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Go Latex and Print Earth-Friendly
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Technology & Products
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Go Latex and Print Earth-Friendly

While opting for latex print technology is a great choice to add versatility and more market opportunities to your business, it can also open up another highly effective selling point: Environmentally friendly print options. Here are four products that are specifically made for latex (or latex-compatible) that will make your customers feel good about their next print project:

HP PVC-free Durable Suede Wall Paper

FOR DÉCOR: HP PVC-free Durable Suede Wall Paper was designed specifically for HP Gen 3 Latex Inks to create beautiful, customized wallcoverings that are Type II compliant without a top coat, so they can be used in sensitive environments like healthcare settings or schools that are also subject to lots of wear and tear. The wall paper also meets sustainability standards with FSC certification, which ensures the product comes from responsibly managed forests; and Greenguard Gold certification, which ensures it is safe for use around sensitive populations, like the elderly and children. These attributes can lend a hand to building designs being considered for LEED certification points, which scores the healthy environment for commercial buildings.

FOR RETAIL: The all-new HP Durable Backlit Fabric, pictured above, is another latex-compatible option that answers the demand for a lightweight fabric for backlit signs, but also ensures extra safety, thanks to approved fire certifications (B1 and NFPA 70). The fabric is also REACH compliant, which regulates and ensures the safety of chemicals used to create products and their potential impact on human health and the environment.

FOR SOFT SIGNAGE: Specifically designed and coated for latex printing, EnduraFab Frontlit FR is another fabric solution for a variety of applications, including indoor signage, tablecloths, drapes and SEG frames, to name a few. PSPs and their customers can rest assured when using EnduraFab Frontlit FR, thanks to it passing NFPA 701 flame retardant standards under fire test conditions.

FOR HIGH-VOLUME POSTERS: PSPs running industrial HP Latex printing now have the all-new LexJet Satin Poster Paper 200g, a PVC-free option with a paper base that’s coated for durable, water-resistant prints that won’t bleed. PVC-free options are beneficial because they do not contain harmful chemicals that can be found in some vinyl materials. PVC-free materials have been growing in popularity in Europe and in the décor market, and is becoming a hot topic in signage, too. Plus, this poster paper is recyclable after use, making it an attractive option for some customers.

To learn about more environmentally friendly media options, give us a call at 800-453-9538.

Create a Faux Effect Wall Paper with LexJet Premium WallPro™
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Create a Faux Effect Wall Paper with LexJet Premium WallPro™

We love it when multiple market trends converge — and especially when we can help make them come to life. One recent industrial décor trend, the use of natural materials in interiors such as brick, steel, leather and wood, will continue in 2018 and beyond according to a recent article in House Beautiful Magazine.

Achieving that look by installing new tile or stripping back a wall to brick is messy and expensive. That’s why designers and DIY enthusiasts are turning to faux effect wallpaper. LexJet Premium WallPro™ can be used to digitally print wallcovering with all the style of natural materials in an array of seven realistic looking finishes to complement any design. From wood, to brick or tile, LexJet Premium WallPro™ wallcoverings can create a completely new, realistic texture on walls and may have your customers questioning reality.

Wallcovering printed to look like cork.

We visited Sarasota, Fla., interior retail showroom, Blu Home, where we met owner and interior designer, Chelsea Dunbar, to find out where wallcoverings have been and where they’re going.

Just 10 to 15 years ago, faux painting on walls and columns were all the rage, with painters spending hours creating marble, wood or brick effects with paint. Today, it’s hard for designers to find skilled painters for those jobs. “When the economy crashed, a lot of them left the market,” Dunbar says. Not to worry though, printed wallcoverings are a quick and less-expensive way to “make it look contemporary … and feel high-end,” she says. “Wall paper has gotten so much cooler — and it’s become a replacement for faux painting.”

Digital wallcoverings can make walls look like they’re built from wood.

Digitally printed wallcoverings make the design process faster and easier, too. Print a desired digital file to a richly textured wallcovering vinyl, and apply with traditional wallcovering installation techniques. “This isn’t your grandmother’s wall paper,” Dunbar says. “You can do so much more with it.”

LexJet Premium WallPro™ wallcoverings are a higher grade of vinyl that’s also environmentally cleaner than other products on the market. Suitable for the most sensitive of areas such as healthcare facilities and schools LexJet Premium WallProTM digitally printable wallcovering meet EPA requirements for low-VOC emitting products.

Want more digital décor ideas? Visit LexJet.com/decor.

How to Start Marketing Your Décor Print Services
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Tips & Tricks
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How to Start Marketing Your Décor Print Services

Deciding to add services like custom-printed wallcoverings and canvas wraps to your business is the easy part. Getting the word out and bringing in potential customers is where the challenge lies. Here are 5 tips to help you get started with marketing décor print services:

  1. Fix your identity. If your operation has always been called a “sign shop,” consider adjusting your business name or adding a new business unit specifically for décor services. Target which services you want to offer (start with one or two) and determine which products you want to print to. Once these are nailed down, the business name and focus will start to fall into place.
  2. Practice and promote. If you’ve decided to add customized digitally printed wallcoverings as your new offering, find a project you can work on as a beta site. Perhaps a restaurant that a friend owns or a business you regularly frequent that could use an update. Offer to print wallcovering for a room for free so you can get real-world experience in terms of the work flow, installation and product performance. When you’ve successfully completed a project, use before, during and after photos on social media and email campaigns to show off your new expertise.
  3. Connect with others. Get to know local interior designers who could capitalize on your new services. Attend networking events and learn about community projects that could allow you an opportunity to show off your work and get free publicity. Focus on collaborating with other professionals who may need the talents of your graphics team to create artwork for canvas wraps or customized patterns for wallcovering — and charge them reasonably for this niche service.
  4. Upsell to current customers. Opportunities are everywhere. If you’ve been creating backlit displays for a retail outlet, ask them if they’re interested in a wall mural to liven up their store. Same goes for restaurants, hotels or corporate accounts that you print signage for. Could they use a fresh accent wall or canvas wraps to add ambiance or elegance to their spaces?
  5. Get your content together. Create a sample book (or web page) of the types of work you can do. Photos with finished applications will go a long way in helping your customers to visualize what you can customize for them.

If you have questions about marketing décor services or success stories to share, tell us about it in the comments below.

Digital Décor Printing Goes Beyond Wallcoverings
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Digital Décor Printing Goes Beyond Wallcoverings

A lot has been said over the past few years about the opportunities in digital décor printing … and most of them have been focused on wallcoverings. And while we love a good digitally printed wallcovering as much as the next guy, we wanted to take a moment to focus on other opportunities in decor printing … beyond wallcoverings.

Take a look at some of these inventive, imaginative projects our customers have done using a variety of ink technologies and media types. And the next time someone asks you to print a wall project, consider pitching them on some custom print jobs off the wall.

TABLES: Opportunities are almost limitless for both surface and object printing. Take, for instance, the tabletop creations by Jamie Birch, who used LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric and LexJet Crystal Low Tack for sports-themed customized tables. Want to keep them looking good? Our friends at Fredrix used Fredrix 575 Tempo Canvas top coated with Marabu coating and mounted to a puzzle board and routed into circles to create these branded coasters.

 

 

 

 

 

WINDOWS: Create customized decorative prints on either the window itself or shades to block the sun. Window shades can be created with a variety of products, such as LexJet Poly Select Medium, EnduraFab™ Frontlit Premier or HP Light Fabric. To add some privacy or a graphic element to the window itself, try LexJet Simple Grip Backlit, which can be seen from either side of the window and is enhanced by artificial or natural light.

 

 

 

 

 

LAMPS: A little punch of color can go a long way to enhance a room. Lamp shades have become a favorite among digital printers, using products like LexJet Sunset Textured Fine Art Paper 310g and finishing it with a UV coating for extra protection. Retailers like Lamps Plus give customers a variety of pattern and color combinations so they can create their own one-of-a-kind look.

 

 

 

 

 

PILLOWS: These are just two examples of how you can add some major customization to your throw pillows with a latex printer, courtesy of Fredrix, using Fredrix Natural Raw Canvas, and HP, featuring the versatile HP Light Fabric.

 

 

 

 

 

PRINTS: So, technically these prints go on the wall, but offer a decorative option if adding wall paper or a mural isn’t an option. We love all types of hanging wall art including acrylic-mounted prints, floating canvases, wrapped canvases, framed photos and ChromaLuxe panels. There’s something for everyone and every ink technology in our product mix!

 

 

Looking for Digital Décor Materials? Download This!
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Technology & Products, Tips & Tricks
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Looking for Digital Décor Materials? Download This!

So you’re expanding your services to include more digital décor options for your customers, but you need guidance on the best materials to print to. We’ve got you covered, whether you’re printing with aqueous, latex, eco-solvent, UV-curable or dye-sublimation technology.

At LexJet, we’ve got more than 100 materials for you to choose from in a variety of finishes, including media and substrates for wall art, wallcovering, window treatments, fabrics, upholstery and accessories. With these options, you can decorate nearly all of the objects and surfaces in a room, office, retail space or commercial facility with digitally printed graphics and images.

With digital technology, you can make fully customized décor pieces that your customers will cherish. To discover LexJet’s line of digital décor materials, please download our Digital Décor Printing Line Card.

To discover more ways to incorporate digital décor printing into your operation, call a LexJet print specialist at 800-453-9538.

What You Need to Know Now About Digitally Printed Fabric
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Technology & Products, Tips & Tricks
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What You Need to Know Now About Digitally Printed Fabric

It’s nearly impossible to work in the print industry and not have heard about the expanding interest in digital textiles. Although digitally printed fabrics make up only 2% of the entire textile marketing, it’s a fast-growing technology. It’s expected to grow from a $14.2 billion industry in 2016 to a $33.4 billion industry by 2021, according to Keypoint Intelligence.

That’s more than doubling the opportunity in five short years. And it could grow even more, with big players like Amazon and Home Depot both entering the textile game in 2018.

As a print service provider, what does that mean to you? More material options with ever-advancing technology, more solutions to offer to your customers and more ways to grow your business. Here are four key points to know now about digitally printed fabric in the wide-format market.

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