Category: Blog

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Outdoor Signs for Willows Fair by Focal Point Signs Costa Mesa

Custom Exterior Business Signage

The Selway family are now third generation Fair Caterers. They traverse this great country of ours proudly serving only the highest quality brats, sausages, soups, cheese cake, and other tasty offerings. They are experts in the business and highly respected. They needed some new signs this year for their booths at the upcoming Renaissance Fair in Irwindale, CA and had some very specific needs. Large outdoor signs can be made from many materials, but they needed something light weight that can be easily raised atop their booths and taken down at the end of the Fair. They also needed graphics that would “pop off” the sign and grab your attention from hundreds of feet away, and lastly they needed something really durable that could last for years. That’s where we came in! This video shows the construction of 6 signs they will be using this year. Materials included Alumalite, 3M cast vinyl with 3M UV Laminate, printed on our large format HP Digital printer. We loved doing this project and were so pleased they were pleased with the final product!

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Posters professionally printed and mounted for Orange County area businesses by Focal Point Signs in Costa Mesa

Custom Business Poster Sign

The poster sized sign is very popular for companies today.  Posters are easily mounted on any light weight substrate making them easy to port around to training events, seminars, and client meetings.  When most people think of mounted posters they think of something printed on Poster Paper and spray mounted on Foam Core (which we do), but there are draw backs to this approach.  Namely that foam core is easily dented – you’ve seen it – the corners crunched and looking like neglected relics from the last trade show.  We suggest you ask instead for a laminated vinyl applied to PVC which is still light weight but extremely durable.  That’s what we’ve done for whw.org here in Orange County as seen in the video.  Either way, we really enjoy making these handy signs!

We designed this campaign for whw.org. Because these are mounted on pvc they will last a very long time and allow this wonderful non-profit the opportunity to use the posters over and over for multiple events and fund raisers!

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Banner and Decal Campaign for Sports Bar by Focal Point Signs & Imaging Costa Mesa

Recently our friends Chris and Kirsten bought a Sports Bar in Portland.  Their Logo (a family crest Chris proudly wears as a tattoo) became the central part of the branding campaign we created for them.  Using banner material to create “mini banners” for their Sidewalk A-frame, we created parking signage with a very specific look and feel that acts as an advertising extension of their brand.  Additionally, we created large window decals prominently featuring their logo.

I am proud to own a Sign Manufacturing Company and even prouder of the finished product that goes out the door because we hold ourselves to a pretty high standard. This video is a good example of the difference between a consultative relationship with your Sign company, and what is the norm in our industry – just taking an order and pumping out the job. My background in advertising lends itself beautifully to creating signage campaigns that protect and extend my clients’ brand as well as positively impacting sales. That’s what our goal was in this campaign. I’m happy to report that Chris and Kirsten are doing well in their new business venture, and I’d like to think we had something to do with it!

If you need banners, an A-frame, or window decals, give us a call at 714-204-0180.

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Focal Point Signs & Imaging in Costa Mesa creates custom banners at a Discount for Schools and Educators

Focal Point Signs & Imaging believes strongly in supporting the communities in which we live, and as part of that mission, will create custom banners for educators and the schools in which they serve at a discounted rate.  Please call Focal Point and ask for Sandy – who, by the way, has her Masters’ Degree in Education and was a classroom teacher for many years before founding Focal Point Signs & Imaging!

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Innovative Lobby Signs by Focal Point Signs & Imaging in Costa Mesa

Custom Interior Business Lobby Sign Orange County

It’s often said that you never have a second chance to make a first impression. This is so true. The lobby of your office or building space is often the first impression your clients, potential hires, and others have of you. As a Sign Manufacturing Company we took this to heart and went with a very high end Lobby Sign for our offices.

In this video you’ll see a wonderful example of using multiple materials to create a dimensional lobby sign with a highly polished look that gleams with fresh modern colors and pops off the wall with eye catching design.  I believe there are over 28 parts to the sign, so it’s a little more complicated than a traditional dimensional lobby sign, but the overall effect is stunning. As you walk past the sign, the look and feel of the sign changes. The way the light reflects off of the acrylic changes. The look of the dimensional pieces changes. This is a high impact sign.

The main pieces of the sign are made from light but durable gator foam custom painted with matching back painted acrylic facing. A brushed aluminum plate was affixed to a back plate of black PVC and topped with custom routed acrylic letters.

Lobby Signs are a specialty of ours. We love everything about this form of signage from the design concept to actual installation. Lobby signs are a true joy for us. If you would like a no charge site visit and consultation give us a call at 714-204-0180.

 

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whw.org’s high quality mounted posters made by Focal Point Signs & Imaging in Costa Mesa


As a business one of our core values is to support the local community. We have a particular soft spot in our hearts for programs that help children like after school and sports programs that keep kids safe and teach them teamwork and leadership.

We also want to help organizations who support the underemployed. So many working parents are barely getting by. Given training, interview clothing, and interview skills training, adults are positioned to improve their employment and create opportunity for the future. That’s what whw.org does and why we wanted to help them with this poster campaign.

We gave them a very high end product that can be used over and over again. We used our full color HPL26500 printer which is capable of reproducing up to 1200 dpi – eye popping colors of photographic image quality. We also printed the posters on HP Photo Realistic poster paper which is over 8 mil thick and designed to hold bright colors fast. Lastly we laminated the posters onto PVC board instead of foam board. Most people are used to foam core because it’s inexpensive, but the corners always get bent or crushed and in short order your poster isn’t looking so good. We were happy to have the opportunity to print their poster campaign, and even more pleased that we created a finished product that will last for years to come.

If you need high quality posters, give us a call at 714-204-0180.

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A brief guide on buying Banners from Focal Point Signs & Imaging in Costa Mesa

Banners are wonderfully versatile signage. They are durable and store easily, and are simple to put up and take down. Because banners are so popular, I thought it made sense to write a blog on how to discern good quality from not so good quality. There are so many options on ordering banners today, having a guide might save you some time and money.

The first question to ask yourself, is “how long do I need this banner to last?” If you’re ordering a small banner for a birthday party you don’t need high quality, unless someone at the party is particularly sentimental and wants to keep it for life. So, go ahead and order a banner online. You won’t need it to be hemmed, but you will need grommet holes to be able to tie in place your banner.

If you need the banner to last for several months then pony up for some quality. This is especially important if your banner is being displayed outdoors. The sun, wind, and changing temperatures will all take their toll over time. Also make sure to ask your printer or sign company what the weight of the banner material is. For example 10 oz banner material is not designed for this kind of use. Make sure you get 13 oz or better banner vinyl material.

Finally make sure your banner is hemmed. The hem will create a double layer of vinyl for the grommet rings. This means you’ll not have to be concerned about the vinyl ripping from the wind (unless of course there’s some bizarre Saharan Sirocco that comes from out of nowhere – these days you never know! Recently there was a tornado north of Tokyo…go figure).

Actually, if you do need a banner made for windy conditions ask for mesh banner. You’ve seen banners with half moon cuts in them to let wind through – this can be an alternative too, but if you know there will be a lot of wind, go for the mesh.

As for me and everyone here at Focal Point Signs & Imaging we focus on quality banners not only in terms of the material but the actual printing. We were smart with the equipment we purchased and went with the best available on the market which is capable of producing up to 1200 dpi – that’s photographic quality in large format. So if high quality is important to you, call today and make it a banner day!  714-204-0180

LowesBanner

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With Boat Graphics and Lettering, Not Just Any Vinyl Will Work – Costa Mesa, CA

Recently, I was contacted by a friend who is managing the project of readying an 80 foot pleasure boat for transfer from here in Newport Beach to its final destination somewhere in the Caribbean.  Captain Don has also been tasked with managing the process of re-naming the Big Kahuna.  This means getting bids on both removing the existing vinyl lettering on the port and stern of the boat, and replacing them with new vinyl lettering.

This can be tricky for a number of reasons, so buyer, beware!  Once old lettering is removed there will likely be a “ghosting” effect which will require having to polish and wax the entire area before applying the new letters.  A piece of advice – while there are a number of how to videos on You Tube on boat lettering installation, consider hiring a professional.  Nothing is more irritating to a new boat owner than messing up the boat name!  One last tip – when you do your research, consider using marine grade vinyl.  You can find a number of websites on the internet to buy vinyl lettering, but you may end up with a product that isn’t meant to go in the water.