For Good Measure: Yes, There’s an App for That!

If you’re looking for a way to make site inspections just a little bit easier, we’ve found Photo Measures, a smartphone app that allows you to save and share measurements and dimensions on photos taken with your phone’s camera.

Instead of using a rough, hand-drawn sketch with notes, Photo Measures lets you:

  • Take photos and draw measurements and details directly on the picture
  • Zoom in and out of your photo when you need to be more precise
  • Edit measurements with just a touch
  • Quickly add text as comments when more info is needed
  • Easily organize your photos by category
  • Export measurements in hi-res by email or to your photo library (PDF or JPG)
  • And import photos of any size and aspect ratio

It’s available for both Android and iOS devices. The Android version is currently $4.99 and the iOS is $6.99.

There’s also a free version of this app called: Photo Measures Lite, and this version is pretty helpful, too. However, it has a few limitations compared to the full version:

  • You’re limited to only 2 photos at a time
  • The photos you export will have a watermark

We’ve put together a quick video, above, to show Photo Measures in action. Check it out and let us know how this app and other on-the-job apps make your life easier.

Get the Best Results When You Hire an Installer

If you outsource your wide-format graphic installations, you may think that bringing an installer in at the end of the process to do that last part of the job makes sense, but installer Greg Schopmeyer of Greg Schopmeyer Enterprises in Tarpon Springs, Fla., says that could be a devastating mistake for the project.

With a 30-year career under his belt, Schopmeyer has worked on all sides of the print business, from screen printing to transit advertising to all forms of installation, which he solely focuses on now. He’s paired a wide variety of media with the surfaces they need to be installed on — from the windows to the walls and beyond.

“In a perfect world, the installer would be involved at the very beginning, when the printer is bidding on the job,” Schopmeyer says, because an experienced installer will bring ideas on which media will work best for the project, how the media can be attached, what stipulations there might be on the job and different types of hardware that can be used with the chosen media.

“We’re the final line,” he says. “If you print on the wrong stuff and it’s not working, it doesn’t make any of us look good.”

Some of the key things Schopmeyer needs to know when coming into a job include:

  • Location
  • Measurements
  • Customer expectations
  • Required longevity of the graphic
  • How it will be paneled
  • If he needs the graphic printed with a bleed

“I’ve been in the industry such a long time, and I’ve done a lot of crazy different installs,” Schopmeyer says. “You have to be able to look at all the perameters when planning to do a job. Along the way, I’ve figured out processes for how to make things work. And the most important thing is: Get the installer involved as soon as you can with any sort of project.”

Take a look below at the gallery of installation jobs Schopmeyer has worked on in recent years.

Smooth, Bubble-Free Window Graphics Applications

Applying window graphics on the inside of a windowAvailable from LexJet’s Nationwide Delivery Network this week is a new 1-mil clear polyester film with adhesive on both sides designed for applying temporary window graphics.

LexJet FaceMount-X Removable Adhesive has a permanent solvent acrylic adhesive on one side where the graphic is applied facing out and a removable solvent acrylic adhesive on the other side where it’s applied to the inside of the window.

The air flow release liner on the removable side makes installation quick, easy and bubble-free. Once the promotion or campaign is over, the graphic is easily removed with no residue.

The removable adhesive is ideal for protecting the graphic from picky passersby and the weather, as well as sign code enforcers who don’t like graphics applied to the outside of windows.

For more information about LexJet FaceMount-X Removable Adhesive, as well as LexJet’s line of window graphic products for any project or ink type, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538.

Gambling on Wall Graphics

Inkjet printing wall murals and decor

They say (whoever they are) that, one way or another, the House always wins, so there’s nothing better than a situation in which everyone wins. Such was the case with a recent wall graphics project Imagine This Banners completed for a casino in West Virginia.

Casino decor and wall graphicsImage This Banners, headquartered in Charleston, W.V., covered four walls at the casino, effectively transforming those spaces and setting a unique atmosphere. Two of the walls were 50 feet long by 6 1/2 feet tall, another was 22 feet long and 8 feet tall, and the fourth wall was 15 feet long by 10 feet tall.

Imagine This Banners used Photo Tex PSA Fabric from LexJet for the project, and owner Greg Harpold says it was the first time they installed an adhesive-backed wall mural of this size though he’s been evangelizing on behalf of this application for years.

Applying inkjet printed wall graphics“When I first got into the large-format business in 2005 I was attending a lot of trade shows like SGIA and I was intrigued by the wall wraps. I come from a theatrical, stage lighting, film and television background and it was a natural thing for me to latch in because digital inkjet printing makes fantastic backdrops, as well as the ability to change and create atmosphere quickly,” says Harpold. “I’m hoping that it will run like wildfire and open the door for more of this type of application.”

Image This Banners, by the way, is the design and large-format printing arm of an international multi-media company with additional offices in Toronto and London that includes Jaguar Education, which produces educational materials for schools. “Large format printing was a natural spinoff for us; we enlarged our basic formats for posters, mascot banners, floor graphics, wall graphics, pole banners… you name it,” Harpold says.

Installing interior wall decor imagesHarpold adds that he had previously pitched the casino on wrapping the walls a few years ago. The casino finally came around, designed a concept and called Imagine This Banners to see if they could pull it off.

Harpold admits to being a bit nervous about the project since, as mentioned earlier, they had not completed a project of this scope with adhesive-backed materials. Fortunately, the choice of Photo Tex soon put any misgivings to rest.

“I have learned a lesson or two when it comes to installing large adhesive graphics and some materials are very unforgiving. If you drop them or position them wrong you might be starting the entire install over or damaging the surface that you are applying to, but Photo Tex is a blessing for its ease of application since it’s repositionable and can be easily corrected if it sticks where you don’t want it to stick,” says Harpold. “I would totally suggest using foam-covered squeegees when it comes to applying Photo Tex. This technique really helps protect the artwork and allows you to focus on the job at hand.”

Greg Harpold
Greg Harpold, owner of Imagine This Banners, Charleston, W.V.

Harpold says the client is “absolutely stoked,” all the way through the organization from top to bottom. Part of its success, beyond the relatively easy installation, was the color gamut provided by the Canon iPF9000 printer, which Harpold says is especially important for hitting flesh tones.

“My production manager and righthand gal Tracy Rogers was completely floored by the print quality of Photo Tex and the ease of its application. She has been with me through thick and thin and said this job was, by far, a total success because Photo Tex gave us such latitude in both printing and installation,” says Harpold. “Also, working with Jaimie Mask [Imagine This Banner’s personal customer specialist] and the valuable information she provided regarding the product really helped us move toward Photo Tex as our choice of material for this project.”

Two-for-One Short Roll Deal on Carpet Graphics through April

Advertising on carpets and floorsIf you haven’t downloaded the free Application Guide to Floor and Carpet Graphics, click on the link, check it out and then take advantage of this month’s special carpet graphics deal: Buy a short roll (54″ wide x 20′ long) of Simple CarpetAd and receive a free short roll (also 54″ x 20′) of Floor Velvet Laminate (5 Mil).

This offer ends April 30. Limit one 2-for-1 floor graphics/laminate combo short roll per customer. Use Promo Code S2CAV5 when purchasing online.

In addition to LexJet’s Application Guide to Floor and Carpet Graphics, which includes useful information on how to sell and install floor and carpet graphics. You can also access other valuable guides and white papers at LexJet’s Learning Center.

Other guides at the Learning Center include:

You can find how-to and demonstration videos on a myriad of topics related to your business and graphics production at www.youtube.com/lexjet, including Installing LexJet Simple Indoor FloorAd and Installing LexJet Simple CarpetAd.

For more information, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538.

Wet Application: How to Apply Infinium to Glass

Window graphics application and installationLexJet’s new Infinium, an inkjet-printable material that conforms to virtually any substrate to which you apply it, can be attached to a substrate using various attachment methods.

In previous posts, I showed you how Infinium can be applied to substrates like canvas and wood and even plexiglass using a thermal laminator.

One of the other ways to attach Infinium to a surface is simply by using water. This method works great for graphics on glass or windows that aren’t going to be permanently installed.

In the video embedded below, learn how to apply Infinium to glass using a wet application method…