No, this isn’t a post about what a great logo we created; we didn’t do it. What is interesting is the fact that you can print almost anything directly onto anything. Recently we had a small signage job near the town of Ticonderoga, NY that included two different kinds of usage. The large signs included a single post with a full color sign that would be placed next to a walking trail. The other, a trail marker that would be nailed to a tree.

As little as a few years ago, this was a rather large—and expensive—process of creating resin-impregnated signage that would put up with nature’s elements and any vandalism. But technology has made it possible to print direct to almost any substrate, with inks that will have an outdoor guarantee for three years not to fade.  Vandalism can still be an issue, but you can replace it three times before you equal the cost of resin panels.

As for the LaChute River Trail, we printed on two different types of materials: a PVC plastic for the trail marker, and a plywood for the larger single post version. This is our first test for outdoor signage using this process, and it will take a couple of years to see how things last compared to the resin signs, but at least there is an alternative in some situations.

Tags:   Direct to Substrate printing · environmental design · LaChute River Trail · Saratoga Springs NY · Ticonderoga NY · Trail Signage