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Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Create Easy Contour Cut Lines for Stickers, Decals & More

To create attractive, customized shapes for decals, stickers and signage of all types, you can easily adjust your graphic file in Adobe Illustrator to create cut lines in the shape of your choice that will be perfectly set up for when you’re ready to send the job to your printer and cutter.

Follow along as we walk through, step-by-step, in this short educational video to ensure your cut lines are set up correctly to print and cut accurately with your graphic.

This technique is often used for customized sticker shapes, but can also be utilized to create functional cutouts, like the graphics we created for the mini-Jeeps pictured below, in which the graphic is trimmed perfectly to fit around the hood hinges and clamps. For this project, we used HP Adhesive Vinyl. This technique would work well with other products, such as LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric and LexJet Simple Grip or other self-adhesive products with a release liner.

In the video above, we also show you how to convert JPEG and PNG files for optimal results. Rastor and vector files are covered, as well.

Once you follow this set-up procedure, you’ll be ready to send the file to your RIP software, which will prepare the file for printing.

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Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Best Practices for Printing an Overlaminate with Timothy Mitchell

HP Latex application specialist Timothy Mitchell explores uses and best practices for the versatile HP Gloss Polymeric Overlaminate. This product not only works as a typical overlaminate used to protect prints, it can also be printed and used as a clear media that works with the HP Latex Print & Cut Solution.

Mitchell suggests using the product for a project like a decorative border around the edges of a window. The clear media works well on windows and can be custom cut using the Print & Cut system.

For optimal results, Mitchell suggests raising the ink load to 200%. “If you were to build this at 110%, and you were to put it in a store window with strong lighting coming through it, it’s going to look washed out … because you have what is a translucent material in a window, and that light cuts the color back,” he says. “If you were to switch that same print to 200% and you put it in there, the colors are going to pop.”

He suggests building the ink signature the same way as a backlit. In the video above, he walks through the steps to do that, and shows how the printer color calibrates and then can create a customized or standard ICC profile, based on the type of Latex machine.

Mitchell also discusses other advantages of the product and how to get the best results. Watch the video above for all of his insider tips and tricks.

5 Products that Changed the Game for Wide Format in 2019
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in News & Trends
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5 Products that Changed the Game for Wide Format in 2019

In 2019, we looked to the market and our customers to find the gaps we could fill with problem-solving product innovations. As a company that marked its 25th anniversary this year, we’ve built our foundation on finding new ways to help our customers thrive. As the year comes to an end, we take a look back at some of the product launches customers and the industry asked for.

In case you didn’t catch them previously, here’s a look at five new media products that changed the game for the wide-format industry:

Squid, for High-End Window Graphics. Likely one of the most buzz-worthy products of the year, Squid is a self-adhesive, printable window textile that offers an elegant-looking alternative to window films that is more environmentally friendly and provides privacy while blocking the sun’s rays. With several color bases that range from a light Chalk to a dark Coal, Squid can be used alone or enhanced with eco-solvent or UV-curable print. In November, we announced that the Chalk version of Squid is now available for Latex printers.

Fredrix Metallic Canvas in Pearl and Gold. Maybe you didn’t think you needed a metallic-based canvas product, but now that it’s here, we don’t think there’s any going back. Before Fredrix dreamed up these dreamy canvases, the only option for creating a metallic gallery wrap was to use a wallcovering product, with dubious effect when wrapping it around those stretcher bars. Today, we’ve got Fredrix Metallic Pearl, which provides a glamorous, iridescent base that puts print jobs like bridal portraits in a whole new stratosphere. The Fredrix Metallic Gold is a showy option that looks amazing with rich, black inks. It also took the 2019 SGIA Product of the Year for Media – Textile – Canvas.

Dye-sub Fisher Textiles in Wide-Format Sizes. With the introduction of wide-format width dye-sub printers hitting the market from the likes of Epson and HP, the industry was in need of some quality dye-sub fabrics in the right widths. Until we partnered with Fisher Textiles, there weren’t many options. We brought right-sized rolls to the industry for a variety of applications, such as flags, soft signage, table skirts, drapery, banners, backdrops and much more.

New Sunset SUV Fine Art for Large Runs. As the preferred printer technologies in the market begin to shift to eco-solvent, we’re finding a bigger need for traditionally aqueous-based media to be re-formulated. Where better to start than with the fine-art segment? We introduced Sunset SUV Fine Art Paper 210g for high-volume art and photography reproductions at a cost-conscious price. For customers loyal to aqueous inks, we also launched Sunset Hot Press Smooth Bright White and Sunset Cold Press Textured Bright White papers to give them another budget-friendly, high-quality option.

High-Tack HP Grip Matte for Stickier Situations. All year we’ve seen the relatively new HP Adhesive Vinyl portfolio of products become customer favorites. Yet, the line was missing a high-tack option that could be used on hard-to-stick-to surfaces, such as trash cans and other low-energy plastics. So we brought on HP Grip Polymeric Air with its aggressive, high-tack clear adhesive, which works on rough surfaces as well as low-energy, while providing an easy, bubble-free installation.

Do you have any product favorites from 2019? Tell us in the comments below, or let us know what other solutions you’ve been looking for.

Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Technology & Products
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Easy Variable Data Printing with HP Print & Cut + SAi Flexi

Looking for a quick way to use variable data in your next print project? When the Suncoast Jeep Festival asked us to create 500 numbered decals for their event, we opted for an easy software and print-and-cut solution to get the job done.

Each Jeep that entered the event needed to be tagged with a decal, and each needed its own number, which was to be displayed on the windshield. We chose HP Latex Print & Cut Solution, which comes with SAi FlexiPRINT RIP software that makes variable data printing a breeze. For the decals, we chose to print on HP Optimal Gloss Air GRP, which has a removable and repositionable adhesive.

In the video above, we provide easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions on how to set up your design file for auto-serialization numbering, as well as marking cut-lines for kiss-cuts and perforations, to illustrate how fast and simple making these decals was.

Working in tandem with the HP Latex Print & Cut system, the Flexi RIP software creates a barcode during the printing process, and the cutter will read and recognize this barcode, and is then programmed to know the exact pattern to cut and perforate — no additional programming is needed when moving the print job to the cutter.

While we chose a simple number serialization project, the Flexi RIP software could be used to swap out photos, graphics, logos or anything else to create individual or personalized prints for labels, decals or whatever your customer can dream up!

LEARN MORE: Watch this video to see how we created cut lines in Adobe Illustrator:

For more information about working with variable data, give a LexJet print specialist a call at 800-453-9538.

Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in News & Trends
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Thanks, Digital Output Readers, for Naming LexJet to the Top 50!

We’re thrilled to announce that LexJet has, once again, been named to Digital Output’s Top 50 Readers’ Choice list! This annual list determines reader interest based on the magazine’s editorial content and advertisements. Check out the February 2020 edition of Digital Output for all the details!

“Our goal at LexJet is to provide our customers with not only the products and technology they need to keep production going, but also industry know-how and strong business relationships that help them grow and evolve right along with the market,” says Justin Lehman, VP of Sales at LexJet. “We couldn’t be happier about being recognized by Digital Output’s readers, and we hope we can continue supporting them for years to come.”

In the magazine, we’ll be featuring some products that have been customer favorites throughout 2019, such as:

Sunset Hot Press Smooth Bright White 300g, a new, cost-effective option to help photographers bring their vision to the print.

HP Optimal Gloss Air GRP, practically a cult favorite for 2019! This adhesive vinyl from HP has been one of the biggest and most popular launches we’ve seen in years.

LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric, this long-time favorite continues to delight customers with its detailed print reproduction and ease of use for everything from floors, windows, walls and more.

“In 2019, our company celebrated our 25th anniversary, and we’re definitely looking forward to entering another decade with our vision set on helping our customers master print technologies and bring even more opportunities to their customers,” Lehman says.

We Joined the Printing United Convergence!
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in News & Trends
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We Joined the Printing United Convergence!

Last month, the LexJet team joined our parent company, S-One, to host a comprehensive booth at Printing United in Dallas, with the theme Media Matters. At LexJet, we know how important it is to pair the right media substrate with the right printer for the right job — every time.

This year, SGIA partnered with NAPCO to create Printing United, which celebrated the convergence of printing segments that aren’t so segmented any more. Many printers are expanding their offerings into signage, décor, commercial and packaging.

Squid window graphic demonstration

With this industry-wide convergence going on, some print service providers are struggling with juggling too much, according to industry experts. During the Key Industry Trends and Insights Research Breakfast, SGIA’s Chief Economist Andy Paparozzi discussed pain points for companies that are affecting the bottom line, such as rising wages and benefits costs, shortage of skilled personnel, workflow inefficiencies and cost of materials.

To help PSPs make smarter material purchasing decisions, we showcased a number of innovative, versatile products available exclusively at LexJet, including:

  • Squid, the innovative new self-adhesive textile for window graphics in retail, healthcare, residential and corporate spaces.
  • HP Grip Matte Polymeric Air, a high-tack, aggressive adhesive-backed vinyl for rough surfaces and low-energy plastics.
  • Fredrix Metallic Gold Canvas, the 2019 SGIA Product of the Year – Media – Textile – Canvas, along with its Metallic Pearl counterpart.
  • Sunset SUV Fine Art Paper 210g, the new-to-market option for large-volume fine art décor printers looking for a cost-conscious option that also has on-point quality.

If you couldn’t make it to Printing United, you can still experience our booth. Please check out the video below. Our print specialists are also available at 800-453-9538 to answer any of your questions about making smarter materials purchases or focusing on the segments you specialize in.