Page 70 - Print 21 Magazine Nov-Dec 2018

Trade Printing
Gecko sticks
“Our feedback has always been positive on quality of product and service. Our customer service staff know the products very well – not only are they friendly, they give great advice.”
One of Gecko’s selling points, according to Mair, is its guarantee on product quality and turnaround times. “It is a matter of ensuring that the right product is selected, giving the right advice and offering samples,” he says.
In addition, the company offers
a 24-hour option over and above
its standard four to five-day standard turnaround time. “We also guarantee our dispatch times – if we do not dispatch your order by the promised date, you get it free. We are strict on meeting deadlines,” says Mair.
Reliable range
Gecko Sticker Signage updates its equipment every three to five years to stay ahead of the curve, and after its most recent upgrade, runs a stable of Mimaki solvent UV and HP Latex machines. “The inks are the most durable on the market for outdoor print,” said Mair.
“Latex has a high scratch resistance, and solvent UV is glossy and chemical-resistant as well as a high scratch resistance – it can even withstand thinners, and in most cases has no need for the extra cost of lamination.”
Gecko’s wide range of materials means its customers will be able to find the right sticker for the job, says Mair, who is more than happy to point them in the right direction. “Nowadays stickers must adhere to a wide range of surfaces,” he says. “Although standard permanent
stickers work on a large range of surfaces and products, there are surfaces where they will fail to
bond correctly or fail to stick
altogether, such as concrete, bricks, plastic, powder coats, fibro
sheets, and wash and wear paints. “That is why it is so important
to have the right advice and product range to suit.”
Above all, Gecko aims to be a partner as dependable as its
products for its growing number of clients.
“We constantly strive to exceed our clients’ expectations, and
believe that trust, reliability and great communication are the keys
to fostering long, healthy business relationships,” says Mair. 21
with trade clients
Based on Queensland's charming Sunshine Coast, Gecko Sticker Signage is a close-knit, family-owned wide-format printer.
The business primarily produces outdoor decal and sticker work, including floor stickers, wall stickers, vehicle decals, shop window decals, bumper stickers, and a wide range of stickers for equipment and products. “Everything is made in-house,” says Rick Mair (pictured above), co- founder and director. “We are based in Queensland, but we supply clients all around Australia.”
Mair says it has always enjoyed servicing trade clients from right around the country. “We love the challenges they throw our way, whether it be meeting an urgent delivery deadline, or finding them a sticker product to suit the most unusual surface when others have failed,” he said.
According to Mair, the primary niche for Gecko’s products is advertising and promotion, along with branding and safety, both indoors and outdoors. “Everything is manufactured in-house, with stringent quality control every step of the way, from ordering right through to the final printed product and dispatch,” he says. “At Gecko Sticker Signage we stand behind every product we sell, and we want our trade clients to relax and have peace of mind that their clients will be happy too.”
After years serving both trade and direct clients, Gecko is realigning
its operations to focus exclusively
on trade work. According to Mair, for-trade has always been the source of Gecko’s best clients. “We still deal direct with customers at present, but we are moving back to trade-only,
Rick Mair (above) and some of the print produced by Gecko.
because we find trade clients to be the best fit for us,” he says. “We offer heavily discounted prices for trade, up to 35 per cent from what we would charge a direct client. We can offer these discounted prices because working with trade customers is always a smooth process – they know exactly what they need the product to do, and have print ready files, and the understanding of the print industry in general.”
Gecko prides itself on its service, says Mair, who provides customers with the benefit of his expertise from almost four decades in the wide- format and sticker industry. “I have been in the trade myself for more than 35 years, so I have experience and knowledge to advise the right product,” he said. “I have always
been a perfectionist, and working
in the trade my whole life from the age of 15, I have a firm grasp on the importance of being a trustworthy and reliable supplier for stickers and outdoor prints for the trade.
Since its founding eight years ago, Gecko Sticker Signage has gone from a trade only printer to serving big corporate clients. Now Gecko is shifting focus back into the trade printing wide-format market, and offering trade clients the range and expertise they can rely on for a quality end result.
70 Print21 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018