Carmen Rad, founder/president, CR&A Custom (Los Angeles)
2019 Women in Wide Format Award Winner

“Having a strong background in all the different variety of media in the market definitely would have helped. We are fortunate to have formed a team of experts, but it took me time to learn. My background was in fashion, so I had an understanding of materials and sublimation, but large format is different. I feel to be able to be a strong leader in the large-format industry, one must take the time to learn and continue to learn about media and new applications. It allows one to help resolve client issues and come up with new innovative solutions.”

Tanya McNab, founder/creative director, McNab Visual Strategies (Belize City, Belize)
2019 Women in Wide Format Award Winner

“Being in digital printing prior to wide format where everything was so small, I wish I knew bigger was better. On many occasions even today, I look back at projects and thought, ‘I should have made that bigger!’ Wide format is for impact, and now I always size up no matter what to give my clients maximum impact. I was so conditioned in the opposite direction to reduce sizes in digital printing, (sizing up) was something I wish I knew before I started. Nonetheless, we learnt quick!!!”

Gary Schellerer, VP/partner, ER2 Image Group (Hanover Park, IL)

“I wish I had a better understanding on where I fit in the marketplace. Companies that invest in quarter-million-dollar machines can run more efficiently in large runs. So often, I tried to compete with companies that I had no business competing with. I think having an understanding of where I fit in the marketplace based on my manufacturing capabilities would have helped me when I started to be more focused.”

Debra Rerick, president, Corporate Art Group (East Greenwich, Rhode Island)
2019 Women in Wide Format Award Winner

“The one thing I wish I knew before entering the wide-format printing industry would be better knowledge of what printers suited the fine art industry I am in. Once you invest in a particular printer/vendor/technical support and product line, you are pretty much married to them for 4-5 years. There is a lot of trial and error, of course, and knowing the right questions to ask before purchasing is invaluable to making choices the second, third time around.”

Barbara Chandler Allen, founder/president, Fresh Artists (Philadelphia)
2020 Women in Wide Format Award Winner

“I wish I had a close-up intro to the wide-format process and the equipment that produces these gorgeous prints way earlier in my work life. We made up for this lag by designing “Fresh Artists Big Art,” a hands-on workshop that introduces tons of young teens at-risk of dropping out of school to careers in this brilliant, beautiful, impressive, and FUN reproductive format.”

Carol Yeager, owner/creative director, MY Prints (Los Angeles)
2020 Women in Wide Format Award Winner

“I wish I knew or better understood how eco-friendly wide format printing is in comparison to traditional printing methods when we started our studio. I would have been promoting WFP eco-friendliness to all my clients from the beginning. Over the years, it’s become more clear that WFP is the more superior method of printing due to less energy use, eco-friendly water soluble inks, the ability to recycle paper waste, and also printing only what you need — but I wish it was more known to me from the start.”

Christine Walsh, CEO, Alpha Graphics (Baltimore)
2019 Women in Wide Format Award Winner

“The one thing I wish I knew was that getting a printer with a cutter was life-changing. Too many people told me not to buy one that print and cut. Wish I didn’t listen. Ten years later, I am making more profit than ever.”

Wade Neff, Strategic Factory (Owings Mills, MD)

“I suppose I wish I knew that the market would eventually become so commoditized. When wide format started, we were a pretty exclusive club and not many people had made the commitment on the equipment. We were able to be treated as a craft much more in the beginning. Now we are just a quick-turn service and there is much less appreciation for the knowledge, expertise, and investment that we bring.”

Shannon Martin, director of business development, Color Reflections (Las Vegas)
2020 Women in Wide Format Award Winner

“I entered this fantastic world of wide format when I was 21, so a lot of the things I wished I had known were due to my lack of life experience. I wish I would have realized that I was going to make many, many, many, mistakes and how vital they were to learn and grow from. So much growth has come from the many mistakes I have made and continue to do on a daily basis. It’s what you so with those mistakes that matters the most!”

Kyra Hartnett, co-founder, twenty2 Wallpaper + Textiles (Bantam, Connecticut)
2020 Women in Wide Format Award Winner

“I wish that I knew how many variables are out of control. You can build a solid business and great relationships with your customers, but you are still at the mercy of the media you print on and the machines you print with. It took time to learn to be prepared for and navigate the inevitable challenges that arise in these areas.”

Drew Veach, vice president, Corporate Color Graphics (Wyoming, MI)

“I wish I would have known how to target-market better to an audience to capitalize on a specific segment of the market, versus offering large-format printing solutions for everyone.”

Mary Lou Goehrung, president, Signs By Tomorrow (Rockville, Maryland)
2020 Women in Wide Format Award Winner

“We went from a small vinyl shop to a BIG wide format printing business 15 years ago. I wish I had known how lucrative wide-format printing was sooner.”

Tracy Hiner, owner/president, Black Crow Studios (Long Beach, CA)
2019 Women in Wide Format Award Winner

“I wish I had known that you don’t have to separate your values from your design work – you can do both. Had I known, I would have started our “Rebel With A Cause” initiative when I launched Black Crow Studios, and been able to support charities and nonprofits through the giveback program from the beginning.”