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Achieve a New Standard of Excellence with the Right Media
Posted on by Liliana Wright Posted in Marketing & Sales, Technology & Products
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Achieve a New Standard of Excellence with the Right Media

Schools and universities require a high volume of signage throughout various campus locations. One key to a school’s success is choosing the right media that will convey the appropriate message at the right place, and at the right time.

Printing your own signage is a flexible and cost-effective way for your school or university to promote school spirit and safety protocols from the classroom to the football stadium. LexJet offers a complete line of HP products for all your signage needs. Looking for matte, gloss, permanent, temporary, or repositionable vinyl for your indoor and outdoor campus spaces? We have it all with the high-quality, consistency, and performance you expect from the HP brand.

High-impact signage comes alive with HP Prime Gloss CP.  Budget friendly with ease of installation and lay-flat properties. It’s an excellent solution for schools to create colorful displays throughout campus announcing special school events, dressing up boring walls, or displaying safety signs. This product is compatible with latex, eco-solvent, solvent, and UV curable printers.

When searching for outdoor vinyl that is dependable and affordable, two great solutions are HP Prime Gloss Air GP and HP Prime Matte Air GP. Both products feature gray permanent adhesive that provides opacity for maximum coverage and high image quality. These products are ideal for long-term permanent outdoor signs at school bus stops, outside buildings, or as directional signs guiding students and guests. The air release liners also enable fast, easy, and bubble-free installation. Both products are compatible with latex, solvent, eco-solvent, and UV curable printers.

HP Prime Gloss Air GR and HP Prime Matte Air GR both offer outstanding image quality and “pop”. The gray removable adhesives are opaque for maximum coverage, making them a great solution for featuring long-term removable school logos or visually enhancing windows that may also provide privacy, such as locker rooms. This vinyl is easy to install with a low-profile air release liner. HP Prime Gloss Air GR provides a glossy finish with durable print performance with over ten years laminated display permanence. HP Prime Matte Air GR provides a matte finish. Both products are compatible with latex, solvent, eco-solvent, and UV curable printers.

For campuses that have challenging surfaces that make installation difficult, the right solution is HP Grip Matte Polymeric Air. It is a high-performance, calendered vinyl with a high-tack, clear permanent adhesive designed for hard-to-stick surfaces like low-energy plastics and rough or powder-coated surfaces. It’s the tough solution that can handle your toughest challenge.

HP Clear Gloss Cast Overlaminate can withstand many demanding outdoor weather conditions, as well as cleaning. With this overlaminate, long-term applications like school bus or van graphics are built to stand the test of time with UV protection and maximum flexibility. Pair this optically clear laminate with HP Optimal Gloss Air GRP, an easy-to-apply vinyl for wall graphics and fleet graphics, and you have a winning combination. .

Additional powerful solutions are HP Gloss Polymeric Overlaminate and HP Matte Polymeric Overlaminate. These two products offer the extra bonus of being calendered vinyl for long-term indoor and outdoor signs and vehicle graphics with brilliant image quality, as well as being overlaminates for printed images with the utmost protection.

There are countless school signage opportunities to announce career fairs, tournaments, performances, and so much more! For all your education media needs, please contact a LexJet Customer Specialist at 800-4-LEXJET.

10 Customer Print Projects that Inspired in 2019
Posted on by Jennifer Corn Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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10 Customer Print Projects that Inspired in 2019

From floor-to-ceiling murals to thought-proving graphics for a children’s art center, LexJet customers printed some awesome – and awe-inspiring – images in 2019. Here are a few examples of what our creative and innovative customers designed throughout the year:

University Brings Football History to Life with Extreme AquaVinyl When it was time for the University at Buffalo to celebrate 100 years of football history, Kris Miller turned to LexJet for help designing the 35-foot by 10-foot mural that was the centerpiece graphic. “I’m not a professional installer, so whatever I use has to be easy to work with and install,” Miller says. READ MORE

Mixing Up the Painting Process with Canvas & Coating Combining oil painting and wide-format printing, San Francisco photo retoucher Leonard Gordon has his Surrealist-style artwork printed on Sunset by Fredrix Canvas, then protected with Sunset Satin Coating. Then he added additional texture with oil paints. “That’s what’s giving the painting depth. It’s all about bringing out the color of the print itself,” he says. READ MORE

GeoJango Maps: Bringing the World (of Maps) to Everybody Debbie Dennison at GeoJango Maps is excited to share her passion for maps with the world. Using HP Everyday Instant-dry Satin Photo Paper on their HP printers, Dennison and the team did a tremendous amount of research before deciding which products to use. “We’ve done a lot of testing with different inks, printing methods, and materials, and we’ve found the right ones. The customers are thrilled with the results,” says Dennison. READ MORE

New Exhibit Takes Flight with Floor-to-Ceiling Murals Inspired by an over-sized book by James Audubon, Nel Fetherling at the Field Museum in Chicago wanted to “go big” for an exhibition showcasing Audubon’s 19th-century work. Fetherling and her team printed six 14-foot x 75-inch wall murals as well as one for the entryway using LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric. “The colors were so brilliant,” Fetherling says. “Our designer was skeptical, but after we printed it, she said the colors were almost better than the actual illustrations.” READ MORE

What They’re Saying: HP Optimal Gloss Air GRP – ‘It Really Shines’ Husband and wife team Rick and Connie Rhind Robey, of SpeedPro Imaging in Silver Spring, Md., had the opportunity to use HP Optimal Gloss Air GRP and HP Gloss Polymeric Overlaminate on storage spaces of downtown Kensington, Md., businesses. “I loved the high-quality look of the images,” Connie says. “It’s important that the final piece looks great and the artist loves it. It really shines in the high-end market place.” READ MORE

C’est Magnifique! Turning Antique French Postcards into Wall Art Photographer David Humphreys was tasked with turning old French postcards into 5-foot by 8-foot canvas murals for off-campus housing at Louisiana State University. Knowing he would need a 60-inch wide printer to accommodate the width of the images. Humphreys bought a Canon PRO-6000 and he’s pleased with the results. “The printer is incredible. It’s user-friendly and did a beautiful job,” he says. “Now I’m doing a lot of larger images for other people because of the 60-inch capability.” READ MORE

Artist Jonathon Romain Creates a Colorful World for Children Jonathon Romain and his wife purchased an old school in Peoria, Ill., to build the Romain Arts & Culture Community Center where they hosted their first summer program where kids could talk about issues that affect them and then create murals to present to the local school superintendent. “Each one of the children received a smaller framed copy of images to take home to their family and friends,” he says. READ MORE

Sunset Photo Metallic Paper Beats Aluminum for Gallery Exhibit Hollywood director Blair Hayes wanted to create a new exhibit called Light of Future Past, from his movie-site images. He originally set out to print them on brushed aluminum for a sleek, modern look, but the bright gallery lights bounced off the aluminum and muddied the colors. Turning to Chris Glassman at Casual Graphics for suggestions, they settled on Sunset Photo Metallic Paper. “They stated to me that if it weren’t for Casual Graphics, the show would not have happened due to the lighting issues,” says Glassman. “I must state that if it wasn’t for the LexJet media, I wouldn’t have been able to provide a cost-effective alternative solution to aluminum prints.” READ MORE

Bringing Children’s Books to Life with Wall Decals John Etienne of Wall Adventure, offers activity books with matching fabric wall decals that are ideal for children’s spaces. He prints the decals on LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric on his Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-Series PRO-4000S. “My customers love the products. The colors on the fabric are bright. The combination of printer and fabric is working well,” he says. READ MORE

Real Color Design Partners with EPSON for Marvel-ous Results Alex Costa, of Real Color Design in Torrance, Calif., works closely with Marvel, WB, DC Comics and other studios. With a customer base like that, there is no margin for error. To meet the demands of qualifying as an authorized print resource, Costa and his team work with a fleet of EPSON printers. “We’ve been with Epson since the beginning,” he says. “Currently, we use the SureColor F6200 (dye-sub), SureColor S80600 (solvent) and SureColor P10000 (aqueous)”. READ MORE

Do you have a story you’d like to share on the LexJet blog? Email us your projects and you could be featured in 2020!

HP Adhesive Vinyl: ‘The Colors are Amazing’
Posted on by Jennifer Corn Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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HP Adhesive Vinyl: ‘The Colors are Amazing’

About a year ago, William Roll opened a Signarama franchise in Dothan, Ala., and he’s been growing ever since. Working with an HP Latex 365, Roll and his team create vinyl signs, car wraps, box trucks, yard signs, etc. As a franchisee, Roll was given a pallet of a variety of adhesive vinyl products to kickstart his business. “Those products made things difficult,” he says. “We were redoing jobs over and over.”

Roll reached out to his LexJet sales specialist to see if he could help find a solution. That’s when he first heard about HP Prime Matte Air GP and the Matte and Gloss laminates. “We got a sample roll and did some color calibrations on it,” he says. “The colors are amazing, and it makes us look good. It’s important for a new shop to work with good products.”

The versatility of the product has also helped Roll keep his expenses down, another key to success for a new shop. “We use it for yard signs now because it’s cheaper. I can have the guys use the Graphtec and cut a square, adhere it straight to the yard sign,” he says. “You don’t have to lay it out, face tape it or anything else. It saves time and makes the project more cost-effective.”

While he has a rack full of vinyl, he narrows the selection to just a few products. “We use HP almost exclusively. I have two types of perforated vinyl and we use Avery 1105 for car wraps, but the rest is HP,” Roll says. “If it’s not backlit, we’re going to use it first.”

The wide color gamut is important to Roll and his customers, but another reason he and the team enjoy working with HP vinyl products is because they are easy to install. “We do our own installations. This stuff is the easiest stuff to lay down. It’s probably got the best air-release out of all the products we use,” he says. “The learning curve with HP is excellent.”

Roll had a project in the winter when conditions were less than ideal, and the HP products installed easily. “It was extremely cold, and our guys were on a lift 20 feet in the air. We were afraid it wasn’t going to stick because it was freezing, but we got it done,” he says. “It still looks amazing today.”

Whether creating yard signs, menu boards and food trucks or decorating his store for Christmas, Roll has discovered the versatility of the HP Adhesive Vinyl line keep his customers happy. “It doesn’t matter how cheap a product is, if your customers aren’t happy, it’s expensive. Our customers love the results when we use HP.”

For more information on HP Adhesive Vinyl products, call a LexJet sales specialist at 800-453-9538 or visit LexJet.com.

Posted on by Jennifer Corn Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Putting it to the Test: HP Optimal Gloss Air GRP is “a Winner”

Recently, Scott Kaiser and his installation team at Sunrise Signs in Gloucester City, N.J., received a roll of HP Optimal Gloss Air GRP from LexJet. Before using any new product for a project, Kaiser says they like to push the material to the extreme. “Any time we try out new material, we torture it to see what it’s going to do,” he says.

So how did the Optimal fare? “We tortured it and it stood up great,” Kaiser says. “We stretched it and it didn’t white out, which can sometimes be an issue with latex inks. I also like the repositionable quality, and it really does take to those rivets!”

In the video above, you can see the intense testing of the Optimal laminated with HP Gloss Polymeric Overlaminate which includes stretching, overstretching, heating, rolling over rivets and repeated repositioning. Not only is an installer looking to see how well the color sits on the material, but checking performance on different surfaces is also important.

“We put it on some rough surfaces on that truck. It’s an old, beat up box truck and it was in terrible shape,” Kaiser says. “We wanted to see how it does when problem areas arise. We lifted it back up and reheated it to see if it went back to its shape. It did.”

When it comes to fleet or box truck graphic installations, there can be some challenges. “He (the installer) was putting some graphics on a super smooth trailer, and he liked working with it, but for another trailer, there were lots of rivets.”

Although there were many rivets on one of the jobs, Kaiser says the vinyl held tight. “They just had to work a little bit slower through those areas, but the vinyl held, and the rivets look tight.”

Kaiser says that he will continue to use the HP Optimal Gloss Air GRP protected with HP Gloss Polymeric Overlaminate for trailers and box trucks. “I’ve used other well-known brands before, and I think the HP Optimal had great success when compared to the other products,” he says. “Our installer even put it on his own trailer.”

Whether testing against the rigors of installing on a less-than-perfect surface or overstretching it to look for white-out conditions, Kaiser and his installer put the Optimal Gloss Air GRP through its paces, and both have declared it a “winner.”

If you are interested in learning more about the performance of the Optimal Gloss Air GP – or any other products in the HP Adhesive Vinyl line – call a LexJet specialist at 800-453-9538 or visit LexJet.com today.

Posted on by Jennifer Corn Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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HP Adhesive Vinyl Case Studies: ‘The Easiest I’ve Ever Used’

Shannon Norwood of Fullmoon Graphics in Athens, Tenn., has been making graphics for race cars for more than 22 years. Recently, his LexJet sales representative, Dave Mayer, told him about the new HP Adhesive Vinyl products. “At first, I was hesitant to switch,” Norwood says. “I’d never had any complaints, but nobody ever said anything about the other stuff I’ve used.”

That’s not the case anymore. “I have one driver who usually installs his own graphics,” he says. “After I switched to the HP vinyl, he called me and wanted to know what material I’d used to print his images. I was initially worried. Usually, nobody asks. I asked him why and I knew I’d get a straight answer from him because he’s very blunt. He said ‘I love it! It went on so easy, it almost falls on. It’s the easiest I’ve ever used.’ I was glad to hear it.”

Norwood orders 2-3 rolls a week, using the HP Prime Gloss Air GP with both the HP Gloss and Matte Polymeric Overlaminates, depending upon his customers’ requests. “I used the matte finish for a rust effect on a car and the finish was perfect. After all, you don’t want glossy rust. Some matte finishes are too coarse and when you take pictures at night, there’s a glare.”

Norwood created a faux rust look using HP Matte Polymeric Overlaminate

While he has been getting positive feedback from his customers who install their own work, it’s the person who is doing the printing who is the hardest to please: himself. “It prints much brighter than my last vinyl. My colors seem to pop better. Also, the images don’t have the mottled look,” he says. “My ink goes on real heavy and on other products, it would look like it was puddling. When I print with this on my 64-in Mutoh, the image is completely smooth, no mottling.”

With drivers all over the country, from Blue Ridge, Ga., to Arizona, to Mississippi, Norwood says that all of them tell him the product is a dream to install. “Nearly everyone tells me it almost installs itself, it’s so easy. All of my guys have worked with products from 3M and other brands.”

If you are working with adhesive vinyl and laminates and would like to learn more about the benefits of the HP Vinyl portfolio, call us today at 800-453-9538 or visit LexJet.com.

Streamline Your Inventory to Save Time and Money
Posted on by Jennifer Corn Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Streamline Your Inventory to Save Time and Money

Many print service providers have a fight on their hands for prime real estate known as “roll storage.” If you have limited space, you know how difficult it is to find room for the different products that you keep on hand for everyday use and the specialty products that are taking up space and collecting dust.

Keeping the right products on hand to reduce inventory will help you save money and storage space. When looking to consolidate, it is important to make sure you select versatile products that will meet the needs of the applications your customers request most often.

Take a look at your current inventory. Do you have different products stocked to create indoor signage, outdoor signage, die-cut stickers, fleet graphics, clear window graphics and to laminate? If so, consider finding products that allow you to streamline your inventory, which means you have fewer rolls to organize, an easier workflow and ensures you have the right product for the right project.

If you have been looking for ways to reduce your print shop inventory by using versatile products, the HP Adhesive Vinyl and Laminates line that was introduced at SGIA last October is a good place to start. A roll of HP Optimal Gloss Air GRP can produce a variety of signage and fleet graphics as well as stickers, while HP Matte and Gloss Polymeric Overlaminates are printable, which means they can be used as protection and when customers request graphics on a clear backdrop.

Noting the importance of having a multipurpose product, William Roll of Signarama in Dothan, Ala. says that his team loves the new HP Adhesive Vinyl line of products. “They grab it for every application they can use it on,” he says. With a high-quality, versatile product in the print shop, you can meet the demands of your customers as well as the needs of your team.

If you would like additional ideas on how to consolidate your print shop inventory or have questions about the HP Adhesive Vinyl and Laminates, contact one of our sales specialists at 800-453-9538 or visit us at LexJet.com.