Online community for ornamental horticulture

waterproof signage

I was wondering what other operations are using for signage. I am interested in getting something that will print waterproof signs that will also hold up in the sun. I have Horticopia but I don't find that it is very user friendly. I have in the past also laminated after printing on card stock, but this is very time consuming. What has worked, what has not would be interesting to find out.
Thanks
Jim

Tags: signage

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Permalink Reply by Jim Lastrapes on June 19, 2009 at 1:50pm: I will look into solutions II. I have tried the onlinelabels.com paper that is weather proof for inkjet. They claim that it will withstand the sprinklers and elements. The ink is running after 2 weeks. I am going to try there laser material as well. This is such a good place for us all to share some of our experiences, problems and solutions without having to retest what has been tried!
Thanks!
Jim; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Timothy Lamprey on June 19, 2009 at 6:28pm: We have been using a sign system from Insignia Systems. I does make waterproof signs. We have signs that we use at Christmas that have lasted 4 years. The system comes with many options, although color is not available and there is no option to use photos. If we need photo for our trees and shrubs we order signs from Horticultural Printers. You won't find all of the trees and shrubs that you may stock, but you can get many varieties. They make a great silent salesman.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Daniel A. Gordon on June 19, 2009 at 9:15pm: Hi Jim,
i own retail centers that sell stone and hardscape materials so weatherproof signage has been a real challenge. We also provide landscape services including lawn fertilization. the signs that we use to indicate our visits to our customers lawns became the focus of our attention to use as the signs to mark our pallets and hardscape items. they are coroplast and allow us to write on them with indelible markers. on one side we have our logo printed at the top and a message at the bottom. we write the info about the product in the available space in between. when the pallet or product sells, we turn the sign over and mark it sold.
the signs we use measure aprox 5"x5" and come with a plastic stick. a box of 1000 costs $210.00 and they are avialable in a plethora of colors and designs. the company we went to is blackburn. they have a web site. additionally, the little plastic stick can be inserted into either end of the sign and hung from products as well. on items where we can't hang it, we staple them to the pallets.
hope this helps.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ginny Nash on June 19, 2009 at 9:35pm: We are new to the nursery business, having only been open 2 months. Since the budget was shoestring and since we are big into recycling, we've had to experiment and look around for penny-wise alternatives. For pricing, we use weatherproof labels made by Avery. We use Avery's (free) software program available at www.avery.com and print them with a Samsung laser printer (I think it cost $60). We've used the Avery program for business cards as well. We attach the price labels to small sections of vinyl blinds that have been cut in 3 inch strips and attach them to the pots with plastic ties. You can pick up very cheap blinds at Wal Mart or Goodwill-type stores and most owners of rental houses regularly replace them and are glad to find someone to take them. One vinyl blind will do hundreds of labels. We have a pot recycle program and our customers are so taken with the recycling idea that they will usually bring the price tags back to me so I can reuse them. You mentioned that you laminated on card stock. We do this for our plant cards. We opted for this instead of buying the pre-printed plastic ones from suppliers. Our cards are printed on business card stock ($5.66 for 1000 cards) and laminated with our trusty $20 Sam's Club Scotch laminator. So far it has done several thousand cards without a glitch. The cards are attached to the plant containers with the same tie as the price tag. Note here: if you use a small punch and punch in the plastic edge around the card the cards will withstand even the 4-6 inch rains we often have. The nice thing about the cards is that we give each of our customers a companion "plant care packet." The packet consists of a laminated business card cover and 4 cards on hosta and perennial plant care all held together with a jump ring (cost 11 cents for the ring). Since the plant info card from the plant is business-card sized. it can be attached to the jump ring and then the customer will have a plant pack specific to their garden. These have been a HUGE hit with our customers and the cost is way less than the plastic plant cards. Again, we use the Avery program to write up and print the cards. It does take some time to do the research for the plant cards but very little time to print, lamainate and cut them. It's kind of busy work we do while watching TV or just sitting around. All in all, we've been very pleased with the results and price (less than 3 cents each) and doing the research for the cards really keeps me up on the plants!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Carol Steckle on June 20, 2009 at 11:06am: We have used Printmaster Platinum17 software for a number of years. Bought it at Staples, and there are probably updated versions available now. Very user friendly, and lets you upload your own graphics. We print on vinyl pages (8 x 10) available from C. Frensch Ltd in Beamsville, ON, that work well with our Epson CX4800 inkjet printer. (also from Staples) This printer uses DuraBrite ink that does not bleach out in full sun for at least 2-3 seasons. It is not affected by either heavy rain or sprinklers.
We can use our own photos, logo or scan catalogue photos & be as creative as we wish to be.
Before getting this equipment, we also laminated printed material. However, the laminating sheets cost just as much as the vinyl pages, and if stapled to a sign board, were no longer waterproof.
The Epson printer is not expensive, nor are cartridges in comparison to many others, and replacement cartridges are separate colors, saving cost if you print a lot of a particular color. It is also a multifunction unit(printer, color copier, scanner) which is very handy.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michael Pawelek on June 20, 2009 at 12:15pm: Carol, You are much more modern than I using staples to attach your signs to their stakes. Mine are all inside the greenhouses with no wind so I use a very atiquated method to attach my signs. For you younger folks that are not familiar with the original purpose of the "fasteners" I use (as shown in the photo) just ask someone over 50 years old!!! :):):) Michael Pawelek
Pecan Hill Nursery
www.pecanhillnursery.com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Timothy Howard on June 22, 2009 at 9:09am

Jim,
Lloyd Traven of Peace Tree Farms mentioned our system, www.POPsignage.com. It is a very cost effective way to create customized garden center signage that is water proof and UV resistant. With dozens of card styles to choose from and nearly 6,000 plants including the entire Proven Winners collection, you can quickly create 5x7” or 7x11” bench cards that fit standard sign holders. The cards can be printed as-is or you can customize the cards by adding your logo, a retail price, a cross-merchandising message and/or modifying the descriptions and characteristics. We were selected last year as the OFA signage partner and will be demonstrating the system this summer at OFA, TXNLA, IGC and FarWest. Stop by and see us or give us a call and we'd be happy to walk you through it.

I have attached a few sample cards for your reference.

Lloyd - thanks for the kind words.

Attachments:

Supertunia Bordeaux.jpg, 1.1 MB
Echinacea Mac N Cheese.jpg, 366 KB
400 Camellias Multiple Varieties.jpg, 136 KB

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Permalink Reply by Marcia Woodall on June 24, 2009 at 8:56am

We currently use Taggit Pro for our info / nursery signs. The databases were set up years ago using this software. At the time they printed on a TEC machine but, this only prints black & white. This year we used Taggit with the color laser printer Xerox Phaser. We are very pleased with the outcome.

Our sign specialist does use Publisher to create full page specialty signs. All of these are printed on our Xerox Phaser on their special paper. These signs are very weather proof. They offer sign sheets & labels.

Check them out with GROWTECH SOLUTIONS. www.growtechsolutions.com Tell them we sent you!
Growtech also provides a sign making template set up that is a more current solution similar to Taggit Pro.

I use the Roland Versa Camm - 54" large format printer for custom POP.