Breathing Life with Inkjet into a Colorless Façade

Wndow Graphics with Simple Perforated Window Vinyl

The Department of Education in Union City, N.J., recently procured warehouse space as a storage and shipping area in what used to be a large garage with windows facing two sides of the street.

Union City High School Window GraphicsUnion City High School graphic design teacher John Slater was asked to come up with graphics to both identify the building and give it a more welcoming feel.

“People loved a Christmas window display we did so much that we wanted to go bigger and bolder. From where we are you can see New York City, so I came up with a pop-art urban theme. It was a lot of fun and I’m glad the board gave me the chance to do it,” says Slater.

Consulting with his customer specialist, Vincent Bejar, who is part of LexJet’s Government Team, Slater settled on LexJet Simple Perforated Window Vinyl (70/30). Slater’s designs were printed on an Epson SureColor S70670 64″ low-solvent printer and applied by Slater and a team of students.

Window Graphics with Simple Perforated Window Vinyl“Though each window is different, I wanted the continuity of the pieces to blend over. I took a picture of the windows first, and measured everything. The bars that criss-cross the garage windows were around 1 3/4″; I just substracted those and built the file in Photoshop using guides and rulers for each section and put each section in, minus where the frames are,” explains Slater. “The biggest challenge is large pieces, so we had two people holding the ends and another applying it with a squeegee. The perforated window vinyl is great, because you can’t see in but on the inside you can see out.”

The result is an almost street-long piece of pop art that helps bring the converted garage and the area around it to life with color and panache. Slater says it was quite chilly when the window graphics were being applied, but the students who pitched in helped make the project a lot easier to install.

“These graphics will be up for at least the summer before it’s transformed into something else. I feel like this is only the beginning because LexJet has so many different materials we can use for other projects, like wall murals and floor graphics,” adds Slater.

New HP Web-Connected ePrinters Now Available at LexJet

HP PrintersHP introduced two web-connected printers, the HP Designjet T920 ePrinter (PostScript and non-PostScript) and the HP Designjet T1500 ePrinter (PostScript and non-PostScript), that feature a new ergonomic design, delivering an improved user experience for architecture, engineering, construction and design professionals.

The new printers, now available at LexJet, are designed to help busy workgroups complete work efficiently and meet deadlines by printing correctly from the start with true print previews and delivering fast, high-quality prints. They also help users with on-the-go access and the ability to view and print projects from the cloud so they can collaborate easily with remote teams.

HP designed the 36-inch devices based on extensive engagement with users early in the development process. Users proposed designs that addressed the pain points they suffer before, during and after the printing process. From this input, HP identified an output tray and true front-roll media loading as key areas for enhancement.

The integrated output stacking tray on the devices change the way users collect and organize large-format output. The integrated output stacking tray is built in on top of the device and delivers flat, collated prints.

The new industrial design presents a flat surface on top of the devices, creating a media review table for quick and easy checking of printed plans. Built for against-the-wall operation, the true front-roll loading feature allows users to load media easily, even while seated.

“With the HP Designjet T1500 ePrinter in-house, we can quickly turn around presentations and work up to the minute a proposal is due,” said Gerardo Salinas, partner, Rojkind Architects. “The printer’s ability to collate prints and organize the queue allows us to print drawings and plans more efficiently; my team has a competitive advantage and our business is faster and better.”

For small to medium workgroups, the compact HP Designjet T920 ePrinter eliminates output clutter with an integrated stacking tray that collates up to 50 sheets of A4- to A0-size media. True front-roll loading and automatic paper roll alignment make media handling simple. The device operates at speeds up to 21 seconds per A1/D print and is equipped with 32 GB of virtual memory space to process complex files easily and deliver faster prints, HP says.

Ideal for multiuser environments, the HP Designjet T1500 ePrinter is equipped with two rolls and features automatic alignment and smart switching capabilities to handle multiple jobs on different media types and sizes. Doubling the processing power over its predecessor, the HP Designjet T1500 ePrinter uses a parallel processor with a 320GB hard drive to print multiple files simultaneously.

The HP Designjet T920 and T1500 ePrinters feature an intuitive, full-color touch screen that gives users added control with the ability to manage job queues, track print costs and view true print previews. With six Original HP inks and the HP printhead, the new series can produce dark blacks, true neutral grays, vivid colors and sharp lines.

The HP Designjet ePrinter portfolio features HP Designjet ePrint & Share, a free web service that makes it easy to access, view and print large-format documents using an Android or Apple tablet, a smartphone, a notebook or an ePrinter touch screen.

Together with HP Designjet ePrint & Share, the web-connected HP Designjet T920 and T1500 ePrinters allow users to automatically save copies of projects to the cloud when printing. Users also can email projects to print by attaching a PDF or other print-ready file to an email. Customers can then send the file to the ePrinter’s dedicated address.

“The combination of the HP Designjet T920 ePrinter and HP Designjet ePrint & Share allows our firm to collaborate more easily across the globe, designing with partners without regard for geographic borders,” said Muhannad El Midani, project manager, SSH.

HP Designjet ePrint & Share is available at no additional cost for HP Designjet customers that create an account at www.hp.com/go/eprintandshare. The mobile application is available through Google Play and the Apple App Store.

Additional information about the HP Designjet portfolio is available at www.hp.com/go/DesignjetSpring2013 and www.hp.com/go/designjet. Product videos and updates are available on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HPdesigners, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/hpgraphicarts and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/hpgraphicarts.

Military History Applied to Brick

Wall Mural of Military History

Staff Sergeant Bobby Jones of the Iowa Army National Guard got the call to produce a comprehensive and challenging timeline across 54″ x 54′ of wall space at Fort Jackson, S.C.

Wall Mural by Iowa Army National GuardThe military timeline spans the American Revolution to the current War on Terror and is designed to give recruits attending Basic Combat Training a big picture view of the National Guard’s place, and their place, in history.

“The idea for the project originally started as a concept that showed a timeline with silhouettes on an American flag background. The jpeg that was sent to us from Fort Jackson was about 31k and was clearly not useable for the project. With the help of Specialist Brandynn Boren, we set out to design an image that would keep the integrity of the concept, but provide some more detail,” says Jones.

Inkjet Printed Wall MuralJones adds that the final design is similar to the artwork found at the armory he works out of on Camp Dodge, Johnston, Iowa, which illustrates the history of America’s wars, the pivotal battles and the Iowans who fought and died in those wars.

“We also incorporated the use of the streamers of each conflict. The streamer is attached to the Army flag and represents the Army’s involvement in that particular war. When soldiers are deployed they receive a medal their involvement in the campaign, and the ribbon is made of the same pattern and colors as that war’s streamer,” explains Jones.  “So we used some of the same concepts used in our own armory and added a few personal touches like the use of some of the symbols of our great nation: the Liberty Bell, the 13-star flag, the 50-star flag, and the bald eagle. We also made sure to include the seven Army Values:  Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage.”

Inkjet Printed Wall MuralThe next step was to find the right inkjet media for the project that would work well, both on the application to the painted brick surface and with the Iowa Army National Guard’s HP Designjet L25500 Latex Printer.

Jones turned to LexJet government specialist Vincent Bejar for advice. Bejar recommended LexJet Simple MTS Adhesive Vinyl for the project. The design printed without a hitch and was installed in about six hours with a ladder, a propane torch and a couple of Roller Pro Vinyl Application Rollers.

“We found that the measurements provided were guesstimations, so we had to make a few adjustments on-site.  We have never done anything of this size or on brick. I am very happy with the results and ease of use of this product, and look forward to using it again in the near future,” says Jones.

Loading Paper and Printer Settings on the Epson SureColor T-Series

How to operate Epson inkjet printersLast week at the LexJet Blog we let you know about Epson’s new line of wide format printers, the SureColor T-Series for architectural, engineering, and corporate graphics, and posted a few videos to help with printer setup.

Along with setting up the printer, seeing how to load roll paper and where many of the various settings are on the printer’s front panel (LCD) should be just as helpful, especially for your day-to-day work with the printer.

Embedded below, in the order shown, are videos that will show you how to load roll paper and how to access the various printer settings on the LCD panel…

Epson SureColor T5000 Printer Setup – Stand Assembly

Epson SureColor T5000 Printer Setup – Paper Basket Assembly

Epson SureColor T5000 Printer Setup – Installing Ink

Epson SureColor T5000 Printer Setup – Loading Roll Paper

Epson SureColor T5000 Printer Setup – Navigating Printer LCD

Epson’s New SureColor T Series and Setup Videos

Setting up Epson inkjet printers for technical and GIS printingEpson America recently introduced a new line of large-format color plotters designed to meet the specific requirements of today’s engineering and scientific professionals – the Epson SureColor T3000 (24″ wide), T5000 (36″ wide) and T7000 (44″ wide).

The T Series marks Epson’s entry into the technical printing market, giving architects, engineers and GIS professionals a powerful combination of precision, performance and value.

Built from the ground up using all-Epson engineering, and incorporating the latest in printing technology, the Epson SureColor T-Series delivers extreme line accuracy with resolutions up to 2880 x 1440 dpi at some of the fastest speeds in its class – producing a presentation quality D-size plot in as little as 25 seconds and up to 110 per hour.

For added performance, the SureColor T-Series plotters feature a convenient output stacking basket that organizes up to 20 A1/D- or A0/E-sized plain paper plots for quick retrieval and to reduce sorting time.

 The SureColor T-Series also features Epson’s latest ink technology, Epson UltraChrome XD pigment ink, delivering crisp lines, brilliant color and photographic quality on virtually any paper type for accurate prints that are truly archival and extremely smudge and water-resistant.

For added flexibility, the T-Series Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Photo Black and Matte Black ink cartridges are available in 110 ml, 350 ml, as well as a high-capacity 700 ml size to lower overall printing costs and to accommodate a range of printing tasks.

Like any other printer, a little bit of help with printer setup can go a long way in getting your new printer up and running in a short amount of time. While the setup guide and quick reference guide that accompany the Epson SureColor T-Series printers are invaluable, sometimes seeing how everything comes together can be even better.

Embedded below, in the order shown, are the Epson SureColor T-Series Printer Setup Videos: Printer Stand Assembly, Paper Basket Assembly and Installing Ink Cartridges.

Check back next week to learn how to load roll paper in this printer and to get a peek at the various options on the printer’s front panel (printer LCD).