March 2004
Creative Solutions By Catherine Evans

Signage is one of the most important things a garden center should have. It displays direction, instruction, promotion and more. However, constantly printing new or updated signs can get fairly expensive. With all the hassles of having an outside company design the signs and sending the signs back and forth numerous times for revisions and approval, the process gets a little tiresome.

That’s why Yamagami’s Nursery in Cupertino, Calif., decided to buy a printer to make its own signs. The printer is fast, easy to use, has great image quality and prints on paper that can be used outside. Though the printer was not cheap, it has really saved time within the design process (they do it themselves in-house). The general cost of the printer and the color cartridges add up, but with all of the money you spend on signage from outsourcing, the costs will even out, and you will have a trusty machine that gives you full, creative advantage.

While the need for professional printing services will still be present for most projects, there are so many possibilities with the sign printer. Yamagami’s prints signs to promote its upcoming events, signs that add more color to the greenhouse, signs to make customers smile when they walk in the door and, most importantly, signs that draw attention to its merchandise. That’s what it’s all about — drawing attention to the right place can make a world of difference not only for your store but also for the customers who need that extra attention.



Catherine Evans

Catherine Evans is associate editor of Lawn & Garden Retailer.