Upcycle Waste Materials
What’s the difference between recycling and upcycling? Bigger smiles. Upcycling is the act of converting scrap or waste into new materials or products of higher value. In short: It’s taking something you would otherwise throw away – or even convert to lower quality materials – and turning it into something different. Rethink. What are you […]
Use Rounded Corners
Insist on rounded corners – especially for interior or public areas. Rounded corners make it far more difficult for little fingers (think persistent children inside of school buses, or bored adults on a train or airplane) to pick them off. It also makes it harder for the wind to catch the corners and slowly peel […]
Choosing Backing Methods
Don’t pick away at your decals. There is a better way. Ever struggle to peel the release liner from an adhesive-backed decal? Endlessly picking at the edges and corners, wasting application time and potentially damaging the decal? The good news is that it can be avoided with one, well-placed cut. Whether you call it “back […]
Test the Ink Before Production
Don’t let time and weather wear away your good name Test your decals (both the substrate and the ink) for weatherability before you have them produced. This photo does not represent the work of Muir. Ink Matters Reading the longevity guarantee on the substrate is only half the battle. The ink needs to stand the […]
Use Lamination for Protection
A little lamination can add a lot of longevity. Proper lamination will significantly lengthen the life expectancy of your industrial graphics and decals. While most signage should last a few years without additional protection, there are many reasons why the small incremental cost of lamination is a great investment. Decals – especially critical safety signage […]
Use the Correct Signal Words
Caution. Warning! DANGER! mean pretty much the same thing, right? Wrong. They’re not interchangeable, particularly when it comes to industrial graphics. In fact, each of these “signal words” has a specific connotation that literally can mean the difference between life and death. Using them correctly on safety signs helps ensure that people can instantly recognize […]
Say it With Pictographs
When it comes to safety, a picture is worth 1,000 words.It could also help keep your production line running. The correct pictograph can quickly and clearly communicate a safety message. It can also save you time and money. How? Instead of creating several versions of the same safety sign or decal to accommodate different languages, you can […]
QR Codes That Last
If you’re using QR (Quick Response) Codes to point to important safety information, you need them to last as long as the products to which they’re affixed. QR Codes seem to be everywhere these days and are quickly expanding into industrial applications. When using them to put safety and instructional information right at a customer’s […]
Save Money With Equivalents
The decal on the top costs 35% less than the one on the bottom because… When companies submit engineering drawings to industrial graphics manufacturers, they often use brand names for desired materials or adhesives. While this ensures certain performance standards, you might not realize that a high-quality alternative has recently become available. This means you could save significant […]
Converting Aluminum Plates
Converting aluminum plates to decals saves money and the environment. In the past aluminum plates were the “go-to” solution for high liability messages that needed to last the life of the equipment to which they were applied. Today’s advances in adhesives and UV inks means printing on decal substrates has become equivalent in the overall durability […]