P.O.P. (point of purchase) displays are intended to attract attention, provide information, advertise sales, and promote brand awareness. Whether for short or long-term applications, magnets can provide retailers a variety of effective and simple options for their P.O.P. displays. From hanging or holding signs or banners, to creating a full-wall, layered graphic displays, magnets are a great choice for P.O.P. displays.
Magnets for Easier P.O.P. Displays
There are a number of good reasons to employ magnets with P.O.P. displays. Here are a few things to consider.
- Easy to Install—With magnetic P.O.P. displays, there is no need for professional installation, drilling mounting holes or building special frames or fixtures.
- Easy to Change and Reposition—Store personnel can change out graphics as needed or reposition signs supported by magnets to hold in place.
- Durable with Permanent Power—Graphics printed on flexible magnetic or receptive sheeting retain their sharp color and resist tearing and creasing if maintained properly. Both flexible and hard magnets have permanent magnetism so their holding power will never wear out.
Sign Holders
Virtually every retail store in existence—no matter what the type of business—has a need for basic sign holders. Clothing stores, book stores, gift shops, sporting goods, grocery, department, drug and hardware stores, and the list goes on. All use magnets with frame sign holders, clips, gondola sign holders, aisle violators, price card holders, and special offers. Magnets allow for the ease of quick, tool-free set up and repositioning throughout the store.
Magnetic Assemblies
Magnetic assemblies are the workhorses for sign and P.O.P. applications. They are great for fastening and holding—an all-purpose, go-to solution for simple hanging and fastening applications. They are repositionable—with no drilling or extra support needed—durable, reusable and they will never lose their magnetism. These valuable P.O.P. components are not technically complicated, just simple magnets and magnetic assemblies that can hold surprisingly heavy weights.
While some of these magnetic hooks, channel magnets and sign holders may by themselves seem like small-dollar items, they can be the critical elements to the success of your customers’ overall signage and P.O.P. plan.
Magnetic Graphic Systems
Flexible magnetic and magnetic-receptive sheeting and strip make up this category.
The use of magnetic graphics systems has grown exponentially in recent years. There are many reasons including:
- A greater awareness in the industry of how easy and profitable it is to print directly to magnet and magnetic receptive with solvent, eco-solvent, uv, and latex ink systems. (Paper topcoats are available for aqueous inks.)
- The ease of installation and changing of magnetic P.O.P. graphics
- The high quality printing surfaces for brilliant color reproduction.
- The durability and reusability of magnetic graphics equate to long-lasting, cost effective P.O.P. display solutions.
With the ability to quickly change and add layers of graphics and information, magnetic graphic systems are ideal for retail wall murals, self-standing floor signs, end cap header signs, menu boards, directory and way finding signs, and much more.
While the system works with either the magnetic or magnetic-receptive material as the base or the changeable graphics, a common method is to use magnet as the base and magnetic receptive as the changeable graphic layers since it costs less than magnet and weighs less for shipping if rolling out a promotion to multiple locations.
Printing with Magnets
Printing onto magnetic sheeting by itself allows you to offer a variety of different promotional items such as vehicle signs, menus, calendars, team schedules, or contractor business reminders. Vinyl topcoats can be printed direct with solvent, eco-solvent, uv and latex inks, paper topcoats are available for aqueous inks. Over the past few years, as the popularity of this media has grown, print shops have become adept at printing directly onto magnetic sheeting.
If you are new to printing on magnets, it is notable that one obstacle can be the metal platens commonly featured on roll-fed printers. This can easily be overcome by covering the platen with a non-magnetic barrier. Simply use styrene, cardboard or anything slightly thick enough to create an air gap between the metal platen and the magnetic sheeting so it feeds in and flows out smoothly. Adhering the styrene or cardboard to a precisely cut out piece of magnetic sheeting is sometimes convenient rather than taping in place on the platen.
When printing onto magnets it's also it’s important to remember some general adjustments for heat, weight and thickness. Lowering the heat settings usually helps. Magnetic sheeting is heavier and thicker than most substrates, so it’s important to take the weight and thickness into account.
The weight of the substrate needs to be considered for the entire print process, not just when material is feeding in, but also when it is coming out the printer. The magnet needs to be supported so it doesn’t hang and create a drag on the smooth flow through the printer.
The printhead height should also be adjusted accordingly for the specific thickness of the magnet, so be sure of your printer’s printhead height limitations. Magnetic vehicle signs require a minimum of 30 mil thickness, which is too thick for some printers. For specific profiles for your printer be sure to check with your manufacturer.
Rely on Manufacturer Expertise
There are a multitude of magnet manufacturers in the industry, some have been in business for decades and some are recent entrants, seeing the vast opportunity for magnets in the sign and graphics industry and jumping in. How do you decide what brand to trust?
With product quality a given required attribute, rely on a manufacturer that will spend the time to partner with you on each project, identifying the right magnet for your client’s application, guiding you through the wide variety of magnet types, size, strengths to meet your projects requirements and budget.