LexJet Talks Innovative Textile Printing with Sign & Digital Graphics

Sign & Digital Graphics magazine recently spoke to Jaimie Mask, product specialist at LexJet, about the burgeoning field of printable fabrics. In its January 2017 issue of the magazine, Sign & Digital Graphics highlights this growing industry of textile prints. fabricsGiven the demand for inkjet-printable fabrics, there has been an increasing need for technology that enables any type of digital printer to utilize the fabric.

While this technology is still somewhat new, LexJet offers a self-adhesive printable fabric called LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric. Versions of this product are compatible with aqueous, latex and solvent printers, and is often used in supermarkets, office buildings and other areas with wall murals. Mask explains the difference between this product and a similar one called Photo Tex.

“The difference between the two is that Photo Tex has more of a wider weave vs. the LexJet Print-N-Stick product having a tighter weave,” she says. “So the tighter weave gives better image quality.”

LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric wall mural
LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric wall mural

Mask goes on to explain that there are markets for both products, especially architecturally. This shift to fabrics is in part due to its durability. The advances in technology have improved the scratch and flame resistance, allowing them to be used in a variety of environments.

“This technology allows the ink to adhere with the fabric material, and you don’t have a scratching issue at all. You can fold and do everything you do with dye sub fabric,” says Mask, who considers these advances in technology to be “game changers” for many LexJet clients.

To read more on this exciting new technology, see the article in the January 2017 edition of Sign & Digital Graphics magazine.

Easy Ways to Start Marketing Your Décor Services Today

Whether you’ve got full décor printing capabilities, or you’re just dipping your toe into this new market, everyone will eventually need to start marketing their services to build business. We sat down with LexJet’s market development pro Rachel Gamberg to learn how to get a décor-focused marketing plan off the ground.

“Based on your equipment and current capabilities, you can identify markets that you can created product lines for and start to segment these groups,” she says. “And if you have plans to invest in new equipment, started thinking about more applications you can offer in the future.”

Video Tip: Install Floor Graphics Using the Hinge Method

Floor graphics are becoming more popular in retail spaces, with new products that make installation as easy as 1, 2, 3: print, peel and stick.

In the video above, we demonstrate an easy hinge method to keep the graphic in place while you apply it to the floor. All you’ll need is your printed graphic, painters tape, a squeegee and a pair of scissors.

To install the graphic, simply:

  • place the graphic where you want it
  • create a hinge in the center of the graphic
  • peel the liner away from the top hinge and trim it off
  • squeegee the exposed adhesive from the center out
  • remove hinge and repeat those steps on the bottom half of the graphic

LexJet offers a variety of products that work with this quick and easy method. They include:

LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric: Photographic image quality with high ink saturation

LexJet Solvent Print-N-Stick Fabric: Smoother weave with satin sheen for photographic detail

panoRama Walk & Wall: Slip-resistant certified without a laminate

LexJet Simple Indoor FloorAd: Durable solution that can withstand heavy floor traffic

LexJet Extreme AquaVinyl w/PSA: Long-lasting, waterproof with permanent adhesive

Photo Tex PSA Fabric – Aqueous: Won’t rip, wrinkle or shrink

Photo Tex PSA Fabric – Solvent: Great for windows and walls, too

Solvent Print-N-Stick Works Retail: Now at a Lower Price

One of LexJet’s most versatile products, Solvent Print-N-Stick Fabric, compatible with solvent, eco-solvent and latex printers, is the go-to, easy-install product for a wide variety of applications, including window graphics, wall murals, decals, signage, floor graphics, tabletops, furniture and more.

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LexJet Print-N-Stick used as a cooler wrap -- an easy-install alternative to vinyl.
LexJet Print-N-Stick used as a cooler wrap.

This self-adhesive fabric is a cinch to use, and a great alternative to vinyl, thanks to its high opacity, ease of use, smooth satin finish and excellent image reproduction. Plus, it’s more dimensionally stable than vinyl, so it won’t expand or shrink in the elements the way a cast vinyl might.

This product wins in retail applications, such as the window graphics, pictured above, and cooler wrap, pictured at right, as used by Whole Foods Market in Honolulu, HI.

“Print-N-Stick is amazing,” says Andrea Calhoun, Whole Foods store graphic artist. “It’s easy to install, if you oops, you can pull off and move, and you do not laminate it. Anyplace you may use vinyl but don’t want super permanent, you can use it. It’s also good for seasonal stickers on glass … think: easy to move around clings … if you don’t want to do cut vinyl.”

New Pricing

Beginning in September, LexJet Solvent Print-N-Stick is now as low as $0.74 per square foot. That’s a 12% price reduction!  Call your LexJet representative at 800-453-9538 to learn more about how this versatile product can help you grow your business.

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Intro to Décor Printing: You Already Have What You Need to Begin

Today, we’re kicking off a blog series on how on-demand printers and anyone offering wide-format printing services can jump into an exciting new market within the industry: Décor printing.

Chances are you’ve heard about the booming customizable décor printing opportunities in our industry. With the advances in substrates and printer technology, offering your customers more ways to create one-of-a-kind projects for residential or commercial spaces has become more accessible than ever.

It’s also likely your customers are starting to make requests for projects like wall murals, canvas wraps, floor graphics, customized window screens and even lampshades. In other words, if you can print it, they can decorate with it!