San Francisco Peninsula

Looking Down on Wraps?

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:52:14 EST

Most of the vehicle graphics we do are focused on branding the car, truck or bus at the eye level -- for pedestrians and other drivers to see. When it comes to wrapping the roof, the question naturally comes up: “who’s going to see THAT?”

For Specialty’s Bakery and Cafe, the answer is: “lots of potential customers, that’s who!” Specialty’s, a San Francisco based chain with over 40 restaurants in California, Washington and Illinois does a brisk business with online ordering and on site delivery. When serving business customers with catered breakfasts and lunches for group meetings, Specialty’s fleet of small vans are often “looked down upon” from the windows of buildings in Silicon Valley, Chicago or Bellevue.

When someone on the third floor happens to see that van pull into the parking lot with the delicious looking cookies and sandwiches on the roof, it may be hard to resist the urge to jump online and go to www.specialtys.com as the graphic suggests.

Many of the Scion xB’s that we’ve wrapped for Specialty’s featured a bold, espresso brown stripe on the roof with white URL reversed out. Their exciting new look that debuted this month on Ford Transit Connect vans at bakery/cafes in Sunnyvale and Seattle, features photos and graphics, including a full roof wrap.

Roof wraps aren’t necessarily for everyone, but if your vehicle may be often viewed from above, or if the lines of the car favor it (like our Speedpro Imaging minivan which has a sloping roof that begs for full coverage) -- don’t hesitate. It’s a great way to top off an integrated design and let your look be appreciated from more vantage points.

tags: Vehicle Wrap

Here's to the Humble, Versatile, A-Frame Sign

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:42:58 EST

It's not glamorous, trendy or cutting-edge. But for straight forward street signage, the trusty A-frame stand--sometimes known as a sandwich board-- is still an economical and practical choice. Whether you're trying to draw attention to a retail shop or direct traffic flow at an event, this display does the job. It's durable, foldable, stackable, portable, self-supporting and weatherproof...but wait, there's more!!!

Speedpro offers A-frames in a wide variety of sizes in plastic and metal, from tall skinny ones, to low wide models. We print full color, custom sign faces (front, back or both) on corrugated plastic (coroplast) or Sintra PVC depending on budget and longevity requirements. Some of the frames are designed to have the sign face slide into existing grooves for quick changes, other are attached with screws or double stick tape. Many demands, many solutions.

Even though we've made our name from our extreme resolution graphics and unique display offerings, we at Speedpro Imaging still have a special affection for the sandwich board. Be it ever so humble...

tags: sign, A-frame, portable, lightweight

What's your plan for 2012?

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:30:39 EST

Do you have some exciting marketing initiatives slated for 2012? If your company is planning a new or refreshed campaign that includes events, point-of-purchase displays, street teams or other guerrilla tactics, we'd love to help.

Maybe this is the year to wrap that shuttle bus? Or, perhaps it's time for the sidewalk graphics at the big show? Or maybe that giant mesh banner hanging down the side of the building? Or the opportunity to revamp the trade show booth with some new graphic panels? Feel free to give us a call if you have a pending display graphics project or if you're just brainstorming.

Our New Year's aspirations are to grow, expand our offerings, push our limits, and (for some of us) lose a few pounds, of course. Here's to a fantastic 2012!

tags: Resolutions, campaign planning, new approaches

Banner Stand Basics

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:45:13 EST

When it comes to display graphics, few items have the versatility of banner stands. One of the most affordable and cost effective way to get your message delivered, banner stands come in all shapes sizes and, of course, price ranges. Start with some basic guidelines to ensure getting the right banner stand for the job:

Indoor or outdoor?
Wind can turn your newly acquired banner stand into a sail and blow it away if you don’t have the right hardware. For exterior use, get an outdoor stand with a beefy frame and weighted base to avoid embarrassment, property damage and, um,...lawsuits?

Retractable or non-retractable?
A retractable banner stand allows the media, or graphic, to be rolled up inside the hardware base, and comes with a collapsing pole and case. It protects the media and makes shipping and transportation a breeze. Widths can range from 24” to 60”, either single or double sided. Non-retractable stands may fold for storage or shipping, but don’t have the roller mechanism. Some non-retractable stands do double duty for both vertical banners (held by dowels inside pole pockets at top and bottom) and mounted posters.

What sort of durability and longevity do you need?
An economy stand may be just fine if you’re not planning on moving it from place to place or changing graphics over several campaigns or events. However, if your banner stand is going to be a long term road warrior, be prepared to invest accordingly. As with most manufactured products, durability and build quality come at a premium. If what you really need is a display that’s staying put in a retail or exhibition environment, a simple, non-retractable banner stand will suffice. These models like the X-stand or L-stand are available under $100 and make excellent stationary display units. There’s even a bamboo X stand that serves as a great structure to support a graphic printed on our recyclable, supersmooth banner material.

In conclusion, banner stands are a great way to create portable and changeable display imagery. Speedpro Imaging can help you find the right stand and material to fit your needs and budget -- whether for a convention, retail point-of-purchase, meeting or exhibition.

tags: Banners, Stands, Portable

Giving Thanks

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:10:41 EST

Thanksgiving is truly a wonderful holiday to reflect and give appreciation rather than just giving "stuff" like we're supposed to do on Christmas, birthdays, Valentine's Day, etc.

We at Speedpro Imaging would like to thank our wonderful clients for making our first years in business such a great ride. We're fortunate to have a steady group of repeat customers who bring us interesting and challenging projects which let us stretch into new materials, structures, techniques and technologies.

They're nice people, too! Professional, curteous and fair-minded. We all deal with the realities of crunch timelines, limited budgets and limitless imagination; and there's a lot of mutual respect that keeps it all going.

So thanks again, folks. And keep those projects coming in 2012!

tags: Gratitude, Thanksgiving, Clients