View fullsize

We’re delighted to announce that our senior project managers, Sian Cameron and Craig Boxley, have both been promoted to the post of project lead. These well-deserved promotions are in acknowledgement of the talent, experience and knowledge they have contributed over their years at Ottimo Digital.

Digital print for exhibitions is in high demand at the moment, so we need skilled all-rounders like Craig and Sian. They have been integral to our ongoing success and growth, and as project leads, they will expand on their former roles and take on new responsibilities as the whole company grows in size and capacity.

Sometimes what’s needed is a machine that fills a very particular niche in our workflow. 

Our new £20k Mimaki UCJV300 1600mm roll-to-roll UV is one of those machines. It’s not that big, it doesn’t boast many special features, but it combines three features to make it indispensable.

The Mimaki has a built-in cutter, so it can print and cut in one operation. It’s a UV printer, so the prints are cured instantly, which means no out-gassing (common with solvent technology) is needed. And it’s a roll-to-roll printer, meaning it’s terrifically compact for its print width.

Printed vinyls are a standard product, a stock in trade that we need to be able to produce quickly and efficiently, and until now we’ve been printing our vinyls on one of our other roll-fed solvent printers. 

These printed vinyls require lamination before cutting on the Kongsberg C-series cutting table, making printed vinyls a three step process. Also, the Kongsberg is so capable and versatile that using it to cut simple printed vinyls is extravagant, when we need it for complex cutting of printed stretch fabrics.

The Mimaki can print and cut vinyls all day, at speeds of up to 24m2/hour, collecting the output from multiple print jobs on one roll. This frees up Ottimo staff to focus on other work, and liberates the Kongsberg from time-consuming and menial vinyl cutting tasks. The result has already been a noticeable improvement in workflow and efficiency.

It’s optimised for unattended operation and minimum environmental impact, and has been built to run continuously. The feed and collection mechanisms can hold rolls of vinyl up to 45kg (240m2!)  and the ink bottles are replenishable 1 litre containers, needing less frequent refilling and maintenance.

It goes to show that it isn’t always the most expensive machine that has the biggest impact on your business. A relatively modest investment like this Mimaki unit will, for us in particular, increase efficiency, but it doesn’t deliver anything new. It simply makes the workflow faster and better, helping to increase our overall scope and scale.

When 'We The Curious' - one of the UK's leading science centres and educational charities - needed to refresh its 10-year-old wayfinding signage, the centre chose long time graphics partner Ottimo Digital to translate its designs into reality.

We The Curious evolved from The Exploratory, which opened in Bristol in 1984, and brought hands-on science experiments to schoolchildren and visitors by the thousand, in stark contrast to most other museums and their "don't touch and be quiet" attitudes.

Although the original Bristol Exploratory finally closed its doors in 1999, We The Curious (then called Explore At-Bristol) was opened in 2000 as part of the National Lottery Millennium project regenerating the historical Floating Harbour in Bristol. We The Curious occupies a Grade II listed building on Canons Wharf, a former railway goods shed and one of the first buildings to use reinforced concrete when it was built in 1906. At-Bristol became We The Curious in September 2017, its vision: “to create a future where everyone is included, curious and inspired by science to build a better world together.”

Since that time, We The Curious has welcomed over 4 million visitors through its doors to interact with the hundreds of exhibits and experiments, including 70,000 schoolchildren every year on visits, workshops and many other activities.

The centre features over 250 interactive exhibits over two floors, and multiple venue and breakout spaces for workshops, education and corporate hire. It is also home to the UK’s first 3D planetarium. After ten years, the centre's signage was in need of updating and refreshment.

Ottimo's senior production manager, Craig Boxley, has worked with We The Curious over many years, creating wall vinyls and information boards, and even a glow-in-the-dark vinyl interactive wall exhibit for the popular attraction, and began discussions with Graphic Designer Alex Smye-Rumsby and Workshop and Exhibitions Manager Andy Coco about the centre's requirement for new signage in October 2021.

The signage needed to be clear and accessible, and it needed to be robust enough to withstand a deployment of 15 years in a public environment. Craig, Alex and Andy created a realistic production plan for several hundred individual signs, before the job was handed over to Ottimo for production. The final designs incorporated a consistent look, contrasting bare wood with translucent acrylic for much of the wayfinding and movable signage, plus scores of similarly styled, more traditional signage elements including emergency exit signs, visitors maps, and elevator information panels.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

The principle wayfinding signage units were UV printed directly onto high-quality plywood sheets from 3mm to 18mm thick. The same process was used for a transparent blue and solid white print onto clear acrylic for the contrasting section of each sign. The individual components were then machine cut to their specific dimensions, lacquered, assembled, and mounted onto metalwork for installation into the centre in a rolling process throughout the Christmas period and the first two months of this year.

With all the signage now delivered and installed, Craig Boxley shared his satisfaction with this project's conclusion saying, "We've worked with We The Curious for over eight years, and I think we understand their ethos and approach very well. The new signage really ties the whole centre together with a single look and feel, and the contrasting acrylic and bare wood design really stands out, without detracting from its important primary purpose of showing people the way."

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Craig concluded, "With so many individual pieces of signage to produce, many requiring careful cutting and assembly, this was always going to be a complex project requiring careful management and coordination. Some of the work, particularly the metalwork and lacquering needed to be outsourced to sectors with differing lead times, and it was an interesting challenge to keep the workflow running smoothly throughout the whole process."

Alex from We The Curious said, “This has been a great project to work on with Ottimo. Thanks to our extensive professional relationship, they showed a real understanding of our requirements as an interactive science centre. We’ve already had great feedback from both visitors and various teams within the organisation. We set them a real challenge in terms of the design for the wayfinding and they smashed it out the park.”

Ottimo Digital’s EFI VUTEk LX3 Pro, installed in 2017 at a cost of over £300,000, is a true multi-purpose machine, as Ottimo’s co-director Lee Crew explained, “We bought the LX3 Pro because we needed a three-meter flatbed printer for printing directly to board. We already had two flatbed printers, but the LX3 Pro caught our eye due to its speed and hybrid design.”

The design of the LX3 Pro means that it can print onto flat, rigid, substrates like board and Foamex up to 5cm thick, making it incredibly versatile, but the flatbed table can be wheeled away when needed and the machine can be quickly converted to print and collect in roll format, like its larger sibling the EFI Vutek Quantum LXr5.

“The flexibility of the machine is a big plus,” said Nick Lindwall, also co-director, “for example, it can print high-fidelity colour using  eight inks, plus solid white, onto thick acrylic, which offers a big range of creative possibilities, but the LX Pro astounded us all with its sheer speed, particularly compared to the two enormous 3m flatbed printers it has replaced.”

The LX3 Pro can print a full colour 8ft x 4ft Foamex board, edge to edge,  in less than two minutes and can reach production speeds of up to 94 – 1.2 m x 2.4 m boards per hour in express mode, making it a superb machine for serving the needs of exhibition print.

“We are seeing a lot of interest in fabric printing for special features, sock banners and hanging banners,” said Nick, “but exhibitions are still making enormous use of shell scheme and board, and  our acquisition of the LX3 Pro is squarely aimed at that market. Exhibitors always want the quality and the choice it offers and although our focus is on speed, the LX3 Pro has a lot of tricks up its sleeve, letting us offer creative options over and above standard exhibition print, especially for illuminated graphics.”

With the ability to print in light-blocking white and 8 colours using single-pass, multilayered printing technology, at 1000dpi ‘photo-quality’, the LX3 Pro can print outstanding window manifestation on clear substrates, backlit graphics for lighboxes, indoor and outdoor signage, floor graphics and many other options.

“There isn’t much it can’t do,” Nick concluded, “apart from making the coffee and driving the van. It can handle everything we throw at it, it’s a pleasure to use, and in common with our LXr5, it’s a UV printer that gives dazzling, lightfast results that customers love. The hybrid roll/flatbed design means we can incorporate it into urgent workflows to accelerate output, which has been a huge advantage with the recent tendency for ultra-short lead times. As a digital printing company, being able to say ‘yes’ to even the most time-pressed requests is an important competitive advantage, and the LX3 Pro enables us to confidently take on urgent work and most importantly, deliver it on time and on budget.”

As events and exhibitions started up last year in an atmosphere of uncertainty, lead times were cut to days, and at times it felt like customers were jamming us into the last 48 hours of their Gantt charts. But already the pressure is beginning to ease - exhibitions are not back to full strength by any means, but the planning stages are stretching back out, and we’re expecting to be back on a much more normal looking schedule by Q2 this year.

We’ve been steadily investing in new equipment over the last five years, and our new machines have proved invaluable to us, enabling us to meet demand and those short lead times in spite of all the obstacles. We’re cautiously optimistic about 2022, confidence in events is rising, and the latest news on Covid-19 restrictions is reassuring for everyone.

Our prediction that fabric print would start to make serious inroads into exhibition graphics appear to have been borne out, making our FabriVu 340i a firm favourite. The addition of our calendering machine, allowing us to print on stretch fabrics, gives us even more versatility in our choice of fabric substrates, and we’re seeing more and more stretched fabric graphics over rigid lightweight frames, making use of fabric’s reusability, storage simplicity, and backlighting opportunities to create arresting exhibition stands. The versatility of the calender combined with the FabriVu will also allow us to venture into new areas like soft furnishings - something we intend to explore in earnest this year.

Our 5m Vutek has been steadily printing graphics for exhibitions, and it has allowed us to diversify effectively into office refits, refurbishments and refreshes now too. We’re now able to print dazzling, vibrant feature walls in a single piece, instead of the more traditional wallpaper-style drops or self-adhesive vinyls, creating a much improved seamless look, simplifying installation and lasting much longer with fewer corners to peel, or joins to catch and scuff. Additionally, we print to PVC-free substrates designed specifically for the application and install them using nothing more than wallpaper paste, meaning an extremely quick installation with minimum disruption, and no solvents or lingering solvent smells. Businesses are wanting to quickly spruce up their offices and communal areas to create a new, exciting workplace to return to - and well designed and appropriate feature walls are a rapid, effective and economical way to completely change the ambience of a space.

Now that the pandemic appears to be in retreat, we are focusing again on sustainability, and the effort to phase out vinyl - a tall order given the amount of vinyl and PVC used in exhibition print. But more and more ‘eco-friendly’ print products are coming to market all the time, and this year we’ll be compiling these choices into eco-swatches to make picking the sustainable option much easier.

Onward and upward! 2022 promises to be a busy year, and a little hectic at times (what’s new?), but it will be a big improvement on what we’ve been dealing with up until now, and for that we’re all grateful. Some of our staff have barely had a chance to work in the office since they started in 2021, and we’re looking forward to safely having the full team back at Ottimo Digital HQ and working together again.

Alun Davies joined Ottimo Digital in September 2021, and in common with several colleagues, he was already familiar with Ottimo before being recruited. In Alun’s case, he worked for a long-standing Ottimo client in the exhibition sector and got to know the company and people well, before being offered the role of production assistant.

How long have you been working in print and graphics?

I’ve worked in and around print for around 20 years and homed in on exhibitions and exhibition graphics about 15 years ago. It’s an exciting place to work, with bags of creativity and fresh ideas flying about, short runs and turnaround times, and the chance to go big and make an impact with some stunning creations. But it’s also high pressure and can be pretty frantic most of the time.

What’s the best thing about working at Ottimo Digital?

It’s a breath of fresh air working at Ottimo!  I think that’s down to a superb and committed team that Lee and Nick have built. Everyone gets on really well and that promotes a positive work environment. It can obviously get busy at times, but we always pull together and get the job done.

What does the production assistant do?

I move customer orders through our production processes, ensuring consistency and quality at every stage. I have to be able to work at every point of that process, which can mean creating, checking and correcting artwork to make sure it’s appropriate for its print process, ensuring the relevant machines are ready and set up correctly, operating the machines, or finishing and cutting the output.

What advice can you give on commissioning graphics?

Above all else, use a good designer with a firm grasp of production methods. I’ve seen many exhibition graphics fail to live up to their potential because the designer didn’t understand the print process.

How do you relax and unwind?

I love the outdoors and will take most opportunities to take a walk, run or cycle ride or do some swimming when it’s too dark, cold or wet.  Drumming for an instrumental noise-rock band lets me clear my head and stay limber at the same time, and it all helps with the more physical aspects of being a production assistant!

The arrival of Ottimo Digital's EFi Vutek FabriVu 340i dye-sub printer marked a significant increase in Ottimo's capacity and versatility in exhibition print, as co-director Nick Lindwall explained, "Printed fabrics are a common sight at events and exhibitions, and we had reached the limit of what we could achieve with fabrics on our 5m UV printer."

Dye-sublimation printing differs from other methods in that the 'ink' is vaporised as it is applied to the fabric, and forms a tight chemical bond with the fibres as it condenses. The results are as good as any dyed fabric, but with all the detail of a modern digital print, and the output can be easily transported, folded, washed, and even ironed without any degradation to the printed image or pattern.

"We did a lot of research, as this was going to be a significant investment for the company," said co-director Lee Crew, "and we chose the EFi Vutek 340i for its versatility and speed. Under certain conditions, the FabriVu can output 250m2/hr, but even when printing high detail, full-colour print at 2400dpi, it can still reach speeds of 150m2/hr, and the colour saturation and accuracy are outstanding. We have a range of fabrics in varying opacity to print on, allowing us to create some really imaginative and eye-catching lightbox and rear-lit exhibition graphics."

The FabriVu 340i is a complex machine, requiring detailed training to manage and operate. It is sensitive to humidity and temperature variations, so Ottimo has expanded its premises with a 230m2 FabriVu facility with air conditioning and air exchange systems to keep everything at an optimal temperature and humidity.

With the growing demand for modular exhibition systems clad in printed fabrics, flags, lightbox systems and hanging structures, Ottimo is keeping the FabriVu 340i busy. With the recent addition of a new belt calendering machine, Ottimo has further expanded the scope of the 340i to include a much wider range of substrates including stretch fabrics.

Tipping the scales at nearly 6 tons, eight and a half meters wide and two and half tall, the Quantum LXr5 dominates Ottimo's 450m2 main print room. 

"It's a beast," admits Lee Crew, Ottimo Digital's co-director, surveying the enormous EFI Quantum LXr5 stretching away into the distance. This colossus can produce 230m2 of high definition full-colour print every hour on a 5.2m wide roll of almost any material and is the capital ship in Ottimo's fleet of wide-format printers. Despite being able to output billboard-sized prints, the richness of colours and definition is better than most dedicated desktop photo printers, making it perfect for exhibition walls and graphics.

"We first installed it in 2017," said co-director Nick Lindwall, "but as you can imagine we were careful in our choice. We knew we needed a high-quality roll-to-roll UV printer that could produce 4-meter high exhibition graphics in a single piece. After some detailed research, we attended a demo of the Quantum LXr5 in Belgium, where we immediately saw the benefits this machine would offer us, not just in terms of size, quality and speed, but also in streamlining our exhibition print service to be able to offer extremely quick turnarounds for our clients."

The Quantum LXr 5 features a built-in cutter, meaning that with the right designs the machine can produce finished graphics straight off the roll, greatly increasing throughput, and freeing up the cutting table for more intricate or complex work.

As a UV printer, the Quantum works by depositing microscopic inks onto the printing material, but unlike solvent printers where the ink simply dries and the solvent evaporates, UV printers use ink that, like resin, cures in the presence of ultraviolet light. So the printer prints and cures the ink in one operation. This has many advantages, and some limitations - it allows designs to be printed on almost any substrate, it's an extremely fast process, the process is much less prone to smearing and smudging -saving on reprints and time, and the colours are vibrant and lightfast.

"It's a complex machine," says Lee, "but even during our training sessions we were able to produce flawless client work, and since then the LXr 5 has been the mainstay of our exhibition graphics workflow."

"And versatile," adds Nick, "there's an enormous range of inks and substrates for special applications, delivering creative opportunities for our clients we weren't able to offer before. As the first UK operator of the Quantum LXr5, we've been using it for four years and it absolutely ticks the boxes for exhibition graphics production, enabling us to deliver at scale with faster turnaround times than previously possible. As an investment, it's been a great success too."

A series of blogs focusing on the many machines we have here at Ottimo Digital. We rely on these machines every day to translate our skills and talent into world-class print, and these blogs will tell you more about what they're capable of, and why we chose each particular one.

Nick Lindwall beams when you mention "The Kongsberg". It's not hard to see why. This colossal machine can crease, cut, score, mill, or perforate virtually any material from fine paper to thick perspex. The top speed of the tool head, 100 meters per minute, makes it amongst the fastest in its class even now, 5 years after purchase. The machine can handle media up to 3.2m wide and has a total working area that exceeds 10 square metres. With its incredible range of tools, from the high power milling unit to the rotary fabric cutter, the Kongsberg C-Series is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment at Ottimo's disposal.

"Back in 2015, we were cutting all our prints by hand and the team here were absolute masters at it. But gaps in our capabilities began showing up when clients began asking for more curved cuts and shapes that were tricky to cut manually. We knew what we needed, but we also wanted to be future proof given the size of our investment, so we thought long and hard about which finishing table to choose. We had a few options, but our clear goal was to get the largest and most capable machine we could afford. And that was the Kongsberg C-Series."

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

 When it was first delivered and set up, the C-Series immediately won friends at Ottimo. Not only could it cut sinuous curves in foamboard, lettering in perspex, and shapes in film and fabric, it cut with unerring, incredible accuracy and consistency, and the team was delighted with it from day one, when for a demonstration job it casually cut 100 perfect circles out of foamex in less than five minutes.

Nick Lindwall explained how easy it is to use, saying, "The Kongsberg training is comprehensive, and the machine is powered by easy to use software, so setting up jobs is now a quick and straightforward process. Given the size of the investment, we chose to get a comprehensive toolset to really start punching above our weight in the exhibition print sector. Not only does the Kongsberg allow us to print and cut a wide variety of exhibition type substrates we couldn't cut before like perspex and Dibond, but it has also sliced finishing times down to mere minutes, and almost completely freed the team from laborious hand cutting."

"We love the Kongsberg," Nick concluded, "it has totally justified our investment. It's a key factor in matching the capabilities of much larger, less agile, exhibition print providers and offers us some interesting new capabilities we have yet to explore. It has really put us in a different league!"

---

Introduction

Jon Thompson

Jon Thompson, Ottimo Digital's business development manager, has an infectious enthusiasm for the weight, feel and lustre of high-quality print - demonstrated by the success of his Ottimo Digital Eco Swatches. Jon loves a good swatch or sample book, and he knows that when customers get to examine and handle the materials in front of them, the possibilities start unfolding and ideas start flowing. Sharing the tactile delights of print with customers is just one part of his role.

What's your background in print?

I was an account manager at a leading international supplier for the print and graphics industry, and originally Ottimo Digital was one of my clients! I'm very much a people person, I always want to develop a rapport with my customers, and never hesitate to meet in person whenever possible. Over the years of managing the account I got to know the Ottimo team, and Nick and Lee in particular. We'd meet often: I'd be keeping them updated on the latest developments in our product line or they might be asking my advice on a particular substrate for a certain project they were doing. We got on well, had shared interests, and they were great customers.

What brought you to Ottimo Digital?

Nick and Lee let me know that there would be a role for me at Ottimo if I ever wanted a change. There was no pressure or expectation, they simply let me know the door was open. After working with them as customers, I had a great deal of respect for how they had built Ottimo Digital as a people-first organisation, and I think that's a major factor in the success of the business. After a while, the time came to move my career on. I contacted Nick and Lee in the first instance, and the rest is history!

What is your role at Ottimo Digital?

As business development manager, it's my job to find new business, look after new enquiries and manage our existing accounts. As I said before, I'm happiest meeting face to face, so I really haven't enjoyed all the Zoom meetings of late. I always look forward to meeting clients, getting under the skin of exactly what they want from their print, and working out how we can realise their ambitions. I like to meet clients on-site early in a project too, as it's easier to visualise the finished project in place, and that's when you spot opportunities to get creative or see those pitfalls that aren't so obvious on the plans and drawings.

We frequently discuss client projects amongst ourselves as colleagues  - it really helps to bounce ideas off one another, and to get a different perspective on a problem or tricky brief. There's so much knowledge under one roof at Ottimo that we can get a real breadth of informed opinion when we need it. I like to bring new business into the company through personal contacts, networks and recommendations, which is why building relationships is so important.

Why do your clients choose Ottimo?

All sorts of reasons! We do have a loyal band of local business clients, who treasure our fast turnaround times and capacity for straightforward digital print jobs, other clients come to us because we are simply the nearest firm that can output and finish 5m print, and end up staying because we're fast, brilliant and knowledgeable! But I think my clients choose Ottimo Digital because they know us well, and they trust us to look after their brands and campaigns as if they were our own.

---

---

Introduction

Craig Boxley

Craig Boxley, Ottimo's senior project manager, is a problem solver. He sees every project in terms of finding the absolute optimum solution for his loyal clients. From his first beginnings as a graphic designer, Craig's career in the print industry has equipped him with an encyclopedic knowledge of print and production, which he brings to bear on all his work.

What's your role at Ottimo Digital?

I'm the senior project manager, and essentially I take projects from the first enquiry through to delivery, smoothing the path and sweeping all obstacles aside. With my background in graphic design and my career in all kinds of print, I've built up a fair bit of knowledge - and I use all of it to bring our clients' projects to fruition.,

What brought you to Ottimo, and what do you like about working here?

After graduating in graphic design, I went straight to work for a major global company in the sign room and then a little later I joined one of the largest event and exhibition print firms in the UK as an artworker. This is where I first met Gary Hawker, my colleague today at Ottimo. Before long I was creating artwork, running printers, managing production, and discovering that the print industry had a lot to offer in terms of career choices and variety.

Gary and I worked together on projects, on and off, for 14 years, and when I was made redundant, I joined Gary at a display graphics firm in Bristol and began to move away from production and towards account management, planning and installations. When Gary alerted me to an opening at Ottimo, I jumped at the chance.

What makes Ottimo Digital different?

Customer service. I know everyone says this, but good service isn't simply timely, budget-friendly, digital print delivered with a smile. It means really digging deep to grasp what every customer needs. from any given project and delivering it with imagination and insight. Some customers need a digital print partner they can simply hand work off to, whereas others need a guiding hand and lots of advice on choices and decisions. Every customer works differently, and we shape our service around them.

As an employer, Ottimo gives me the autonomy and freedom I need to look after my clients in the way I know best, and to manage their projects from start to finish. But Ottimo is also like a family, and it's a great feeling to know that everyone has your back. There's a sense of collective responsibility, so we all share in the successes - and the failures (although they are rare). If I ever get a question about print I can't answer, there is always someone else at Ottimo who can.

What gives you the greatest job satisfaction?

Being able to say 'yes' to every request. Over the last few years, we've expanded our capabilities, but we're still an agile mid-sized company - which means we can match the possibilities of the largest digital print outfits and offer exceptionally fast turnarounds. I relish being able to work on graphics one day and meet the client on-site the next to plan and visualise how they're going to look in situ. And then - days later, getting back on-site and supervising the installation.

---

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

A couple of hundred years ago, glass was expensive, crude, and used very sparingly by all but the most wealthy people. The contrast with today couldn't be clearer, where glass is now a high-tech material, strong enough to be used in construction, versatile enough to be able to carry the world's information at the speed of light.

And our built environment is the same, glass is everywhere. Shopfronts, doors, walls, ceilings, street furniture and, of course, windows. As a canvas for graphics, glass is hard to beat. Its transparency offers a vast number of creative possibilities, it's also rigid, non-porous, chemically inert, and resists scratches and impacts. These qualities make it a great surface for graphics installations, and it's not hard to see why window and glass graphics are so popular in retail.

Designers can manipulate many more factors on glass than on opaque media like paper. A lightbox effect, glass mounted translucent print, is simple and easily achieved. In combination with displays and coloured lighting, transparent print can create eye-popping effects. Designers can also control transparency using blocking inks, and use selective transparency in their designs.

Choosing between window film, cut vinyls and other window manifestation substrates is a balance between the effect you want to create, the environmental conditions faced by the graphics, and your budget. If you can keep the graphics inside, they'll have to put up with a lot less weather!

Vinyls are coming in an ever-expanding range of finishes and qualities, allowing you to create frosting effects, mirror finishes and event textured surfaces. Using vector artwork, vinyls can be cut incredibly precisely into complex and interlocking shapes. Piecing them together on a sheet of glass is very much a fine art! On a simpler level, frosting vinyl is widely used to alert people to the existence of glass walls and doors, or as a sight screen for glass-walled offices. Frosting on glass is a great chance to reinforce corporate branding whilst delivering functional improvements to safety and privacy.

Window films let your creativity run riot - you can create transparency, colour, and light-blocking designs to work together with photographic quality print at high resolution. The design is then printed onto glass-clear, window film. This takes normal print design into new dimensions, and needs a very clear understanding of the qualities and variables at play. But the results can be quite stunning in the hands of talented and imaginative designers.

Vinyl graphics can be mounted simply using cohesive molecular force, the phenomenon where vinyl clings very securely to smooth, non-porous surfaces, or they can be mounted using low-tack adhesive. Clinging graphics can't really be used on exterior surfaces, where an adhesive will be needed.

Here’s our quick guide to window graphic materials:

• One Way Vision

  
  Material: 50/50 Ratio pattern with 1.5mm Hole size
  Typical applications: external and internal window graphics onto flat glass surfaces showing advertising on one side and allowing for a "see-through" view on the other side

• Ultra Clear Gloss

  
  Material: Removable adhesive and can be printed with white ink
  Typical applications: For medium-term advertising on glass surfaces. Any design can be perfectly reproduced, while unprinted areas allow a perfectly clear view through the glass.

You don't really see them. Whether they're erected around construction sites, temporary works, new shopping centres and closed shops, unless you're thinking specifically about them, hoardings just merge into the urban landscape.

But what you will have noticed over the last decade is the prevalence of hoarding graphics - instead of the familiar blue or green painted wooden panels, blocking out the (usually not very picturesque) view, you'll see big colourful mission statements, cool architectural renderings, close-up colour photographs of delighted smiles, and pretty much the same kind of images you might come across flipping through the pages of a glossy magazine.

The price of  large format printing has dropped, thanks to its huge popularity, and projects that would once have been prohibitively expensive - like wrapping a complete construction site with full-colour graphics 3 metres high - are now much more affordable.

Smaller hoarding solutions benefit from these economies of scale too, and the choice of inks and substrates offers an ever-widening menu of characteristics making this type of print product astonishingly versatile.

Of course, a successful installation relies on choosing exactly the right materials for the job. Outdoor installations pose particular environmental challenges. Being blessed with most kinds of weather, often in the same week, the UK is a challenging environment for outdoor graphics and the solution you choose will need to be frost, wind, water, rot, and fade proof to one extent or another.

There are dozens of individual factors to consider as well: how long will the hoardings be in place? How will they be affixed? Do they need to be easily replaceable or updateable? Do they need to be biodegradable or recyclable? The answers to these and other questions will help you narrow down your choices.

At Ottimo, we're experts in selecting the right combination for hoardings and other rigid substrate print for use in things like signage, stadia advertising and exhibition displays. Our years of experience have taught us the combinations that work best for almost every given situation, and we'll be able to find the perfect solution for you too.

Here’s our quick guide to the best hoarding materials:

• Hoarding Panel

  
  Material: Economically priced aluminium composite, exceptional strength, and rigidity to weight ratio
  Size: Range of thicknesses in aluminium skin, allowing you to tailor your budget to the best available product.
  Applications: Designed for the hoarding panel market around construction sites, but also works well for single-sided signage
  

• Aluminium Composite:

  
  Material: Only display grade aluminium composite material to be lined with the unique A/Mg1 alloy-based aluminium which allows the product to be recycled.
  Suitability: Applications requiring easy routing and folding, a relatively low weight product with great stiffness and dimensional stability.
  Applications: Interior or exterior use for signage, sign trays, POS/POP applications, and shop fascias.
  

• Fluted Board

  
  Material: Lightweight and semi-rigid
  Size: Available in various thicknesses up to 10mm
  Suitability: Interior and exterior use.
  Applications: Ideal for estate agent signs, short term signage - stadia advertising, pitch boards, and post sleeves

---

Introduction

Mark English

Mark English, is exhibition and installations manager at Ottimo Digital. Often found travelling between Newport and graphics installations around the country, he is responsible for coordinating and managing the delivery of all of Ottimo’s print production, from exhibition signage to building wraps and corporate branding jobs. Mark’s formidable organisational skills are the result of years of experience in exhibition graphics and print and are only rivalled by his determination to achieve the best possible results for Ottimo's clients.

How long have you been working at Ottimo Digital?

I've known Lee Crew since we were colleagues in the exhibition industry 20 years ago, and we've always kept in touch as our careers developed. Some years later, I was running my own business, and Ottimo had become one of our most valued clients, and it was clear that this company was an exciting prospect. Nick and Lee were clearly determined to make Ottimo the best in the business and the best to work for, and succeeding! When Nick and Lee approached me with this role a few years ago, I jumped at the chance.

What’s the most challenging part of your role?

Details. So often, the difference between good and genuinely excellent work comes down to details, and there are so many to consider in the work we do for our clients. From the initial enquiry to the final delivery, where I’ll be onsite to install, supervise and keep our client informed, there are dozens of individual organisational and logistical challenges to overcome. From booking accommodation and access platforms for our installation teams to ensuring the fitting and mounting components are suitable for the location, everything has to come together at installation time, without fail.

What should we be looking out for in the future of digital print?

You'd think that flexible display screens and the kind of display technology that's in the pipeline will change the game for exhibition graphics, but the near future will be defined by innovations in sustainability. Not only are there important drivers to reduce waste materials and emissions, but there are strong economic arguments for increasing reusability and recyclability through the choice of inks, substrates and other materials. Right now, huge strides are being made in wide-format fabric printing, which aligns well with our customer base in events and exhibitions.

What are the most important things you have learned in your career in print?

I've learned the importance of good teamwork throughout my career and that it takes practice and dedication to do it successfully. I've been fortunate enough to work with some fantastic mentors who have passed on their knowledge and working practices and discovered that the most critical lessons apply to every kind of working situation.

---

---

‘Banners’ can be a catch-all term for something varied and highly effective both indoors and outdoors. But what exactly is a banner?

A banner is a sign made from cloth, plastic, or a similar lightweight, flexible material with a message printed onto the surface. It's a cost-effective and highly visible method of placing a brand or message in full view of the target audience and can play a key part in the branding of an event or space.

Location is a key factor in determining materials for banners. Solid PVC or fabric banners work well in most locations, but mesh banners are a better choice when there is a chance of high winds or even strong gusts. Mesh banners allow wind to pass through and reduce the loading on the mounting points. This makes them ideal for elevated locations such as scaffolding or construction sites, and a good option for use on traffic management barriers in pedestrian areas. The banner then becomes multi purpose, softening the pedestrian barrier to the eye, carrying branding and making wayfinding much easier.

Fabric and PVC banners can be used in places without direct mounting options, by tensioning them between existing structures. Fabric banners can be fitted with eyelets and pockets for poles to facilitate them being rigged correctly. Banners can be up to 5 meters wide in a single piece, and almost unlimited in length, so you have the opportunity to position your brand or message in the most visible space possible.

However, not every space you may see is available or appropriate for you to install a banner. You can't just rig your banner anywhere. Quite apart from the practical constraints, you also need to consider the legal requirements for your banner to be safe, suitable for public display, and rigged with all the necessary permissions from the owners of the land and the owners of any structures the banner may be attached to. You'll also want to be clear on the copyright status of any imagery or text printed onto your banner.

Once in situ you need to keep the advertising in good condition and looking tidy, and it must be kept safe at all times - no corners or edges being left unsecured, etc. When banners reach a certain size they may require planning consent so it is worthwhile understanding how and when those restrictions apply.

Rigging banners indoors will, of course, necessitate the permission of those in control of the building or space. There will be specific requirements for venues like exhibition and concert halls, and it may require the use of the venue’s own in-house rigging teams.

Once you have worked through the practicalities and legalities you are ready to deploy one of the most effective brand and communication tools available. Highly visible, almost unmissable, a good banner can achieve so much.

Here’s our quick guide to the most popular materials and their common uses:

PVC Banner 510

Suitability: internal & long term external use

Material: Smooth surface

Size: Available up to 5m wide

PVC Banner

Suitability: Internal & short term external use

Material: Smooth surface

Size: Available up to 5m wide

PVC Blockout

Suitability: Internal & external use

Material: Super smooth surface and excellent opacity

Size: Available up to 5m wide

Typical applications: Cafe banners and hanging displays

PVC Mesh Banner:

Suitability: Suitable for internal & short term external use

Material: Smooth, perforated surface

Size: Available up to 5m wide

Blockout Display Fabric:

Suitability: internal tension display systems non illuminated

Material: 100% polyester with good flatness and excellent opacity

Size: Available up to 5m wide

Typical applications: Wall wraps, backdrops and theatrical

Flexface:

Suitability: producing 'Flexface Skins" internal and external

Material: PVC Double coated high tenacity polyester

Size: Available up to 5m wide

Typical applications: Illuminated fascia signs and exhibition displays

For the full range of materials and uses - check out our materials guide https://www.ottimodigital.co.uk/our-materials

---

Introduction

Gary Hawker

Gary Hawker doesn't really fit the popular image of a sales director. He's softly spoken, thoughtful and really doesn't like using his job title - he's 'just Gary.'

Like so many people on the Ottimo team, he's spent a career in print and graphics. From his first reprographics techniques course at college to his promotion to print foreman for a high street supermarket chain, printing ink runs in Gary's veins. But he found his true calling in sales - building relationships, understanding client needs, and using his formidable print knowledge to offer solutions that work.

How long have you been at Ottimo Digital?

10 years! I joined Ottimo Digital in late 2010 shortly after the financial crash - the PLC I was working for was restructured, and I began working exclusively for one of our former clients before meeting Nick & Lee in 2011. Immediately I noticed the difference in their attitude and approach to business and wanted to be a part of it.

What's the best thing about working at Ottimo Digital?

There's quite a bit to choose from! It's all about the people I work with, enjoying the work - more than just work, it's about being part of a successful group effort. We've all got our strengths and weaknesses, but we're greater than the sum of our parts. From a sales perspective, Ottimo is a dream job. We have all the capabilities of much larger graphics producers and all the agility and flexibility of a small team. We've got the same machines, inks, substrates and arguably more expertise, but we can spin on a penny when we need to.

I've enjoyed watching the business and the team grow over the last 10 years. Nick & Lee are not only long-standing colleagues but also good friends. The company is built on friendship, trust, and teamwork, and fosters a strong sense of responsibility towards our clients.

How has the pandemic affected your work and the business?

Like everyone with a significant stake in supplying the events and exhibitions industry, it has been very tough, but exhibition enquiries are trickling in again, and I'm expecting that trickle to return to a full flow again by 2022.  We've looked into different sectors whilst the event industry has been in hibernation and done quite a bit of work printing Covid-signage and decorative hoardings for closed shops - none of it very uplifting - but in the back of our minds, we knew the event industry was going to bounce back, so we haven't committed to any major change in our target market.

Why do clients keep coming back to Ottimo?

You'd need to ask them! Of course, we deliver outstanding print, on time and on budget, but that in itself is not enough. We always strive to become an extension of our clients' businesses, being there when they need us, as committed to their goals as they are.

---

---

Celebrating our 10 year Party in late 2019 with our clients, suppliers and friends.

It wasn't that long after we celebrated our 10th anniversary in business and invested £275K in new fabric printing equipment that Covid-19 broke out in the UK. But, 12 months later, we're still optimistic about the future, now that the end of the pandemic and a return to events seems like a possibility.

The increased demand for Covid-19 signage, and its client base outside the event industry, have helped us bridge the Covid gap that many suppliers have struggled with, and now we're hoping for a resurgence in demand from the event sector as bookings for exhibitions and conferences begin to land.

Our co-director, Lee Crew says, "The whole event industry has taken a financial battering, but the speed of the vaccine rollout is phenomenal and there is, at last, a sense of optimism to hang on to. There's also a lot of pent-up demand, waiting for exhibitions and events to gradually come on-stream again. Our recent investments in people and equipment will put us at the fore to meet this demand."

Co-director Nick Lindwall, agrees, "We've spent 10 years bringing Ottimo Digital to where it is today," he says, "We've built strong client relationships by dedicating ourselves to total customer satisfaction and delivering results where no-one else can or will. We've invested in more equipment and talented people, and we're ready to play our part bringing the event industry back."

Our original HQ and print room in 2010

---

---

When Flexi Soul Yoga needed a privacy solution for its new studio with a full glass frontage, it called on the expert services of Ottimo Digital, the Newport based event and exhibition print specialist, which provide a range of print and finishing services to local businesses whilst exhibitions are suspended during the pandemic.

Flexi Soul needed to obscure the view of the new studio from the street, whilst admitting as much natural light as possible, and making the most of the branding opportunity presented by a large, glass frontage.

Ottimo Digital worked quickly to provide a few design choices together with a menu of different effects and finishes, allowing Flexi Soul to easily pick from several different combinations guaranteed to fulfil the brief. Flexi Soul chose a combination of colour vinyls and etch-effect window graphics to proclaim its brand outside and create privacy within, whilst admitting plenty of daylight into the premises.

Nicky Miles at Flexi Soul Yoga was delighted with the results, saying, "Ottimo Digital have just finished installing my new sign at the new studio and I am absolutely thrilled with the final result!  I dealt with Jon Thompson and the process from beginning to end was flawless. Jon talked me through several options for design and came up with multiple solutions to choose from; he thought of ideas that I would never have imagined. The service from consultation to installation was second to none."

---

---

Sian Cameron, project manager at Ottimo Digital is a new recruit to the team but has been in their orbit for some time as an event professional and long-standing graphic designer for exhibitions, press, and print. Sian has print in her blood and started out working with her father's printing firm in the days of offset litho and camera-ready artwork.

Sian Cameron

What do you like about working at Ottimo Digital?

It's a cliché, but we're a family. There's a strong sense that we all look out for each other and that we share a passion for the business and our clients. Nick and Lee, the directors, understand the importance of having a solid team identity and building a sense of everyone pulling together. Along with everyone else, I am proud to be a member of the Ottimo team.

What makes Ottimo Digital different?

Everyone takes client satisfaction seriously, but here at Ottimo, it is at the centre of everything we do as a team. We have developed our own, highly efficient, workflow that enables us to plan everything meticulously and maintain a steady throughput of client work regardless of how complex or time consuming any particular job might be. This efficiency gives us the capacity to respond to urgent needs, same-day deadlines or out-of-the-blue problems without breaking our stride. This rapid response, can-do attitude, with our trademark speed and efficiency is what makes us different and keeps clients coming back.

Why are exhibition graphics important?

Exhibition graphics is the tool you use to capture attention, and you only have a few scant seconds to interest audiences in your stand. With the explosion of trade shows covering even the smallest industries, there are many SMEs keen to start exhibiting, and exhibition graphics is probably their route to best "bang for the buck" in terms of impact and ROI. But it's the quality of the design and print that matters. Poorly designed exhibition graphics will be a waste of money, no matter how well they are printed, and vice versa. With so many options for exhibition graphics, it’s not just about the content, it’s also about how you best display that content to communicate your message  - and to stimulate and entice that potential new client to visit your stand.

How can I best save money on exhibition graphics?

So you want to make your marketing budget go as far as it can at an exhibition? Think about reusable options, such as fabric-wrapped modular displays that are easily transported from event to event and can be refreshed or adapted for subsequent events. Wrapping larger custom-built stands and walls with printed vinyl produce the most amazing professional finish and is relatively inexpensive.

What are the most common problems you have to deal with? And how do you solve them?

Artwork is our number one issue. Because there's such a huge range of file types and software producing them. But we have a deep reservoir of expertise in digital formats and given one file type, we can either convert it to the required format or, where necessary, redraw/reproduce the client's artwork. Sometimes our graphics simply aren't hardwearing enough for the environment they've been placed in, usually due to higher than predicted wear and tear, or exposure to more weather than anticipated. In these cases, we revisit the project and resolve the problems with different substrates.

What’s the goal of a successful graphics project for a client?

We want to ensure that the client feels that they have received the best customer experience from the initial brief through to the delivery or installation. No matter how small or large a project is we still apply the same level of care and expertise to meet our customers' expectations but most importantly we want to delight and surprise them with the end result exceeding their expectations

How do you know you’re doing it right?

Well for me I’d say the vast amount of work that we do, year after year -  the majority of which is for our longest-established clients. We have an extensive and loyal client base featuring many great companies and a few household names. Coupled with the most amazing feedback from all our clients, we strongly believe we have a winning formulation that’s only getting better and better.

---

---

Floor graphics were always a great tool in the armoury of the event graphics supplier, helping organisers and contractors deliver everything from wayfinding to on floor advertising. There has been a rapid rise in the use of floor graphics outside the world of events due to the arrival of Covid-19 and the need to communicate clearly and obviously direction of travel, social distancing and entry and exit points.

Most floor graphics have a finite life, they could last six to nine months or as low as three, depending upon the location, traffic flow and materials used. Which means that replacement and refreshing needs to be a consideration if the application is outside the short lifetime of an exhibition or event.

There are plenty of clever applications of floor graphics like using a single printed graphic for the floor and seamlessly curving it into a vertical wall, or even printing directly onto carpet or other floorcoverings. It is a medium that has been widely used but still has enormous creative potential.

But there is far more to consider when selecting floor graphics than just the aesthetics. In fact, there is quite a bit of science behind it. 

There are a number of things to consider when your graphics supplier selects the materials for your floor graphics. Firstly, it is essential that they are fit for purpose, meaning the material from which they are made is suitable for their intended environment.

The basics are that whatever is used needs to adhere to the surface on which it’s fixed without curling at the edges for the duration of the event, it also has to be non-slip for both indoor and outdoor use. But for a moment let’s dive a little deeper into the science as it will help you ensure that the graphics you are ordering will be fit for purpose.

R Ratings are one of the most common measures of slip resistance for inclined surfaces, its full name being the R scale DIN 51130 standard for shod feet. It’s widely used across Europe where manufacturers classify their products’ anti-slip properties using the R scale. The R refers to ramp which is the method by which the product is tested. It is a gradually inclined ramp which has a contaminant introduced to reduce the grip and the angle at which the subject slips on the surface is the R rating.

R ratings start at a base of R9 through to R13, the highest and most slip-resistant.

There’s a quick guide:

• R9: Only use in dry areas, potential slip risk if wet

• R10: Only use in areas that are kept mainly dry with a low chance of getting wet

• R11: Suitable for areas that have the potential to occasionally become wet

• R12: Can be used in areas that frequently become wet

• R13: Suitable for a sloped area that has the potential to become wet

For level surfaces, the Pendulum Tests Value ( PTV), classified under EN-13036 or BS 7976-2, assesses the subject surface on a level floor in both wet and dry conditions. The  PTV Risk is gained by a swinging pendulum fitted with an imitation heel to make contact with the surface, the friction of the heel on the surface limits the pendulum swing, the distance of that swing determines the surface’s  PTV.

The PTV scale starts at 0 and rises to 100, 100 being the highest and most slip-resistant.

Pendulum Test Value (PTV) Slip Risk:

• 0-24 - High Slip Potential

• 25-35 - Moderate Slip Potential

• 36+ Slow Slip Potential

This test has been in use since 1971 and is now a national standard in at least 50 countries. In addition, it has safety standards for many different situations that have been in use since being established in 1999. These standards happen to be in the UK (BS 7976) and Europe (EN 13036), but they apply equally well in other countries.

So there you have it, a crash course in the science of floor graphics and you can rest assured that here at Ottimo Digital we have studied the science and the creative possibilities - give us a call if you want to make your floor graphics both exciting and safe!

---