LexJet brandUP: Scorch Fitness Focuses on Goals in a Big Way

When faced with a giant, blank wall, many business owners would simply choose a wall paper pattern, install it and call it a day. But Scorch Fitness, located in Sarasota, Fla., had a better idea: Why not create a customized wall mural to inspire their members to achieve their goals?

“The purpose of this mural was to … use it as a reminder to our members of why they’re here,” says Liz Lowe, Scorch co-owner and head coach. Paired with the break-through design of the mural, goals are printed in big, bold letters … “I want to be healthy,” “I want to sweat my butt off” are just two of the shared objectives that are reinforced every day.

“This wall behind us has totally changed the dynamic of the energy within here,” says fellow co-owner and founder, Ryan McDonald.

The team at Now That’s a Wrap printed the mural on LexJet Simple Flo Wrap Vinyl, and finished it with a UV coating for extra durability.

Watch the video above to see how it was done and how it’s impacted the Scorch Fitness team and their clients.

Big Prizes in LexJet’s Windows, Walls and Doors Contest for HP Latex Printers

HP Wall ArtLooking at creating some Halloween, Thanksgiving or other autumn-themed wall art with your HP Latex printer? Do you have another outstanding wall mural project in the works or one you’ve recently completed? If so, be sure to sign up for LexJet’s Windows, Walls and Doors contest before Nov. 30 for a chance to win between $1,000 and $3,000 in credit for future purchases at LexJet.

The contest will honor the most exciting and creative Window, Wall or Door solution printed with your HP Latex printer on your favorite HP or LexJet branded media.

It’s easy to enter: simply photograph your graphic as it’s printing (so we can verify that it’s HP Latex output) and upon installation, and then submit your photo to your friendly LexJet representative by midnight on Nov. 30. For questions and details, call us at 800-453-9538.

There will be three winners: each will be awarded with an instant credit for use for future purchases of HP and LexJet branded inkjet media and HP Latex Inks:

  • 1st Place – $3000 credit
  • 2nd Place – $2000 credit
  • 3rd Place – $1000 credit

If you don’t have the HP Latex printer, you’re curious about this technology and are looking to expand your print capabilities, contact a LexJet representative at 800-453-9538.

LexJet carries the HP Latex 210, HP Latex 260 and the HP Latex 280. And be sure to ask about the Start Right Program so you can save money right away and get in on the Windows, Walls and Doors contest before it ends on Nov. 30.

One Hip Sticker Chic: Wall Art that Grows with Inkjet Printing

Canvas art for bedrooms
One Hip Sticker Chic produces more than custom decal decor art. Owner Kelly Ducharme also prints decor canvas wraps (Kids Canvas Art) on LexJet Sunset Select Satin Canvas SUV with her low-solvent Roland printer.

Kelly Ducharme is One Hip Sticker Chic who took an artsy idea and threw it on the wall to see if it would stick. Not only would the idea stick, but it would be repositionable and re-usable, just like the Photo Tex Repositionable Fabric from LexJet she uses for her Vermont-based wall-art business.

Printing custom growth charts
One Hip Sticker Chic's custom Growth Charts are printed on Sunset Select Satin Canvas SUV and tacked to the wall.

In just a couple of years, One Hip Sticker Chic has grown into a full-time online business. The website gives parents a number of Ducharme’s original designs from which they can choose and then customize the colors, patterns, fonts and copy for a variety of room décor products.

Ducharme started promoting her business at Etsy, a site for small businesses and artists to showcase and sell their artwork. Since then, the business has taken off and Ducharme ships the various decal products – including Kids Canvas Art, Growth Charts, Wall Dolls, and holiday and special occasion decals – all over the world.

Ducharme uses Photo Tex primarily for the wall dolls and Christmas tree decorative art. Photo Tex is perfect for these applications since wall doll accessories (clothing, jewelry and hairpieces) can be adhered over the wall doll and easily repositioned or taken off and replaced with another one, and the same can be done with Christmas tree ornaments, presents and decorations.

“With the Photo Tex, they can also take it down, put it back on the backing paper and pull it out again the following year,” explains Ducharme.

Removable wall art
One Hip Sticker Chic uses Photo Tex Repositionable Fabric for Wall Dolls and Christmas tree wall art. Photo Tex accessories (for Wall Dolls) and ornaments, decorations and presents can be applied, removed and re-applied to the base image.

For the Growth Charts and Kids Canvas Art, Ducharme uses LexJet Sunset Select Satin Canvas SUV (she uses a Roland low-solvent printer). The Growth Charts are printed on the canvas, trimmed to size and shipped with matching tacks to affix to the wall.

The Kids Canvas Art is trimmed out and stapled to 3/4″-deep wood frames, often in series of three.

“These are going in nurseries, not art galleries, so the frames don’t need to be very deep. The canvas has been very durable and the images look great on it,” she says.

You ought to be in Pictures: Cinematic Printing on Maui

Printing hanging wall pieces

On the island of Maui, you never know who you’ll run into. In the case of PhotoGraphics Maui, its A-list clientele include a well-known singer/songwriter and a producer of classic comedies.

Printing decor and wall artIt’s a part of the producer’s cinematic collection shown here that illustrates how PhotoGraphics Maui combines the right inkjet media with unusual ways of presenting its prints to better differentiate its printing and mounting services.

“A lot of people are trying to do something different, so we’re always looking for something no one else has. With our mounting capabilities we have an advantage. Plus, being able to produce really large prints helps since shipping from the mainland can be prohibitive,” says Renee Zaima, owner of PhotoGraphics Maui.

In this case, the producer is creating a cinematically-themed room, so he came to PhotoGraphics Maui for the right treatment. This particular piece, which is actually a composite of two photos from a movie set that Zaima Photoshopped into one, was printed on LexJet Sunset Photo eSatin Paper.

Inkjet printing fine art and photographyThe 60” x 35” print was then applied to Sintra, the Sintra was shaped at a slight curve, and PhotoGraphics Maui added the backside framework, which was stained black, for hanging on the wall. Zaima designed the piece, which includes the filmstrip borders on the print, to be consistent with the overall theme of the décor.

As Zaima puts it: “We make sure to suit each piece we produce to what they want.” It’s a simple philosophy, but one derived from listening to the customer and then matching their needs to PhotoGraphics Maui’s capabilities and expertise.

Therefore, every piece in the process, from design to mounting materials and methods, is customized for each client. For instance, the sea turtle photo shown here by Franck Berthuot of Berthuot Visuals (www.berthuotvisuals.com) was printed on LexJet Sunset Photo Metallic Paper. The colors and composition simply cried out for the special treatment the luminescent paper offers.

Promotions that Work: Free Fabric Wall Clings

Printing mobile photo apps for wall decorFree isn’t always truly free, but the free giveaway concocted by Color Services Photo Lab in Santa Barbara really was free and drove additional business to its doors. Marketed through email, the company’s blog and social media like Facebook and Twitter, with a twist of Hipstamatic, the photo lab’s promotion for free Fabric Wall Clings was over Memorial Day weekend only.

Fabric Wall Clings are prints on Photo Tex Repositionable Fabric from LexJet. Those who took advantage of the promotion were directed to the Wall Art section on Color Services’ website where they plugged in a coupon code and uploaded a photo to receive either an 11×11 or an 11×14 print.

Here’s where the iPhone app Hipstamatic comes into play; Color Services included 11×11 prints since that size works with the Hipstamatic format. Plus, Color Services is the official print lab for the Hipstamatic app, so the lab has custom-tailored products that work well with square images.

“Since the promotion we’ve had a number of orders for the Fabric Wall Clings and we just got a sizeable order for one today, including a 12″ x 4′ panoramic photo. We had 118 people take advantage of the promotion and about 45 to 50 of those were shipped internationally,” says Glen Hodges, owner of Color Services. “It was well worth it; we probably spent less than $500 to do it. It’s hard to figure out a way to market the material so that people can really understand what it can do. Getting samples in their hands through a free promotion did that, and brought them back to place a real order.”

Color Services prints the images with its Epson Stylus Pro 9900 on Photo Tex and then puts two coats of water-based lacquer to provide extra protection and give the images more pop. Hodges reports that through a combination of the promotion and simply showing it to clients – including commercial and interior décor clientele – the product is taking off following its launch in mid-May.

Pictured here is Color Services’ IncrediBooth Fabric Wall Cling product, which is printed at 5.5″ x 30″. IncrediBooth is a mobile app that recreates the photo booths of yore. Color Services has made a savvy play to weave the proliferating photo apps into its business, giving the company greater reach with creative products.