Author: Libby Goddard

Sharing a Coke? Here’s How LexJet Helps Coca-Cola Bottling Spread the Message
Posted on by Libby Goddard Posted in Technology & Products
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Sharing a Coke? Here’s How LexJet Helps Coca-Cola Bottling Spread the Message

We’re all familiar with the red can, white script, and “open happiness” slogan, and Coca-Cola Bottling Company facilities around the country bring those well-known beverages to the shelves of our local stores. They also produce all sorts of marketing messages on banners, walls, windows, and even car wraps. We got to “Share-A-Coke” with Raven Kaufman, a marketing specialist from Coca-Cola Bottling Company High Country, and learned more about which LexJet products she uses and the upcoming projects she’s excited about.

Q: Raven, thank you for chatting with us. Can you talk a little bit about what the Coca-Cola Bottling Company does?

A: As the marketing team for Coca-Cola Bottling Company High Country, we offer our customers the opportunity to partner with the iconic Coca-Cola brand through the creation of custom marketing pieces by which they can display their company logo, pricing, or event information in conjunction with nationally known and recognized Coca-Cola.

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Q: Can you tell us which LexJet products your company uses?

A: We use the LexJet materials for the production of custom point of sale and promotional materials for our 16 sales centers, which span across a five-state region. We produce custom window graphics using LexJet Aqueous Perforated Vinyl, banners using LexJet TOUGHcoat 3R DuPont Tyvek and TOUGHcoat ThriftyBanner, and custom graphics using LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric.

Q: What type of printer do you use in order to achieve the high-quality image you’re looking for?

A: We use the Canon imagePROGRAF 9400 printer.

Q: What are some examples of the work your company does?

A: We produce custom wall coverings or murals that span an entire store wall. We do what we call “Cooler Wraps,” which are the custom graphic murals you may see at a convenience store that surround the beverage coolers. We do individually tailored Share-A-Coke Bottle labels, too! We do a wide, and sometimes even odd, range of custom marketing. If our sales team and customers think it, we do what we can to produce it.

Q: Why do you prefer LexJet products?

A: The Print-N-Stick material offers us a non-permanent, self-adhesive custom printing material. This allows us to have the option of applying and removing custom coke 3graphics to a variety of applications. The material lays down easily and makes installation fairly painless. It’s also equally easy to remove when and if necessary. We have permanent adhesive materials that print and apply just as efficiently as the Print-N-Stick, but removal is quite taxing, if not near impossible.

The perforated is another excellent marketing tool since a customer can have custom signage printed and adhered to windows or doors that do not block sight in or out of the store. It’s easy to apply and remove, has a fair ability to endure the elements, and has a remarkable life longevity.

Q: Before you go, can you talk a little bit about any new projects coming up?

A: Since we have such vast sales territory and so many sales centers and customers, we always have some project or event going on. Right now the biggest event for us would be the 75th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, SD. The weeklong event is anticipating more than 1 million visitors and is considered a once-in-a-lifetime event for avid motorcyclists, and a check on the bucket list for tourists of all varieties. Coca-Cola is the official soft drink of the 75th Annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, so our presence at the event will be huge!

Posted on by Libby Goddard Posted in Case Studies & Profiles, Technology & Products
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An Artist’s Tribute to First Responders

 

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Sept. 11, 2001 will forever be part of American history. For New York artist, Karin Giusti, 9/11 is the reason her fiancé, Steven Schwarz, was taken from her too soon. Schwarz was a first responder firefighter at Ground Zero who later died from health complications.

Giusti has been preparing for an exhibition in New York City that will show at the Smack Mellon non-profit arts organization from Sept. 24 to Nov. 8. The exhibition, titled Three Seasons at Black Forest Farm, will be a monumental art installation in memory of Schwarz. It will consist of a series of 10 to 15 light columns with structural components and illuminated photo membranes.

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Giusti prints out images onto LexJet 8mil Absolute Backlit before constructing the columns. Photos courtesy of Karin Giusti

She’s constructing the columns from LexJet 8 Mil Absolute Backlit polyester film. “It’s amazing,” Giusti says, “it doesn’t dent or crumple. It’s so easy to handle.” The instant-dry, matte-finish coating on the film produces a wide color gamut for brilliant colors and sharp details. “The product has to be easy to handle since I’m printing the images onto the paper and then creating a structure with it,” she says.

With this work, Giusti’s goal is to emphasize the need to create a National First Responders Day. The exhibit will focus on the plight of all first responders.

“Often, 9/11’s forgotten victims are struggling to get adequate medical attention,” says Giusti, who is a professor at Brooklyn College. Guisti, who holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University of Art, has exhibited work internationally and hopes this latest installment will capture the public’s attention.

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Posted on by Libby Goddard Posted in Marketing & Sales, Promotions & Rebates, Technology & Products
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Do You Use Sunset Media? Here’s Your Chance to Win

Sunset Contest

 

You asked for it, and we delivered – a new contest that gives you the opportunity to win a brand new Canon imagePROGRAF 24-inch printer.

Interested? Here’s how you enter:

  1. Choose a photo of your finished work on display, such as in a gallery or in a client’s home. Just remember that all work must be printed on Sunset media to be eligible to win.
  2. Post it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or upload it here by Aug. 31, 2015
  3. Use the hashtag #SunsetWorks

That’s all it takes to have your chance at a brand new Canon imagePROGRAF printer! You can enter up to three times, and a winner will be chosen at random from all entries. Visit SunsetPrint.com for more information.

Posted on by Libby Goddard Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Tip of the Week: Picking the Best Media for Printing Posters

Do you know where to start when choosing the best media for printing posters? We sat down with LexJet product guru, Jeff Leto, and talked about how important it is to determine the best weight, size and finish for your posters.

When you’re looking for the right poster material, pay close attention to its gram weight. A lighter gram weight is meant for things like movie posters or smaller signage, while a heavier gram weight is best for large window displays. The larger the sign, the heavier the gram weight should be in order to ensure a flat, smooth surface.

The finish is also an important factor when finding the perfect poster material. There are lots to choose from like matte, satin, semi-matte, gloss and high-gloss. The finish of the poster depends on the environment the poster will be displayed in. Some great examples of different finishes would be the Sunset Photo Gloss, the LexJet HydroTOUGH Poster and the HP Photo-realistic Poster Paper. All of these materials are compatible with latex printers, so you know you’re getting durable, cost-effective posters for all your business needs.

Check out our Latex Applications page for more on posters and the many ways you can use latex printing technology in your business. Call a LexJet printing expert at 800-453-9538 to learn more.

Posted on by Libby Goddard Posted in Technology & Products
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How One Artist Turns Math into Art

Image provided by Joseph Presley

 

Turns out, math isn’t used just for counting paychecks and giving high school kids headaches. Fractal art is a design style created entirely from math formulas, and Bradenton, Fla., artist, Joseph Presley, has spent the last 15 years turning complicated math formulas into pieces of artwork.

“I first learned about fractal math from my Calculus III class in college,” Presley explains, “It’s all very analytical. In the simplest terms, it’s an image made from mathematical loops that are all built upon each other.” His images are intricate colorful loops and swirls that seem like puzzles.

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Image provided by Joseph Presley

The ArtCenter Manatee, which strives to educate artists of all ages and to provide galleries to display their original artwork, is currently holding a solo exhibit of 39 of Presley’s digital prints that are available for purchase. In order to display his works, Presley has used a combination of LexJet products to guarantee that his work always looks its best.

“I use the Sunset Photo Satin and the Sunset SD Etching Paper,” Presley explains. The Sunset Photo Satin is a photo paper that gives users the ability to print high-end photos, portraits, posters and commercial displays. The Sunset SD Etching Paper is a versatile paper for reproducing paintings, drawings, and wall art.

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Image provided by Joseph Presley

Presley gets most of his inspiration for his artwork from nature and music. “I’ve been playing piano since I was 5 years old, so music is a big source of inspiration for me,” he says.

Most of Presley’s images have piano keys or are inspired by cellos and violins. Other images are inspired by clocks, books, and the color spectrum. Creating these images isn’t easy.

“It’s a very complicated process. There are lots of steps involved, lots of analytics, but there are still elements of design,” he explains. “I use the same methods as any other artist.”

On Display: A New Spin on Fairy Tales with Avant-Garde Photographer Parker Pfister
Posted on by Libby Goddard Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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On Display: A New Spin on Fairy Tales with Avant-Garde Photographer Parker Pfister

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Image provided by Parker J Pfister

 

Upon first viewing Asheville, NC photographer, Parker Pfister’s photos, our initial reaction was: “Your work is like Grimm’s Fairytales came to life … in the best way possible.” He bursts into laughter.

“That’s actually a great description. Thank you,” he says, still laughing. Pfister’s photos are whimsical, unique, and a little bit twisted.

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Pfister’s work “shoots straight past the obvious and into the world of the overlooked,” according to his website.

Pfister is fresh off of a successful gala at the Asheville Art Museum, where his work was shown under the theme of “Visions & Visionaries: A Marriage — O’Keefe and Stieglitz.” The gala was focused on the works of modernist painter, Georgia O’Keefe and avant-garde photographer, Alfred Stieglitz. Pfister displayed photographs that fit the style of both of these artists.

A LexJet customer for more than 10 years, Pfister is s a huge fan of LexJet’s Water Resistant Satin Cloth, a lightweight, water-resistant, wrinkle-resistant, tear-resistant polyester fabric that produces excellent image quality.

“I was having a gallery showing and the gallery had these awful sconces on the walls, so with the satin cloth, I was able to drape my work over the sconces, backlighting the photographs,” Pfister says. “It was a cool effect.”

Now, Pfister proudly displays his work on the satin cloth in the windows of his gallery. Since the cloth is so lightweight and transportable, it’s much easier for him to switch out window displays regularly.

“I love it. I use a bunch of it,” he says.

Pfister got his start at 6 years old when he acquired his first camera. The hobby turned into a lifestyle eight years later. “It was a picture of a toad. I entered the photograph in a contest at the 1982 World’s Fair, and won second place. I was 11,” Pfister says.

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Image provided by Parker J Pfister

Thirty-three years later, and Pfister’s work has evolved from landscapes and weddings to eventually finding a niche with portraits. Pfister explained that he “aspires through failure” and finds inspiration from music, sounds, color, and the work of German photographer, Helmut Newton, known for his provocative photos that regularly graced the pages of Vogue.

“I’ll be inspired by something, an idea will come to me and I’ll write it down. I can go through and pick an idea, call up a model I know could fit the image I’m looking for, and shoot,” he explains. “I shoot every day.”

We look forward to seeing what he displays next.