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Customize the Holidays with Canvas, Wrapping Paper & More
Posted on by Jennifer Corn Posted in Technology & Products
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Customize the Holidays with Canvas, Wrapping Paper & More

Consumers have grown quite savvy when it comes to the art of gift-giving. There was a time when it was “the thought that counts,” which often led to frantic last-minute shopping trips for generic, boring trinkets. With the advent of digitally printable media like LexJet Sunset by Fredrix Matte Canvas or EnduraFab Stretch, customization has become one of the easiest ways to give meaningful gifts that express individuality and creativity.

Print service providers can help customers take ideas and turn them into personal, heartfelt pieces, creating a one-of-a-kind gift that will likely stay in the family for generations.

With such a thoughtful gift, why let the customer wrap it in store-bought wrapping paper? Take them on a fully customized journey: from the heart on the inside to the art on the outside.

HP Satin Wrapping Paper provides a completely unique gift-giving experience for your customers by adding text and images to the sturdy, satin-finished paper. Imagine wrapping a Christmas gift with paper that shows the kids’ evolution of Santa pictures through the years, or the fun and quirky dating history of a couple who will be celebrating their first holiday season as newlyweds.

Christmas and Hanukkah are right around the corner, with Valentine’s Day shortly thereafter, all of which means customized requests are sure to begin soon, if they haven’t already. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to make your customer the family hero by partnering the ultimate customized wrapping paper with the ultimate customized gift.

This versatile FSC®-certified paper is not only the perfect add-on for customized holiday orders, but it is also ideal for year-round POP and poster printing because it drys quickly – which reduces smudging – and stays intact when handling.

HP Satin Wrapping Paper comes in 500-foot rolls that can be used with HP Latex, PageWide and Z-series production printers, and 30-in x 150-foot rolls, that can be used on smaller aqueous printers.

Another fun customization idea comes from Kathy Ogg of Re-Image Printing. This room looks like a warm and cozy scene, but you won’t find many fireplaces in Ogg’s Florida town. Instead, she used LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric to print the holly-jolly wall mural, pictured at left. “The only things actually 3-dimensional on this wall are the K, M and J stockings,” she says.

Print-N-Stick is available in aqueous and solvent-compatible versions, and is a fast and easy solution that goes up easily and comes down without leaving any residue behind.

“Print-N-Stick is the most fun material I’ve ever printed to, and I love how versatile it is,” Ogg says. “It’s truly removable without peeling paint or damaging wall behind it. It breaths better to adhere to textured walls.”

If you have any questions about customized printing, call your LexJet sales representative at 800-453-9538 or visit us at LexJet.com.

Our Top Window Graphics Tips
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Our Top Window Graphics Tips

Window graphics have come a long way from the corner gas station. And while those bottling and promotional graphics are still in high demand, using window space to apply signage and brand messaging or even create a sense of privacy have inspired a new batch of window graphic materials for ease in installation and replacement. Here are a few of our top window graphic tips:

To Perf or Not to Perf?

Perforated window graphic film, such as LexJet Simple Perforated Window Vinyl (70/30), allows you to print on 70 percent of the surface, while 30 percent of it is tiny perforations, or holes. This allows for excellent image reproduction and shading coming into the window from outside, while people inside the building can still see out the window, through the perforations. Since this product is mounted outside, we suggest LexJet’s Optically Clear Cast Laminate for extra protection. Window perf is also available in 60/40 vinyl.

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Our All-time Top Wallcovering Prep, Print & Installation Tips
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Our All-time Top Wallcovering Prep, Print & Installation Tips

Any time you’re covering a wall floor-to-ceiling it’s a big job. But with some insider tips and the right products for the job, you can break it down into a manageable task. Here are some of our all-time, most helpful tricks and tips for seamless, professional wallcovering printing and installation:

Do Your Pre-Work: Before you can even think about hitting “go” on your printer, be sure you’ve got your site under control. These means doing a site visit ahead of time, testing the wall surface and taking photos and wall measurements (here’s a handy app, Photo Measures, that makes that job easier). Once that’s under control, you can begin creating tiles that you’ll print. Check out the video on this blog for more pre-printing tips and how to set up your tile files.

Know When to Go Short-Term: This isn’t your grandma’s wall paper, and chances are your clients won’t be planning to leave it on the wall for the next 30 years. There are so many options on the market today for short- to long-term wall murals for a multitude of applications. For a low-cost, temporary solution that can be cleanly removed, there’s no better option than LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric. It’s available for aqueous– and solvent-compatible technologies. Check out this video to learn how we covered a 26-foot wall for less than $2 per square foot.

Understand the Big Picture: If you’re using photography for a customized wallcovering, the photo itself needs to be technically correct to work when it’s printed in a larger-than-life size. We got all the insider tips on photographing for wide-format printing from pro photographer, Billy Elkins. Check out this airport wall mural installation project that he created images for … and all the background on how he made it come out just right.

HP PVC-free Wall PaperMeet Your Client’s Environmental Needs: If you’ve been asked to cover a wall in a sensitive environment like a school or a healthcare facility, the best option for the job is Type II compliant HP PVC-free Durable Wall Paper in Smooth or Suede. This line of wallcovering is engineered to be used with HP latex inks and don’t require top coats to maintain Type II compliance. Unlike some solvent options, this latex-compatible option doesn’t put off odors or fumes that must be degassed before installation. It also meets FSC- and UL GREENGUARD GOLD standards, so it helps designers achieve LEED certification. And because it’s pre-pasted with adhesive, it goes up easily with little more than a water bottle and a sponge. Check out this video to learn how.

Create a Beautiful Finish: Just because it’s made from a digital print and maybe it won’t be installed for decades doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful. Our line of customizable wallcoverings, LexJet Premium WallPro™ comes in a variety of elegant finishes to create one-of-a-kind, eye-catching walls. The Premium WallPro line includes a variety of finishes, such as smooth, gold or silver metallic, mylar and linen textures that work beautifully in any residential or commercial space with contemporary or traditional décor.

If you’re looking for more tips on creating unique wallcoverings for your customers, give one of our LexJet pros a call at 800-453-9538.

Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Sub Shots: Making Great Artwork More Affordable

The evolution of SubShots by Dye Hard Sublimations over the past few years is a story that epitomizes the growing capabilities of inkjet and dye-sublimation printing. The team started out dye-sub printing uniforms for lacrosse leagues, but with new products and technology, they’ve begun to evolve into photography reproduction and décor applications and even Christmas ornaments.

“We had every intention of doubling-down on apparel, but once we got the equipment and printable hard surfaces, like ChromaLuxe metal photo panels, we thought: Why don’t we just produce really great, vibrant pictures on ChromaLuxe?” says Sean Calvillo of SubShots. “We think we make good artwork more affordable.”

Cavillo says his team is currently curating more photographic content from professional photographers, and customers can choose from a library of images and order metal or wood prints through SubShots ecommerce site. They also offer customized work for commercial interior design, such as the aerial shot divided into multiple ChromaLuxe metal panels, pictured above.

While the art/photography side of their business gains momentum, SubShots hasn’t veered to far from its sporting beginnings. With the purchase of an Epson SureColor P8000 44-inch aqueous printer from LexJet, SubShots was able to start producing complementary graphics, like life-size wall cutouts of athletes, like the lacrosse player pictured.

“We’ve augmented the metal pictures with LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric to create wall decals to keep with our sports roots,” Calvillo says. “We want to be the one vendor who can do both.”

The creative team has also been working with ChromaLuxe for customized holiday gifts. “We have a photographer customer who was taking the pictures she shot during a session and dye-sub printing them as double-sided ornaments,” Calvillo says.

The SubShots team became a LexJet Blue Business member, and Calvillo says the shipping program has been a game-changer. “LexJet’s personalized service combined with the free shipping program and your competitiveness on price is why you guys are always my first call,” he says.

Don’t Miss: 5 New Product Demos at SGIA Expo
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in News & Trends
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Don’t Miss: 5 New Product Demos at SGIA Expo

We’re gearing up for another exciting trade show at SGIA Expo in New Orleans Oct. 10-12 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. In LexJet’s booth #745, you’ll discover all new, real-world product applications for residential decor; restaurant ambiance, signage and menus; and retail wallcoverings, banners and POP graphics.

You won’t want to miss the live demos to learn fast and easy techniques to make serving your customers more efficient than ever. Our experts will demonstrate the following solutions:

We’ll also have an army of equipment in action, including Epson’s SureColor dye-sub and solvent printers, an HP Latex 560, the latest Canon PRO-Series printer, a Geo Knight heat press and Graphtec cutter — all with special savings opportunities!

Speaking of savings, don’t forget to ask about our show specials while you there.

You still have time to register to get a free Expo pass, courtesy of LexJet. Go HERE to get your free SGIA Expo pass today. Click “I don’t have an SGIA Company ID” to get access to the LexJet-sponsored pass.

We look forward to seeing you at SGIA Expo in New Orleans!

Thesis Exhibits Get Graphic with LexJet Print-N-Stick
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Thesis Exhibits Get Graphic with LexJet Print-N-Stick

When designer Nathan Lambert of Full Color, Inc., a professional printing lab in Dallas, needed to put together his master of arts thesis exhibit along with a handful of his peers, he opted for an easy-to-use product that would work on all surfaces, floor to ceiling.

“For these big final presentations, we used LexJet Solvent Print-N-Stick Fabric everywhere,” Lambert says. “We printed all the wall graphics, and used it for floor graphic and pedestals, too.”

Throughout the exhibit hall, Lambert and his peers put together elaborate displays that featured topics like color therapy, gender identity, mobile fresh markets and superhero archetypes. Lambert’s thesis discussed the benefits of contemporary middle school uniforms.

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