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Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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When is it Time to Upgrade Your Printer? One Print Shop’s Experience

Canon iPF8400S Inkjet Printer at Bill Reed Distributing
The new Canon iPF8400S from LexJet is up and running at Bill Reed Distributing and the output on LexJet 8 Mil PolyGloss Banner looks fantastic.

 

It’s the age-old dilemma: should I repair my old printer or just buy a new one? For Michael Thornton, administrative marketing manager at Bill Reed Distributing, Abilene, Texas, this particular dilemma presented itself when his old printer went down.

“As I was getting ready for the technician I picked up the phone and called Chris Piersoll, my LexJet rep. He said to hold up on the repair and first compare the cost difference between repair and replace, and the long-term productivity benefits of a new printer. We discovered that when you factor in the amount of down time we were experiencing, and the wear and tear it was a no-brainer to upgrade and pay the few hundred dollars difference for a new machine,” says Thornton. “The thing that concerned me most about repairing the one I have is the simple fact that it has a lot of miles on it. What’s the guarantee that something’s not going to happen a month from now? You know how this goes: you’re always in the middle of a big print project when it goes down. It was a much wiser investment to purchase a new machine because it is such a vital part of what we do; we can’t function without it. Marketing and sales pieces are critically important to supplement our sales. We love the reliability of the Canon printers, and at the price point LexJet is offering, why wouldn’t we buy a new one?”

Thornton upgraded to the Canon iPF8400S, which will provide the print shop with more speed and new color management and cost-tracking features. Moreover, with Piersoll’s help, Thornton was able to exchange the old ink cartridges he had in inventory.

“Chris was able to help us out with the ink we had for our old machine. I had a backup for every color sitting there, and that’s $1,700 that potentially I’d have to add to the cost of a new printer. That was one of the determining factors, and a lot of companies won’t work with you on swapping out ink cartridges,” explains Thornton. “So again, why wouldn’t you buy a new printer and guarantee yourself that you’ll have a great product and a new warranty. And with the Canon printer, minus changing out the printheads about once a year, there’s not much to do to keep them running.”

Ultimately, says Thornton, it’s all about consistency, productivity and efficiency. Thornton ran the old printer for 1,392 days after installation, printing about 180,000 square feet and more than 30,000 linear feet.

“While the old printer allowed me to go through sub-menus and look at how much ink was used per print, it’s very easy to factor your square footage cost with your media, but ink cost is not always the same because of color and saturation. What I’m really looking forward to with the new printer is the ability to be more detailed about tracking ink usage and actual costs; that’s invaluable, especially when you’re not having to dig for the information. It’s all about making things easier and working smarter,” says Thornton. “When you’re working with a number of convenience stores, and they all want their point of sale at the same time, you need to make sure the printer is running and it’s efficient. If it’s down, you’ve got a big problem. That’s what the big factor was for me. Look at how much we’re paying to fix the three-year-old machine, versus the cost for a new one. For all of us here, from the owner to the GM, the logical thing was to replace it; it’s been a great machine and let’s move on. Productivity is key.”

Though Bill Reed Distributing uses a wide variety of materials, from vinyl and Photo Tex to banner materials, Thornton adds that their standard print material is LexJet 8 Mil PolyGloss Banner. “The Canon prints such a beautiful graphic and when you put it on the glossy media it gives it a very classy look,” says Thornton.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Printing Window Graphics with Curb Appeal

Printing point of sale window graphics

It started with a question: “Do you want to try this stuff?” The stuff in question was LexJet Aqueous Perforated Vinyl (70/30), and the “stuff” worked like a charm.

Printing window graphics on perforated window vinyl“We started printing window graphics about a year ago, and the first store we installed still looks fantastic. The graphics haven’t started peeling or fading. They’re only supposed to go up for about six months, but we’re way past six months,” says Margot Layland, art director for Best Brands Inc. in Nashville. “When you drive by these stores, that’s the first thing you see. We found that the brighter the colors and simpler the design the better off it is; you only have two seconds for someone to see them. Now everybody and their brother wants them.”

Best Brands Inc. specializes in wine and spirits distribution, and the window graphics Layland creates are providing a lot of additional brand exposure and recognition.

Window graphics for point of sale advertising“When they put posters on the inside of the windows, which is how they’ve always done it, they tend to bend and crack in the sun, not to mention the glare on the images. What our customers like is that not only does it provide shade in the windows, but you really get to see the product branding,” explains Layland.

The vinyl allows images to be viewed from the outside, while those inside can see out through the graphics. The graphics are typically printed in panels on the company’s Canon iPF8000 and installed by Best Brands’ display specialist, who attached the vinyl with painter’s tape, levels it, matches up the seams, peels off the backing and smooths it down.

Branding and advertising with window graphics“They’re relatively expensive and they take some time to install, so the people who are paying for these are the suppliers, like Jim Beam. We call the supplier and let them know the cost for each window. If the supplier wanted to do, say, 75 of them, they couldn’t possibly know all the exact window sizes, so each one has to be custom made,” explains Layland. “Some of the windows are as large as 8′ x 8′, so that’s why we try to make it as easy on our display specialist as possible by printing them out in panels.”

For best results, Layland suggests printing at a higher resolution to maximize the impact at the point of sale, and to let the graphics dry for at least 24 hours before trimming and installing them. “Because the vinyl is perforated, it can get kind of inky when you handle it, so I let them dry for a day or two before I cut them out,” she says.

LexJet Aqueous Perforated Vinyl is one of several inkjet printable materials Layland has tried based on recommendations from her LexJet customer specialist, Chris Piersoll. “Chris is delightful. He’s great about showing us products we can utilize with our printer and he’s been right on the money with everything. And, whenever I need something or have a question, he’s always there to help. If I leave a message, he always calls back quickly, 20 minutes max,” adds Layland.

Posted on by LexJet Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Short Term Promotions with Punch at Colonial Beverage

Printing fabric with a wide format inkjet printerVersatility is the name of the game at Colonial Beverage in North Dartmouth, Mass. With a print shop headed by Tennyson Lacasio that’s deluging the local beer market with point of sale graphics to ensure its brands get top billing, Lacasio needs consistent, reliable, high-quality inkjet materials that keep Colonial in front of the consumer.

A lot of Lacasio’s printing is in the form of banners for just about every application imaginable, indoors and outdoors, from table drapes and entryway banners to flags, awnings and stage displays for special events. Lacasio recently switched from a scrim banner for the bulk of that work to LexJet’s new Poly Select Heavy fabric.

Printing on fabric for banner applications“It has better image quality,” Lacasio explains as the primary reason he’s continuing to use Poly Select Heavy. Print quality is one of Lacasio’s top priorities, if not the top priority, for the prints that leave the shop. Lacasio takes extra care with his designs to ensure the biggest impact for Colonial Beverage at the point of sale, to which the photos of his work on the fabric shown here certainly attest.

Of course there are other reasons he likes this new fabric so much: “It’s much more durable in the wind; we’ve been using it for about two months and we haven’t had to replace any torn banners, so we’re saving money by not having to replace banners as quickly,” he says.

Inkjet printing on fabricAfter picking Lacasio’s brain and getting a feel for what he was looking for, Lacasio’s customer specialist, Chris Piersoll, suggested Poly Select Heavy as a solution. “I asked if a lighter, airy banner that comes in longer rolls to eliminate some waste in production would work for him. He liked the idea of a new banner material that could help show off his product better and differentiate him from his competition,” recalls Piersoll.

Piersoll’s recommendation turned out to be just what the printer ordered. “I’ve been using it for about two months now printing on an HP Z6100 with really good results. It’s also very popular with our customers. I’ve never been disappointed with anything Chris has recommended we use,” adds Lacasio.