Aftercare for Graphics

To get the most from your printed graphics and to ensure they fulfil their maximum life expectancy, follow these instructions. It will save you time, money and aggravation in the future as we cannot accept responsibility for damaged graphics which have been badly handled.

1. ALWAYS ROLL LAMINATED FLEXIBLE GRAPHICS WITH THE PRINT ON THE OUTSIDE! Why? Rolling graphics with the print on the inside can stretch the laminate away from the printed layer, causing bubbling and eventual de-lamination. It is especially important to follow this procedure for pop-up graphics and designer stand graphics which have mag-tape applied to the back, as rolling them with the mag-tape on the outside can cause the mag-tape and hangers to peel away from the graphic.
2. ALWAYS ROLL POP-UP GRAPHICS INDIVIDUALLY AND PLACE IN THE CASE ONE BY ONE! Why? If you try to roll them all up together, they will be (a) more difficult to place in and get out of the case, increasing the likelihood of you dropping them and (b) the inside graphics will be more curled than the outside ones so may not hang as well.
3. STORE FLEXIBLE GRAPHICS FLAT WHEREVER POSSIBLE TO AVOID PERMANENT CURLING! Pop-up drums are fine as they are designed to allow the graphics to sit very loosely rolled on their ends.
4. PROTECT EDGES AND CORNERS OF RIGID GRAPHICS! Some lightweight display boards, such as Kapa, are easily dented, so use corner protectors when in transit.
   
5. MAKE SURE YOU PURCHASE THE RIGHT GRAPHICS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT! Lamination alone does not make graphics waterproof. If you are planning to use your graphics outdoors, make sure you choose a waterproof print surface such as vinyl or self-adhesive vinyl, mounted on a non-porous materials such as foamex, or have paper prints encapsulated.
   
6. HANDLE GRAPHICS WITH CLEAN HANDS! Grubby graphics will never look the same again. In certain circumstances, lighter fluid or glass cleaner can be applied to laminated graphics to remove any greasy finger marks, but this will not be suitable for un-sealed prints. Apologies if this advice seems a little obvious, but when you’ve been in the business as long as we have you make no assumptions!
   

Sending artwork to GGS

Artwork files can often be very large and sometimes awkward to send to our large format printing service, so we have put together a quick guide to sending your artwork over to us.

Artwork can also be supplied via CD, DVD and Flash/Pen Drive. You can also send artwork via free online upload sites such as mailbigfile.com and yousendit.com.

Uploading artwork to mailbigfile or yousendit:-
If uploading more than one file (several JPGs or a collected InDesign job for example) place everything together in one folder and either:-

PC Users: Create a zip file of it (right click on your folder and choose “send to” then “compressed (zipped) folder) and then upload your zipped folder which should have appeared next to your original folder (the folder icon for that new file will have a little zip on it)

MAC Users: Compress your artwork folder (right click on your folder and choose “compress ‘your folder name’”) and then upload your zipped folder which should have appeared next to your original folder and has a .zip extension (the folder icon for that new file will have a little zip on it)

Then simply follow the onscreen instructions on the relevant website. Hope this helps!

New Graphics for the Children's Hopsital Ward...

GGS have just come to the end of a major project producing ceiling tiles and wall and window graphics for the Children's Department in the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital.

The work was commissioned by Emma Jarvis of the NNUH Hopsital Arts Project who managed the complete refurbishment of the department. Local artists including BAFTA award winning Hannah Giffard, community artist and furniture designer Eloise O'Hare, illustrator Kate Green, and community artist Lisa Little all produced the magnificent illustrations and paintings which have transformed the interior of the unit, filling it with bright colours and captivating images to keep the attention of young eyes and minds.
Over 250 square metres of enchanting illustrations have been created to enhance the look and feel of the whole children's unit, and the end result is stunning. The images are fun, colourful and really brighten the whole area dramatically.

GGS worked on a similar project last year, sponsoring the redecoration of the children's A&E unit by providing over £2000 worth of wall and window graphics which also feature the beautiful work of Hannah Giffard. We were delighted to be able to support such a worthwhile project.