As our area continues the march towards reopening, businesses everywhere are looking to take every precaution to make sure their employees and customers are following guidelines and staying safe during this pandemic. This includes production of signage, labels and graphics that provide guidance on social distancing, reminding customers and employees to wear masks and directional signage to alleviate traffic flow issues. If your business is in need of these types of items, you may want consider an in-house production solution.
Many businesses will say things like:
- We only need these things once
- We can just order them from the local sign shop
- Equipment to do this has to be incredibly expensive
- How often will we even use this thing
Well, let's take a look at these factors and determine if bringing production of these important items in-house makes sense for your business.
We Only Need These Things Once
Have you walked through your local big box or grocery store lately and seen these floor graphics? They tell us where to stand to stay socially distanced or maybe provide us with direction for up or down on aisles. It has been about three months since pandemic orders went into effect, and many of these floor graphics look quite worn. The typical answer you see from floor graphic makers is that a graphic will last you around six months. The likelihood that this whole situation will be completely over in six months is pretty slim, so you'll definitely need them more than once.
We also know from this pandemic that the rules change regularly. When it began, they said masks weren't necessary, yet now the CDC says masks protect us. The symptoms started off as fever, dry cough and trouble breathing. Now they include things like loss of taste and smell, fatigue, headaches, sore throats and more. Just two days ago, the CDC refreshed their manual on reopening for businesses once again! Being able to quickly change signage to meet changing guidelines is critical.
We Can Just Order Them From The Local Sign Shop
You can absolutely order these from local sign shops or graphics places. But what if you hadn't thought of these items before now, and your business is reopening to the public on Monday? You are at the mercy of the sign shop's timeline. Sure, they may be able to have them to you in time, but maybe not. Are you willing to risk it when your business has been closed for nearly three months? That's a choice you have to make. Also, will your business not be in compliance with governmental orders if you don't have your graphics?
Also, cost is always a factor. With a sign shop, you're locked into their pricing based on their material costs, ink costs, markups and other factors. Bringing production in-house allows you to shop around for materials, ink and avoid the markup.
Finally, most businesses have brand standards to follow from marketing. Whether it's a specific spot color, font or graphic, when you outsource these items, you're relying on them to get your business's look correct. With in-house production, you control the look of your pieces.
Equipment To Do This Has To Be Incredibly Expensive
There are really multiple viable solutions for producing signage and graphics in-house. Your needs may be met by a desktop label maker, or you may need a production-class device. Pricing on these devices ranges from several hundred to hundreds of thousands of dollars. With that being said, your business should weigh the costs with the advantages. Plus, you can lease the equipment and have one monthly payment that remains the same across the life of the lease. This allows you to budget the expense over time.
How Often Will We Even Use This Thing
We already discussed the fact that signage, graphics and labels all have a lifespan. With a vaccine for COVID-19 anywhere from 6-18 months away, signage will need to be refreshed several times. Floor decals run anywhere from $10 to $60 for a simple design with no branding. Depending on how many you need and how many times you need to refresh signage, in-house production could save you significantly.
And what about when this pandemic is over? What will we do with this device then? Posters, signage and floor graphics are incredibly effective ways to market products and services in your business. Being able to advertise a big sale, new product or other items is critical to business success. Having the ability to do that in-house and on-demand provides your business with a HUGE advantage!
So if you're wondering how to get COVID-19 related information out to your employees and customers quickly and effectively, in-house poster, signage and floor graphics can be an ideal solution. At Fraser, we have a G7 Certified Professional Production Print Specialist on staff who will work with you to determine your needs and find the right equipment for your goals. Click the orange button below to schedule an appointment with our G7 Certified Professional today!