David Snyder, owner of Premier Media Group (PMG) in Lubbock, Texas, is a floor graphics evangelist. He is a true believer in the power of floor graphics and their ability to not only advertise, but to inform and direct.

“Floor graphics reach a lot of people in a lot of different ways,” says Snyder. “We use floor graphics in our production area as safety signage for our employees and visitors, especially around our screen printing carousels and other automated equipment. At special events, arenas and trade shows, floor graphics can be used as directional and informational signage. For advertising at the point of sale it’s one of the most effective ways to reach the consumer.”

Snyder says that PMG has seen a sharp rise in floor graphics orders over the past year or so as more companies and organizations have realized the benefits of this in-your-face advertising medium.

“If you just sit in a corner at a store and watch people shop, they’re looking down most of the time. You typically look down and forward as you walk. So, any place that has floor space is fair game,” says Snyder. “We really drive that home at PMG. If you’re going to spend a lot of money wrapping vehicles and whatnot, why not spend a fraction of that and put your product right in front of their face by putting it on the floor.”

Snyder estimates that 40 percent of PMG’s floor graphics production shows up in sports arenas, 40 percent is short-term promotional retail, with the rest showing up in schools, churches and at special events.

PMG uses LexJet Simple Indoor FloorAd and Simple Clear Indoor FloorAd with 5 Mil GraphicsGuard Velvet Floor Laminate, preferring a luster finish to a glossy one since most of the applications are in places with glaring lights. And, most of those applications are printed on the white material, rather than the clear since the white provides a larger color gamut.

“It’s easily removed, yet it’s stable enough that foot traffic wears well and cleaning/buffing is not a problem,” says Snyder. “Floor preparation is the key. It has to be dust-free. Wipe the area down with alcohol using a lint-free cloth and then make sure it’s dry. On concrete, it’s essential that you alcohol the concrete, especially if it’s an unsealed concrete. On any type of floor system, it’s critical to understand the application and condition of the floor. It will show some underlying imperfections in the floor. So if there are cracks in the floor that are deep, you’ll see that through the material as well as a pebble effect in a grainy concrete. It has to be fairly severe to show through, but you should be aware of that possibility.”

PMG prints floor graphics on all of its printers, from its battery of 16-foot, 10-foot and five-foot wide solvent printers to its Oce flatbed UV-curable and automated screen printing machines. The choice of printer depends on volume and the availability of a given printer with production ongoing all the time at PMG on jobs large and small being shipped nationwide.

“Lubbock Christian University held a basketball tournament recently and every referee came up to me and said it was the best set of floor graphics they had ever worked with and would have no objections to working with that type of floor lamination. Usually, they hate floor graphics. They’re constantly going to arenas with floor graphics that are horrible, but they really supported what we did,” says Snyder. “They held up well, and did not slip and slide, though you have to make sure the customer understands that floor graphics are slip resistant, not slip proof. It’s also important to us that the laminate is UL-certified.”

Of course, floor graphics represents but a portion of what PMG does. As a digital trailblazer in Lubbock, PMG has always been at the forefront of the latest technology. Recently, PMG launched PrintFX™ Design Studio, a patent-pending Web-based application that provides users the ability to better control their brand, and create, design and print various graphics products online at printshipnow.com

PMG will launch a reseller program for sign and graphics companies with its PressShop™ license program, which allows companies to create their own e-commerce store with an ordering system for their clients at printshipnow.com/pressshop.