Removable Bar Top Signs and More at the Tipsy Seagull

Waterfront pub graphics

A year or so ago none of Colonial Beverage’s brands were being sold at the popular waterfront bar, Tipsy Seagull. The bar is less on the waterfront and is actually floating off the adjacent marina. It’s open about four months out of the year for thirsty boaters and others who pass by the marina.

Printing graphics for tabletops and bar topsSince that time, and thanks in part to the signs provided by its sign shop, Colonial Beverage not only sells its brands at the Tipsy Seagull but dominates at the point of sale.

Colonial’s sign shop manager, Tennyson Lacasio, just installed a number of signs at the floating pub touting the distributor’s brands, beer specials and upcoming special events. The big hit was the use of tabletop and bar top calendar-of-events graphics, printed on LexJet’s new Opaque AquaVinyl Removable PSA since the material can be easily applied and removed with little to no cleanup after removal.

Printing tabletop graphics for bars and restaurants“We had tried similar projects with vinyl that has a regular adhesive and the customer had to use special cleaners to get the residue off. They were looking for something less permanent,” explains Lacasio. “They’re pleased with these because they’re not see-through, they don’t need to make such a commitment to removing them and the graphics printed very crisp. It’s also a lot easier to apply than a typical vinyl.”

The tabletop prints pictured here will be replaced with full table wraps. Those wraps will also be laminated with LexJet 3 Mil Gloss UV Premium Low Melt so that the tabletops can be easily cleaned without having to remove the graphics.

For the time being they’re simply peeling off the graphics, cleaning the table and re-applying them. And, in case the pub’s customers decide to pick at them, Lacasio printed about 30 replacement graphics.

Printing graphics and signs for A-framesLacasio also designed and created two double-sided A-frame signs printed on LexJet Extreme AquaVinyl w/ PSA and a 3′ x 24′ identity sign printed on LexJet TOUGHcoat Water-Resistant Self Adhesive Polypropylene, laminated with LexJet 3 Mil Gloss UV Premium Low Melt and applied to Coroplast. Lacasio says the large identity sign can be seen from a bridge that’s a mile away from the floating pub. 

A River Runs through a Point of Sale Display

Point of sale product displayTennyson Lacasio’s last point of sale, in-store display masterpiece featured here used flowing “beer” (actually ink-stained water) to draw additional attention and sell more Guinness. Lacasio, graphic designer for Colonial Wholesale Beverage in North Dartmouth, Mass., recently created another water feature. While the concept was different this time around, the outcome was similar; namely, more beer sales.

“This store is one of our other top accounts and after seeing the YouTube video they were interested in doing something unique in their store as well,” explains Lacasio. “We basically had the same amount of square footage with six palettes of beer stacked together. We went over a number of designs with them and the castle theme we settled on seemed like a lot of fun.”

Building a point of sale product displayThe previous display was built to sell Guinness Black Lager; this most recent castle display was built to house Diageo brands Guinness Draught, Guinness Stout, Guinness Black Lager, Harp and Smithwick’s. The big push on these Diageo brands coincides with St. Patrick’s Day and Lacasio reports that the display needs constant replenishment even though the big weekend before the big day has not yet arrived.

Once again, the display not only had to be eye-catching and thirst-inducing, it needed to be easy to shop. The display has scored on both points, drawing consumers ever closer with the final touch – a drawbridge over bubbling water that leads to the castle in the background.

Originally, Lacasio planned to place real fish inside the pool of water over which the drawbridge sits. However, the risk of floaters – fish that might up and die as fish are wont to in these situations – was too great. Therefore, Lacasio printed some fish, laminated with LexJet 3 Mil Gloss UV Premium Low Melt.

The big prints – the two knights which guard the front of the display and the castle – were printed on LexJet Extreme AquaVinyl w/ PSA applied to Coroplast. The drawbridge was printed on LexJet TOUGHcoat Water-Resistant Self Adhesive Polypropylene and laminated with 3 Mil Gloss UV Premium Low Melt. All of the graphics are double-sided, excepting the knights (it’s hard to find knight backside images) so that the effect continues on the other side of the display.

In addition to the photos here, get a consumer’s eye view of the display at the video embedded below…

Directing the Coast Guard with Durable, Vivid Graphics

Printing trade show graphics

Printing effective trade show graphics is a real balancing act. They need to be durable for the length of the event, economical and high-quality. Plus, they usually need to be ready yesterday. Sure, that’s the case with most wide-format graphics, but it’s especially true for trade show and exhibit work.

Registration area graphic panelsBill Harriman, owner of Custom Signs & Graphix in Brooksville, Fla., just north of Tampa, is a seasoned pro who specializes in producing the best possible trade show graphics for his customers. Harriman launched the company with a vinyl cutter, right before large format inkjet printing came into its own.

Harriman has been through the entire evolution of the trade show market and now plies his trade with the latest printer technology from HP, four that run aqueous inks and one that runs solvent.

A good example of the quality output from Custom Signs & Graphix is a recent project Harriman completed for a Coast Guard trade show and conference in Orlando. The event needed a lot of graphic panels for the entrance, cyber cafes, directional signage for the conference component and a smattering of vendor booths.

Harriman estimates that he printed 150 panels, ranging in size from 22” x 28” to 4’ x 10’. All of the panels were printed on LexJet 8 Mil Production Satin Photo Paper, laminated with LexJet 3 Mil Gloss UV Premium Low Melt laminate and backed with LexJet RubberMount Clear Adhesive so they could be applied to Sintra at the show.

Trade show graphics printing with photo paper and a laminateFor extensive print projects like this one, Harriman says he’ll usually print the entire roll and then laminate it all at one time. In addition to the production processes Harriman has honed over the years, he says material choice is just as important.

“If I don’t like it, I don’t send it out. It’s a matter of using the best technology and materials. The materials I buy from LexJet are not the most expensive, nor are they least expensive. What they do is put the ink on the paper and make it look good,” he says. “I’m not interested in finding a cheaper product. I try to find materials that are economical and as close to the top-of-the-line as possible. That’s where your value is, and it’s what I’ve found with LexJet’s products.”

For the Coast Guard trade show, Harriman was after the perfect balance of economy and quality. He says the LexJet 8 Mil Production Satin Photo Paper finds that balance for this type of application.

“I had been using an older, similar paper. When this newer material was suggested to me, I was a little apprehensive at first about changing over since it’s important for me to have consistent performance from project to project,” explains Harriman. “When I tested it I found that it was consistent and performed far better. It dries almost instantly so it allows me to laminate right away. Plus, you can handle the material and not worry about keeping your hands off of it; it’s not super fragile like other papers.”