Fabric exhibition display users are attracted by the lightweight portability of the fabric panels and the large seamless walls of graphics. Textile graphics are especially important to the increasing number of ‘flyaway’ exhibitors who need to carry their systems with them around the world. This ‘next generation’ tool-less, lightweight textile frame now complements the simplicity of soft graphics.
Our patented clamp will connect both straight joints and 90-degree mitre joints, using a patented snap lever that replaces the eight grub screws used on traditional systems. The PVC edged graphics can be pushed into place, just like a regular tension fabric system, except it makes the whole process quicker and easier than before. The new system is compatible with our Wave and Exhibit systems, so several different graphic options can be incorporated into one stand, giving huge creative freedom to the stand designer. Speed, simplicity and stunning good looks are always at the heart of any great system and ISOframe Fabric is now making a very significant impact on the ‘soft’ exhibition sector.
Andrew Burdett, managing director, Ultima Displays
There are exciting times ahead in the sign tensioning and framing sector, the main one being LED lighting. We are designing and investing heavily in this area to provide a wide range of portable displays products to the trade.
Indeed, the signage area of our business is growing so much that we have a dedicated team called Sign Pro Systems. They concentrate on supplying affordable way-finding signage products to the trade, including wall and poster frames, poster rails, projecting signs, sign boards, plus much more for our dedicated signage customers.
As these customers work in a specific part of the portable display market, they know their stuff and we often work together with them in either sourcing or manufacturing products borne from great ideas.
Now, with the added benefit of LED back lighting, you can create exciting imagery with low power consumption”
We have introduced several new signage products to help strengthen and move forward with our LED back lit range. One of those products is the Linear Vector tensioned wall frame, which is an attractive aluminium frame with textile fabric, which is tensioned and secured using silicon bead edging. We have now added LED lighting around the inside of the frame, which lights up the fabric graphic, creating eye catching wall art. In fact, LED lights can be added to many of our textile fabric products, such as the free standing Linear Vector panel kits, which look amazing lit up too.
LED options have also been designed for our Trappa wall frame, which is a trusted and well liked frame system that literally snaps the graphic into place. Now, with the added benefit of LED back lighting, you can create exciting imagery with low power consumption, which remains cool to the touch and will last much longer than previous lighting methods—great for our continued efforts in reducing our carbon footprint.
A tailored selection
Giles Adkin, director, Profil-Tension
System UK
Trading in the UK since 2011, Profil-Tension System offers a tried and tested aluminium extrusion range for the soft signage tension graphic market. We supply three different tensioning techniques, which accommodate any sizes and materials required. They include: TS Gripp and Key, a two part system for materials and PVC up to 600gsm; the TSFT, a profile for silicon edged graphics; and the TS Soltto Gripp, a single grip that can hold materials and PVC up to 320gsm.
Profil-TS’ biggest advantage is that the whole profile range works with any of the grip technologies, giving customers a wide variety of solutions to choose from. TS Gripp and Key is suited to large external signage. It provides perfect tension, exceptional resistance to tearing, and Key gives a trimmed finish.
The soft signage tension market is growing year-on-year as more companies are able to print large graphics without joins”
TSFT is ideal for the silicon edge tensioning market, and can easily be installed by the end user. Popular in the UK, silicon edge graphics require impeccable silicon beading stitching and print finishing, which are not always available among the smaller graphic companies.
Our biggest seller, however, is the Soltto Gripp. Soltto Gripp is a simple upside down ‘@’ shaped plastic extrusion, which fits into any of the Profil-TS channels and grips materials. A small bleed is added to the material, which is then pushed into the Soltto Gripp with a metal spatula. This allows for great flexibility, to counteract any deviations or alterations required when the frame is fitted on site. Unlike other systems, Soltto Gripp doesn’t require special finishing to the graphic and therefore is very achievable by a broader range of graphics companies.
The soft signage tension market is growing year-on-year as more companies are able to print large graphics without joins. With a good tension system, the end results are spectacular and would fool most into believing that it was created by a solid substrate rather than a soft fabric.
Joined-up solutions
Hadley Weight, co-owner, Spirit Displays
Previously only large sites were earmarked for the use of tension systems and flexible substrates. This was mainly due to the large, chunky framing systems being unsuitable for smaller graphics, and that a small-format sign would easily fit into a standard sheet size or vinyl width. However, many graphics companies still produce large graphics to rigid substrates like foam PVC or ACP, despite all the joins, which can be unsightly.
Increasingly we find our customers are moving more projects over to tension systems, like SpiritFlex and SpiritTEX, rather than supplying rigid sheets or even wallpaper. Both systems have very slim profiles, which cover all sizes of graphics, and both internal and external applications. Speaking to our trade customers, it appears many creative agencies, architects, and even end clients are becoming more savvy and specifying tension systems for their graphics. The primary motivation is the desire to eliminate joins in the printed graphics.
Speaking to our trade customers, it appears many creative agencies, architects, and even end clients are becoming more savvy and specifying tension systems for their graphics”
A large percentage of our sales are still the Spirit-FLEX Tension System for flexface and banner tensioning, but in the last 18 months we have seen a massive expansion in the textile sector, mainly for internal applications. We have found within the sectors of interior decorating, visual merchandising, retail, leisure, and education, textiles are the now the preferred option.
I believe Spirit Displays have a unique advantage with the Spirit-TEX Fabric System. Textiles do not require stitching or finishing and the system is compatible with all common types of printing, such as UV and latex, not only dye-sublimation. In 2011, we saw an opportunity in the growing textile market beyond dye-sublimation, so we targeted UV and latex printers, showing them the opportunities in the lucrative printed textile market. We now have customers producing lightboxes, acoustic panels, wall murals, full-wraps, ceilings, and even some external cladding for temporary structures, all using the Spirit-TEX Fabric System.
