By Courtney Saba
Part 1 of 2
Sporting event signage is a lucrative opportunity for print service providers (PSPs). The amount of local minor league events all the way up to those held at the professional level are endless. To work in this realm, a print provider must be prepared with a stable of equipment and media because signage options can vary from banners to floor graphics. While some PSPs choose to solely focus on sporting event signage as a main service, others—like the company profiled here—see it as a nice add on.
Aspen Imaging
Based out of Houston, TX, Aspen Imaging celebrates over 25 years as a printing company. Michael Simpson, GM of large format printing, Aspen Imaging, was asked to join the team in September 2011 to help start the large format division. In the beginning it was only Simpson and one sales person.
Today, the company occupies 10,000 square feet of space and employs ten workers. Core offerings include banners, trade show displays, and presentation printing, in addition to custom work. “These days everyone wants something more than just prints,” shares Simpson.
The PSP works with all types of businesses such as retail, restaurants, architects, property management companies, churches, convention services, advertising agencies, marketing companies, sports venues, television, and radio. Out of town work is generated through email and website requests.
Aspen Imaging utilizes media from 3M Commercial Solutions, Avery Dennison Graphics Solutions, Mactac Distributor Products, and Ultraflex Systems, Inc. “All products have their place for what we do. 3M is used for vehicle graphics and some wall graphics, we use Avery Dennison for printing and applying to boards and some wall graphics. Mactac has a nice adhesive in frosted and clear and Ultraflex a nice white vinyl,” explains Simpson.
Much like its variety of media, the PSP works with a range of printers. There is the HP Designjet Z6200 60-inch printer, HP Designjet L26500, Epson Stylus Pro GS6000, and an Océ Arizona 660 XT flatbed from Canon Solutions America. A Zünd cutter complements these on the finishing end.
Sporting Event Signage
Most of the sporting event signage that Aspen Imaging creates is done for local football teams. However, recently, it completed a job for the NCAA. The organization needed help with last minute signage during the week of the Final Four. The client requested everything printed either the same or next day.
“We used Ultraflex mesh and vinyl for banners. There were some vehicles and other decals and 3M was requested by the client for those,” says Simpson. By the end of the job the team had printed over 5,000 square feet of media.
In correlation with the Final Four work for NCAA, Aspen Imaging created a 200-foot fence banner for Houston First and wrapped a life-size football at Reliant Stadium with the NCAA Final Four logo for another client, Staging Solutions.
Creating Success
Aspen Imaging continues to thrive by completing jobs in and out of its expertise. The work done for the NCAA Final Four, while not a typical client, involved fulfilling last-minute requests to meet a tight timelines. The company’s vast hardware and media portfolio allowed them to achieve this.
In the next part of this Web-exclusive series we profile Photo Images by Carl, based in Iron Mountain, MI, which specializes in the photography and printing of local sporting events.
Jul2016, DPS Magazine
