Do You Have a Winning Lineup for Outdoor Graphics?

Now more than any other time of year, outdoor signage and graphics are front and center and in demand. We hold outdoor graphics to higher expectations in terms of durability and longevity, but also in photo and color reproduction and overall strength and visual appeal. We gathered some of our customers’ favorite outdoor products for a variety of applications. Check out this list to find your tried-and-true choices, as well as some new products that you’ve yet to discover:

Although it’s not technically specified for outdoor use, our customers have found that LexJet TOUGHcoat ThriftyBanner can take the heat … and the rain. Photographer Carl Caylor reproduced football player images, shown above, and displayed them on the field in frames attached with BannerUps for an entire football season. “We had a few games with really nasty weather, and they really held up great,” he says. “The ThriftyBanner got wet, but after the game we hung them up to dry, and everything was fine. It was amazing for a product that’s not really rated for outdoor longevity.”

LexJet Simple Adhesive Vinyl SUV is a tried-and-true outdoor self-adhesive option. It can be used to cover up eyesores, like Spectra Imaging achieved quite stylishly by covering a generator and finishing it with a film laminate for extra outdoor protection, pictured here. Another self-adhesive favorite is LexJet TOUGHcoat AquaVinyl PSA, a go-to choice for durable outdoor signs, like those used for election season yard signs when paired with Coroplast or foam boards. And don’t forget that LexJet now carries a full line of Avery Dennison films and laminates made specifically for long-term outdoor use for vehicles, transit and marine graphics, as well as floors, windows and walls.

Need a lasting window option? We’ve got dozens of window graphics choices, but if it’s a retail space and you want to see through the graphic, a favorite option is LexJet Simple Perforated Window Vinyl (70/30). Because 70% of the surface area is printable, you get great graphic reproduction and color punch with the added benefit of not obstructing the visibility through the window. Compatible with solvent, eco-solvent, UV-curable and latex inks, it’s designed to mount on the exterior of the window and will cleanly remove from the glass within the first year of installation.

Try LexJet Production Display Film SUV for banner stands. If you’ve got a customer request for banner stands that’ll be used outdoors, this is an ideal option for you. Our Production Display Films were a huge success when they launched, and it’s not hard to see why — this true lay-flat option won’t curl on the sides the way some material will, especially when they’ve been displayed for some time. The solvent option means you don’t have to apply a laminate top coat, and it’s super versatile. LexJet Production Display Film SUV is ideal for trade shows when you don’t need it to stand up to the outdoor elements.

If you’ve got dye-sublimation capabilities in your facility, a high-end, durable solution is ChromaLuxe EXT, made specifically to be used outdoors and guaranteed to last up to and beyond three years. These metal panels create stunning, high-end signage or décor with the vivid color reproduction we expect from dye-sub transfers. Stay tuned to our blog for more information and real-life examples featuring ChromaLuxe EXT!

Introducing: LexJet Gloss Blockout ThriftyBanner

With our newest banner material, LexJet Gloss Blockout ThriftyBanner, we’ve combined a set of features that will make this cost-effective scrim vinyl your new solution for high-impact banners.

This 15-mil banner combines a smooth, bright-white base for excellent color reproduction with a 100 percent opaque black back that blocks out everything.

“We tried a regular banner for a customer who wanted it hanging in the window,” says LexJet customer Chris Kleine, who runs New Mexico-based Graphics by Kleine. “I redid it with the Blockout, and there was literally no show-through. It’s all I push now … I won’t use any other.”

kleine graphics banner
Photo provided by Chris Kleine

The glossy finish makes this product unique on the market, giving photo banners an extra pop that other vinyls can’t produce.

“The gloss enhances the output by, I’d say, 1000 percent,” Kleine says. “You go from a dull matte finish to almost photo quality … it’s perfect.”

With weather- and water-resistance, the aqueous ink-compatible Gloss Blockout ThriftyBanner can last up to six months outdoors, making it the go-to vinyl for pole, street and hanging banners indoors or out. Kleine says the thickness and durability make finishing a breeze.

“You don’t even have to fold and stitch it … just grommet it,” he says. “Other companies want me to use their stuff, but I like the dependability and durability of this product.”

LexJet Gloss Blockout ThriftyBanner is now available in 24-, 36- and 60-inch by 75-foot rolls on LexJet.com or by calling a LexJet print specialist at 800-453-9538.

Illinois Company Revs Up Custom Car Show Signs

Sometimes a passion can turn into an excellent business opportunity, which is exactly what happened to Gary Hedlin, who owns Show Car Signs, a business that specializes in designing, printing and mounting customized signs for car shows.

car show3“We got started after I made a sign for my truck for car shows, and everyone liked it and asked who did it,” says Hedlin, who was running a sign and banner print shop at the time. “So I set up a site specifically for those signs in 2005, and it took off from there. Now the car show signs are 100 percent of the business.”

The signs are displayed on the ground, on easels or mounted onto a 4-foot brushed-aluminum stand, and the verbiage on the sign describes details like the car’s make, model and year, horsepower, wheel types, suspension, vehicle upgrades and other tidbits to help the car stand out in the competition.

Hedlin custom designs each sign — no templates allowed — and prints them on LexJet TOUGHcoat Aquavinyl PSA using his Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8400 44-inch printer, then finishes them with LexJet Performance Gloss Vinyl Laminate 3 mil. The Aquavinyl is adhered to a 3 mil PVC board and finished with a plastic edge cap to protect the sides.

car show4“Most makers of car show boards use foam board to mount their signs,” Hedlin says. The laminate and PVC board create more durable, longer lasting signs. The LexJet products are key to the success of the niche business he’s created.

“We chose these products because we’ve used them in the past and have always had great results,” he says, noting also that the cost and product availability play into his decision. “I like knowing I can get a roll the next day.”

Hedlin says he and many of his customers will have their vehicles and custom signs at the March 3-5 Chicago World of Wheels, so look for his handy work if you checking out the show.

Let’s Take It Outside with Aqueous Printers & Media

It’s time to dispel the myth that graphics printed with aqueous technology can’t stand the test of time when displayed outdoors. With wide-format printer manufacturers like Epson, Canon and HP advancing their pigment inks, media is performing better than ever when facing the elements.

“When you’re talking about outdoor durability, it comes down to three things,” says Jaimie Mask, LexJet product specialist, “the inks — which have definitely advanced — and the inkjet coating (including top coat and anchor coating) and the substrate itself. Take LexJet’s TOUGHcoat Water Resistant Polypropylene. The reason we call it TOUGHcoat is because its coating is engineered to withstand outdoor climate changes, like wind and rain.”