Melony Rocque-Hewitt keeps her feet firmly on the ground as she surveys the soaring options for producing print underfoot.
Printed floor graphics have been around now for a good decade or more, but recently, they’ve been given a whole new lease of life. Continuing technological advances and the growing realisation that everyone (including rabid texters) has to look where they’re going, has meant that the floor has become a very attractive promotional/information space for those in the retail, events and exhibitions markets.
“Floor graphics are enormous,” says Peter McCann, sales manager, Amari Digital Supplies. “In the last 18 months, there have been more new products released than in the past 15 years.”
A business that has been in this market from the start is 3M. The company offers three keys products for floor. For internal use, a three-month and a six month product that can be extended to a year for areas of low footfall, plus a three-month external product. These solutions aren’t particularly new in themselves, but what has changed, says Kim Brewer, marketing manager, 3M Commercial Graphics Division, is the way they are now being used. Back in the first wave, floor graphics, she says, were really just about branding, now, however, now they are being used much more creatively, in a far more clever way to attain that high-impact, wow factor.
“The 3D rendering of images is also becoming popular,” says Michael Crook, Digital Solutions, Robert Horne Group, “as the image/brand then appears to stand up off the floor, which is again very eye-catching and promotes well. Lynx and Pampers for example, have already done this.”
Generically speaking, it hasn’t always been easy going when it comes to floor graphics. Issues regarding safety, adhesion, scratch-resistance and image durability have chequered their existence. The perception around floor graphics has been a problem, agrees Amari’s McCann, but says that one of the key reasons for this is down to the incorrect application of the floor graphic in the first place. He also points out that some suppliers didn’t really bother with public liability reassurance, something that Mactac and other key manufacturers for example, has offered with its products right from the start.
Over at Drytac, worldwide manufacturer and distributor of mounting adhesives, laminating films and graphics finishing equipment, director Steve Broad believes that some of the past bad press around floor graphics has been due to the circulation and availability of cheap, Far Eastern products. Buying on price alone can be a hazardous business. Take for example, a 100micron Drytac film, of this, says Broad, 65% of it will be high grade PVC, the rest adhesive. In comparison, with cheaper imported products, you are perhaps seeing 25% grade B PVC while the rest is adhesive, producing a barrier of fog in front of the ink, as well as creating issues such as shrinkage.
“Customers are now more aware - they are doing their homework before application,” says Douglas Spencer, national manager at Mactac, adding: “Retailer and supermarkets have learned to trust the products.”
Sales of floor graphics have apparently risen across the board. Drytac, for instance, has experienced a 60% per cent rise in its new internal solution in comparison to its old product offering FloorTac.
“Drytac has manufactured many products over the years, but the latest release is the Floor Print system,” says Broad. “It is easy to remove and, more importantly, it can be used with a wide range of inks, including the latest latex technology. This product can be combined with our Interlam Pro Emerytex or Ecotex range of overlaminates, which both have an ASTM 2047 anti-slip rating.”
Developing trends in internal floor graphics include the appearance of PVC-free, ecological products. Mactac for example, offers a one-month, 125-micron, PVC-free internal product within its range that is very popular. Manufacturers are committing considerable R&D resource in the development of viable, non-PVC alternatives although, notes Brewer, at 3M “slip resistance and safety is hard to replicate on non-PVC materials.”
Where floor graphics have really made a huge impact is in the outdoor space, which until very recently has been an untapped area.
One of the most successful products for Amari is Mactac’s StreetWrap. This is a three-month product that can be used on tarmac, concrete, block paving in fact, any normal external surface with the exception of cobbled stones. “Every major customer of mine has bought the product,” says McCann. “The product is very, very successful. It has opened up a whole new area and it is very affordable.”
Drytac has achieved a great deal of success with its outdoor range of floor graphic films from Asphalt Art. The range includes Asphalt Art, a robust, conformable street foil with good slip resistance and suitable for outdoor use; Soft Walk, a 4.5mm printable soft vinyl foam for applications such as specialised promotional events, walkways and sports arenas; Cat Walk, a high-grade anti-slip interior and wet surface printable foil; Sports Walk, a heavily embossed anti-slip vinyl designed for strong adhesion for advertising and sponsorship of sports events; Clear Walk, a transparent printable vinyl film for special effects on indoor and wet area signage; and Lumi Walk, a photo luminescent film for use in night clubs, safety zones, museum walk ways, and dark area signage.
“Cut out graphics, 3D appearances and brand demands, have pushed the application into an everyday visual and it’s growing,” says Crook. “Stair graphics are also up and coming so the overall view from the bottom of the stairs shows a full image made up of the strips applied to the risers of the stairs.”
For Robert Horne, the large orders for floor graphics products has come from sporting events and looks set to continue with the Olympics next year. The company is very excited by Avery Dennison’s MPI 6121 Street Graphics film. Introduced in March this year, this product packs a real punch. “The MPI 6121 is the new way forward for floor graphics to explode,” says Crook. “It opens up bus stop floor graphics, subway floor information, car park floors and so on.”
A non-PVC, anti-glare film, MPI 6121 can withstand the constant pressure of vehicle traffic for up to three months or heavy pedestrian exposure for up to six. This film has the ability to 'micro-fracture' in order to conform effectively to very rough surfaces. It also permits moisture to be channeled through the substrate, minimizing slip hazards; and, at just 40 micron thick, it virtually eliminates the likelihood of edge lift. The film requires no over-lamination, and meets international slip resistance testing standards. At the end of its working life it can simply be removed with a standard high-pressure washer.