A Welcome Addition: HP Clear Gloss Cast Overlaminate

Late last year, LexJet introduced the HP Adhesive vinyl line to the industry at SGIA and the response from customers has been fantastic. Earlier this year, HP Prime Matte Air GR was added to the portfolio. It offers the same imaging quality as the Prime Matte Air GP, but with a gray removable adhesive.

Increasing variety to its overlaminate line, HP announced the addition of Clear Gloss Cast Overlaminate earlier this month. “The new cast laminate is a way for print service providers to see an increase in profitability on box trucks with rivets as well as fleet graphics,” says Tiffany Liashek, National Accounts specialist. “The new overlaminate provides significant cost savings to comparable products. As much as $200 per roll, in some cases.”

Partnering HP Optimal Gloss Air GRP with the new cast laminate, gives PSPs have a total graphics solution for around $0.92/sf. Liashek eases concerns of mixing the calendered Optimal with the cast laminate. “If the laminate is a higher quality vinyl than the printed vinyl, you can mix it. But you never want to use a calendered laminate on a cast vinyl. That’s when shrinkage and edge curl can occur,” she says.

In the past, when an installer heard “calendered vinyl,” he expected that product would be lower quality when compared with cast vinyl, but manufacturing and adhesive technology have improved. “The terms ’cast’ and ‘calendered’ should now be thought of as the way the film is made, not an indicator of quality,” Liashek says. “With calendered film now offering the same or better durability, finish and appearance as many cast films, the only remaining factor is the cost.”

Often, customers want to know which laminate is right for them. To help them choose, Liashek asks some important questions: “To make sure that I offer the right solution, I ask where the graphic will be displayed? What is the temperature like? Is there a lot of sunshine? Is it a vertical or horizontal surface application?” she says. “How they answer these questions will determine if they should consider a cast overlaminate.” The HP cast overlaminate offers protection against abrasions, heat and UV rays, and is extremely conformable. It also adds longevity to underlying graphics, with 10-year durability.

With the newest addition to the portfolio, PSPs can provide high-quality, durable results at a reasonable cost. “Any experienced installer can use calendered vinyl, and he knows when it will be more economical,” Liashek says. “That means an educated consumer can save a lot of money without sacrificing quality.”

Call a LexJet specialist at 800-453-9538 or visit LexJet.com to stay up to date with the latest information on additional products to the HP Adhesive Vinyl portfolio.

The CrystalClear Adhesive Solution for Temporary Signage

Ideal for temporary window displays in retail spaces and restaurants, the next generation of LexJet CrystalClear-X Removable Adhesive is now available. This clear 2.5-mil polyester is easy to use with bubble-free installation thanks to the air-regress channels that allow air to escape when applied by hand. Also, there’s no residue left behind when it’s removed.

CC thumbTo use this adhesive, wash the glass or acrylic with soap and water (not window cleaner), rinse and dry with a lint-free cloth. The air-flow release liner (on the blue grid side) is the removable side that you’ll adhere to the window. The solid white liner reveals the permanent adhesive that attaches to your graphic. It’s a great option for temporary promotions, menus, permits and licenses, and it works well for backlit displays, too.

LexJet Enhances, Simplifies PSA Laminate Line: Performance, Elite, Specialty

Laminates for trade shows and displaysLexJet has updated its line of PSA laminates and backers to provide a practical way for print shops to produce and sell laminated large format inkjet solutions to their customers, and provide added value for added profits.

“We’ve taken our 17 years of experience developing inkjet media, laminates and backers, as well as crucial input and advice from our customers, to give them a product line they can sell and depend upon,” says LexJet product manager Dione Metnick. “The whole point of a laminate is to enhance and protect the graphic, and exceed the end user’s design and visual expectations. We used that criteria as our baseline, then built our laminates and backers to eliminate costly color shifts and adhesive failures for the dependability and consistency our customers require.”

Conveniently grouped into three basic product categories – Performance, Elite and Specialty – print shops have a simple yet diverse choice of superior laminates not available elsewhere in various thicknesses, base materials, textures and widths. The adhesives in all three product lines are compatible with aqueous, low solvent, solvent, UV curable and latex inks.

“I have never noticed any discoloration with a LexJet laminate, as opposed to others I’ve seen that tend to yellow over time or give the graphic a different tint,” says Christian Schmid of Essyx Design + Fabrication, Johnson City, Tenn. “When our customers invest in graphics they don’t want them damaged, either by UV or people handling them, so we make sure we give them the peace of mind that comes with a more durable, brighter laminate.”

Performance: The industry’s best-in-class economically priced line of laminates and backers. Like all LexJet products, they come with a 30-day money back guarantee and are built to last. Most products in the Performance line feature the same high-quality adhesives and base materials as the Elite line.

Specialty: This product line was designed based on customer feedback for warranted, durable laminates that meet all the demands of specialty applications, including floor, carpet, vehicle wrap, optically clear and dry-erase.

Elite: Offers the highest possible performance and quality that exceeds the durability and visual expectations of end users. Most products in the Elite line come with a Lifetime Warranty, while all of them feature the most durable solvent acrylic adhesive in the industry and PreLume, an optical reflection technology built into the Elite laminates that ensures brighter and cleaner white areas for a longer period of time. PreLume Inside means greater contrast and dynamic range, producing graphics that stand out and grab the attention of passersby in a variety of indoor applications.

PreLume, licensed by LexJet in 2003, is only one innovation in a long line of innovations since LexJet introduced the first reverse-print polycarbonate (LexJet Clear) to the graphics market in 1994. Since that time LexJet pioneered the first white backer to partner with LexJet Clear, the first polycarbonate laminate guaranteed not to tunnel or delaminate, the next generation of solvent acrylic mounting adhesives, new adhesives resistant to and compatible with solvent and UV-curable inks and the first Lifetime Warranty, to name just a few.

Whether your graphic is short-term, long-term or somewhere in between, with LexJet’s updated and enhanced line of laminates and backers you have a variety of options to choose from that no one else in the industry offers… Proven, quality laminates in a variety of thicknesses, finishes and base materials to protect and enhance your graphic, eliminating costly color shifts and adhesive failures… Guaranteed.