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How to overcome retail display challenges

Posted in Sign & Display
How to overcome retail display challenges
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By Palram Network

What are we looking for when specifying display materials? Some keywords, which come to mind, include strong, easy fabricating, satisfactory printing attributes, structural integrity, easy to assemble, disassemble and re-assemble. What are these features used for, and what material can provide them all?

I have put together some important questions you should ask yourself when planning a modern retail or exhibition display stand.

1. Can I make the display three-dimensional?

Although one-dimensional displays take up less shop space, they lack the important visual aspects of depth and height. By adding volume to your display, you give exhibition items the attention they need. You get people engaged by looking at your exhibition booth or at your product from different angles, giving you the opportunity to deliver a more detailed message.

Good options would be foamed PVC products, multilayered or composite PVC sheets or aluminum composite materials.

2. Can the display be easily disassembled and reassembled?

Building a 3D model out of a flat fabricated substrate requires V grooving and detailed cutting. However, multiple use weakens the material at the bent point. Choosing a substrate that can withstand abuse and maintain its structural integrity is crucial. 

3. How do I obtain the best printing quality on my display?

Ink adhesion is the ability of the pigment to attach to the surface of the printing media, either mechanically or chemically.
Color retention is the ability of the printed media to maintain the colors for a long period without fading.
The media’s white point is crucial for the image profile generation within the printer software.

Not all polymers conform to those requirements, and those that do, like PVC, should be extruded in a way that brings out the required traits.

4. How big can the display get?

Sometimes your client specifies an oversized display whether it is for an extravagant exhibition booth, for a shopping mall holiday attraction, or any other reason.

Constructing a large 3D display requires a strong substrate with a good strength to weight ratio, which can support its own weight without deflection. Aluminum composite sheets are a good option, but their high weight is a challenge. Lightweight options (foam board, cardboard) are limited by their poor structural strength. In this aspect, too, multilayered PVC is an optimal solution, with its lightweight and its impressive strength and durability.

5. Small display elements, how do we get that precision?

How do you connect the pieces together? The simpler the assembly is the more efficient the display will be for the end user. No one wants to use adhesives, screws or pin rivets.

With accurate CNC cutting you can create tongue and groove elements that maintain their functional performance even after multiple uses. This is possible only with substrates that are both rigid and easy to rout, drill and cut.

Standard foamed or solid PVC sheets would be a good option for printing quality and aluminum composite sheets may show great strength, but only co-extruded multilayer PVC sheets with a foamed core and rigid, solid outer layers can combine lightweight and ease of fabrication with the structural integrity to support large display structures.

“We chose PALBOARD over alternatives. First because it is so easy to fabricate. It is excellent for digital printing, CNC routing, and V-groove cutting. All go so smooth, that once we tried it, we knew this is our solution. We even cold fold V-grooved sheets to 90° multiple times and they maintain their structural strength.” says P. Steinberg, a product designer and managing director at Clear-Designs Ltd.

“We are used to trials and errors that cost us time and create scraps until we get all processes synchronized, but here we were amazed by the quality of ink adhesion we got with PALBOARD right from the initial digital printing phase. We now offer PALBOARD as a better alternative to aluminum composite material. It is lighter, easier to work with, and the results we achieve are breathtaking. I have built dozens different display models, and the retailer’s ROI is outstanding”.

PALBOARD is Palram’s innovative multilayered PVC sheet, designed specifically for sign and display manufacturers who require substrates that deliver endless possibilities.