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Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in News & Trends
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Get More POP for Your P.O.P. with LexJet at the Shopper Marketing Expo

Retail graphics and point of purchase trade showThe Shopper Marketing Expo at Chicago’s Navy Pier, Oct. 18-20, is more than a point of purchase exhibition; it’s all about the entire “path to purchase.” As an integral part of the path to purchase, LexJet will be on hand in Booth 720, showcasing the latest creative point of purchase and shopper marketing ideas.

Stay tuned here at the LexJet Blog before and during the show for LexJet show specials and reports on what’s going on in retail graphics and marketing. Also, check LexJet’s Twitter feed during the show, Oct. 18-20, for up-to-the minute news and points of interest.

LexJet provides retail graphics solutions for in-house corporate print shops and point-of-purchase providers looking for versatile, flexible and unique ways to produce eye-catching, effective promotional and branding programs.

To register for the show, click here, and if you have any questions, you’re looking for specific information from the show or you’d like to meet us there, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Winning the Advertising Turf Battle with Tabletop Graphics

Printing and wrapping tabletops for advertisingSometimes the solution is right in front of you, even on the table where you rest your beer. At least that was the solution that Billy Owen, graphic designer for Grellner Sales & Service in Sedalia, Mo., came up with to cut through the advertising clutter and boost the visibility of the company’s beverage brands at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia.

“It’s difficult to get our name out there because every inch of the fair is covered with ads. You have to be creative about it, so we thought we’d decorate these tabletops at the fair for the various brands we carry, like Boulevard, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Coors Light and Smirnoff,” explains Owen. “We put some more eye-grabbing elements together in Photoshop, printed the images on LexJet Extreme AquaVinyl w/ PSA, applied them, and they turned out pretty awesome.”

Wrapping tabletops to promote a brandOwen chose Extreme AquaVinyl based on the recommendation of his LexJet customer specialist, Kelly Price. He was looking for something durable enough to withstand the abuse of fairgoers without lamination and removable. The material fit the bill perfectly. “Kelly is great,” says Owen. “When I’m looking for the right material for a project, especially unusual applications, Kelly is always there to help.”

The tabletops were printed on the beverage distributor’s new Canon iPF8000S, which has become the workhorse printer for Grellner and its four additional branches. “I print most of the big projects for our branches, especially in the summer with events and concerts, so my workload has increased quite a bit and the printer has kept up with the demand. It’s a great printer; I love it,” says Owen.

Printing and applying graphics to tabletopsOwen says that the idea didn’t come completely out of the blue since one of Grellner’s other branches had printed a successful tabletop project. For the fair, they wrapped about 18 different tabletops and the application to each one was seamless and flawless.

“We have a lot of experience with similar applications, so we were able to apply them quickly and smoothly. We just peeled the liner back, smoothed the vinyl down with a squeegee and wrapped it around the edges,” explains Owen. “Everybody loved the tables, and it’s another way we can try to boost our sales over last year. I just went to check them out last night and they’re holding up very well.”

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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The Branding and Presentation Role of Large Format Inkjet at The Marketing Store

Color management inkjet printingHeadquartered in Chicago, The Marketing Store is a global branding and promotions agency with offices on five continents. An important component of its creative services is its ability to print large format, both for its clients and for presentations and mock-ups.

“Being able to print large format images sets you apart from other agencies when you give a creative pitch, plus we’re able to produce graphics for trade shows and special events,” says Steve Fischer, production artist for The Marketing Store.

Whether it’s packaging, promotional materials or something out of the ordinary that needs to be brought to life, The Marketing Store’s print shop studio is able to meet the challenge with its contingent of three printers – a Canon iPF9100, Epson Stylus Pro 7900 and HP 5500 – plus media advice from its LexJet customer specialist, David Finkel.

Print production studio inkjet“As more projects and requests come in for specialty applications it’s good to have LexJet in our back pocket. Sometimes there are weird requests and with every pitch there’s some sort of specific challenge that requires a new way of presenting materials. If there’s something I don’t think I can achieve I can call David to help me find what I need. He’s been great at finding materials and making suggestions,” says Fischer.

Fischer adds that they try to do as much in-house printing as possible, occasionally farming out larger projects that go beyond the capabilities of their current printer mix. The concept of The Marketing Store is to be as full service as possible and to meet any need their clients may have. The studio blends photography, color management, file preparation and print production seamlessly to help fulfill the overall mission.

“The studio supports the rest of the agency, and we’re always looking to expand our capabilities,” says Fischer.  “So, instead of having to go out to produce creative we can keep it in-house, which not only keeps our costs down but allows us to ensure quality.”

Inkjet printing presentation boardFischer adds that The Marketing Store’s studio has had great success with LexJet 8 Mil Production Satin Photo Paper and LexJet TOUGHcoat Water-Resistant Self Adhesive Polypropylene for presentations boards, promotional product mock-ups and displays.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Tips & Tricks
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A Better Way to Produce Cooler/Shelf Tags

CoolerTags.com provides and automated and consistent system for printing out cooler and shelf tags.

The cooler tag is the beverage industry’s dirty little secret. It is often inconsistent with the overall marketing image that has brought the consumer to the precipice of a buying decision at the point of sale. The challenge for most distributors is that producing these colorful shelf strips is typically very time consuming and difficult to set up.

CoolerTags.com, an intuitive and easy-to-use Web-based software, allows distributors to print retail shelf price tags in-house on custom designed tag stock quickly, efficiently and consistently. Simply load the product information, package information and upload the appropriate logos.

The information created is stored on a secure server and is used to generate the final Cooler Tag sheet. Click save and move on to the next product, continuing until all of the tags for that store are completed. The initial setup typically takes less than an hour, depending on the number of items to be loaded. After setup, you’re ready to create Cooler Tag sheets for each store on a laser printer.

Many distributors have shifted the responsibility of managing and producing shelf tags from the print shop to their sales reps. With the ability to save templates, the user loads the initial information needed for each account and can upload to reprint or to make changes or additions.

CoolerTags.com User Tip: For those of you already using the software, here’s a nice time-saving tip… When a user is making tags for a certain brand and will need several different package types for the same brand, use the Persist function (circled in red in the accompanying screen capture).

When you select the Persist box you will only need to choose the product once. CoolerTags.com will automatically choose that product for the next item so you’ll only need to select the desired package and price and then save.

This is a real time-saver for large projects. For example, let’s say you’re making cooler tags for Miller Lite and you need: 6 Pack Cans, 12 Pack Cans, 24 Pack Cans and 36 Pack Cans. You only have to choose the product (Miller Lite) once with the Persist box checked to apply it to all of different packs instead of applying the logo separately for each one.

Use the Persist function to label a variety of different packaging options with one brand.

For more information about integrating CoolerTags.com into your workflow, contact a LexJet account specialist.