Larger Operations Move Toward Digital Vinyl Usage

Annual purchases of pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) sign vinyl will reach $555 million in the US in 2004, forecasts Web Consulting Inc. The consulting group says that the overall US market for PSA sign vinyl continues to grow, despite the trend in larger shops to switch to PSA inkjet vinyl

The usage trend away from PSA sign vinyl appears to be occurring more rapidly in larger sign shops and screen printers (those shops with annual sales of more than $1 million) than in smaller sign shops and screen printers, says Web Consulting. According to the group's latest marketing study, the usage of traditional PSA sign vinyl incorporated in jobs of large screen printers dropped from 45% in 2002 to 32% in 2004. In the commercial sign shop segment, the percentage of jobs incorporating PSA sign vinyl decreased from 57% in 2002 to 48% in 2004.

The sharp decrease noted in PSA sign vinyl usage may indicate that both markets are moving away from their traditional sign making methods and toward other imaging technologies”?like inkjet printing,” says Michael Flipping, vice president of Web Consulting. “Today, it appears that the heaviest usage of PSA sign vinyl remains characteristic of smaller, more traditionally focused sign making shops.”
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Web Consulting also notes that:

–Commercial sign shops and large screen printers are more likely to have inkjet capabilities than are other shop categories”?44% of commercial sign shops and 54% of large screen printers reported the capability of printing inkjet PSA vinyl graphics in-house.

–Flatbed UV-curable printers are a potential threat for PSA sign vinyl consumption. “Flatbed inkjet printing might help reduce the overall usage of certain inkjet printing materials such as PSA vinyl,” says Flippin. “This trend will be driven by potential savings on material costs as well as potential reduction of not only some rather labor-intensive processes but also reduction of material scrap costs.”
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Web Consulting has issued a new report that provides an in-depth look at the PSA sign and inkjet vinyl market: “The 2004 US PSA Vinyl Trends Market Report.” Cost: $4495. (Web Consulting: www.web-na.com)