔说，“第二天是吹干墨水，然后再层压。最后一天是包装”。该公司大约六年前收购了新墨公司的Roland VersaArt RE-640机器，该机器能很好地处理印刷任务。“我们用它来做所有乙烯基的东西，一如既往，我们知道我们需要什么和怎么做。在3M薄膜上印刷的新鲜油墨，并用3M保护它。”斯坦利说。

Fresh Ink employs 3M certified installers and it was up to Stanley to ensure installation wasn’t too complex because of the curve present along the top on both sides and the back of the vehicle. Stanley said he did his best to provide the installers with flexibility, noting the wrap “just doesn’t go up and down from the back; all three sides needed to correspond.” With this wrap successfully launched, Fresh Ink has already made plans to wrap a trailer for Top Shelf.

新墨公司雇佣了3M认证的安装师，由斯坦利负责确保安装流程的顺利进行。“因为车身两侧顶部和后部都有曲线，这就使得安装会困难一些。”斯坦利说。他尽了最大努力为安装人员提供灵活性，他说：“汽车包装只是不会从后面上下移动;这三个方面都需要协调。随着包装工作的成功进行，新墨公司已经计划为顶架水族馆包装另一辆汽车。”

NOT A HAIR OUT OF PLACE

为理发店安装标识

Salt City Signs produced a variety of signs for a nearby barbershop, including this storefront sign.

盐城标识公司为附近的一家理发店制作了各种各样的标识，包括这个店面标识。

A longtime friendship recently led to some unexpected business for Salt City Signs (Syracuse, NY). Salt City Art Director Matt Wierbinski happened to be pals with a local barber who was opening up his own barbershop. In his spare time, Wierbinski – who has a degree in graphic design – created the logo for what became The Barber Shack. Eventually, a request for a storefront sign followed. “He wanted a vintage, neutral feel, so that’s why there’s black, white, tan and a hint of red [in the logo],” Wierbinski said.

一段长期的友谊最近给盐城标识公司(锡拉丘兹，纽约)带来了意想不到的生意。盐城标识公司艺术总监马特·维尔宾斯基（Matt Wierbinski）碰巧是和当地的一位理发师是朋友，这是他自己的理发店。在业余时间里，拥有平面设计学位的维尔宾斯基为后来的理发店制作标识。最终，一个制作店面标识的请求随之而来。韦尔宾斯基说：“店家想要复古的老式风格标识，他想这就是为什么有黑色，白色，棕色和红色的原因。”

Salt City printed the sign with their 64-in. Mutoh ValueJet 1624 on Arlon DPF 4600LX vinyl film. The sign was trimmed, laminated with Arlon Series 3420 overlaminate and mounted on a white 78 x 36-in. sheet of 3-mm-thick Omega-Bond aluminum composite panel. The final touch was a black aluminum sign frame. “We try to laminate whenever possible with a satin or luster laminate,” said Salt City President Andrew Kettell. “With this sign, it gives it less of a sheen. It complements the subtlety of the sign by not adding a high gloss to it.” Initially, guaranteeing the sign’s security above The Barber Shack’s entrance with tension clips was a little tricky. “The first time we went to carry it out, the panel almost fell out of the frame,” Kettell said. So, Salt City doubled up on clips and evenly placed them around the frame to make certain the frame and panel would stay secure. “It’s been sturdy ever since,” Kettell said, with Wierbinski adding, “We also fitted the frame with security hangers that make unintended removal difficult.”

盐城标识公司用64英寸的板材打印出基本标识，Mutoh ValueJet 1624采用Arlon DPF 4600LX乙烯基薄膜。标识被修剪、层压，与Arlon系列3420安装在一个白色的78 x 36英寸，3毫米厚的Omega-Bond铝复合板上。最后的步骤是安装一个黑色的铝制标识框架。“我们尽量用缎面或有光泽的层压板。”盐湖标识公司主席安德鲁·凯特尔（Andrew Kettell）说。有了这个标识，它就不那么闪亮了，它成为这个标识中一个微妙的存在，没有给它添加很高的光泽。首先，要保证标识在理发店上方的安全性。起初，用夹子来确保理发店入口上方标识的安全是有点棘手的。凯特尔说:“我们第一次安装的时候，图形差点从框架上掉下来。所以，盐城标识公司的安装人员加了很多个夹子，并且把它们均匀地放置在框架周围，以确保框架和图形能够保持安全。从那以后，它就一直很坚固。”维尔宾斯基补充说：“我们还安装了安全吊架，这使预期的移除变得非常困难。”

Salt City also produced a desk decal and a price services sign for The Barber Shack. For the decal, Salt City printed the logo, then used SAi’s Flexi software to map a contour cut around it. After the logo dried, it was laminated (again with Arlon 3420) and contour cut with Salt City’s Graphtec FC8000-160 cutter/plotter. The services sign was printed and laminated in the same manner, but mounted on 3-mm-thick black Sintra board. Salt City expects more work from The Barber Shack in the future. “He’s always trying to make his shop more visually appealing,” Wierbinski said, “so when he has a project, he’ll definitely come to us.”

盐城标识公司还为理发店制作了办公桌标识和服务标识贴纸。盐城标识公司印出了这个标识，用Flexi软件绘制围绕它的轮廓切割，等贴纸干燥后，将其层压（再次使用Arlon 3420）并用盐城标识公司的Graphtec FC8000-160切割机切割轮廓。服务标识是以同样的方式印刷和层压的，但是安装在3毫米厚的黑色辛特拉板上。盐城标识公司预计未来理发店将有更多的工作要做。维尔宾斯基说：“他总是试图让他的店更具视觉吸引力，所以当他有其他的项目时，他一定会来找我们的。”

LABOR OF LOVE

节日装饰标识

A Better Sign executed a tricky install of this detailed window graphic.

优质标识公司完美的解决了这个棘手的窗口图形安装。

According to co-owner Luke Sellers, A Better Sign (Lawrenceville, GA) is split into two areas: an online presence where customers can custom order from a collection of 20-30 products, and an on-the-ground, local signshop presence. The latter completed a large window-graphic job for a Salvation Army center in northeast Atlanta. The project arrived via Luke’s father, who bought A Better Sign over 20 years ago and also used to head a local Salvation Army center. After the client and A Better Sign nailed down a holiday-themed design, the company’s Mimaki JV33 Eco-Solvent printer processed the Solvex 70/30 perforated window vinyl. “We have bought two of these machines. They’re workhorses,” Sellers said of his Mimakis. “We’re selling the one we bought in 2007 – it still works like the day we bought it.”

根据优质标识公司所有人卢克·塞勒斯（Luke Sellers）的说法，优质标识公司（劳伦斯维尔，乔治亚州）为客户提供在线展示定制功能，客户可以从网上20-30种产品中定制订单，也可在当地的本地标识店定制。优质标识公司为亚特兰大东北部的救世军中心完成了大型窗口图像工作，该项目是通过卢克的父亲产生的，他在20多年前购买了优质标识公司，曾经又在当地的救世军中心领导。在客户和优质标识公司确定假日主题设计之后，就用公司的Mimaki JV33 Eco-Solvent打印机处理了Solvex 70/30多孔窗口乙烯基。塞勒斯说：“我们买了两台这样的机器，塞勒斯谈到他的Mimaki，我们正在销售我们在2007年购买的产品，它仍然像我们购买它的那一天一样崭新。”

A Better Sign typically laminates similar graphics, but chose not to do so in this instance. “It’s a temporary holiday decoration and it’s under a covered awning, so there wasn’t much need,” said Sellers, before noting that “had it been hot out, we would’ve laminated it... because window perforation tends to stretch in the heat, especially in the sun.” As for installation, well, there’s sound rationale for Sellers referring to the process as both “laborious” and “tedious.” There were 28 – yes, 28 – individual window panels to apply. While on site, A Better Sign had to adjust for overlapping edges, which typically required a 1/8-in. trim around the windows. A variety of tools aided this very careful install: X-ACTO Knives, Sooper Edge Aluminum Rulers, Oshee Felt and Lidco Teflon squeegees, and a Master Appliance heat gun.

优质标识公司通常是处理类似层叠的图形，但在本例中选择不这样做。塞勒斯说:“因为窗户穿孔在高温下，尤其是在阳光下，容易变形。但这只是一个临时的节日装饰，标识会遮在有篷的遮阳篷下，所以没什么必要这么做。”至于安装，塞勒斯把这个过程称为“费力”和“乏味”是有道理的。塞勒斯说：“有28个单独的窗户图形需要安装。在现场，安装人员必须调整重叠边缘，通常误差在1/8英寸，在窗户周围修剪。 各种工具帮助这种非常仔细的安装：X-ACTO刀具，索珀铝标尺，Oshee毛毡和利多·特氟龙刮刀，以及Master Appliance热风枪。

To make matters more complicated, many of the panels look similar, so A Better Sign had to be wary of applying a panel in the incorrect spot, which would have ruined proper application of this window graphic puzzle. “It’s kind of an art,” Sellers said. “It’s not like you measure it out and it’s perfect.” However, the graphic turned out as planned, and hopefully provided some uplifting holiday spirit for those in need.

让事情变得更复杂的是，许多图形看起来很相似，所以安装人员必须小心避免在不正确的位置应用图形，这将破坏整个窗口的图形拼图。塞勒斯说：“这是一种艺术，它不像你测量出来的那样精确。”然而，这张图完成时正如计划的那样完美，希望这个装饰能为那些需要帮助的人提供一些振奋人心的节日精神。