Wide Format Imaging

Floor graphics, sometimes called floor wraps, are moving outside. These colorful displays are now common not only in the grocery store or retail establishments, but also on the sidewalks and asphalt at special events.

The floor graphic is still only a small part of the wide-format printing industry. Shops that have done these time-consuming graphics in the past said local retailers didn't "get on board" for this type of promotion.

For those successfully marketing the graphics, customers often come to them.

"This time 10 years ago, it was a newer way to market. Now, it's pretty much mainstream," said Michael Elrod, principal for the Graphics Gallery, Glen Allen, VA. "We're getting involved now in concrete and asphalt graphics, as well as carpet, instead of just the regular floor graphics—different, more aggressive adhesives and laminants."

Elrod said retail, such as grocers, are most common, then banking, trade shows and sometimes directional floor graphics for a special event."

"It could be an event at a civic center or something like that and we're trying to direct people a certain way and toward a certain area of the building," Elrod said. "We have also done them for short-term promotional on sidewalks or parking lots for games that were to be played on the asphalt and for a weekend event."

There's a diverse array of customers, reported Mike Tardy, president of Dimensional Screen & Digital, San Diego, CA.

"One is the existing customer that might have a marketing plan," Tardy said, "and they're looking for an existing way to implement the plan and we would suggest, 'Hey, you can do a floor graphic or you can do a hanging display or you can do a wall graphic or wallpaper.' Someone else might be a new customer and if they're doing something for a retail application, I will suggest floor graphics. They might want to do floor graphics, counter graphics or 'gas pump graphics' where we try to pump everything into one."