“Approximately 7 years ago, a work place fund raising program was started in the US called “Casual for a Cause,” said Karen Maroe, Advantage Sign Supply, VP of Operations/HR. “Casual for a Cause” is a fund raiser where employees can wear jeans to work on an appointed day in exchange for a small donation for a selected cause. The program is designed to support medical research foundations, medical necessities and community programs. Today, many corporations have adopted “Casual for a Cause” as an employee sponsored fund raising program into their workplace as a way to support causes that have touched or are supported by a fellow Team Member.”

Employees in Advantage’s corporate office in Grand Rapids, MI selected charities to donate to each month. Advantage has had high participation in the program, and contributed to a wide range of charities so far including:

2009
November – Mel Trotter Ministries, support for homeless and hungry in West Michigan
December – U.S. Marine’s Toys for Tots

2010
January – The Ronald McDonald House
February – The Grand Rapids Home for Veterans
March – The National Kidney Foundation of Michigan
April – Relay for Life benefiting the American Cancer Foundation
May – Be the Match Foundation, National Marrow Doner Program

“Advantage Sign Supply is excited to contribute to our community”, Maroe said. “We’re honored to be a supporter of Casual for a Cause and look forward to additional charity events in the future.”

Advantage Sign Supply is a Grand Rapids, Michigan, based sign supply company, specializing in equipment and supplies from Gerber, 3M, and Oracal, and the latest innovations in the wide format industry. For 20 years, Advantage has provided its customers with quality products and exceptional service.

Oracal 651 and duffle bag
Pinstriping By Shakey
China Township, MI

IPOD
Mt Clements Road Commission
Mt Clements, MI

3M Media Package
Swartz Sign Graphics
Reese, MI

Gerber 220
Kase Graphics
Commerce, MI

Very soon, ONYX upgrades will only be available for ONYX RIP software version 7.x or higher. This means users with 5.6 or 6.5 looking to upgrade to the new Version X10, will have to purchase a full version, once X10 is released this year.

Onyx is moving away from selling upgrades and toward a Service Agreement model. The service agreements will give Onyx users access to the latest software (Upgrades), support options, and the new PrintMetryx Jobview Pro reporting tool.

There are two version of the Service Agreements:

• with Phone Support ($1295)
• without Phone Support ($995)

These agreements cover a 12 month term and need to be renewed yearly.

If you currently have 5.6 or 6.5 and purchase a service agreement, you would get the upgrade to 7.x as well as the X10 upgrade available later in the year.

Contact your Advantage Sign Supply sales representative today to upgrade to ONYX Version 7.0. Call 1-877-237-4464, or visit

• Nationwide service from 9 regional locations
• Key distributor for major manufacturers including Gerber Scientific Products, Mimaki, Agfa, and Océ
• Industry leading technical support and training programs

Celebrating 20 years in business is a tremendous accomplishment”, said Russ Herman, President, “and we’re proud of the success we’ve had in helping our customers build their business. We strive to provide the industry’s best service and support and are looking forward to continuing to serve the sign industry in the coming years.”

Recently, the  company has continued to meet customers’ needs for service, support, and supplies in new areas including, a successful web store launch offering customers a convenient, 24/7 online shopping experience, the addition of webinar classes to its innovative training program, and status as the distributor with the industry’s largest UV flatbed printer offering.

Advantage Sign Supply is a Grand Rapids, Michigan, based sign supply company, specializing in equipment and supplies from Gerber, 3M, Avery, and Oracal, and the latest innovations in the wide format industry. Founded in 1990, Advantage has grown to have 9 regional locations, providing its customers with quality products and exceptional services.

For more information about Advantage Sign Supply, please call 877-237-4464 or visit advantagesignsupply.com

Congratulations!

Metro Exhibit

Woodridge, IL

2nd Prize: Winners of a 1 year AEM webinar membership

Sign Express

Covington, VA

Fastsigns

Appleton, WI

3rd Prize: Winners of one free hour of technical support

Michigan Speedway

Brooklyn, MI

M.L. Advertising and Design

Tiffin, OH

Two Rivers Sign & Design

Portage, WI

Winners will be contacted by Advantage to receive their prizes.

A wide variety of classes are planned for the remainder of 2009 including:

• Beginner and Intermediate Omega, Flexi, Onyx
• New Product Spotlight
• Color Management
• Proper Care and Maintenance Of Your Printer
• New Software Spotlight
• File Backup Procedures
• Marketing Your Business 101
• Edge Tips and Tricks
• Media/Laminate Education

“Advantage Sign Supply has always put an emphasis on having well trained employees and customers. We designed this program to help our customers stay educated in an ever-changing industry, keeping their bottom line in mind”, said Paul Granaroli, Advantage Sign Supply Director of Training.

Advantage Sign Supply is well-known in the sign and graphics industry for its quality training programs. In addition to its new AEM program, Advantage offers regional hands-on classes in Omega, Onyx, and FlexiSign software, vehicle wrapping, and color management.

For more information about training opportunities from Advantage Sign Supply, contact Paul Granaroli, Director of Training, at 877-237-4464, extension 1517. Visit Advantage Sign Supply for a complete training schedule and class registration forms.

“Advantage Sign Supply is excited to become an authorized Océ reseller featuring the Océ Arizona flatbed line,” says Russ Herman, President, Advantage Sign Supply. “This brings two strong brands together that will provide great value to our customers—Advantage Sign Supply with its national coverage of sales and service expertise combined with Océ’s superior products that deliver high quality, high performance, and dependable output.”

Advantage will focus its sales on the sign and graphics industry. Océ will support Advantage in its selling activities and provide additional services including delivery and installation services, warranty support, and on-going, post-warranty maintenance services.

“This expansion of our display graphics sales capability increases customer access to the popular Océ Arizona Series printers and supports our goal of dramatically increasing our market presence in the US,” says Patrick Chapuis, President, Wide Format Printing Systems division of Océ North America. “ASSI has a solid reputation for customer service, a strong leadership team and a large customer base. We look forward to a long term relationship with them.”

About Océ Arizona Printers

Advantage will be distributing the Océ Arizona Series of UV curable flatbed printers, including the 200 GT, 250 GT, 350 GT and 350 XT models. The Océ Arizona Series of printers offers versatility to produce nearly any display graphics application. All can print directly onto a range of rigid media and are ideal for producing a wide variety of display graphics such as event and exhibit graphics, point-of-purchase displays, limited-term signage, transit advertising, and directional signage. The Océ Arizona 350 XT printer can print directly onto rigid media up to 98.4” x 120” and up to 1.89” thick; the Océ Arizona 350 GT, Océ Arizona 250 GT and Océ Arizona 200 GT models can print onto rigid media up to 49.2” x 98.4” and up to 1.89” thick.