How are Wall Letters Made?

How are Wall Letters Made?

by Jerry Pappalardo on October 8, 2013

Ever wondered how wall letters and graphics are made for businesses and retail locations? You may have seen them on occasion — anything from store front windows to an office reception area with their company name and logo or wall mural to a retail location with pictures of products scattered around the store to giant wall letters used at a university gymnasium.

Wall letters are basically decals that we print, laminate, and cut in the store, and then applied at the customer’s location. Here’s how they’re made.

First, we print the wall graphics and letters on our wide format printer and let them dry. Next, we laminate the entire printout, this ensures that the materials are protected from normal wear and tear, or ultraviolet rays if installed outside. Finally, we’ll precisely cut out any individual letters or elements with a cutter.

In our own Signarama Murietta store, we have a combination printer-cutter, the Roland XC 540 54″ printer. We load the laminated print back into the printer to cut out the wall letters and graphic elements. Every print job has registration marks so the cutter knows where to cut, making it extremely accurate. It’s also possible to print and cut at the same time, but for most wall letters and graphics, in order to protect them from handling and UV rays, we avoid removing the lamination step from out process.

A wall graphic can also be a solid print, like the wall mural we (and many other Signarama stores) have in our lobby. We print the graphic images out in long strips, and place it on the wall by piecing it together, strip by strip, matching the images next to it, much like wall paper.

One of our recent projects was for a local university, California Baptist University. We created four foot wall letters with our regular print/laminate/cut method. Each of the wall letters was four feet high and four feet wide, and the overall size of the sign was 85 linear feet long. Then, we were able to peel off the backing and apply it to the wall of their gymnasium.

Ultimately, installation just depends on the project. We can peel and stick graphics directly onto the surface, or we can transfer the graphics by back-masking them first. This lets us lay out the wall graphics and letters, and the masking holds everything in place until we apply it. Once we press everything in place and the masking material is pulled off, leaving the letters behind. This is because the adhesive on the vinyl is more aggressive than the adhesive that holds the graphics to the masking material.

Wall letters are a useful piece of signage, because they let you use your wall colors as a background material, rather than creating a complete background and covering up your beautiful wall colors. For more information on wall letters from Signarama, please visit our website. You can also use our online store locator to find your local Signarama franchise.

Jerry Pappalardo has owned the Signarama Murrieta franchise in California since 2008. Jerry came to Signarama with a previous background in the sign making industry, having spent several years as a product manager for Hewlett-Packard, specializing in large format printers and their products. Signarama Murrieta handles typical sign projects, and has done some excellent work with wall graphics and wall letters.

Do Wall Graphics Need Special Care?

Do Wall Graphics Need Special Care?

by Jerry Pappalardo on October 10, 2013 

Unless wall graphics are outside, or in a dusty environment, cleaning wall graphics is typically not necessary. But you may run into the occasional situation where it’s sorely needed.

Typically if you have to clean wall graphics, you just clean them like you would any other surface: use a mild detergent or cleaner and wipe them down. That’s because most wall graphics have an over-laminate on them to protect them from things like food, water, and mud splatters.

For example, we did a project for a pizza restaurant where their menu board sat within a few feet of their oven, in an area where the food is prepared. There is always a possibility of food being splashed onto the board, so we put on an over-laminate. Then, if the board needs to be wiped down from splatters of tomato sauce and light grease, there’s no problem or worry.

It doesn’t take anything special to clean wall graphics. We recommend using something like Windex or a liquid cleaner, mild solution of Mr. Clean, Formula 409, or other common household detergent. Also, avoid heavy scrubbing, because your wall graphics shouldn’t need it. The laminate is a clear, heavy vinyl material that doesn’t let things like food or dirt stick to it.

The way we make wall graphics is part of what gives them their protection. Normally, the graphics are printed out on a wide format printer onto an adhesive backed vinyl. Next, the printout is put through a laminator where a vinyl over-laminate is applied, and then fed back into the printer for computer-aided cutting. The finished products are then mounted to the wall just by peeling and sticking, or by using a process called back masking, where the letters and elements are laid out, applied to the wall in a single piece, and the masking is peeled off.

The extra lamination step is what makes the graphics so durable. While the adhesive-backed vinyl is able to withstand a great deal, the lamination improves its durability and ability to withstand the occasional tomato sauce splatter.

Wall graphics are a low-maintenance approach to add an interesting visual component to any business, room or home. For more information on wall graphics from Signarama, please visit our website. You can also find the Signarama store nearest you by using our online store locator.

 Jerry Pappalardo has owned the Signarama Murrieta franchise in California since 2008. Jerry came to Signarama with a previous background in the sign making industry, having spent several years as a product manager for Hewlett-Packard, specializing in large format printers and their products. Signarama Murrieta handles typical sign projects, and has done some excellent work with wall graphics and wall letters.