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Heritage Signs & Displays adds Mimaki Extra-Wide Flatbed Printer

Sometimes you get on a good roll and things just seem to fall into place, almost like a dream, that’s what I’ve been on since last summer! Today I’m proud to announce that we have added another impressive piece of technology to our unsurpassed arsenal of signage equipment.

The Mimaki JFX500-2131
EXTRA-WIDE Format
Flatbed UV Printer!

Career Move

It all started in August of 2015, when I made the decision to make a career change and was welcomed on as the full time marketing manager at Heritage Printing, Signs & Displays, to work at the Charlotte office. Heritage Printing, Signs & Displays was in the process of acquiring another print shop and relocating the Maryland facility to its current address in Waldorf, MD. My career move was, as expected, an exhilarating and refreshing change of pace and it has proven to be much better than I originally anticipated. We continue to improve our products, services, equipment, employees (yes, we are always looks for exceptional people, click here) and technologies.

 

Waldorf

The trip to our nation’s capital (Waldorf is just outside the Capital Belt) to visit my new coworkers and learn about the world of commercial printing and mailing services was without a doubt an unmeasurably educational and fun experience.
Read my post about Waldorf

 

NEW Envelope Press

Almost the same day I returned to our office in Charlotte, the new Xante’ Impressia envelope press arrived at Waldorf. I knew the envelope presses we own and operate are awesome, but the Impressia puts them all on the back burner.

I did the math: with the new Xante’ Impressia envelope press, we can print up to 78 FULL Color #10 envelopes per minute. THAT’S: 78 envelopes x 1440 minutes in a day = 112,320 FULL Color Envelopes printed in 1 day!
Read my post about the Impressia

 

BOSSLASER

I knew for some time that we were researching Laser cutting/engraving technology. In January the laser research ended and shortly thereafter, our new BOSSLASER arrived! The BOSSLASER carbon dioxide (CO2) laser provides exact cuts with smooth edges. The BOSS (as we like to call it) provides the ability to cut acrylics and other substrates that our CNC router wasn’t able to cut. We now have custom sign capabilities above and beyond any Charlotte Sign Company!
Read my post about the BOSSLASER

 

THE MIMAKI!

Now we really turn it up with the Mimaki! While setting the flatbed printer up in our shop, there were no less than 20 Ricoh sales representatives in and out of our office that day. The JFX500-2131 is the latest and greatest, cutting edge, flatbed printer available and most of these East Coast Ricoh representatives have seen only one and it was at the Print Expo in Atlanta. (that’s where we saw it too)

Now Heritage Printing, Signs & Displays is the showcase for Ricoh!

Mimaki Flatbed Printer

 

So what’s the BIG DEAL??

Simply, the Mimaki prints on wider, longer and thicker substrates than any of its competitors. All this with higher quality and faster print speeds! THAT is a big deal! The typical high-end flatbed printer will print 4’ x 8’ boards at thicknesses not to exceed 1 ½”, our Mimaki can print boards up to 7’ x 10’ up to 2” thick! (and all sizes in-between)

 

FAST TOO!

Having the BIGGEST horse in the race doesn’t always mean he’s the fastest, not true with our Mimaki. This flatbed printer can produce print speeds up to 646 Sq Ft per hour! That’s 20 boards (4’ x 8’) an hour, our previous flatbed printed a maximum of 7 boards an hour. That’s almost a 3 to 1 improvement. When you need it now, you know who to call!

Mimaki Flatbed Printer

 

Quality

BIG & Fast is one thing, quality is another! The first thing I learned about Heritage Printing, Signs & Displays is QUALITY!!! It’s in the people we hire, facilities we own and the equipment we use, we’re not always cutting edge like this Mimaki, but we firmly believe:

Quality People + Quality Equipment = Quality Products

 

Anti-Banding Technology

Variable drop printing, combined with Mimaki’s Advanced Pass System (MAPS) technology ensures precise and accurate print quality throughout the printing process. The MAPS technology greatly reduces the appearance of banding and the result is a smoother image.

 

What we can print with the Mimaki JFX500-2131

 

What’s Next?

Well, there’s a lot on the horizon for us. We are currently seeking enthusiastic, self-motivated individuals to add to our team, both here in Charlotte and our Waldorf facility. Re-read the quality comment and visit the careers link (1st link in this post) to see what’s currently available. But don’t stop there, if the positions listed aren’t in your preferred list, send us your resume anyway. We are firm believers in improvement and the way to improve is to surround yourself with people better than yourself. Let’s see if you qualify!

 

WOW!

Suffice to say, few people have witnessed the level of professional change that I have since the summer of 2015. To most people, change represents turmoil and upheaval. I hope those people will read this post, follow my digital journey and enjoy a refreshing point of view: Change is GOOD! 

Mimaki Flatbed Printer

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Photography Backdrops Charlotte

What’s on your Christmas Wish List…a new camera, how about a new smartphone!  This year has witnessed an enormous advancement in smartphone technology, maybe the largest since the introduction itself, that’s up for debate.  There’s no doubt that today’s cell phones have incredible capabilities, slow-motion videos, who would have guessed?

With “Mobile” becoming such a day to day (who am I kidding….moment to moment) part of our lives, many things have improved dramatically, especially photographs!

With the flash comes the subject and the backdrophow many great pictures have been reduced to mediocrity because of a bad background?
How many memorable moments have been obscured by the unfortunate inhabitants in your background?

Professional photographers utilize portable backdrops to create the ambience they envision prior to the flash.  With smartphone photography advancing to such a high level, many amateurs are just as pleased with their phone pics so why invest in the bulky, expensive and complicated cameras and equipment?

Photography Backdrops

If it’s a photography backdrop you need, we have the selection to satisfy any amateur, professional or smartphone photographer.  Our extra wide format printers produce immaculate photo backdrops, couple that with affordability, value and portability and you have the best backdrop available!  Click here to visit our Photography Backdrop web page.

Hi, Kevin Smith here again, todays post is about photography backdrops.  I hope you visit the link above and check out some of our work.  Most backdrops are printed on fabric, the flexibility, durability and ease of use make it almost a unanimous choice for a video or photo shoot.  We also print a lot of vinyl, which is a significant cost advantage but is much less compactable and must be rolled around a tube for storage.

We cater to a variety of photographer’s needs, our very affordable 8’ x 8’ portable fabric backdrop is a favorite among all Charlotte  photographers, and it works great with 2 subjects.  The 8’ x 10’ will easily provide backdrop coverage for 3 people, with most professional photographers ordering one of each.  We also have the larger 8’ x 12’ photo backdrop for larger shoots with groups of people up to 4.

Custom lengths are available with a variety of options for erecting the backdrop.  Your Heritage Printing, Signs & Displays account specialist will gladly describe all aspects of the backdrop in a professional and pleasant manner.

We offer a variety of fabrics for various photographic backdrops:

  • One Sided Print
  • Two Sided with No “See Thru” Print (unique on each side)
  • Portable and Reusable (easy to assemble & disassemble)
  • Soft Touch Fabrics
  • Durable Fabrics
  • Wrinkle Free Fabrics

Your photographic needs determine the mounting hardware we utilize for your backdrop.  We stock a high quality aluminum hardware that will stand the test of time and will easily display your backdrop shoot after shoot.

We create the photo backdrops you need
@ a price you can afford!

Need help with a unique backdrop for a special photo client?  Our creative services team work with you or your client to create any original backdrop you can imagine.

#PhotographicBackdrops

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Journey of Discovery

All Paths Lead to Growth.

Navigating the ins and outs of the printing industry is so much easier with a guide.  Determining the direction your company takes is serious business, and having a clear path to flow makes all the difference.  Build your itinerary, grab your Passport to Success and set your heading for Myrtle Beach.

Your Journey of Discovery Begins Here.

Journey of Discovery is the theme to the 2015 Fall Management Conference held November 6th – 8th at beautiful Myrtle Beach, SC.  The PICA Fall Management Conference is created and developed by the Fall Conference Committee to meet the needs of Small, Medium and Large printers in the Carolinas.  We are proud to have our company president, Joe Gass, as a keynote speaker at this year’s event.

Joe has exploded on the public speaking scene since our award winning conference at the 2014 PICA Awards, where Heritage Printing, Signs & Displays took home the Best of Division A and the Best Printer’s Self Advertising awards.  Heritage Printing, Signs & Displays was featured in the 2015 April edition of The MAG, published and distributed by Printing Industry of America.  Heritage Printing, Signs & Displays couldn’t be represented better and we are all excited at what the future brings.
The MAG

BIG IDEAS: Creative (& Profitable) Wide Format Applications
Presented by Joe Gass of Heritage Printing, Signs & Displays

 

Are you tired of being labeled as “just another” printing company?

Struggling to distinguish your company from your competitor?

Having a hard time creating additional revenue from existing clients?

Having a hard time getting into targeted prospects to present your company capabilities?

There is a whole new world out there for those who want to grow their business and become more valuable to their customers. With an array of wide and grand format printing and custom contour cutting technology available, there is ample opportunity for those who can think outside the box to offer creative solutions for their client’s event and venue signage, storefront and visual communications displays.

Introduction

During my years as the president and co-owner of Heritage Printing, Signs & Displays, I have experienced a lot of things that have changed the way I live my life and lead our business. I have navigated our business through the highs and lows of the economy and have been party to events that have greatly shaped how I view life and make decisions today. I have seen amazing changes in technology and communication that have revolutionized how we run and grow our business.

Expanding the Business

In 2008 I was also beginning to see that life in the printing industry was about to change again, and that my new home town of Charlotte, NC, would be a place for us to extend the reach of our business and possibly add new production capabilities to our offerings. Through a variety of new relationships, I became exposed to the wide-format printing industry and the world of event signage. At first it was extremely alien to me; the process and methods were different, the competitors were different, and the type of employees and their skill sets were very different.

Expanding to Charlotte, NC

We opened the doors to our first wide format production facility in Charlotte, NC, in November of 2009. The early days of this new venture were both exciting and terrifying, I was learning something new by the hour. It was like starting all over again, after so many years of being the guy with all of the answers, I was now the one with all of the questions.

I watched our team in Charlotte go from being highly skeptical about the investments I was making in wide format technology in Charlotte to embracing it as a valuable tool in meeting our customers’ marketing and communication needs. In 2014, wide and grand format production represented more than 40% of our business revenue and should exceed 50% for the first time in 2015.

Marketing Change

Our wide format and commercial printing initiatives would have been largely fruitless if we had not embraced the amazing attributes of Internet marketing. We began aggressively marketing our company on the Internet via search engine optimization and social media campaigns beginning in the spring of 2008 with the launch of the Charlotte sales office and our www.heritageprintingcharlotte.com website.

Internet marketing has also totally changed the way we pursue new account acquisition. By the end of 2013, sales staff and long timelines to develop new clients were abandoned to deploy trained project coordinators that respond to calls, emails, and live chat sessions generated from our internet presence.

Today Heritage Printing, Signs & Displays can be found on the front page of more than 200 different Google searches for targeted phrases that we track in the markets we serve as well as, in some cases, regional, national, and international front-page exposure. We currently attract more than 150 new prospects to our two websites each business day!

The Heritage Printing, Signs & Displays team is excited about the continual transformation that has been taking place within our culture through the past twelve years. We recognize that our clients’ needs are ever-changing, and we are now more quickly able to adapt with them.

#PICA

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