Now at LexJet: Clear Positive Film

We’re excited to announce a new film designed for screen printers to create high-resolution, digital inkjet screen positives — at a fraction of the cost of traditional film.

LexJet Clear Positive Film creates dense black images that provide excellent light-blocking power for both fine lines and heavy spot colors. The nano-porous coating of this PET film is compatible with aqueous-pigmented black ink and absorbs high levels of ink, making this film more durable from scuffing and scratching – and it dries instantly when using photo-black ink. And with an opacity of less than 13%, your exposure times are quick.

Watch the video above to learn about how LexJet Clear Positive Film is used to output film separations on a Epson T-Series printers. You’ll also learn how to produce prints with more control and precision by pairing LexJet Clear Positive Film with an Epson RIP®-Kit such as the RTI Harlequin RIP®-Kit.

“The Epson T-Series is affordable and with our Epson software it gives them the full controls they need,” says Drew Nielubowicz of RTI-RIP. “When compared to other products on the market, it’s definitely the best value that’s out there.”

On-Demand Printed T-Shirts? Now You Can

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T-Shirt and Sons has been in the t-shirt printing business since the late 1980s. Now based in Westbury, UK, these long-term textile printing pros who produce 40,000 shirts a week were the ideal testimonial for Epson’s new SureColor F2000 direct-to-garment inkjet printer, using UltraChrome DG ink technology.

“The quality of color is so much better than anyone else’s ink system,” Andy Lunt, the company’s director and co-founder, says in a video produced by Epson. “The brightness is second to none … the quality is as bright as a screen print, which is unusual for digital print.” (Watch the video below for more from Lunt’s operation.)

Epson’s  new technology makes it possible to create an abundance of vibrant colored t-shirts with ease and speed. The printer holds six high-capacity cartridges in two different sizes, ensuring versatility of color on garments. The three different sizes of garment platens as well as a sleeve platen allows for custom printing of each garment.

“It’s very simple,” Lunt explains. “You upload an image, click on it, set parameters and the size you want to print it out, position it and off you go.”

The hoop-based system makes garment loading simple, and the user-adjustable platen height setting allows you to create an assortment of t-shirts easily. The automatic height verification system uses an LED beam to detect height, notably reducing print time.

Uploading designs for the t-shirts is effortless with the help of the USB memory for PC free printing, and the LCD display with full image preview lets you view the image before it’s printed. A clear window top is also present so you can oversee the printing process with an unobstructed view.

“The prints that they produce are by far the best I’ve seen of any desktop inkjet printer for textiles,” Lunt says. “I think you’ll probably get bored of the print before the print falls off the shirt.”

Learn more about the Epson SureColor F2000 in the video below.

How Corporate Apparel and Printing Streamlined Screen Printing with Inkjet

Oberon Printing, based in River Falls, Wis., recently acquired a local screen printing shop to expand the company’s capabilities and product offerings. Adding the new division, Corporate Apparel and Printing, gives the company’s customers a full range of print and promotional products from which to choose.

LexJet Instant Dry Clear Polyester
Corporate Apparel and Printing, a division of Oberon Printing, River Falls, Wis., found a large-format inkjet solution to boost the quality of its acetates used for burning screens for screen printing with crisp renditions on LexJet Instant Dry Clear Polyester.

“When the corporate apparel business came up for sale it really fit well with everything else we do. We were missing that piece, so it helps us fill out our portfolio and provide our customers with more options, like printed apparel,” says owner Rob Payne.

The trick was to bring the screen printing process up to the level of print quality Oberon has built for its inkjet applications, which includes everything from commercial graphics to fine art and photo printing.

The answer was simple: find a better way to make film negatives and positives so that the screens created in the four-color screen-print process would burn clean and true.

“The old way of doing photo negatives and positives was using laser technology. The screens weren’t very dense and black and the exposures were low-quality, plus a lot of the emulsion would stay in the screens after we washed them out,” explains Payne. “We tried clear acetates on our Epson Stylus Pro 9900 to create color separations, but the optical sensors on the printer would not read the presence of the film.”

Carey Masera, Payne’s printing specialist at LexJet, recommended LexJet Instant Dry Clear Polyester as a possible solution.

“With the Instant Dry Clear Polyester the printer picks up the slight blue tint of the film right away; it doesn’t have any issue seeing it. The clarity of the ink deposition is just beautiful; the blacks are super dense. It’s instant-dry, so we don’t we have to worry about smudging or streaking like we would with other inkjet acetates we tried in the past,” says Payne. “The quality of our final product has improved tremendously because everything is so crisp and black. It has really impacted our process, not only in our quality, but in our speed out the door. We couldn’t be happier.”

Payne adds that they often had to print two or three acetates for one color separation and line them up to get the density needed to burn the screen. With Instant Dry Clear Polyester, Payne says they only have to print it once and it’s ready.

“Carey helped us a lot with just this product recommendation. He’s the only one who really follows up and seems interested in our business. We don’t get that level of service from other vendors, and we’ve been very happy with LexJet in general,” adds Payne.

The majority of the screen printing at Corporate Apparel and Printing is done on t-shirts, hats, jackets and other apparel, with a smattering of high-volume banner and poster printing, as well as the more industrial application of printed circuit boards.

Show off Your Best Work in SGIA’s Golden Image Awards Competition

SGIA Golden Image AwardsThere’s a lot to be said for winning an award for your work, particularly in an international competition. It’s great for PR and lends additional credibility when you give a pitch to prospects.

Therefore, it would be wise to consider entering SGIA’s Golden Image Awards, especially if you used LexJet products to achieve your masterpiece (hint). There are lots of chances to be recognized with about 50 categories available in which to enter.

Many of the categories are specific to screen printing, but many of them include digital inkjet applications, like Transit Advertising, Vehicle Wraps, Wallpaper, Posters, Plastic Products, Fine Art, Carpets/Rugs, Banners, Back-lighted Signs/Displays, and even Greeting Cards.

The deadline for entries is Oct. 11, and all submissions will be displayed in the Golden Image Gallery at the SGIA Expo in Orlando, Oct. 23-25. According to SGIA, winners gain international acclaim and every entrant is considered for the Best of Show (digital and screen printing categories) and Best in Creativity (digital printing).

Judges, who were chosen based on their technical skills, experience and knowledge in the categories, will evaluate the contenders on specific criteria, including: image definition, job complexity, registration and overall impression.

“This is a great opportunity for companies to compete against the best in the specialty imaging community and display their work to thousands of Expo attendees,” says Johnny Shell, SGIA’s vice president of technical services.

The Golden Image Awards are open only to SGIA printer members, who get one free entry; each additional entry is $30.

For more information, and to enter and manage your entries, click here.

For a list of categories, click here.

For competition entry rules, click here.

Avatrex Transportable Imaging Receives 2012 InterTech Technology Award

Avatrex Transportable Imaging was named as a recipient of a 2012 InterTech Technology Award that judges selected for being truly innovative and for the significant impact the technology is expected to have on the graphic communications industry.

Award winning product for the graphic arts industryAvatrex Transportable Imaging is a thin, multi-layer coating with built-in adhesive and protection properties that can be printed with a variety of print platforms and transported to practically any surface.

Printing Industries of America recently selected 12 technologies to receive a 2012 InterTech Technology Award from a variety of technology nominations ranging from digital presses and related enhancements to a variety of mobile and Web-based software for the printing industry.

“The judges were impressed with Avatrex’s remarkable versatility – it can produce high quality images with most printing processes and bond to virtually any surface,” said Dr. Mark Bohan, vice president, Technology and Research, Printing Industries of America. “The coating technology that underlies Avatrex allows images to be used in ways previously not thought possible.”

Avatrex Transportable Imaging works across a variety of print platforms, including virtually all digital and traditional print methods: offset, flexo, screen printing, inkjet (aqueous, latex, solvent, low-solvent and UV-curable) HP Indigo and dry toner systems.

New technology for the sign and graphics market
Thomas Reprographics used LexJet Infinium, which is based on Avatrex Transportable Imaging technology, to produce these antinqued signs for a restaurant chain. Andrew McConnell of Thomas Reprographics says Infinium's ability to conform to the painted aluminum blanks made the signs look more authentic than a vinyl application.

Some of the commercial printing applications include book covers of all types, packaging and specialty labels. And, since Avatrex Transportable Imaging takes on the color and texture of the substrate, heavily textured or embossed surfaces can now be decorated with full-color, photographic images and graphics.

LexJet Infinium, which was introduced in December of 2011, is based on Avatrex Transportable Imaging technology, and is compatible with latex, solvent and low-solvent wide-format printers.

“Its significance lies in its avatar-like ability to take on the look, color and texture of whatever surface it is applied to, disappear into that surface and essentially become part of that surface, while at the same time be impervious to UV light, water, temperature and contaminants because of its inherent protective layer,” explains Ralph Giammarco, one of the developers of Avatrex Transportable Imaging. “Avatrex is the first technology to address the increasingly customized requirements of the printer.”

Beyond its application and print platform versatility, Avatrex Transportable Imaging is water-based, contains no VOCs, the carrier can be turned over and re-used as a white backer for many applications to minimize waste, and a separate laminate is not required, which cuts down on labor, time, materials and cost.

The InterTech star, a symbol of technological innovation and excellence, will be presented before an audience of industry leaders during the 2012 Premier Print Awards Gala featuring the InterTech Technology Awards and web2awards, Oct. 7, in Chicago, Illinois.

A technology review booklet showcasing all of the entries will be produced and distributed this fall at GRAPH EXPO 2012 and with the September issue of Printing Industries of America—The Magazine; the booklet will also be available at www.printing.org/InterTech.

For more information about Avatrex Transportable Imaging go to www.avatrex.com. And, to find out more about LexJet Infinium, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538.

Get International Recognition for Your Best Work in SGIA’s Golden Image Competition

Graphics and imaging competitionThere’s a lot to be said for winning an award for your work, particularly in an international competition. It’s great for PR and lends additional credibility when you give a pitch to prospects.

Therefore, it would be wise to consider entering SGIA’s Golden Image Awards, especially if you used LexJet products to achieve your masterpiece (hint). There are lots of chances to be recognized with about 50 categories available in which to enter.

Many of the categories are specific to screen printing, but many of them include digital inkjet applications, like Transit Advertising, Vehicle Wraps, Wallpaper, Posters, Plastic Products, Fine Art, Carpets/Rugs, Banners, Back-lighted Signs/Displays, and even Greeting Cards.

The deadline for entries is Oct. 5, and all submissions will be displayed in the Golden Image Gallery at the SGIA Expo in Las Vegas, Oct. 18-20. According to SGIA, winners gain international acclaim and every entrant is considered for the Best of Show (digital and screen printing categories) and Best in Creativity (digital printing).

Judges, who were chosen based on their technical skills, experience and knowledge in the categories, will evaluate the contenders on specific criteria, including: image definition, job complexity, registration and overall impression.

“This is a great opportunity for companies to compete against the best in the specialty imaging community and display their work to thousands of Expo attendees,” says Johnny Shell, SGIA’s vice president of technical services.

The Golden Image Awards are open only to SGIA printer members, who get one free entry; each additional entry is $30.

For more information, to enter and manager your entries, click here.

For a list of categories, click here.

For competition entry rules, click here.