HP Announces End of Life for L25500 Products

HP recently announced that printheads and inks for the L25500 series will be discontinued, effective Dec. 31, 2018. This means that HP will no longer be servicing or offering supplies for the early model latex printers. LexJet will have the inks and printheads available through the end of the year, or for as long as supplies last.

You can save $6,000 on the purchase of a new HP Latex 570 when you “Upgrade to Latex.” If you want to learn more about the new latex printers, you can attend our free webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 11 a.m. ET. SIGN UP HERE

If you have any questions about the discontinued products, our sales specialists can help. Give us a call at 800-453-9538 or visit us at LexJet.com.

A Recipe for Décor Printing at Avant Printing

Avant Printing Decor

Expert in décor printing (and every other type of wide-format printing), Avant Printing, Richmond, Calif., has found the perfect recipe for wall-mounted décor graphics for educational, government and corporate clients.

Avant Printing uses the HP L25500 Latex Printer for instant-dry printing on LexJet Sunset Photo Gloss SUV 275g.

Avant Printing for Corporate Clien“Everyone we’ve done prints for with the paper has loved it. They love the way it looks, and the great thing about the latex printer is that it comes out dry immediately and you don’t have to let it sit, so there is no time between print and laminate. On our aqueous printer, on the other hand, we like to give it at least 24 hours, if not 48, before we laminate,” says Robyn Rickansrud of Avant Printing.

The recipe is completed with a luster laminate, adds Rickansrud. The laminate is less for UV protection, and more to protect the graphics in high-touch zones, but more importantly to cut down on glare and provide a nice finish.

“The gloss paper provides the sharpness, contrast and color saturation so the images stand out,” says Rickansrud. “We fine-tuned the profile for the Sunset paper based on the HP Photo-realistic Poster Paper setting, and that worked well for nice output on the Latex printer.”

HP L25500 Latex Printer and Onyx X10: Troubleshooting Ink Smudges

How to troubleshoot HP latex printerThe HP L25500 dry and cure heat settings are two key components in the printing process of this latex printer. A heat setting that is too high might cause thermal marks to appear on the substrate as vertical bands in some colors or it may wrinkle the material, also causing vertical banding or defects like bubbles to appear. Using the correct ICC profile with the proper heat settings is extremely important in getting a quality print and avoiding reprints and wasted material.

One of the more common troubleshooting issues that we have seen with the L25500 has to do with the smudging of ink and is typically caused by a curing temperature that was set too low. If after printing you are able to smudge the ink on the entire print, you will need to increase the curing temperature in five-degree increments. If you are only able to smudge ink on the first eight inches of a print, only the warm-up curing temperature will need to be adjusted.

In the videos embedded below, learn how to adjust the curing temperature and warm-up curing and drying temperature offset in Onyx X10 to fix ink smudging issues.

Printing the Big Picture for Conferences and Trade Shows

Printing wall graphics for conferencesAt 11th Hour Printing Solutions in Orlando, Fla., they don’t simply print and apply. Consultation and bringing their expertise in effective trade show and conference graphic programs to the forefront is their forte.

In this recent conference project pictured here for a Marriot in the Orlando area, 11th Hour meticulously mapped out the best sites, and the best application methods, for the common area directional graphics. Mark Jacques, director of print services for 11th Hour, says they often use an iPad 2 as a tool during the process.

“We’ll walk a client through the space with all the images of their graphics housed on the iPad. Then, we’ll pull up the image of the graphic that goes in a certain space to make sure the directional works for them in that location. It’s been an excellent tool for our work,” says Jacques.

Inkjet printed signs applied to wallsMoreover, Jacques adds, “On this property we have every location for a surface graphic identified on a map. We send the client the full map, and then we have a conference call to discuss what parts of the property they’re using and what they’re traffic flow is going to be. We recommend where to put directionals and graphics. In this instance the client did all the design work and we provided the measurements for each location where everything needed to go.”

In other words, 11th Hour takes a big picture view of each project to ensure both effective branding and direction. When possible, 11th hour prefers to apply graphics to walls, columns and entryways, as opposed to using banner stands and sign easels. Jacques says, “The easiest sell is that it’s not obstructing the traffic flow; banner stands and easels with signs are obstructions. This gives the client the opportunity to brand the entire space and make it look like it’s theirs.”

Conference directional signage applied to a wallFor this project, 11th Hour used a combination of Photo Tex for solvent printers and LexJet Simple Low-Tack White Vinyl. Printed with 11th Hour’s HP L25500 Latex Printer, the two materials are easy to install, reposition and remove.

“We’ve done an extensive amount of work and testing at this property. Everything we’re applying the graphics to is a wood panel painted with an oil-based paint and we’ve never had any damage to the surface,” says Jacques.

Inform, Educate and Impress: Cottrell Printing Highlights its New Capabilities

Printing window graphics with a large format printer

One of the best ways to let customers know what you can do for them is to hold an open house. A client who’s used to buying a certain product from you may not know the full breadth and depth of your product offering.

Cottrell Printing recently held an open house at its facility in Centennial, Colo., to do just that. The timing was perfect since the company had just acquired a new large format printer from LexJet, the HP L25500 latex printer, and it happens to be the company’s 40th anniversary.

Printing graphics for an open house“The large format latex printer is impressive to see in person; it’s eye catching,” says Cottrell Printing CEO Rick Hillbrand. “Our marketing of the printer has been focused on the environmentally-friendly aspects of the latex inks. However, the quality of the printer’s output has been selling it the most.”

The open house gave Cottrell Printing’s customers a first look at the printer and opened their eyes to the company’s expanded capabilities. Cottrell Printing’s roots are in commercial printing, so the bulk of its work before the acquisition of the HP L255000 was small format.

“This wasn’t a prospecting open house; it was for our existing customers to give them a fun event to come to and see if we can expand on what we’re already doing for them,” explains Hillbrand.

Printing large format graphics for an open houseThe open house was decorated with a variety of applications to showcase the large format versatility of the printer, starting at the front window, which was printed with the HP L25500 on LexJet Simple Perforated Window Vinyl (60/40).

Cottrell Printing came up with a consistent design and theme built around its 40-year involvement in the community. The result was a tasteful, professional presentation highlighting all of the company’s printing capabilities, from the large welcome sign in the lobby to retractable banners printed on HP Heavy Textile Banner material.

Using pre made stretcher bars for canvas wrapsTo draw more interest to the event and reward customers who attended, Cottrell Printing had a scan-and-win drawing for two canvas wraps using LexJet Sunset HD Pro Stretcher Bars and an HP desktop printer. The canvas wraps shown in the photo were samples. Winning customers would get a brand new canvas wrap with an image of their choice.

“It’s possible we’ll turn this into a more regular event and go after different markets as more of a prospecting event in the community,” adds Hillbrand.