A New Level of Sustainability

The new Ultraflex EcoVantage® line of products sets itself apart from other eco-friendly printing options. Why? Because being environmentally conscious doesn’t end with each campaign. The materials are developed with the end life of each product in mind. EcoVantage® options include material that can be recycled or safely incinerated without releasing harmful toxins. LexJet offers this new line of 100% PVC-free and phthalate-free products.

Another sustainable advantage—  this new line does not require you to buy extra equipment.  You can easily print, finish, and install the material with your existing hardware and software.

EcoVantage® is suitable for indoor or outdoor use. The individual products feature unique qualities and applications:

EcoVantage® 190

  • Outdoor applications including banners, framing systems, and POS
  • Lightweight substrate
  • Recyclable under code nr. 1 (PET)

Ultima® EcoVantage®

  • Outdoor application including wall coverings, retail displays, and POS
  • High tear and tensile strength
  • Can be welded or sewn

EcoVantage® Supreme

  • Waterproof
  • Outdoor applications including banners, outdoor signage, and POS
  • High opacity reduces translucency and shadowing

EcoVantage® Greyback

  • Grey backside prevents translucency and shadowing
  • Applications including pop-up displays, banner stands, x-frame displays
  • Use for any indoor /outdoor close viewing applications that require complete opacity

EcoVantage® DSS Blockout

  • Indoor applications including banners, banner stands, and POS
  • Double-sided print surface
  • Complete opacity to prevent translucency and shadowing

EcoVantage® Pole Banner

  • Heavy-duty substrate with scrim fabric provides additional strength and stability under harsh weather
  • Coated, double-sided print surface
  • Complete opacity to prevent translucency and shadowing

UltraMesh® EcoVantage®

  • Indoor/outdoor applications including building wraps, fences, barricades, and stadium graphics
  • Lightweight material
  • Non-PVC coated surface

Wallscapes™ EcoVantage®

  • Flexible wallcovering material with non-woven backing
  • Recyclable, FSC compliant, and contains no heavy metals or halogens
  • Installation options – commercial grade adhesives, sewing, or grommets

To learn more, please contact a LexJet Customer Specialist at 800-4-LEXJET.

Learn More

 

Three Major Wide-format Trends to Watch in 2020

If you’ve been in wide format printing for a while, or even if you’re new here, you’ve probably noticed that things move pretty quickly in this space, from customer expectations to equipment upgrades to new material launches. These changes, upgrades and improvements are never-ending, so here’s a quick list of what we see as the hot topics to watch as 2020 gets started:

Strategic Convergence. You heard a lot about convergence at Printing United, specifically. There was a wave of chatter about diversifying and jumping into different segments to stay relevant, serving at least two segments, like sign & graphic, apparel or packaging. Sales and profitability were both up the most in 2018 for sign & graphic producers, according to NAPCO Research and SGIA. But when diversifying, businesses may have growing pains from adding staff or lacking focus. Working with a good partner who supplies material as well as education and business consultation is key to helping you make the best decisions of material inventory, equipment upgrades and workflow efficiencies. Get a handle on these issues, and your team can converge strategically.

Environmental Responsibility. If there’s one topic on everyone’s tongues, it’s sustainability. At Printing United, some customers who visited our booth were only interested in eco-friendly material options. There’s a generational divide to keep in mind: While Baby Boomer customers tend to embrace their brand loyalty, Millennials and younger are willing to pay more for products made with sustainability in mind. This is true in the consumer world, and growing increasingly true in the business decisions they make. Our industry is working hard to find ways to make materials from recycled or reclaimed items, like plastic water bottles, and, in turn, ways for those products to be recycled or reused to create a circular economy that the print world hasn’t seen previously. Stay tuned for product releases that are better for the earth so you can plan to market them to the customers who are the most receptive to them.

Increased Competition. This isn’t competition from the sign shop down the street. It’s competition from your own customers, who now have access to lower-priced, entry-level printing equipment that’s allowing them to do their own in-house printing — like retail outlets, schools and more. Combat this by excelling in areas they can’t, such as more complex decor applications that require more intense set up and installation; investment in new technology, like dye-sublimation, which can advance you into textile printing; or offer customization in printing with software that allows your team to use variable data to create unique prints (like these serialized decals). Wow your customers with your experience, craftsmanship and innovation, and they won’t want to do it without you.