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LexJet Reviews: A Deep Dive into General Formulations’ High-Performance Solutions
Posted on by Jennifer Corn Posted in Technology & Products
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LexJet Reviews: A Deep Dive into General Formulations’ High-Performance Solutions

For this edition of LexJet Reviews, C.J. Forker takes a closer look at some of the most popular adhesive vinyl products from General Formulations.

From windows to cars to hard-to-stick surfaces, there’s something in the General Formulations family that can help you create colorful, vibrant displays and graphics:

General Formulations 270 WindowMark™ Perforated Film 70/30 – For privacy and pop, 270 WindowMark is the way to go. Offering 70% coverage, this flexible film provides one-way viewing and vibrant window advertising. It is cleanly removable for up to a year, allowing you to change your images seasonally or yearly. For added protection, pair it with General Formulations 242 Clear Cast Vinyl.

General Formulations 230 AutoMark™ Wrap Vinyl and 333 AutoMark™ DRIFT® PW Wrap Vinyl – For fleet and vehicle graphics and decals, these two solutions are high-performance calendered vinyls with an air-egress liner for easy installation. GF 230 AutoMark is the more conformable of the two and the best alternative to cast vinyl. It can handle moderate curves and does well over rivets.

The slideable adhesive and liner system on GF 333 gives DRIFT its name, allowing the installer to position and reposition the media until it’s time to engage the adhesive on the PSA film.

General Formulations WallMark® HTR – Designed to be both high-tack and removable, the WallMark HTR products are perfect for difficult surfaces like zero-VOC paints, and it’s still cleanly removable for up to a year.

Available in five different textures – Matte, Canvas, Leather, Stucco, and Sand – WallMark HTR is perfect for retail and general signage, wall graphics, and window graphics.

General Formulations 285 RoughMark™ – For tricky surfaces, 285 RoughMark offers an opaque film with a high-tack removable adhesive. It’s an excellent choice for brick, concrete, cinder block, and low-energy surfaces. The high-tack adhesive is cleanly removable for up to six months, while the vinyl is durable for up to five years for outdoor graphics.

General Formulations 255 OptiMark™ Clear Gloss Vinyl – This optically clear vinyl is perfect for graphics with less than 100% ink coverage or for printers with white ink capabilities, like the new HP Latex 700W and 800W Series. Create eye-catching retail and window graphics with this 3-mil clear calendered vinyl.

To learn more about these General Formulations solutions, visit our LexJet Reviews library, give us a call at 800-453-9538, or visit LexJet.com.

Introducing LexJet Blockout Paper
Posted on by Jennifer Corn Posted in Technology & Products
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Introducing LexJet Blockout Paper

LexJet is excited to announce the availability of 100% opaque print media for two-sided window graphics or hanging retail signs: LexJet Blockout Paper 240g and LexJet Blockout Paper 300g.

This blockout paper offers a smooth, semi-gloss finish that is coated on both sides and easy to install, making it an economical – and ideal – media for double-sided graphics. It is compatible with latex industrial printers or the new Latex 700 & 800 Series printers as well as UV-curable printers.

Partner with available display accessories, graphics tape, or thermal laminates to create simple and easy eye-popping graphics:

This versatile media is recyclable and biodegradable, helping LexJet with its ongoing effort to offer products that increase sustainability.

So, if you’re a commercial printer looking for a low-volume product to match high-volume press work, or for an economical display option for short-term graphics, you’ll want to add LexJet Blockout Paper to your offering.

The new LexJet Blockout Paper is featured on LexJet Reviews as one of the year’s hottest products. If you have additional questions, give us a call at 800-453-9538 or visit LexJet.com.

Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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LexJet brandUP: Cool Community Projects Powered by Print

If you’re looking for inspiration for your next office remodel, retail upgrade or community event, head over to LexJet’s brandUP video page to discover some of the projects we’ve helped bring to life through the power of print.

Over the last few years, we’ve worked with community organizations, businesses, non-profits and event planners to enhance their messaging efforts with printed graphics – from windows to walls and from stickers to signage.

On our brandUP page, you’ll find stories about:

  • How we used a variety of print technologies and applications to help with traffic flow and event messaging at the Suncoast Jeep Festival
  • How students from Ringling College of Art + Design used print to promote a virtual reality game at a SXSW exhibit, featuring branded water bottles, banners, vehicle decals and other eye-catching prints
  • How some clever graphic ideas spruced up a new dog grooming business with window graphics, wall murals, paw prints on the floor and so much more

Check back to the brandUP page to see what we’re dreaming up next!

Do you have a community print project that you’d like to share with our readers? Tell us in the comments below or email us.

Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Best Practices for Printing an Overlaminate with Timothy Mitchell

HP Latex application specialist Timothy Mitchell explores uses and best practices for the versatile HP Gloss Polymeric Overlaminate. This product not only works as a typical overlaminate used to protect prints, it can also be printed and used as a clear media that works with the HP Latex Print & Cut Solution.

Mitchell suggests using the product for a project like a decorative border around the edges of a window. The clear media works well on windows and can be custom cut using the Print & Cut system.

For optimal results, Mitchell suggests raising the ink load to 200%. “If you were to build this at 110%, and you were to put it in a store window with strong lighting coming through it, it’s going to look washed out … because you have what is a translucent material in a window, and that light cuts the color back,” he says. “If you were to switch that same print to 200% and you put it in there, the colors are going to pop.”

He suggests building the ink signature the same way as a backlit. In the video above, he walks through the steps to do that, and shows how the printer color calibrates and then can create a customized or standard ICC profile, based on the type of Latex machine.

Mitchell also discusses other advantages of the product and how to get the best results. Watch the video above for all of his insider tips and tricks.

Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in News & Trends
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Everything You Need to Transform Your Space for the Big Game

Is your town hosting the next big game? For your customers who manage restaurants, bars and other gathering places, help them optimize the opportunity to celebrate the game while prepping their space with fun graphics for windows, walls, floors, tabletops and more.

We’ve hand-selected some of the versatile media products you’ll want to stock up now, before the rush hits your print shop! (Look for the ֍ for super multi-purpose products that work for a variety of jobs.) These easy-to-handle, quick-install products are ideal for these temporary applications:

Indoor Walls, Backlit & Temporary Signage:

LexJet Simple WallCal. A premium matte, semi-rigid white vinyl film that provides exceptional image quality, ease of handling, perfect for contour cutting and won’t curl over time. Simple to print, install and remove wall graphics, murals and decals.

HP Durable Backlit Fabric. An enhanced fabric used to create high-impact displays for retail POP with outstanding image quality when printed with HP Latex Inks. Excellent for indoor signage and backlit displays.

LexJet 8 Mil Absolute Backlit. A translucent, 8-mil polyester film with an instant-dry, matte-finish coating on the front surface of the film produces a super-wide color gamut for brilliant colors and sharp details. Add a pressure-sensitive laminating film to protect the prints while handling.

֍HP Prime Matte Air GR. This matte-finish, intermediate adhesive vinyl offers outstanding image quality and “pop.” The gray removable adhesive is opaque for maximum coverage. This vinyl installs easily with a low-profile air release liner. Also a good option for windows.

Banners, Banner Stands & More:

Ultraflex SuperPrint Plus 13 oz Matte or Gloss. A front-lit banner or billboard material with a smooth front-side finish for picture perfect imaging and an enhanced backside surface for better movement across the print platen and an improved white point.

HP Everyday Blockout Display Film. A heavyweight film at an economical price with a light-blocking opaque layer that prevents show-through so viewers see clean, crisp images.

֍LexJet FlexTek 170g  or FlexTek SUV 200g. Super-versatile media that works for banners, temporary signage and even gallery wraps. The non-woven technical fabric base provides stability and strength for grommets, stitching, wrapping and folding.

֍LexJet Satin Poster Paper 200g. A PVC-free, indoor sign and poster paper with a bright white satin finish that produces richly detailed posters and water-resistant prints. It’s ideal for poster and POS signage applications and compatible with most over laminates and protective coatings for more durable indoor and short-term outdoor applications.

Windows, Floors & Exterior Walls: 

LexJet Simple Perforated Window Vinyl 70/30. Produce see-through window graphics that attract attention and increase store traffic. The 70% printable area, 30% open area pattern, and 1.5 mm hole size is an ideal combination for producing eye-catching prints that do not obstruct visibility.

֍panoRama Walk & Wall. The ultimate one-step solution for indoor and outdoor floors, walls and more. Repositionable and durable, with no lamination required. Slip resistant and sticks to almost any surface: tile, glass, carpet, metal, sidewalks, etc.

HP Grip Matte Polymeric Air. An aggressive, high-tack adhesive is the ideal choice when mounting to rough surfaces or demanding low-energy plastics. Save time during installation with double-sided, lay-flat, air release liner for easy, bubble-free installation.

Menu Boards & Countertops:

֍HP Optimal Gloss Air GRP. A premium polymeric calendered vinyl that provides stunning print performance. The gray repositionable adhesive provides opacity to achieve the desired hiding power on multiple surfaces. Very versatile product that works for indoor and outdoor signage, fleet graphics, windows, retail displays, decals and more.

Magnum Magnetic DigiMag Matte or Gloss. A versatile magnetic substrate allows you to print directly to magnet without the need to over-laminate. The material can be cut to any shape with cutters, plotters, or even a pair of scissors.

Vehicles & Transit:

Avery MPI 1105 Series. A premium gloss opaque vinyl designed for use in fleet marking and vehicle wrap as well as corporate identity applications. Superior conformability to irregular surfaces such as compound curves and corrugations.

General Formulations MetroMark Transit Vinyl. A flexible matte opaque vinyl with a removable adhesive. Applications include bus kings, queens and tail posters as well as many short and long term removable graphics.

More Space-Transforming Ideas:

LexJet Promo-Point Table Tents. Printable media for any laser printer that can take up to 12.9 in. material widths. Made for high visual impact, and used at the point of sale for bars, grills and restaurants. Each sheet produces three full-bleed table tents.

LexJet Promo-Point Decals. New and improved decals that adhere to any smooth surface and remove without leaving residue. Available in a multitude of different finishes and looks for use on laser printers for water and fade resistance.

5 Products that Changed the Game for Wide Format in 2019
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in News & Trends
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5 Products that Changed the Game for Wide Format in 2019

In 2019, we looked to the market and our customers to find the gaps we could fill with problem-solving product innovations. As a company that marked its 25th anniversary this year, we’ve built our foundation on finding new ways to help our customers thrive. As the year comes to an end, we take a look back at some of the product launches customers and the industry asked for.

In case you didn’t catch them previously, here’s a look at five new media products that changed the game for the wide-format industry:

Squid, for High-End Window Graphics. Likely one of the most buzz-worthy products of the year, Squid is a self-adhesive, printable window textile that offers an elegant-looking alternative to window films that is more environmentally friendly and provides privacy while blocking the sun’s rays. With several color bases that range from a light Chalk to a dark Coal, Squid can be used alone or enhanced with eco-solvent or UV-curable print. In November, we announced that the Chalk version of Squid is now available for Latex printers.

Fredrix Metallic Canvas in Pearl and Gold. Maybe you didn’t think you needed a metallic-based canvas product, but now that it’s here, we don’t think there’s any going back. Before Fredrix dreamed up these dreamy canvases, the only option for creating a metallic gallery wrap was to use a wallcovering product, with dubious effect when wrapping it around those stretcher bars. Today, we’ve got Fredrix Metallic Pearl, which provides a glamorous, iridescent base that puts print jobs like bridal portraits in a whole new stratosphere. The Fredrix Metallic Gold is a showy option that looks amazing with rich, black inks. It also took the 2019 SGIA Product of the Year for Media – Textile – Canvas.

Dye-sub Fisher Textiles in Wide-Format Sizes. With the introduction of wide-format width dye-sub printers hitting the market from the likes of Epson and HP, the industry was in need of some quality dye-sub fabrics in the right widths. Until we partnered with Fisher Textiles, there weren’t many options. We brought right-sized rolls to the industry for a variety of applications, such as flags, soft signage, table skirts, drapery, banners, backdrops and much more.

New Sunset SUV Fine Art for Large Runs. As the preferred printer technologies in the market begin to shift to eco-solvent, we’re finding a bigger need for traditionally aqueous-based media to be re-formulated. Where better to start than with the fine-art segment? We introduced Sunset SUV Fine Art Paper 210g for high-volume art and photography reproductions at a cost-conscious price. For customers loyal to aqueous inks, we also launched Sunset Hot Press Smooth Bright White and Sunset Cold Press Textured Bright White papers to give them another budget-friendly, high-quality option.

High-Tack HP Grip Matte for Stickier Situations. All year we’ve seen the relatively new HP Adhesive Vinyl portfolio of products become customer favorites. Yet, the line was missing a high-tack option that could be used on hard-to-stick-to surfaces, such as trash cans and other low-energy plastics. So we brought on HP Grip Polymeric Air with its aggressive, high-tack clear adhesive, which works on rough surfaces as well as low-energy, while providing an easy, bubble-free installation.

Do you have any product favorites from 2019? Tell us in the comments below, or let us know what other solutions you’ve been looking for.