Advances in digital printing

March 1, 2011  |  Features, Graphics

Emerging technologies in fabrics, inks and printing equipment lead the way to innovations in digital textile printing. By Holly O’Dell and Amy Orchard Digital textile printing offers a variety of advantages over more traditional printing methods, including lower costs for short-run end product…
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Graphics enhance corporate interiors

March 1, 2011  |  Features, Graphics

Corporate environments draw upon printed fabrics for aesthetics, function, branding—and sustainability. By Janice Kleinschmidt Office employees need a degree of privacy, a place to display family photos or a bobblehead-doll collection, and a barrier to gymnasium-like acoustics. But the isolati…
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Successful color management (Part 1)

March 1, 2011  |  Features, Graphics

Managing color successfully can save your organization time and money, and a little work up front can make life easier in the long run. By Mark Gundlach Editor’s note: X-Rite Color Services partnered with Fabric Graphics on a two-part series about the challenges involved in communicating color…
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Benefits and challenges of going green

March 1, 2011  |  Features, Graphics

Four businesses share their successes and challenges in pursuing environmentally friendly practices. By Holly O’Dell “Going green” is the favored phrase for making environmentally friendly choices, but it can be a loaded topic. Three print shops and a fabric manufacturer share thei…
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Riad Shakeer builds his company with diversification

February 1, 2011  |  Fabric Structures, Features, Marine, Marketing, Perspective

Riad Shakeer moves his company forward through product diversification. By Sigrid Tornquist As soon as my business started to grow, I started looking for something else to produce,” says Riad Shakeer, owner of Calypso Marine Canvas Ltd. and Calypso Fabric Architecture Caribbean Ltd. in Chaguanas, …
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2011 State of the Industry

February 1, 2011  |  Features, Industry News, Markets

Slower and gradual growth has become the norm in the reset specialty fabrics industry. By Jeff Rasmussen The 2009 economy reset the size, shape and growth of the specialty fabrics industry throughout all market segments. The result: fewer significant suppliers and end product manufacturers today. Th…
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Solar options for tents

February 1, 2011  |  Business, Features, Tents

Decades of research narrows the search for affordable and efficient solar panels for tents. By Todd Jensen & Sigrid Tornquist For flexible solar panels to have a place in the world of tents they have to be lightweight, and they have to pull their weight; in other words, they have to benefit the …
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Expanding business internationally

February 1, 2011  |  Features, Marketing

There’s never been a better time to expand into an international market—if you are patient, committed and open to new ways of doing business. By Jill C. Lafferty When Walt Disney songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman penned “It’s a Small World (After All)” for a ride a…
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Bob Campbell gets it just right

January 1, 2011  |  Awnings & Canopies, Features, Marketing, Perspective

Bob Campbell ignores the competition and focuses on his best small business strategies. By Sigrid Tornquist I don’t worry about the competition. They can do whatever they want to do,” says Bob Campbell, MFC, president of Mt. Lebanon Awning in Presto, Pa. “They can be more expensive than we are…
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Adaptable awnings

January 1, 2011  |  Awnings & Canopies, Features

The awnings and canopies industry responds to challenges with improved products and a renewed resolve to educate clients and consumers. By Holly O’Dell The world of awning manufacturing and fabrication, particularly in the U.S., continues to evolve, thanks to technological advances, improved b…
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