Banner StandsTag:

Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Tips & Tricks
Leave a comment

Tip of the Week: The Trick to Banner Stand Success

When it comes to creating great-looking banner stands, LexJet product expert Jeff Leto tells us that the key is knowing the environment it will be used in.

If used outdoors, it’s essential to keep in mind the changes in temperatures throughout the day, he says. As temperatures rise and fall, banner stand materials can expand and contract, which can create unsightly, messing-looking curling.

Check out this week’s tip video above to learn the best types of banner stand materials that are compatible with latex printing technology. For instance, LexJet 8Mil PolyGloss is a dimensionally stable option that won’t expand or contract in the elements and produces excellent photo quality with a glossy finish.

You can also hop over to our Latex Application page to learn all the different ways latex-printable media can be used.

Beyond Vinyl: Discover the World of Latex Printing Applications
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Marketing & Sales, News & Trends
Leave a comment

Beyond Vinyl: Discover the World of Latex Printing Applications

 

Backlit crop

You’ve asked for the educational tools to help you discover the opportunities that latex printing can provide. Today, we’re introducing our Latex Applications page, a one-stop online page that offers business-building ideas and explores the many creative uses and benefits of latex-printable products.

While many of our business partners rely on vinyl products for banners, billboards, outdoor signage and more, all of those applications — and many more — can be printed on latex-compatible media that’s less costly, easier to use and environmentally friendly.

Outdoor-Signage-04-24-15_01Throughout our Latex Applications page, you’ll find quick overviews and images of the products in use paired with short educational videos and direct links to purchase pages.

In the videos, LexJet product guru Jeff Leto talks about the industry’s latest emerging trends, product highlights, installation suggestions, terminology definitions, and lots of easy-to-understand tips for getting the most out of the media in different environments.

You’ll also learn how the products can be used in a variety ways while helping you save time and money, and how to relate those benefits to your customers.

Visit the Latex Applications page and call a LexJet latex printing expert at 800-453-9538 to learn more.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
Leave a comment

Supplementing Photography with Printing

Banner Stand GraphicsProfessional photographer Dan Johnson, based in Grand Rapids, Mich., has built an amazing photography studio and an outstanding portfolio of top-notch work over the years. A creative artist, Johnson is also a creative businessperson.

In past posts at the LexJet Blog, we’ve covered Dan’s work at the annual ArtPrize competition, his method of building a spray booth to coat prints, and the portable photo booth he takes to special events he’s photographing.

Johnson’s most recent initiative is to supplement the traditionally slow winter months with additional income from printing. Recently, Johnson launched GoProPrints.com, a site that touts his printing capabilities geared toward photographers, businesses, churches and schools.

“We have the equipment so we may as well print for other people as well. So, we licensed the name, GoProPrints.com, and got the website started to see if we can build it into a workable system to print for other people,” says Johnson. “It’s a way for us to offer printing to other people without using our photography studio name. Over time maybe it will grow enough that we can hire salespeople to sell printing services to businesses.”

Johnson says that printing provides a “nice supplement” during the winter months, increasing revenue during that time. He adds that the most popular products are canvas wraps, banners and banner stand graphics. He uses LexJet TOUGHcoat Water-Resistant Polypropylene for the banners and Sunset canvas for the canvas wraps.

“With all the stuff we can get from LexJet we can offer a lot of different types of applications,” Johnson adds. “The website helps get us started toward marketing to different segments and gives us a presence that lends some credibility to what we do on the print side.”

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
Leave a comment

Promoting Tourism with Inkjet Prints in Retractable Banner Stands

Promotional Banners by Grizzly Creek Gallery

Award-winning photographer Gary Haines, owner of Grizzly Creek Gallery, also has an eye for design and printed pieces that catch the eyes of passersby.

Banner Stand GraphicsThe historic Colorado mountain mining town in which Grizzly Creek Gallery is located, Georgetown, recently needed banners for a booth the town was setting up at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver to promote tourism.

The answer was the combination of outstanding photography, design and print services that Haines offers. In this case Haines created two 36″ x 84″ banners and one 39 1/4″ x 83″ banner.

Haines used a larger photo for the background and then laid out smaller photos on top of the background, created in Photoshop. All the photos but one are from Haines’ portfolio of local Georgetown color.

The smaller photos were completed with drop shadows and bevels to give the banners a three-dimensional quality and bring more attention to the message: that Georgetown is a great place to visit for a variety of reasons.

Banner Stand GraphicsThe banners were printed on LexJet 5.5 Mil Matte Opaque Display Film with an Epson Stylus Pro 9900 inkjet printer. Haines used two LexJet Giant Mosquito Retractable Banner Stands (the 36″ x 84″ banners) and a LexJet Orient Retractable Banner Stand.

“The colors turned out great on the Display Film. Each banner and stand comes with its own carrying case and you can re-use them and swap out banners very easily, so the entire package creates a really nice and easy-to-use display for my clients,” says Haines.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
Leave a comment

Building Business with In-House Inkjet Printing and Samples at Arc Studios

Printing Promotional Graphics with an Inkjet PrinterAaron Thomason, owner of Arc Studios Photography in Dalton, Ga., knows the value of a print. It’s what helps showcase and sell his artistic portrait photography.

With a variety of inkjet-printable media from which to choose through LexJet, Thomason is able to present his work in a variety of formats, each with its own unique look.

“I don’t have to do any advertising other than the promotional printing I do for my studio and storefront. I can place a banner stand next to the street so people driving by can see it, so I get a lot of people stopping in who saw it when they drove or walked by the studio,” says Thomason. “I typically use a big image with just a few simple words so that my studio is in the back of their mind when they need something I can provide.”

For banner stands, Thomason uses a LexJet Blizzard Outdoor Stand with LexJet TOUGHcoat Water-Resistant Polypropylene, and on his storefront windows he uses Photo Tex Repositionable Fabric. “I change those images up regularly and they work great. They see some rain and other weather, but the images have held up fine,” says Thomason.

Printing Promotional Graphics Inkjet PrinterOn the inside of the studio, Thomason showcases canvas gallery wraps printed on either LexJet Sunset Reserve Bright Matte Canvas or LexJet Sunset Production Matte Canvas, and Photo Tex for wall murals.

He also uses LexJet Sunset Photo Metallic Paper for images that lend themselves to the pearlescent pop of the paper.

“Before I started doing my own printing I was lucky if I sold one canvas print per session. Now I’m able to sell three or four canvases per portrait client since I was able to bring the price down by doing it in-house,” explains Thomason. “We stretch the canvas here on a 1 1/2″ frame and add the UV coating, so I’m able to produce canvas less expensively for my customers, deliver it on time and ultimately sell more canvas.”

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
Leave a comment

The Holy Grail of Banner Stands: Banners that Truly Lay Flat

 

Producing lay flat banner stand graphics

Lou Fiore, owner of Speedway Custom Photo Lab in Daytona Beach, Fla., has been kind enough to share some great ideas, which we’ve posted here at the LexJet Blog (LED Backlit Conference Room Graphics and Creating a Multi-Panel Display).

Printing banners that lay flatTo round out the trio of ideas, Fiore shares his process for making perfectly flat banners for banner stand displays, what he calls the “Holy Grail” of banner stands.

“Regardless of how lay-flat manufacturers say a certain banner material is, you usually get some curl, and it varies depending on the material,” says Fiore. “Recently, I tried LexJet TOUGHcoat Water-Resistant Polypropylene with GBC 5 Mil Octiva Low-Melt Emboss 50 Laminate. While at first glance, you wouldn’t think this is a good match since the laminate is applied at temperature, but the result is astounding, with absolutely knife-sharp flat edges.”

Fiore’s technique is to print the Water-Resistant Polypropylene on his Epson 9800, then the GBC Emboss 50 is applied using a sled at the lower end of its low-melt temperature range, around 170 degrees F. The laminate is allowed to cure for about an hour and the banners are then trimmed on a Keencut Sabre 2 General Purpose Cutter (120 in.).

Cutting and trimming banners“Initially, the edges appear to have some curl, but once the protective layer is peeled off of the Emboss 50, the banner lays absolutely flat and stays flat when it’s under the spring tension of the banner stand,” explains Fiore. “One nice characteristic of the Emboss 50 is that it’s a 5-mil vinyl, which is very flexible and not bulky. Plus, it has a very light crystal surface that doesn’t kill the pop of the print, yet it kills the reflection off of the graphic. I show this to my customers so they can see how beautiful the laminate is; that’s how much I like it.”

Thanks for the tips, Lou!