Graphics Installation: 10 Trends to Understand

Graphics installation should never be an afterthought. Beyond the need to finish the job correctly and offer skills that help realize the needs of customers, installation has become increasingly technical. And — a complicating factor — installers may be on-staff, contractors, or both, creating management challenges.

To examine graphic installation today, Wide-Format Impressions spoke with Kenneth Burns, president of Axis Graphic Installations (headquartered in North Lauderdale, Florida) and Capital INK Corp. (Hyattsville, Maryland), as well as Pete Kouchis, president of Visucom Signs and Graphics (Mokena, Illinois). Through these conversations, the evolving relationship between printing and installation came into sharp focus.

Both are PRINTING United Alliance members, and both have built businesses that include wide-format production and installation. Their experiences reveal both a changing look for installation, its staffing, and the skills needed to deliver complete solutions

1- Installation Is Not Just About Applying Vinyl

Installation has evolved far beyond basic decal application. The skillset has grown. Today, installers often also handle dimensional letters, LED backlit signage, resurfacing films, rigging systems, architectural wraps, and complex environmental graphics.

Installation, these professionals say, now requires craftsmanship, mechanical aptitude, and advanced troubleshooting skills. Installers must understand substrates, adhesives, power access, and sequencing. It’s no longer a narrow trade — it’s a multifaceted profession.
Regarding the most basic skills for installation, Kouchis describes it this way: “If you have a general aptitude of being somewhat mechanically inclined … and you’re good with hand tools and laser levels, then you’re okay.”

2 - Hybrid Print-and-Install Business Models Are Growing

While installation-only companies continue to provide a valuable service, the wide-format segment has seen significant growth in hybrid businesses that both print and install.
Describing this trend, Kouchis observes, “I don’t know that I would say that there are less install-only companies, but there are more hybrids.”

The advantage of hybrid models is that they offer diversification, as well as a strategic hedge against volatility in the wide-format space. When installation work slows, then production may carry the load and vice versa. Kouchis and Burns say this model also provides better process control and oversight of the entire project.

3 - The Necessity for Trust in the Installer/Producer Relationship

One common concern among print providers is that independent installers who also possess wide-format printing capabilities may seek to leverage their clients’ customers. About this concern, and to dispel the tension that has existed around it, Kouchis notes, “It took many, many years to build a reputation and trust with people, and that can be destroyed in seconds just by getting greedy for a minute.”

Part of the concern is that installers often know client contacts, materials used, and their customers’ pricing strategies. Without demonstrated integrity, the trust between producer and installer can collapse quickly. The most successful installation businesses, Burns and Kouchis say, are built on restraint and professionalism. Trust, once earned, can result in long-term collaboration and even direct communication with end customers, without crossing relationship boundaries.

4 - Controlling Production Improves Installation Outcomes

Burns says his company started in wide-format production after years of being an installation-only provider, and partially driven by his own questions about production. He explains, “Being an installer, you get all of the good and the bad production stuff. I just had a curiosity. I wanted to know, is it really as hard as [wide-format producers] are making it sound?”

What Burns discovered was that production is challenging, but so is installation. He says he has developed a better understanding of production equipment inconsistencies, material variations, and process gaps that can ultimately affect field performance. Hybrid operators, he says, can benefit because they can anticipate installation requirements — such as labeling panels clearly, packaging carefully, and selecting appropriate materials — during production.

When printers “produce as if it’s going to be installed,” Burns says, then everyone wins.

5 - In-House Installers Offer Cost Benefits and Control

Many larger graphics producers serving certain markets often have installers on payroll, and the appeal of doing so is rather straightforward. Burns describes the benefits: “Cost, that’s number one … cost and control.”

Burns and Kouchis share that hourly employees are generally less expensive than independent contractors. They can be deployed quickly, reassigned to do other work between projects, and can be trained to meet the internal standards of the producer. This model works well, they say, when there is enough volume to keep installers busy full-time.

Smaller or mid-sized shops, however, may struggle to keep full-time installers busy. When installers are, for instance, cutting vinyl to fill downtime, morale and efficiency can suffer. They’re not doing what they were hired to do.

6 - Independent Installers Provide Flexibility, Partnership

Conversely, independent installation teams offer something that’s difficult to achieve “on the payroll”: scalability and deep specialization, particularly for products like national rollouts, regional surge, and large events.

Kouchis says strong partnerships between producers and independent installers can
create responsiveness and strong loyalty. The advantage, he says, “is building a relationship with a solid team that you can build a two-way respect.”

Installers who feel respected, he says, will prioritize those producers. As a result, they can help the producer troubleshoot collaboratively and often can act as trusted field representatives.

For producers without steady installation volumes, or those who face unpredictable demands or the need for out-of-left-field techniques and knowledge, Burns and Kouchis say, independent networks can be a powerful asset.

7 - Installation Skill Sets are Expanding Rapidly

Both Kouchis and Burns describe how installation responsibilities have broadened. Kouchis notes a growing demand for LED backlit dimensional signage: “They want their pin-mounted logos, but now they want them backlit. So, now we also have become experts in fishing low voltage wire up walls into ceilings.”

Burns highlights the growth he’s encountered in resurfacing films — high-quality, high-durability films that can be used to, for instance, apply simulated woodgrain to doors. “In the last two years we’ve really started doing a lot with that … that’s become about 20% of our installation mix now.”

Some resurfacing films, architectural treatments, electrical work, and specialty materials require certification, additional training, and careful process management. Installers and installing producers must decide where to draw the line on what they offer. Burns, for example, avoids electrical work beyond a certain scope to keep his team focused, comfortable, and within their skill set.

8 - Economics Bringing Rise in Resurfacing Work

Resurfacing films initially struggled to gain traction in the U.S., Burns says, but recent economic conditions changed that. He explains, “I think the economy in America just needed to go down to a point where people started looking at their bottom lines a little bit more.”

Replacing hundreds of hotel doors, for instance, is both expensive and disruptive. Wrapping those surfaces can extend their life at a much lower cost and with less downtime. Environmental considerations also play a role. Resurfacing scuffed but fully functional doors, as an example, prevents them from becoming landfill waste, minimizing environmental impact.

Installers who invested early in training and certification for resurfacing are now seeing steady growth in this segment, Burns and Kouchis report.

9 - Large Event Installations are High Risk, but High Reward

For large, high-profile sports and other events — the Super Bowl easily comes to mind — large-scale graphics installation have become nearly essential. But that doesn’t mean they’re easy. Both Burns and Kouchis report these production/installation projects offer significant visibility and profitability but are performed under intense pressure. They are not for the faint-of-heart. “Nothing else matters,” Burns says. “It has to happen on this day, on this time, no matter what.”

Kouchis describes how, for these types of jobs, oversights in production can lead to deep challenges that leave installers scrambling. Sometimes, he says, “[producers] hand us a messed up cake and a can of frosting and say, ‘Okay, make it look pretty, because the party’s in an hour.’”

For these types of jobs, weather, materials, and logistics can all become complicating factors. And because deadlines cannot move, these projects require experienced installers, strong communication, and exceptional problem-solving skills.

10 - Complex Fabrication Projects Offer Higher Margins

As more wide-format producers move into fabrication to create, for example, custom retail displays, experiential builds, and branded environments, installation complexity has increased. But with that complexity comes opportunity. Burns says, “For those installers that are willing to put in that extra work … the margins are a lot higher.”

Kouchis says fabrication-informed projects often require much more than simple installation. “It comes to a whole new level of involvement between the installer and the producer.”

These projects may require surveys and early coordination with installation teams before fabrication even begins to prevent costly errors requiring rework. When executed well, however, these projects move installers beyond commodity pricing and into premium service territory.

The Installation Advantage

Burns and Kouchis both agree on one central truth: installation is not simply the last step in a project. It is often the most visible and critical one. And whether a graphics producer used on-staff or independent installers, success depends on strong alignment throughout the project. As a hybrid producer/installer, Burns says, “Knowing both sides of the fence is awesome because now you can deliver a process that works for all parties.”

For graphics producers weighing whether to hire in-house installers, rely on independent partners, or build hybrid capabilities, the answer may not be either/or. It may be a carefully balanced combination — grounded in trust, training, and mutual respect.

For many wide-format producers, strong installation has evolved into a defining competitive advantage — a point of differentiation. And those who treat it as such will position themselves for success.