Our Studio Crafted™ hybrid UV-curable inkjet printer is more than capable of producing high-quality, multi-colour large format printing on a wide range of flexible roll-based substrates. But were you aware we also have the ability to print on rigid materials?

Here’s our list of the top 7 most common substrates and their applications as used by our customers since we introduced our Metro Vancouver-based signage printing service last fall.

1. Foam Core Board (Foam-Cor)

A very strong, lightweight and easily cut material consisting of three layers — an inner layer of polystyrene clad with outer facing of either a white or brown Kraft paper.
Applications: short-term life POP displays, exhibits & kiosks, interior signage, and displays

2. Corrugated Board (Coroplast)

A sheet with 2 skins separated by vertical ribs. These ribs create a series of “flutes” that run the length of the sheet. The square box shape of the flutes makes the sheets rigid and strong yet very lightweight.
Applications: short-term life Interior and exterior signage, free standing displays, truck and bus boards, billboards, point of purchase advertising, trade show exhibits, counter displays, packaging

3. Styrene / ABS Sheet

Versatile and inexpensive, this material is 100% recyclable.
Applications: short to medium life POP Displays, interior signage, packaging, bus advertising

4. Expanded PVC (Sintra)

A lightweight yet rigid board of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) extruded with a low gloss matte finish. Dent and scratch resistant. This material is recyclable.
Applications: medium-life POP displays, exhibits & kiosks, framing, interior and exterior signage

5. Paper Board / Card Stock

A recyclable, lightweight viable alternative to foam core sheets.
Applications: short-term life posters, POP displays, packaging

6. Aluminum Composite Panel (Dibond)

An aluminum composite material made of two pre-painted sheets of .012″ aluminum with a solid polyethylene core.
Applications: long-term life POP displays, exhibits & kiosks, framing, interior and exterior signage

7. Acrylic / Plexiglass

Economical, provides tight thickness tolerance, high optical characteristics and low stress levels. 50% lighter than glass.
Applications: POP displays, light boxes

Would you like more information regarding large format printing on either roll-based or rigid media? Contact us today for more information or request a custom print quote online.

The non-profit organization, Two Sides Inc., is doing a great job on their website dispelling many of the myths and misconceptions that the paper industry is responsible for large-scale deforestation and adverse impacts on the environment.* Here’s a summary of some of the facts they’ve posted regarding the production, use and recycling of paper products.

Myth 1: Making Paper destroys forests.

The Fact: The North American paper industry promotes sustainable forestry and depends on sustainable forest growth to provide a reliable supply of wood fiber. Paper manufacturers do this by encouraging forest sustainability through the purchase and use of certified wood fiber and by promoting sustainable forest management policies and practices such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certification.

Myth 2: Making paper is bad for the environment.

The Fact: Paper is recyclable and it is made from a natural resource that is renewable. These features, combined with the North American paper industry’s advocacy of responsible forestry practices and certification, use of renewable, carbon-neutral bio-fuels and advances in efficient paper making technology, make paper one of the most sustainable products on earth.

Myth 3: Making paper consumes a lot of energy.

The Fact: The most recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Agency shows that the paper industry is the country’s third-largest industrial user of energy. However, nearly two-thirds of the energy used by North American pulp and paper mills is self-generated using renewable, carbon-neutral biomass. In fact, the North American paper and forest products industry produces and uses more renewable energy than all other industrial sectors combined.

Myth 4: Paper has a high carbon footprint.

The Fact: Carbon footprint is defined as the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that a person, organization, event or product causes to be released to the atmosphere, either directly or indirectly, during its life. Paper’s carbon footprint is smaller than might be expected: it’s made from a renewable resource that stores carbon, it’s manufactured using mostly renewable energy and it’s recyclable.

Myth 5: Print and paper is a wasteful product.

The Fact: In addition to the sustainable advantage of being made from a renewable resource, paper is the most recycled product in the world. The recovery rate for used paper has increased dramatically since 1990 when tracking paper recycling began. We’re not only recovering more, but we now know how to get the most environmental and economic benefits from using recycled paper in new products.

Myth 6: Electronic communication is more environmentally friendly than print and paper.

The Fact: Organizations that truly want to make responsible environmental choices should do so based on rigorous, factual and verifiable life cycle assessments of each alternative. Rather than asking which is better, paper or electronic communication, we should be working to figure out which combination of the two has the least impact on the environment while best meeting social and economic needs.

*Click here for complete citations and links to original sources.

At Still Creek Press, we’re committed to protecting the environment. Let us show you how you can reduce the environmental impact of your next print order by considering green printing. Speak with one of our sales representative for more information.

Our printed desktop calendars are one of our most sought after promotional pieces; so much so they’ve become an annual initiative here at Still Creek Press. All of our customers love receiving them and we love giving them away! We’ve even got a fresh new look for the calendars this year that ties in nicely with our new value proposition “Print Made Easy”. So don’t miss out because once they’re gone, you’ll have to wait till 2013.

Contact one of our sales representatives to get one before they’re gone.

The students brought with them a high level of energy and enthusiasm to our organization, and they provided a fresh perspective and some great new ideas. “It was a wonderful experience to see the imagination, creativity and knowledge that is represented by these students,” said Cameron McClean, CEO of Still Creek Press. “I think it is very clear that the student marketing team put an enormous amount of thought into the plan that they presented for us. This was a great project; we were very pleased with the quality of the student work and the level of creativity that they brought to their solutions.”

Now that the students have presented their marketing plan to the Still Creek Press stakeholders, it will be up to our marketing team to consider putting their plan into action when the team meets for its annual marketing planning session in the new year. We hope that this mutually beneficial opportunity becomes an annual activity between our company and the Sauder School of Business marketing students.

The Teddy Bear Toss has become a hugely successful event and benefits great causes. If you’ve never seen (or been to) a Giants Teddy Bear Toss game , watch this YouTube video below and smile… just like we did the other night.

If the clip reaches 50,000 views before Christmas day, the Vancouver Giants & White Spot Restaurants will make a $10,000 Donation to the CKNW Orphan’s Fund & the Province’s Empy Stocking Fund! So click that play button and support a great cause.