Flex Tek for Aqueous Wins on Color, Durability & Price

Earlier this year, we launched LexJet Flex Tek 170g for aqueous printers, and it’s turned into a fast favorite among print service providers looking for a cost-effective, easy-handling option for banners.

Photos: Jackson Beverages, La Grange, Ga.

This lightweight, 100% non-woven polyester is finished with a slight embossed texture that gives it the look and feel of a woven fabric, making it an ideal option for both banners and canvas wraps.

At Jackson Beverages in LaGrange, Ga., it’s become the new go-to for short-term outdoor banners.

“Since our primary use of banner/canvas material is outdoor signage, the two most important qualities are water resistance and physical strength in windy weather,” says Jackson Beverages’ Tom Weeks. “Flex Tek’s coating proved to keep the ink colors bright in foul weather and blazing southern sun.”

The polyester base also adds to its durability. “Although it is quite light and easy to handle, it is considerably more tear-resistant than any other non-woven fabric based banner material I have used,” says Weeks, who often finishes Flex Tek with grommets for easy hanging. “My overall impression of Flex Tek is that it is a very good medium for outdoor banners that will hang for less than a year.”

Photo: Orgill

For Vern Goodner, print services manager at Orgill, price was a big concern. Orgill supplies products to 6,000 hardware stores and dealers in more than 60 different countries. Goodner runs the print shop where he produces hundreds of flyers, posters and more for store displays.

Orgill also hosts a 1 million square-foot tradeshow two times per year, in which the company creates multiple mock stores to showcase the latest hardware goods. In these stores, Goodner makes 200 retractable banners, which he has now switched over to Flex Tek.

“I was looking for something with a bright white that gives an eye pleasing to eye popping color,” Goodner says. “And was as affordable as possible.”

At $0.50 per square foot he’s now considering switching all the tradeshow banners to Flex Tek. Both Weeks and Goodner print Flex Tek on Canon imagePROGRAF wide-format aqueous printers.

LexJet Flex Tek 170g Product Highlights:

  • PVC-free / recyclable
  • Versatile media for wall art, banners, gallery wraps
  • Can be grommeted or stitched and used indoors or out
  • Images look great close-up or at long-range viewing
  • Also available: LexJet Flex Tek SUV 200g, compatible with eco-solvent, latex and UV-curable inks

Keep Those Banners High & Dry with Water-Resistant Media

Sure, April Showers are supposed to be coming to an end, but let’s be honest: We all know that with our wacky weather this year, the rainy days will continue. When it comes to outdoor signage, water-resistance is a key factor for graphics that can stand up to the elements. We gathered three of our top-performing outdoor media in vinyl, polyethylene and mesh that’ll resist the rain:

LexJet TOUGHcoat Blockout ThriftyBanner: This cost-effective, aqueous-compatible scrim vinyl option not only handles the outdoors for up to six month, it also provides a black backing for 100% opacity. With a great color gamut and smooth surface, it’s an excellent option for event signage or when you need to keep unsightly areas covered, like construction sites or even old signage.

HP HDPE Reinforced Banner: A great option for your environmentally conscious customers who care about recycling, this high density polyethylene reinforced banner is a cost-conscious option (starting at $0.33/sq ft). An alternative to scrim vinyl, this lightweight banner material resists the elements thanks to an HP media surface treatment that’s durable and provides great-looking graphics, too.

HEYtex Mesh w/ Liner: This latex-friendly banner option not only withstands the rain, but can take on the wind, too. This 360gsm polyester base with a 60/40 mesh pattern is an attractive alternative that maintains the integrity of your graphics without having to cut wind vents. It’s easy to grommet and hang, making it a go-to for latex, solvent, eco-solvent or UV-curable print technologies.

Learn about these and other water-resistant materials, give a LexJet print specialist a call at 800-453-9538.

 

Introducing a New, Latex-Friendly Mesh Banner

For high-wind areas, creating a good-looking banner that can stand up to the elements and works well with your preferred printer technology can be a challenge. HEYtex Mesh w/ Liner solves all of those problems. This 360gsm polyester base with a 60/40 mesh pattern is particularly latex-friendly, performing better than other mesh banners on the market.

“With other products, you’ll get head strikes and the liner and mesh tend to separate when running them through a latex printer,” says product specialist Shaun Jaycox. “This product works really well with a liner that’s latex-compatible and won’t separate until you’re ready to hang it.”

HEYtex Mesh w/ Liner is also compatible with solvent, eco-solvent and UV-curable printers, making it a versatile banner option for many print operations. It can be easily grommeted and hung — an ideal option for applications like outdoor banners, sporting events, construction sites and many more.

“This is a great, cost-effective solution that’ll save printers a few cents per foot and work more effectively with their latex technology,” Jaycox says.

Strengthen Outdoor Banners to Beat the Elements

If you’re producing outdoor banners that need to withstand windy conditions, you may want to consider an alternative to regular metal grommets. While grommets are a quick and inexpensive solution for indoor or mild outdoor conditions, high winds can pull the grommet through your banner material with ease.

Banner-Ups-Still
The strength of PowerTabs, seen on the left, is increased because the composite material is spread out over greater area, versus the small circle of the grommet, which can tear easily in high winds.

Our partners at Banners Ups® have developed PowerTabs® that are much stronger than grommets because they adhere to more of the banner material than a grommet circle, and they’re constructed of high-strength composite film, which adds to their durability.

Plus, they’re just as easy, if not easier, to install than standard grommets. Simply remove a tab from the release liner to expose the adhesive, stick on the corner of your banner and punch the hole.

Additionally, Banner Ups PowerTabs® are less conspicuous than grommets and blend into the banner substrate for a more pleasing visual effect. They are available in white or clear for full-color digital banners.

Check out more information on outdoor graphic solutions with these educational blogs:

Video: Using Banner Tape to Create Pole Pockets and Reinforced Seams

Seaming and reinforcing banners with banner tapeWhy sew when you can tape? Heavy Duty Banner Tape is a very versatile product that eliminates the sewing traditionally used for hemming a banner, either to reinforce the edges or to create pole pockets for a hanging graphic.

The use of this two-sided solvent acrylic adhesive tape is less labor intensive than the traditional method and is as strong or stronger than sewing. We have even found several “creative” uses for it around the office, including taping the partially torn sole off of sneakers and sandals back in place.

In the videos embedded below you will learn how to use Heavy Duty Banner Tape to reinforce the edges of a banner for grommeting and how to create pole pockets…