Erie Custom Signs, located in Saginaw, MI (USA) prides itself on the ability to fill orders from a single ADA/Braille sign to an entire hotel's worth of signs with remarkable lead times and complete customer satisfaction. All with the expected quality of signs made in the USA.

The company began as an engraving outfit in 1962, originally specializing in industrial tags. However, within nine months after Mike Shabluk purchased the company in 2009, Erie Custom Signs began to make ADA-compliant/Braille signage. Fast forward to 2013 and the company no longer produced tags and name badges, opting to chart a new direction with ADA/Braille signage production.

"We produced 25,000 ADA signs last year with the raster process and a 3rd-party company to digitally print logos and text on the signs," says Shabluk. "We decided to purchase the Direct Jet 1024UVMVP4 at the end of 2014 because of the white ink quality and digital ADA/Braille capability. The digital printing capability was something that we felt we needed to bring in-house to reach our full growth potential."

"We now have the ability to apply Braille dots to steel and aluminum signs," Shabluk says while identifying some of the benefits that his 1024UVMVP4 has provided. "Additionally, we have the ability to print wood grain and steel elements on a variety of materials. All of this is now quicker and easier than it was before, and our lead times shrunk."

With target markets that include sign shops, hotels, schools and healthcare organizations, the company expects 20% growth year-over-year moving forward. "We now do all of our ADA signs in-house," Shabluk says. "Fast turnaround and high volumes will win us the orders over the low-cost 'garage' companies. With our digital printing capability, we can turn signs around in a day in some instances. We have the equipment and materials on hand to make it happen. People will pay for that type of service."

Anyone familiar with ADA-complaint/Braille signage could not help be impressed with the sample gallery Erie Custom Signs has available on their website, www.eriecustomsigns.com. "We produce signage samples to help close the order," Shabluk says. "Bring your request to us – custom signage, wholesale signs, fabrication – we can handle it." Contact Mike Shabluk at mshabluk@eriecustomsigns.com to discuss how Erie Custom Signs can meet your signage needs.

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The EasyCyl Cylindrical Adapter can be attached, removed and adjusted in a few simple steps to enable level printing of wine glasses and other irregularly shaped cylindrical items (see lead story above). This month's Tech Tip will illustrate how easy it is to install and adjust the adapter for each product.

Broken down into three easy-to-follow steps – Installing the Cylindrical Adapter; Adjusting the Height of the Bearings; and Bearing Position Adjustment – complete installation and adjustment should take less than 5 minutes.

Click here for step-by-step installation instructions.

Latest Build Versions (Release Date):
     Color Byte RIP 9.1 Build 3 (Rel: 2/6/14)
     Front End Build: 10588M* (Rel: 2/6/14)
     Back End Build: 5227* (Rel: 2/6/14)

Latest Printer Package Versions (Release Date):
     1024UVMVP15: 4.104 (Rel: 12/30/14)
     1024UVMVP6: 4.104 (Rel: 12/30/14)
     1024UVMVP4: 4.104(Rel: 12/30/14)
     1018UVMVP2: 4.104 (Rel: 12/30/14)
     1018UVHS6: 4.104 (Rel: 12/30/14)
     1024UVMVP: 4.206 (Rel: 9/12/14)
     1024UVHS: 5.103 (Rel: 1/24/14)
     1024UV: 5.103 (Rel: 3/26/14)
     1014UV: 5.103 (Rel: 3/26/14)
     MVPADA24: 4.103 (Rel: 1/5/15)
     MVPADA18: 4.103 (Rel: 1/5/15)
     UVMVPADA: 6.102 (Rel: 10/3/14)
     DJUVADA: 6.204 For use with Build 3 Only (Rel: 2/6/14)
     DCS UVEASYCYL: 3.104 For use with Build 3 Only (Rel: 10/7/14)