Metallic Inks Make Big-Screen Props “Pop”

Jodie Parnell of One Hour Signs of Sudbury (ON, Canada) knows what it takes to get a job done well and quickly: “People see our name, and they want their projects done in an hour.”
One Hour Signs of Sudbury, a member of the One Hour Signs network, is a full-service shop located roughly four hours north of Toronto. Although its business has grown steadily over the years, the shop has maintained a staff of only four, full-time employees.
“We made the decision to bring in state-of-the-art equipment instead of hiring more people,” Parnell said. “That decision has really worked out well for us. Jobs that used to take us two days we can now run in two hours.”
Parnell has worked at the sign company for eight years and owned it for five. In those years, he has acquired a range of Roland equipment. Along with a Roland Soljet Pro III XC-540 and a VersaArt RS-640, Parnell’s shop recently acquired the Roland VersaCAMM VS-640 64-in. digital printer/cutter, which prints white and metallic-silver inks.
Parnell said, “With the metallic capability, there isn’t a color we can’t hit.”
One Hour Signs of Sudbury produces vehicle graphics, labels, decals and banners, as well as parking, wayfinding and compliance signage for local and national clients. The shop also prints work for local graphic designers.
The VS’s metallic-ink technology has allowed One Hour Signs to benefit from Ontario’s recent push to bring more television and movie-production work to the area. Parnell’s shop now produces props for scenes in various television and film productions, using metallic ink to generate gold, silver and bronze tones for labels, decals and signage.
Parnell said, “Now I can offer my clients the extra oomph of metallic ink. It adds pop to any project.”
Parnell also values the level of detail attainable with the VS’s advanced printhead technology. “The precision printing is really a plus on intricate or smaller-sized graphics, and the increased speed helps us meet our clients’ deadlines,” Parnell said.