Demand has grown for the environmentally friendly banner material and in particular for the 3.2m and 5m rolls.

The range now encompasses PVC woven banner material suitable for UV, solvent and latex printers as well as the recently launched PVC Décor and Exhibition and Display range, Vertex Texure. Products include a heavy-duty mesh banner for fence, scaffolding or stadium banners, and coated polyesters in grey-back, white-back and blue-back suitable for wall coverings and roll-up banners due to their superb stay-flat properties. There is also a PVC-free coated polyester FR B1 350gm media which is designed for more demanding applications and is ideal for canvas frames.

A trio of firms with products which are taking the industry to a new level and increasing the selection of opportunities for sign-makers”

Now, reflective films have been a growth area with Avery Dennison Graphic Solutions presenting their range of reflective films at FESPA earlier this year. Oliver Guenther at the firm says Avery Dennison’s V-8000 Series of reflective films is one of the new range’s ‘star performers’, with six colours that use a unique, all-in-one prismatic technology: “It means a significant improvement to visibility at night and in other low-light conditions. Of course, vehicles with V-8000 also stand out more during the day.”

V-8000 materials reflect well in all directions, so installation is easier for converters - the films conform superbly to simple curves and can be applied in any orientation. A 1.22m width ensures less material waste, and the materials can be both printed and cut. A solid metallic layer means they resist water, dirt and reflectivity loss from dents.

Next up is not a film product but a sensitive to touch product. Seloy Live, make interactive glass and has showcased its Sense product (an interactive touch window) at the Flux Innovation Lounge in London. Partnering with Flux’s parent company Engage Works, Seloy Live has supplied a Sense window with a mobile phone retail application at ISE 2018 earlier this year. Seloy Live’s Sense product embeds touch technology securely inside glass, enabling it to also function as a regular window when switched off. It is available in any size up to 3m x 6m for indoor and outdoor use, with a touch response rate of 5ms.

It resists vandalism and the rigours of the weather and can be washed like an ordinary window. Plus, it has thermal insulation, cuts down on noise, is resistant to fire and theft resistance. Sense has been installed as the world’s first ever see-through, touch-screen storefront at Kalevala Jewellery in Helsinki, and was utilised as part of a high-tech immersive popup London event for the Paramount Pictures release of Ghost in the Shell last year.

A trio of firms with products which are taking the industry to a new level and increasing the selection of opportunities for sign-makers.

What next for the film market? And will all shop windows eventually be touch sensitive? Do let us know your views on this growth market. Email your views to Harry - Harry@linkpublishing.co.uk or call me on 0117 9805 040. Or react to the story on Twitter and have your say.

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