MegaPrint, Inc.

New Blog!

2010-01-18T05:30:00.000-08:00

We moved our blog. If you would like to continue following us, please visit http://blog.megaprint.com/ ! Thanks!

3 Steps to a Great Banner Stand!

2009-12-01T12:11:00.000-08:00

Make sure you have great color and a sharp image!

When you are selecting your background image and colors, remember more is NOT better here. You want to have attractive colors that attract the customer's eye, but you don’t want to be garish. You also want to pick an image that allows space for your logo and text.

Don’t try to say too much!

Use a short phrase to get your customer’s attention. Remember that this is just what gets them interested. You want to get them in and talk to them. If you give them too much information up front, they won’t read it all. You only have a few seconds to spark their interest.

Your message should be at eye level!

Get your main point across in a few words. You can add your web address at the bottom, and suggest that they follow you on any social media you participate in as well. However, the important stuff goes at eye level, and in a brief “catch phrase.”

Finally, if you need help designing your banner stand we can help. We can print it for you too!

Social Media and Signage

2009-11-24T10:13:00.000-08:00

In our ever-changing marketing world, we have to adapt to the trends! Promote your online presence in your offline materials. MegaPrint, Inc. has a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account, as do many companies and individuals these days. Do you? Social media is a great way to reach new customers, keep current customers informed, and build credibility by having your customers post comments about your product and services. These marketing mediums are tried and true ways to build your business.

Put them on your signage! If you are going to a trade show, putting up a grand opening sign, or just some meeting and event signage add a line of text that says, “Follow us on Twitter!” or “Become a fan of our Facebook page.” Use the familiar logos that Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter provide. This is a way to let your clients know you are there. Not many people will go out searching for you on these social medias unless you let them know you are there.

Consider how much time people spend on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc! Don’t miss out on your next opportunity to spread the word about your social media endeavors through your printed signage.

Construction Banner in Plymouth

2009-11-18T11:05:00.000-08:00

OK, so here's a banner for a new Chinese-Japanese restaurant they are building in Plymouth.

The idea to have a sign announcing the new restaurant is great, especially since 25,000 cars go by every day. For a few hundred dollars, they'll get over three million advertising impressions by the time the restuarant opens in the spring. That ought to help the takeout business!

The name of the restaurant? We're not so sure about that. The owner is Alan, who also owns Mandarin Taste in Plymouth, and we expect the food to be terrific!

Banner Hangers

2009-11-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

If you need a stylish way to hang your banners try our banner hangers! We have Aluminum banner hangers, plastic SuperSnap, Gotcha Hangers, and Vee hangers! No matter the setting, trade show, store front, or backdrop these hangers will do the job and look great!

The Aluminum banner hanger has a brushed steel look that is clean and elegant. These come with both the clips and the S hooks, so when you get your banner and hangers you are ready to go! As long as your banner width is shorter than 89" we will attach your banner hangers and roll them with your print.

If you are looking for something with the same great holding power, but you are on a budget? You should try the SuperSnap! It works just like our aluminum option and comes in black and white. We can ship these on your graphic up to 72" wide, anything wider and we ship it in two pieces ready for you to install on site.

If you are hanging smaller posters (36" x 48" or less) we recommend the Gotcha Hangers. These are ideal for lightweight prints. Vee hangers are also a great option for very light weight posters!

If you would rather have a pole pocket on your banner or poster, we can do that too!

Fabric Banners

2009-11-05T05:19:00.001-08:00

Here's a cool job we did recently for the
US Forest Service for their new building in Campton, NH. The banners are printed on a fire resistant fabric, and show scenes from the White Mountain National Forest, which they manage. Did you know there are over 2000 hiking trails in the White Mountains? It's one of the reasons we love living here.

The banners have pole pockets sewn in the top and bottom, with a sturdy 1" dowel in the top. We also made some displays in the lobby with pictures that flip up to reveal a caption about the picture.

The Forest Service used to be next door to us in Holderness, so we are going to miss them as neighbors. The good news is that Sheila and Marty Riehs of Resource Mangement Inc. have bought the building, and they have been friends for years.

Banners Banners Banners

2009-10-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

Fall seems to be banner season, and the vinyl banner department has been busy! Several customers have been kind enough to send us photos of our product being used.

Here is a photo from Artesian Spas, a major maker of hot tubs, showing our banners in a dealer showroom.

If you drive to our shop (which, since we are an internet based company, doesn't happen much, we admit) you'll see a helluva big building taking shape on Holderness Road. It's the new Plymouth State hockey rink, and we've got a vinyl jobsite banner out front telling people what the building will be and showing the architect's drawing of it.

Here's another banner we did for the New Hampshire Historical Society, announcing a new exhibit.

Getting the best graphics for your money!

2009-09-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

We are seeing smaller budgets for marketing this year, many folks are trying to get the most for their trade show dollar.

We have many different options for keeping the price down, without losing the quality that makes your company look great. A lot of folks are trying out banner stands rather than full Pop-up booths. This is a good affordable option that allows you to still display clean professional graphics. Often, you can place three of them side-by-side to create a pop-up booth affect.

Tabletop displays are another option! These can be a tabletop pop-up booth, or a carpeted tabletop display. These don’t give you the impressive backdrop style of the others, but it’s good for small spaces.

For pole and drape set-ups you can use a matte vinyl banner for your backdrop, and incorporate a couple of banner stands to fill out the booth.

MegaPrint, Inc. Celebrates 15yrs of Business!

2009-09-14T10:23:00.000-07:00

We celebrated MegaPrint's 15th anniversary last Sunday on Squam Lake in Holderness, NH. George at the order desk took us out to his family’s island, which is absolutely fabulous! We had a great time, grilling, swimming and spending time together.

The weather co-operated, we had way too much food, and the water was warm. We even had loons swimming just off the shore.

So, Happy Birthday MegaPrint, Inc. Here are some pictures of our adventures on Sunday!

Getting Ready For Your Trade Show

2009-08-31T06:11:00.000-07:00

We pride ourselves on giving you beautiful, quality graphics fast! As you get geared up for your trade show season, here are some things to help you along the way.

Your Booth

Have a colorful graphic that catches the customer's eye.

Have a headline of six words or less that will interest your target customer.

Very often, something that helps you explain your product as you talk to the customer can be helpful.

Our turn time on most trade show graphics is 2-3 days, so we can get it done fast! If you need design work done, or you have a special order, it may take a few more days.

Whether you are looking for a graphics, pop-up booth, tabletop display, banner stand, or a banner and banner hangers, we can help!

For our compete trade show primer click here! Or call (800) 590-7850

Gator Board or Foamcore Board?

2009-08-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

If you are having trouble deciding between foamcore and gatorboard, here are two key questions to ask yourself.

1) How long am I going to use this?

If the answer is a few days, go with foamcore, it will work fine and is less expensive than gatorboard. Your typical meeting sign that stands on an easel for a few days can be done very successfully with paper on foamcore board.

Somthing that needs to last should be mounted to gatorboard. Foamcore will bend with changes in humidity, and gatorboard will remain flat for years.

2) How is it going to be used?

If you are going to take it from place to place, gatorboard will look better much longer. It's tougher stuff for going in an out of your car, etc. For things that are really going to be slapped around, consider using our edge trim to protect the edges.

Anything that is a permanent display, like pictures of buildings you have built or historical pictures of your town, should be on gatorboard. For graphics to look good for many years, you should consider UV inks, which will not fade over the years.

Foamcore and gatorboard look a lot alike. The difference is that while foamcore is paper on either side of a slice of styrofoam, gatorboard is a heavy (think oak tag) moisture impregnated paper on either side of the same styrofoam. Since the paper doesn't accept moisture, it is much more stable dimensionally. It's also just plain tougher. Gatorboard comes in black and white, foamcore only in white.

Banner Stands- Everywhere!

2009-08-10T05:48:00.000-07:00

I spent 10 days in Scotland in July, and one thing that I noticed was the number of banner stands being used! Most retail stores, the train station, even our little hiker's hotel had a banner stand to communicate their message to passers by.

What's great about them is, first of all, how easy they are to use. Three poles fit together, and you draw the banner out of the cannister and hang it on the pole. Done! No hardware is required, no tools, no stepladder to put fittings in the false ceiling. If you decide to move it, it takes a minute.

We offer two banner stands. Our economy stand will do a great job if you aren't going to beat it around. If it will be transported regularly and you plan to change the graphic a lot, our premium banner stand is a better choice. It's more durable, and the graphic is easy to change yourself.

With either one, you have a way of communicating with your customer quickly, easily, and flexibly. Give it a try!

Lamp Post or Wall Mounted Banners

2009-07-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

These banners are wonderful for taking a message down main street! They typically are double sided so they can be read by people going either way, and can be printed on gloss vinyl or matte vinyl. We can make replacement banners, or, if you are starting fresh, we can supply the hardware too. Banner widths are 18”w – 36” and usually no more than 8 feet tall. You should not have more than 24 square feet of graphic to the wind (due to the force on the lamp post).

You can create the graphics, or we can do it for you!

Features of our Lamp Post Banners:
3-5 year life in sunlight

Vibrant, accurate colors
Nylon re-enforced material has great strength
Hemmed around, with pole pockets top and bottom
Very competitive with screen printing
Available on matte or gloss 13 oz vinyl

Protecting your print from fading

2009-07-08T11:02:00.001-07:00

If you've ever left a magazine on a window sill for a month or two, you'll be familiar with fading. Most printing inks will fade when exposed to UV light. And, since fluorescent lighting also emits UV, it can happen to prints hanging in your office, even if they are not getting direct sunlight from your window.

To keep your prints from fading, we need to use UV stable inks. Anything that is going in a window, or that will be up for years, should be printed with them. UV inks are good for up to two years in sunlight, and just about forever (well, OK, 20 years) in a normal office environment. Trade Show graphics and meeting signs are used for just a few days, and we find that UV inks are not normally required.

People often ask about using lamination to reduce the amount of UV that reaches the print. This is a throwback to the days before we had UV inks. While our testing does show that lamination slows fading, it does not stop it. We think the solution is really to use the inks that do not fade.

The good news is that the latest HP equipment gives excellent color with UV inks. Older equipment did not give us good reds, and we had to make tough choices between color fidelity and longevity. Today, you can get both. Less filling, and tastes great!

More Cutouts!

2009-06-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

We've done a lot of cutouts lately, and they are fun! Here's a customer clowning around with one that they brought to a trade show. We've also seen a lot of them being done for promotions, events, and retail stores.

When people talk about green shoots in the economy, this is our gauge- that people are having fun again. Since a lot of cutouts are done for fun things like events, we are calling a turn in the economy. You heard it here first!

Wine Winners

2009-06-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

We've had a lot of fun doing blowups of wine labels for Charity Hop, a company that markets the bottling of wine in partnership with a
number of sports celebrities to raise money for charity.

Here are pictures of Mark Buehrle of the White Sox and Derrek Lee of the Cubs with their wine labels. Not only did they turn out great, but we turned them around in four hours!

The best part of all was going to the launch of the Red Sox players wines in Fenway park last year. Good wine, too, we might add. Over the last few years, Charity Hop has released over 30 wines in conjunction with pro athletes, and raised $1.4 million for charity.

Big Mounted Pieces

2009-06-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting job we did recently.
Our customer, Kenyon International, needed
a two sided gatorboard mounted graphic 73x85" for their trade show booth. We printed it as two pieces 36.5" wide, and were able to cut the pieces so the seam is almost invisible.

Because of the size, we couldn't ship the job via our normal Fedex, so we put it in a van and dropped it off on the way to a visit with the folks!

We do lots of trade show work, everything from board mounted graphics to vinyl banners. We have the experience in helping thousands of companies get their graphics done right, on time, and affordably!

Clear Vinyl Window Cling

2009-06-10T07:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of a fun job we printed recently.

This was for a pet grooming business. They wanted something that would allow the inside of their store to be seen from the sidewalk, but still put pictures of happy pets in the window.

We printed photos on clear cling with our solvent HP 9000 printer. The material was installed in their window using a felt squeege and adhesive vinyl application fluid.

Clear window cling is durable, easy to install, and you can see through the clear cling like stained glass! We also offer white cling for those who want a white background.

The cost is less than many other window applications, such as stenciling, so it is easier on your wallet too.

When the time comes to change the graphics, cling will peel right off the window.

Little Cutouts

2009-05-14T07:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a fun job we did over the last few days- little cutouts! The parents of a group of four high school chums wanted to do something special for their high school graduation party. We printed twenty pictures of the boys, laminated them and mounted them to gatorboard, and then cut them out and put easel stands on the back. They will be used as table center pieces. How fun!

Museum Displays

2009-05-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

We've done several museum displays recently, and thought they might be of interest.

Here's an octagonal table with six display panels surrounding a backlit tabletop. The display is at the Des Moines County Heritage Center, Burlington Iowa, and was designed by Will Thompson of Armadillo Arts. The view is from above.

Museums often have large wall spaces to cover with pictures of natural settings, historical photos, etc. Our wallpaper does the trick!

And, of course, you will want a vinyl banner announcing your latest exhibit.

Here's one of our banners outside of the New Hampshire Historical Society, announcing their exhibit of the work of nature photographer Ralph Larrabee.

Cardboard Cutouts

2009-04-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

We do a lot of one-off cutouts for events and trade shows. Cutting them out by hand is costly, however, and we've recently introduced a technology that allows us to make multiples cost effectively. What we do is direct print them onto white cardboard, cut them out with a digital cutter, and add a cardboard stand. For quantities of 5-100 pieces, this is a very good way to make cut-outs.

The cutouts in the picture above were done to publicize summer athletic programs in schools.

Sometimes the cutouts are not people! Here's a picute of a car cutout we did recently. It's not the first car we've done, either! These are typically shipped in a few pieces and have multiple stands in back.

Smart Posters

2009-04-13T05:46:00.000-07:00

Bring excitement to a conventional sign stand! A digital picture frame in a standard poster allows you to change content and have the movement that brings customer attention.

The digital picture frame has an internal 512 mb of memory, so it will hold over 1000 jpg photos. In addition, it will show photos from a memory stick or SD memory card (the kind used in digital cameras). Photos in a 3:4 aspect ratio will fill the frame completely, and the frame automatically resizes photos to fit. If, for instance, you wanted to have pictures of a dozen of your products cycling on the frame, you could put them all on a memory stick and have the frame show them every 5, 10, or 20 seconds.

Note that the frames need electricity. The backlighting of the pictures uses more power than can reasonably be supplied by a battery.

Pop-Up Booths

2009-03-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

Pop-Up booths are a great way to make a splash at your next trade show. They are great looking and easy to set up. You can also carry them into the venue, instead of paying to have them delivered from receiving to your booth area.

There are many different brands of pop-up booth, and we can make replacement panels for any of them. We find it best that you ship the booth to us so that we can be sure everything fits together perfectly.

You'll find our panels look great on your booth, at about half the price of panels from the booth manufacturer!

One strategy for those on a budget is to buy a used pop-up booth (you can find them on EBay and at used booth dealers) and have us make the new graphics. We also have a booth that we sell for $2500.

BIG Backlit!

2009-03-02T06:27:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting job we did recently for Armadillo Arts in Iowa City, Iowa. The customer wanted to put a display in a space that was a large window. We produced a large backlit graphic, and they built a box over the window to hold the graphic. Sunlight is all that is required to do the lighting, since the museum is open only during the day.

Pictured here is Will Thomson, who designed the exhibit.

The east window in the Grand Gallery as installed (image size 53" x 104") is an enlargement of a 1900 photo of a Meskwaki lodge at Tama, from the State Historical Society of Iowa. The Meskwaki left Des Moines County as a result of the Black Hawk Treaty in the 1830s.

In the same museum, we produced a backlit tabletop graphic, shown here viewed from above.

The interactive map unit is entitled "A topographic history of Des Moines County" and features a backlit map and several stations that show different aspects of county development: ghost towns, railroad and stage lines, early mills and factories, historic sites and natural areas.
A view of the map unit during installation (east is at the top). Cabinetry by Paragon Cabinet of Iowa City.

Banner Hangers

2009-02-06T05:50:00.000-08:00

Putting up your banner is often as much work as having it printed. Fortunately, we've been down this road before, and we can offer solutions.One of the best options we have found is our aluminum banner hanger, pictured below. It's light, sturdy, and attractive.

We also have banner hangers in plastic for those on a budget. Both flip open to accept the banner, and flip shut to hold it. Plastic plugs finish off the ends for a clean look, and clips slide into a channel on the top to accept a hook, or just about any other hanging method.

No matter what you want to hang, these banner hangers are easy to use, light weight, and portable. Give us your thoughts on how you might use these banner hangers!

Skiing, Vinyl Banners, and MeatHeads

2009-01-21T13:23:00.000-08:00

We recently did a vinyl banner for a ski resort here in New Hampshire and their MeatHead Ski Weekend. Here are a few images that our designer, Bob took while he hit the slopes.

Check out the guy in the tree! Wow!

Here is the banner we designed for the event.

For winter banners, we use our "Across the Street" vinyl, which is good down to -20 degrees farenheit. Most vinyls will shatter at temperatures below -5 degrees, which we get fairly often in these parts. Like, last night! If you are using banners outside in the dead of winter, we have a material that will survive.

Bring Them In!

2009-01-15T06:02:00.000-08:00

It's tough times out there in retail, but we can help. With today's technology, even the smallest store can create great looking signage that helps you move the merchandise.

You can create your signs in your favorite program, we support just about everything, including the Microsoft programs that come with most computers. There are great photos available for free or at very low cost online, do a search for "free stock photos" and you'll find them. Our favorite is dreamstime.com, which has millions of very good photos available for a few dollars each.

Pictured here is Joe from the Chase Street Market here in Plymouth NH.

MegaPrint, Inc. Wishes you...

2008-12-31T11:43:00.001-08:00

We are here and ready to print for you!

Wishing You Happy Holidays!

2008-12-16T06:03:00.000-08:00

MegaPrint Inc. celebrated our annual Christmas party at The Six Burner Bistro in downtown Plymouth, NH last night. We had a traditional Yankee swap, fun, and food. Company outings and parties are part of the team building that we do here. We have a great crew, and we just want to say, from our crew to yours, we wish you the very best for the Holidays! Here's a picture of the fun and festivities.

First Impressions with Trade Show Graphics

2008-12-15T11:39:00.000-08:00

We got a phone call from a customer today who wanted to price shop for graphics for a trade show booth. Price is always a concern, especially in today’s market, but I would caution those trying to skimp on their graphics for a trade show. When you go to a trade show you are putting your company on display, and the first thing people see are your graphics. Those speak volumes about your company, how healthy it is, and your attitude about quality. There's always somebody less expensive, but they rarely give you great quality for less.

The cost of renting space, travel and hotels, and shipping your booth will usually dwarf the cost of good show graphics. A few hundred dollars spent to create a good first impression are usually well spent.

Thinking of using last year’s graphics? A lot of people are doing that now, and without a doubt it saves you money. Remember, though, that part of what you are trying to do at a show is to differentiate your company from your competition. Crisp new graphics can set you apart as the company that is up-to-date and successful.

ISO Posters

2008-12-15T07:04:00.000-08:00

Are you in the process of ISO registration? Our posters can help you communicate the goals of your program. ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is about continuity and communication. ISO.org is their website.

We have a standard set of ISO posters that help you keep your employees informed about the program. We can modify the posters for ISO 9000, 9001, etc. We will put your logo on them for no extra charge.

These posters are perfect for wall instructions, charts, and color photographs. We can create a custom poster for your company, or you can create it in any common graphic design program.
Not only do these ISO posters help you bring the highest quality from your processes, but also by complying with ISO standards you can attract new business.

Enlarging Photos?

2008-12-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

We can do a photo enlargement from a slide, film negative or the actual photo. Digital photos of two megapixels and larger can also go up to poster size with very good results, and of course more megapixels is better.

Photo enlargements of your company in the past add a lot of personality to your tradeshow booth, and are fun to hang around the office too. You can put up pictures of your products, buildings you have built, customers- you get the picture.

We have lots of tips on how big your picture can get before it looses quality, and scanning tables to give you an idea of what settings to choose when you scan your photos.

Here's a picture of our shop, with lots of examples of pictures we have printed! Our graphic designers, armed with the latest graphic design programs, can touch up old photos and remove blemishes before we run your print. You'd be amazed what can be done these days- we've changed the model number on a picture of a machine (so they didn't need to take a new photo) and put legs on a photo of Willy Nelson so we could do a cutout of him. You'll realize that a photo is not proof of anything anymore!

We had a visit from the seven dwarves!

2008-12-03T12:03:00.000-08:00

These are some figure cutouts we recently sent on a fairytale adventure. We had a rush order for 12 full size cutouts. Within two working days they were out the door and on the way to a corporate event. It was a lot of work to get done in only two days, but we thought they were a lot of fun!

Each of the dwarves had the face of someone in our customer's company. We are told the lady paying the bill was on the Evil Queen, and that makes us a little nervous. But, probably not as nervous as the guy who's face was on Dopey!

Car Magnets

2008-12-03T08:53:00.001-08:00

Recognition is one of the keys to having a successful business. Car magnets are a fun and easy way to do that! We print your image or logo on our 3.5-mil adhesive vinyl with UV safe inks, and then mount it on our 30-mil magnet material.

They look great and wherever you go, you are advertising your business! This is one of the least expensive ways to get your business name out to a larger customer base.

The magnet will stay on through car washes and fast trips down the highway, but are easily removed when you buy that new set of wheels!

It is important to make your advertising work for you every minute everyday. This is just one more way to do that!

Tips From Our Designers on Research Posters!

2008-11-25T10:54:00.000-08:00

We've been printing posters from PowerPoint for nearly 15 years, and we were trained by the creators of PowerPoint. That gives us a unique understanding of how to make a great poster, and how to do it easily. Our graphic design team members gathered some tips on common problems with PowerPoint files to help make your poster making experience easier.

Tip #1 – Create your PowerPoint on one platform and one version. Switching back and forth between PC and Mac, or even moving between multiple versions of PowerPoint can cause a number of problems, such as:

a) Text reflowing and flowing out of boxes
b) Images dropping out of boxes
c) Fonts and symbols can change or disappear

If you and a colleague are stuck with a Mac-PC interchange, we suggest you do all the design on one machine and send pdf files to the other person for proofing.

Tip #2 – When designing your poster and resizing images, always remember to hold down shift key while dragging the image from the corner. This will keep your images in the same proportions. If your people or pictures start to look scrunched, be sure you are holding down the shift key.

Tip #3 – Sizing: The default setting on your PowerPoint is “onscreen show” which is 7.5” x 10” and scales up to a 36” x 48” proportionally. However, if you want something bigger than a 36” x 56” you must set it up at half-size due to the limitations of the program, i.e. a 48” x 60” would become a 24” x 30” which we will print at 200%. Or you can use one of our handy templates.

Tip #4 – Stick with Times New Roman, Arial, and Symbol for fonts. These fonts are installed by default on both PC and the Mac, and Symbol has nearly all the Greek characters you'll need. If you have a stylish font on your computer, and one of your collaborators does not, he will be totally confused by your poster because his computer will substitute Times New Roman for the font you used. It will change the text box sizes and cause all sorts of goofiness!

If you have gotten a template from a colleague, you may not have a font they used on it. To check, go to Home> Replace>Replace Font in PowerPoint 2007, and Format>Replace Fonts for PowerPoint before 2007. The drop down Replace Fonts box will show you what fonts are used in the PowerPoint document, and if there's a question mark in front of it, that means your document uses a font that is not installed on your computer.

Remember that we are always here to help. Our phone support is free at 800-590-7850.

Wallpaper We Are Proud Of!

2008-11-21T08:47:00.000-08:00

More and more people are buying our custom printed wallpaper! Here are two a fun jobs we did recently. On the right, a customer wanted to put up wallpaper of historical company photos in a sales room. They are very pleased with the results! Below, a design studio wanted to jazz up their office space.

Our vinyl wallpaper is installed just like any other wallpaper, except that it is not pre-pasted, because the paste would gum up our printing equipment. We stock wallpaper with a suede-like surface texture that reduces glare from overhead lighting, as you can see on the photo.

People often ask "How do I put the wallpaper up?" To hang your custom printed wallpaper just use a premium quality heavy-duty clear pre-mixed adhesive. Apply the recommended adhesive to the back using either a pasting machine or a paint roller. Whether you are a novice or a pro, it goes up easily!

Big Checks? We can do that!

2008-11-13T10:23:00.000-08:00

At MegaPrint Inc. we print lots of big checks! They are a great way to recognize a contributor, and newspapers love to publish them. We can create special designs to include company logos, special backgrounds, watermarks, and we have even made big gift certificates! Here are a few examples of big checks we have made.

Remember that custom sizes are not a problem for us. If you don’t see the size you want on our site, just give us a call 800-590-7850 or email us, and we will be happy to give you a quote and take your order over the phone.

We can laminate your check with gloss plastic, and you can then use dry-erase markers on it. Order a blank big check, and use it over and over again!

How We Operate

2008-11-13T08:23:00.000-08:00

MegaPrint Inc. has been around for almost 15 years. We have printed tens of thousands of research posters, trade show booths, banners, life size cutouts, and much more.

There is a great deal that goes on behind the scenes of an online, wide format print shop. It all starts at the order desk, where your orders are received and assigned to a graphic designer for review. We have eight graphic designers in-house that look at every single file we print, to check for layout errors and color issues. If we see a problem, we'll call you to work things out. Our promise is that you'lll get something that is right.

Your print then goes to our finishing department, where they handle cutting out those life size cutouts, mounting, and laminating. Last but not least our vinyl department does solvent printing of banners and wallpaper. Solvent printing is waterproof and stable for 3-5 years in sunlight.

Each of us play a part in getting your print out the door fast and looking great! From the sales desk, to the shipping department where Cindy and Joyce make sure your prints are getting shipped to their proper destination, we treat each order as if it were the only one in-house. Just take a look at what others have to say about the work we do.

Election Day- Yay!

2008-11-04T12:42:00.000-08:00

The presidential campaign lasts a long time here in New Hampshire, and boy are we going to be glad when all the attack ads are over! Hopefully we'll have 6 months or a year of rest before it starts all over again.

One of the most fun jobs we've done in years was life size cutouts of all the presidential candidates, which we did for a photo shoot by a major magazine. Here's a picture of them before we shipped them. We made an extra of Barack Obama, and he still lurks at the back of the shop. It gives me a start when I forget he's back there!

It really is pretty fun having the first in the nation primary, and many of us have had the chance to meet several of the candidates. I had a nice talk with Bill Richardson this time, and got to ask John McCain a question at a town hall meeting four years ago.

Happy Haloween!

2008-10-31T07:57:00.000-07:00

The season is upon us for ghosts and gouls, candied apples, and hot cocoa! Tonight children large and small will dress-up and scare our socks off. We thought we would share some of our scary moments here in the office!

Here's Jim (designer)answering your questions in his straight jacket.

Ethan's (designer) preparing your files in style!

Slim Kyle (designer) is being snappy and snazy in his custom costume.

Okay, so they really aren't scary, but we thought we would let you in on the MegaPrint world, and extend our wishes for you and yours to have a Safe and Happy Haloween.

Snow Flurries and Trail Signs

2008-10-29T12:41:00.000-07:00

After all, it is New Hampshire, and we like to hike! We've just introduced vinyl signs for outdoor applications like trail signs. They are durable and affordable, but the best part is that they are easy. We can print them from any of the common programs, even Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. Send us your files, and you'll have your signs back in less than a week.

The fall weather, with winter close on our heels, has made us all appreciate the crisp fall air and the amazing leaves we have had this season. Today we had our first snow flurry in Holderness, NH. It was just a dusting, but enough to get our skiers excited.

Graphic Design Tips of the Week!

2008-10-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

When you are setting up your files for us, here are some tips from our design team:

1. Image quality must be a minimum of 72dpi at full size, and doesn’t need to
be higher than 100dpi at full size.
2. When using InDesign and Quark, remember to do a “collect for output” and
create a sitx file for upload.
3. Photoshop files should be flattened unless we request otherwise. Saving as an LZW compressed tif will reduce the size of the file to be transmitted, often by as much as 2/3. Some Photoshop effects are lost by flattening, however, so proof carefully!
4. Outline all fonts in InDesign and Illustrator
5. Save PDF’s as “press quality” as this produces a high-resolution image. Some of the newer versions of Acrobat give you the opportunity to choose a resolution, we suggest 100 dpi.

Alternatives to Framing

2008-10-28T06:22:00.000-07:00

When companies want a display that will line their halls for more than a year, we usually print with UV ink, mount on gatorboard, and we often add our edge trim.

Edge trim protects the edges of a gatorboard mounted print and gives the look of a thin frame. It can be substantially less expensive than framing, which for large prints can start at $150. We can also add the wire at the back for hanging. In the end you have a print with a frame and a hanger wire for less than the traditional frame would cost you.

At the right is a menu we printed on gatorboard with matte laminate and edge trim. This particular job also featured channels so that the customer could slide in new items and prices when they changed.

Retail Displays That Say Something!

2008-10-28T05:41:00.000-07:00

Retail displays are a great way to bring attention to your store. We do displays from small signs for countertops to large vinyl banners for outside the building.

Every business is unique and we understand that signs representing your company need to be as unique as your business. Some of our favorite jobs have been those where we have designed something unusual just for a special store.

Our graphic designers have wide experience in graphic design, art, and performing arts! The individuality of the designers makes our team stronger and a lot of fun.

You may want to check out this article about window displays. It makes some excellent points to think about for any retailer.

Going Green!

2008-10-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

MegaPrint Inc. is going green! Our soy based inks, and partially recycled paper; along with our group effort here in the office to recycle everything we can, has made us all more conscious of how we are impacting the planet.

Here are some images of the recycling we are doing, and our team members having fun doing it.

On the top, Stacey loads up paper bundles and lunchroom recycling. On the bottom, Joyce drops a paper bundle down the recycling hatch at the Plymouth recycling center.

We understand that it is important to be conscious of how we impact the earth, and we are doing everything we can to keep it clean.

Here is a link to a great site for recycling tips for home and the office.

New Retractable Banner Stand Passes the Test!

2008-10-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

To retract or not to retract, that is the question. With a wide variety of banner stands out there today it is hard to know which will be:

1) Easiest to use

2) Lightest to carry around and ship
3) Most durable.

4) Easiest to change out the graphic

We offer two banner stands, basically Cadillac and Chevy versions. Both work well and have a poly film banner that will not curl or "canoe" like vinyl banners because the material doesn't stretch. Both are very easy to set up and take down.

Our premium stand uses a light blocking poly film that will not show the shadow of the pole, our economy stand uses a thinner material. We can send you a replacement banner for our premium stand, and you can change it out. We will need our economy stand back to change the banner. Finally, our premium stand is a battleship, the economy stand is, well, an economy stand. It is lighter and easier to carry around, though!

Window Cling

2008-10-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

Window cling is one of the new items here at MegaPrint Inc. Our opaque vinyl window cling is great for storefront windows, glass case displays, or any other smooth-as-glass surface.

Shown is a window cling we printed recently for a retailer. The great thing about cling is that it comes off the window cleanly and can be used over and over.

The trick for applying window cling is to spray the window with water (or Windex), and then start at one end wiping it flat. The water allows it to slide a little on the glass, and you'll be able to get it flat with no bubbles at all.

Beautiful in Boston

2008-10-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend in Boston, watching the Head of the Charles regatta and doing a little shopping in Harvard Square. There, big as life at the EMS store were a number of prints we had done for them. It's always fun to see your work out there in the real world!

Our prints are great for retailers, and you see a lot of beautiful large format work in today's retail environment. The tricky part is how will they be fixtured, and we can help! We have a complete selection of hangers and other doodads to help you. Best of all, you can call us and we'll walk you through deciding what will work best.

Odd Jobs

2008-10-17T06:46:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we get jobs in that are very different from the usual research poster, full-size cutout, or trade show booth. One such odd job was an oversized jigsaw puzzle we did in 2007.

The puzzle was 5’ x 15’ and each piece was somewhere around 5” x 6”. Our entire crew had to pitch in to help with finishing. It was a paper print on gatorboard with a glossy laminate on top, plus all that cutting, trimming, etc. The total puzzle piece count was 509.

One of the things we try to do at MegaPrint, Inc. is print quality work fast. This job took us about 5 days with all 19 of us working on it. We created the pattern over the picture that The Grand Canyon University provided. Here is the puzzle.

The puzzle was created as a teamwork project for The Grand Canyon University. 509 people gathered and each person got one piece of the puzzle. It had become a teamwork project for us as well. Just as we had worked together to create it, they worked together to reconstruct this enormous puzzle.

Menu Boards

2008-10-16T12:20:00.000-07:00

Menu boards are one of the exciting things that we do here at MegaPrint Inc. Our talented team of graphic designers create menu boards for a number of companies including Team Disney, several Universities, and corporate lunch rooms. Here are a few that we really had fun with.

Plymouth State University recently asked us to create a custom design for their vegan menu.

This board has insert pockets for weekly changes or specials!

This one is being used as a banner over the vegan station!

*****************************************

This is one we did for L.L. Bean Corporate.

Menu boards can be mounted on a number of materials, although gatorboard is one of our most popular options due to its lightweight, and durable construction. Crystal laminate, or matte laminate are both excellent options for laminating your menu board to protect it from the elements, and eliminate glare from lighting. Custom designed menu boards are a great way to make your company stand out!

Peak Foliage Season in NH

2008-10-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

One of the things that we enjoy most about living in New Hampshire is fall foliage season. It's peak right now, and we have just had one of the nicest Columbus Day weekends in memory.

We thought we'd share a few stunning pictures taken by Bob Misuraca, one of our graphic designers, who is also an accomplished photographer. The top picture is Holt's Ledge, the bottom picture is taken at Wellington State Park on Newfound Lake.

If you ever have the opportunity to come to New Hampshire, do it in the middle of October! Stop by and see our shop, too. We are right off I93 about an hour north of Concord.

Crystal Laminate and Trade Show 101

2008-10-14T07:05:00.000-07:00

We often get phone calls about updating trade show materials. One of the items we recommend using, and generally get the most questions about, is Crystal Laminate. Crystal Laminate is a heavy laminate that has a textured “pebble” like surface. The benefit of this textured surface is that it eliminates glare from lighting in a tradeshow setting, but allows the colors to pop in the same way a gloss laminate would.

We use this laminate for pop-up booth panels, for graphics that will velcro to the carpet face of show booths, and for tabletop displays. Crystal laminate is heavy enough to be durable, but still flexible enough to roll for shipping and storage. The Crystal Laminate will protect your print, and be beautiful in your trade show booth!
Visit our site to read more about Trade Show 101, tips for those new to trade shows.

We Have Wallpaper!

2008-10-13T07:18:00.000-07:00

Wallpaper is an exciting new addition for us. Our wallpaper has a suede finish that breaks glare and gives you a durable, attractive installation. We have done lobbies that show off a company’s products, a sales room with historical company pictures, even a large display of student art in a school. Our solvent printed wallpaper is attractive and a durable as any store-bought wallpaper. Many people call us and wonder how they put it up. Applying our wallpaper is as easy as applying standard wallpaper, although it is not pre-pasted.

Big Outdoor Vinyl Banners

2008-10-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

This is an example of the dramatic results that can be achieved with full color printing of outdoor banners. This one is currently outside of the New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord, which is doing an exhibit of the photographs of AMC photographer Ralph Larrabee.

We also printed several large format displays of the photographs for the exhibition. Historical photos are wonderful! We can print them in either black and white or sepia tone, and we can convert a black and white to sepia if you want that look. We produce large format photos on paper, and typically dry mount to board for framing. The photos for the exhibition were matte laminated and mounted on black gatorboard. They are stunning!

Fun with Figure Cutouts

2008-10-08T11:36:00.000-07:00

We do a lot of full size cutouts of people. During the New Hampshire primary last fall, we did cutouts of all the presidential candidates for a national magazine, and it was a hoot! To the right is a picture of several of them. We had even more fun when we made an extra one of Barack Obama and left him lurking at the back of the shop. Visitors did a double take thinking he was visiting us!