Energy & Utilities Archives

13 Highlights From Our Sustainable Printing Progress Report (2023)

May 4, 2023 by cole

We remain committed to our mission to drive value for our clients by providing expertise, superior products, and dependable services with speed and precision. And we’re equally committed to doing so in a manner that doesn’t deplete the earth’s resources. This commitment acknowledges our responsibility for our entire value chain—which extends across our facility and through the entire life cycle of our products. And it drives our strategy— whether innovating solutions to environmental challenges or creating opportunities for customers to use sustainable materials or providing assistance to our community. We’re striving to enable the type of world we want to live in.

By engaging with others in our environmental work, we can achieve an even greater impact. We learn from feedback and we work with partners to influence change in our industries. This is why we want to share some big wins from this year. Be sure to read the full report here.

Our Environmental Strategy

The environmental challenges the world faces today are significant, and Modernistic is responding with urgency and dedication. We approach our work by focusing on fundamental questions. What matters most? Where can we make the greatest impact? These questions inform our goals to achieve change and guide our initiatives across the strategic pillars of environment, resources, and smarter production. We know we’re not alone striving to reduce our environmental footprint. So we engage with others to support our efforts and find opportunities to lift our local community along the way.

Our Goals

We increase value for our clients by providing expertise, superior products, and dependable services with speed and precision. And we strive to do so in a way that sustains the planet and the resources that we all depend on. Setting ambitious goals is essential to this — to drive the innovation and collaboration that makes change possible and to be transparent and accountable for our progress.

1. Our Customers Are Committing to Carbon Neutrality!

Our goal is to one day achieve independence from nonrenewable and nonrecyclable materials. As we progress toward this objective, we’re doing so without sacrificing the quality, look, and durability of our products. We’re working on innovations in recycling to enhance material recovery and support circular supply chains for ourselves and our customers. With the growth of corporate commitment to carbon neutrality, many customers are expanding their investment in sustainable alternative material purchases. Read more about our material supply chain on Page 27.

2. Our Suppliers Are Committing to Creating Recycled Products and Recovery Options!

Modernistic’s responsibility for our products begins with the design process and carries through end-of-life. Multiple alternative materials are investigated every time we quote a project. With the increased demand for recycled goods, material suppliers are expanding their investment in development of new materials. And they are creating infrastructure for easy material recovery. Read more about our material sourcing on Page 28.

3. 40% Overall Water Reductions Across Our Facility!

Water is essential to our operations and product manufacturing. Due to concerted efforts (or initiatives implemented) we have reduced our consumption by over 500,000 gallons per year, for the past three years. Read more on our water reduction programs on Page 20.

4. 45% Overall Energy Reductions Plant-Wide

Our energy efficiency goals extend well beyond our products. We’re focused on using less energy across our operations, beginning with how we organize, operate, and maintain our facility. And we continue these same efforts in our supply chain, benefiting our suppliers’ communities by drawing less energy from electrical grids — many of which still rely heavily on fossil fuels. This reduces local air pollution and improves air quality for nearby communities. In 2022 we installed new light fixtures across our facility which led to over 345,000 kWh saved per year. Read more about our energy reduction programs on Page 18 or what we did with our 2022 Continuous Improvement Project on Page 44.

5. We Are Continuing Innovation On Material Recovery

Sending materials to landfill makes poor use of the world’s resources, while also contributing to emissions. This is why we’ve made waste reducing operations a priority. This year we achieved 100% on-site waste separation approximately 1000 pounds of material every day, through recycling and source separation efforts. Read more about material recycling programs on Page 16.

6. Implementation Of Emissions Reporting & Reduction

Some materials that are integral to our products result in significant emissions. The same is true for certain manufacturing processes and the transportation of our products. To address these emissions we seek technological solutions, investing in renewable energy, and switching to low carbon modes of transport. In the last 2 years, we have reduced our personal fleet emissions by over 95% and reported 100% of our facility emissions. Read more about our emission responsibility programs on Page 22.

7. More Products With More Recycled Content

Our products rely on the availability of high-quality materials. We’re increasingly sourcing more of these valuable commodities from circular supply chains, drawn from recycled content and renewable resources. This year we partnered with a customer to produce a sustainable package filler that won over 4 national environmental innovation awards. Read more about our material usage on Page 27.

8. 401k Investing Classes For All Staff

We are invested in the success of our staff. This year we offered PTO for our employees to attend 401k investment classes and free 1-1 advising meetings at Mod. We set a goal to achieve 95% participation in our 401k matching program. Read more about our employee wellness on Page 43.

9. Introduction Of Material Of The Month

This year we implemented an email campaign that highlights a new material to over 8,000 print buyers each month. Sign up for it here or read more about our material advocacy, promoting environmentally friendly solutions on Page 30.

10. 2022 Sustainable Green Printing Audit Completion

This year we successfully completed our yearly audit, maintaining our 12^th annual certification as a sustainable green printer. Read more about our SGP Certification on Page 37.

11. Removed 60% Of Void Fill With Custom Packaging

We’ve made significant progress towards eliminating empty space and plastic bubble in our packaging. We invested in a bespoke box maker that helps us with precise kitting, reducing the need for wasteful void fillers and shipping costs for our packaging. Read more about how we innovate packaging to reduce our footprint on Page 41.

12. Nonprofit Gratis Printing Program

We value organizations that make a difference in the lives of others and get excited when their needs align with our services. This year we were able to support multiple non profits with their large format graphics at no cost. Read more about our giving mission on Page 44.

13. Supported 10 Renewable Material Projects

Material supply partners value Modernistic because they have been trusting us with their material development for the last 60 years. We take pride in our print and finishing expertise and the resulting industry respect for solving difficult problems. This is why we have a customer retention rate of over 99% – some of which are our own competitors. In 2021, we created a proprietary sustainable magnetic receptive process/product that is more cost-effective than the standard alternative. Read about our material development programs on Page 29.

Read Our Full 2023 Sustainability Report!

Grow your company’s revenue while personally enhancing your career! Sustainable printing is awesome, but it takes more than good machinery or a well-structured design to accomplish a responsible supply chain. It’s a balanced recipe of many resources. Stay tuned for next month’s knowledge drop to learn more, or dive deeper by reading our full sustainability report below!

On the other hand, if you can’t wait or want to cure your sustainable printing issues RIGHT NOW – click here, and we’ll talk today!

Sustainabillity_Report2023 Download

10 Tips To Save Money When Buying Fleet Graphics

January 6, 2023 by cole

Fleet graphics are inherently one of the most cost-effective forms of advertising, passively driving your message home to millions while you transfer goods.

64% of US drivers notice vehicle graphics
– Nielsen Out of Home Advertising Study 2019
One Truck With Fleet Graphics generates an average of 30,000-70,000 impressions per day (10-14 million per year)
– “Measuring the Value of Vehicle Wraps” by ARD Ventures
Vehicle marketing results in a 97% message recall, compared to a 19% retention for stationary signage
– RYP & Becker Group
Out-of-home advertising generates nearly 4x more online activations per ad dollar than TV, radio, and print
– Nielsen March 2017 OOH Online Activation Survey

Memorable fleet graphics have great potential to increase engagement and revenues. Modernistic can provide cost-effective solutions for your next project – further increasing ROI to your bottom line. With fifty years’ experience printing, cutting, and installing major brand vehicle wraps, we’ve developed the following 10 tips to save money on mobile media programs.

1. Online Ordering

Ordering your fleet graphics from an online portal saves you time and keeps the buying process simple and organized. You can track orders and even let franchisees purchase the fleet graphics they need. Check out our easy-to-use online print ordering system here.

2. Know Your Fleet Graphic Coverage Options!

There are a lot of different graphic coverage options available to fit your budget and advertising goals. With the right graphic, it’s possible to achieve high-quality results that meet your unique business needs. Below is a quick guide.

Spot Graphics / Decals

Spot graphics includes simple logos and/or cut lettering to help customers recognize your business.

Partial Wraps

A partial wrap typically covers at least 1/3 of your vehicle makes your company stand out and enhances brand awareness.

Full Wrap

Reflective Accents

Full Reflective Wrap

3. Utilize The OEM Vehicle Color

Expenses can be minimized by ordering vehicles in the color you plan to use for your fleet graphics and then adding eye-catching graphics! Dialog between fleet graphics managers and vehicle purchasers often miss this no-brainer idea.

4. Make Your ROI Count By Standing Out

Sometimes you gotta go big or go home! A unique fleet graphic will promote more brand awareness than a simple one. A slight upgrade to design and coverage may dramatically enhance that eye-popping effect. Take time to determine how the desired outcome will best be achieved within the scope of your budget.

5. Die-Cut Only

A common misconception in fleet graphics is that they must be printed products. This is not the only option! If the material comes in the desired color, we can simply die-cut it to your desired shape. Another great way to save money is to utilize laminates. For example, we applied anti-graffiti laminate on city buses that were constantly being tagged [spray paint]. Once installed, graffitied buses simply go through the bus washing station for removal – saving thousands in repainting costs.

6. Choose The Right Fleet Graphic Material

There are thousands of fleet graphic materials, film types that you can get lost in. We examine the application and the expected service life of your graphics to properly determine what substrate and process should be utilized. The risk of selecting the wrong material is not only a loss of time and money but could damage your brand’s reputation. When you’re talking about the essence of a company’s brand, the performance of a material is of the utmost importance.

7. Efficient Design

As is true in any marketing program, efficient foundational design can reduce the total cost of a project. In the example below, partial graphics are utilized on a white trailer, however, it gives the appearance of a full wrap. This not only reduced costs for the client but by utilizing creative art, their brand awareness intensified and resulted in improved ROI.

8. Think Outside The Box

Let’s face it; this is an overused business cliché. But the principles it stands for – approaching problems in innovative ways, conceptualizing problems differently, and understanding your position in relation to any particular situation – is our goal with every project.

Don’t overlook approaching a fleet graphics project with a unique idea. Below is an example of a creative solution, printing on banner material for a large scale, durable portable storage container fleet graphic campaign.

9. Design With Safety In Mind!

50% of traffic deaths happen at night – National Safety Council
Visibility decreases by 95% at night – U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration

Creating a culture of safety with your fleet graphics is more than reducing hazards; doing so can also increase morale and productivity, and decrease insurance premiums for your business. We have helped hundreds of fleets implement this by manufacturing and installing reflective graphics, keeping drivers safe and their brand at the top of mind, no matter the hour. For reflective best practices, we highly recommend reading the U.S. Department of Justice’s Study on Emergency Vehicle Visibility and Conspicuity.

10. Curveball! Custom Paint Masking

There are times when a printed/cut fleet graphic isn’t the most practical solution. Custom paint masking can improve your bottom line if you have a paint process, need extreme durability, deploy a high quantity of vehicles, or utilize a complex painting assembly. Here’s a great example of how we helped save a motorcyle brand millions of dollars through our custom paint masking.

Grow your company’s revenue while personally enhancing your career! Fleet Graphics are awesome, but they take more than good artwork or a well-structured design to entice a consumer to buy a product. It’s a balanced recipe of great design, affordable manufacturing cost, clever placement, and judicious use of resources. Stay tuned for next month’s knowledge drop to learn more!

On the other hand, if you can’t wait or want to cure your fleet graphics issues RIGHT NOW – click here, and we’ll talk today!

What is an Ink Drawdown/Press Check?

July 26, 2022 by shawn

Have you ever been asked to request an ink drawdown, press check, or color drawdown? These are all print industry terms for the same thing. Essentially, an ink drawdown is testing how the colors appear on the material you want to use. Think of it as a paint sample you would get when deciding what color to paint your room. Except, in an ink drawdown you are also testing the material it is on as well.

These samples are important because ink is extremely capricious and will be affected by even the smallest changes (like a change in the material). Understanding these changes will help us create an updated ink recipe to combat those changes so that the ink on the new substrate looks exactly how you want it to. Knowing how the colors will react to the material before performing a full production will also decrease chances of rework and cost. This is why we always perform internal drawdowns even if our customers do not request one. This is not always the case for printers and print management companies, make sure to advocate for yourself or utilize an attentive printer. We are extremely confident to say that we have the best ink formulation team in the nation so if you have any questions feel free to contact us.

What is Die Cutting?

July 22, 2022 by shawn

Cutting techniques can make or break a project budget. That is why it is important to learn when to use the right machine for the job. Otherwise, you could be losing unnecessary money. We will look at what die cutting is and when you should use it!

Simple Answer:

In its simplest form, die cutting is essentially just a large cookie cutter for your design. It’s meant to pump out parts fast and precisely. Similar to screen printing, the setup for die-cutting takes longer but is faster on the production end. Its sweet spot is large quantities with substrates less than .5” thick. If you have a thicker substrate or smaller quantities that’s okay! There are plenty of other cutting options and we have even die-cut foam up to 3” thick! That is why it’s important to have a printer with the knowledge and alternate cutting capabilities in-house.

A die-cutting project has 3 elements.

1. The Die Line

The die line is essentially the guide for us to make the cuts or creases. These die lines can be very tricky to read, but it is imperative that they are correct.

2. The Cutting Die / The Die

A die can either be curved or flat. We typically used a curved die (aka a rotary die) when the parts are small and there is a dramatically higher volume (think sticker size). Every cutting die has a base with blades sticking out of it. Some of those blades are sharper to cut straight through and some are duller to score the material in case you need it to fold or bend. The rubber pieces are to help the blades cut evenly.

3. Die-Cutting Machine

There are 3 major die-cutting machines: roll fed die-cutting, sheet fed die-cutting, and rotary die-cutting. Typically, a die-cutting machine is 4 feet wide so you would want the dimensions of the die-cut part to be less than 22” x 32”. We don’t believe in being held back and that is why we have some of the largest format die-cutting machines in the US.

The more you are under budget, the more revenue you produce. It is important that you are using the most efficient method based on your project specs and not constrained by machine capabilities. Otherwise, it can limit your budget and weigh down your bottom line. Shameless plug: If you want to know if your project is as efficient as it could be, we would be happy to give you a 2nd opinion! Our scope of equipment ensures that you are using the best method for your project.

Tips for Utilizing Stair Graphics Effectively

July 20, 2022 by shawn

Plan and implement a winning strategy by utilizing Stair Graphics to communicate your brand
and/or messaging!

Create success with every step

Promotion companies, marketing, and advertising agencies along with specialized media companies are always on the lookout for innovative concepts for making advertising campaigns as effective as possible. The objective is to create a targeted and simultaneously extensive advertising presence, by locating the campaign on the attractive and mostly underutilized / unexpected advertising format. Both a design element and a branding opportunity, stair graphics are being used for events, premier parties, and galas.

On the commercial side, brands have been popping up on heavily traveled staircases all over the world displaying massive ads for their products and services.

Schools allow the transformation of ordinary flight of stairs into a striking visual that reinforces behavior expectations, supports school spirit, and promotes student success.

Transform an arena from average to a standout amongst its competitors, by taking away blank space and turning it into art. Possibilities include championship teams photos, alumni images, opening days or other seasonal events. Additional options for stair messaging includes murals, motivational quotes, along with core value messaging.

Stair graphics do not have to be used for athletics and can be functioned to fit all projects a school desires. Graphics can be used on any staircase, including residence halls, dining halls, academic buildings, and dorms.

Add the unique, yet not over the top design, that turns a blank space into a completely different point of interest. The attention drawn from the graphics can take an average, or even outdated part of a venue, and create what feels like a newly renovated area.

A stair graphic treatment is surprisingly affordable and can be completed with no harm done to the structure itself.

While stair graphics are dramatic, the product itself is economic, easy to install, clean and will last for years.

Do not overlook the option of “Stair Graphics” – especially when your audience needs to go that direction every day. It’s a great use of space that definitely gets noticed!

Top 3 Ways to Cut Down Shipping Costs on Your Print/Converting Project

July 18, 2022 by shawn

At Modernistic, we often get asked by our customers “how are you able to cut our shipping times down by so much?” That is why I want to go over the top 3 ways you can cut down shipping costs on your print/converting project. This is more important than ever now as the supply chain gets more bottlenecked and more unreliable. Let’s jump right into it.

1. Design

The first way is also the first step in the process. Design! We design our products to ship efficiently, that way you start with a healthy foundation right from the start. Just like in a house, if you start with a healthy foundation the rest will be set up for success. A lot of shipping costs can be reduced by engineering the design with shipping in mind.

For example, a large fashion retail brand came to us with this huge fixed-box display. The first thing we noticed is that it could be easily redesigned in a couple minutes to be more efficient. This affected how it broke down, was able to ship flat, etc. It cut the shipping cost by 50%, saving thousands of dollars, just through a couple simple steps. *We would love to share a picture of this project but due to proprietary designs and our customer’s wish for privacy, we are unable to share this project.*

2. Efficient Kitting

The second way to reduce shipping costs is efficient kitting. I can’t stress enough how often we see extremely inefficient kitting setups. We always use precise and lean kitting techniques because we know they are proven to help reduce costs.

Another example, one of the tools we utilize is a custom box maker. This helps us maximize the purpose of every inch of space in a kit. Whether we are shipping to one location or 1,000 we are able to quickly create custom kits to exact specifications so every inch is utilized. Eliminating any extra space, size, and weight. It also indirectly makes the contents more secure because of
everything more tight.

3. Location, Location, Location!

The third way to reduce shipping cost is location. Having a neutral location is extremely helpful in reducing ship time and cost. Our location in the midwest situates us perfectly to keep fast, affordable, and reliable shipping lanes for anywhere in the US. This can make or break a project budget and can’t be overlooked.

These are just a couple examples of how small, efficient steps can affect so much of the overall project cost. It even affects sustainability, you are using less fuel, less box inventory/waste, and less bubble or microfoam. (Side note: if you are still using bubble wrap, you should look into switching to sustainable packaging material). This is just the start of how we are able to reduce cost, minimize waste and maximize value, quality, and speed.

Let us know if you have any questions or want help on your next project by contacting us.