Yes, we’re finally back.  It’s been so hectic around here lately, we haven’t had a chance to write.

Today I’d like to tackle laminate.  I must first admit that I’m partial to matte laminate for most applications.  Even so, I hope this isn’t too biased.

Many people want “flash” from their signs.  I agree, a sign should generate attention from people in the area.  What you don’t want to do is generate the wrong type of attention.  Yes, who is this man talking in circles?  What I’m getting at is this:  having a flashy sign is great, but often, a glossy sign will end up being harder for your potential customers to read.  All you need is the sun to be at the wrong angle, or an electric light to hit the sign in just the wrong way, and voila, your customers get an eyeful of sunrays instead of being able to read the message you painstakingly worked on for the past 2 months.  It may be the most incredible message they ever would have seen, but if they can’t read it, it’s worthless.  Yes, this might be a good application for matte laminate.  Just about any sign we send out that has text on it, has matte laminate on the vinyl.

It is important to know how the sign is going to be utilized before printing and laminating.  There are plenty of reasons to use glossy laminate (many sign makers almost exclusively use glossy).  I prefer to understand what my customer wants to do and where the sign is going to be deployed.  Only then can I make an informed recommendation.  Yes, my prejudices play a role, and I probably recommend matte over glossy when either would work fine.

Just remember next time you’re looking for a digital print, banner or other vinyl sign, think about what is going to be displayed on it.  If you have a lot of text, think about a matte laminate.