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The ABCs of Creating Back to School Safety Graphics
Posted on by Jennifer Corn Posted in Technology & Products
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The ABCs of Creating Back to School Safety Graphics

As school bells start ringing and “First Day of School” photos start hitting social media, that can only mean one thing: school is back in session. With many school districts offering in-person teaching, e-learning, and a hybrid of both, there are questions about how to keep students informed of health and safety requirements as they return to class.

To sort through all the information and to discuss the tools and resources available, we brought together two teams of specialists: one for print service providers, offering additional product and application advice, and one for educators who have limited experience with large format printing.

For educators and faculty members, Canon Technical Analyst Pete Wright and LexJet Application Expert Michael Clementi join us to provide some guidance to teachers and educational staff who may be working with large format printers for the first time as school districts consider bringing printing in-house rather than outsourcing graphics.

Clementi and Wright discuss how easy it is to work with the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-Series 2100  and PosterArtist Lite, the free software that comes with the printer and they offer some suggestions for versatile media that can be used throughout the school for a variety of indoor and outdoor signage.

For PSPs, we sit down with LexJet Senior Account Executive, Ramiro Torrez, and Large Format Output Specialist, Nolan Dowdy, to discuss some of the applications and products that are available to help supply schools with health and safety signage for the upcoming school year.

When it comes to messaging in schools, consistency and location is the key. Reinforcing the everchanging guidelines put in place by the school, county, or state means that there could be the need for the quick and easy turnaround to get updated graphics installed.

For an in-house school print shop, some of the versatile and easy-to-install products that are compatible with the Canon printer include LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric for floor graphics, LexJet 8 mil Production Satin Photo Paper for posters, and LexJet TOUGHcoat Thrifty Banner and Banner Ups for banners. For PSPs, offering the right solution for the right location is paramount to helping keep the students and faculty safe.

The approaches of educators and PSPs might be a little different, but the end goal of keeping students safe and healthy is the same. You can learn more about their efforts by clicking HERE. If you have additional questions, you can also reach out to one of our specialists at 800-453-9538 or visit LexJet.com.

Posted on by Jennifer Corn Posted in News & Trends, Technology & Products
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LexJet Reviews: Choosing the Right Media for Your Floor Graphics

Everywhere you go, floor graphics are in use. Graphics to show you where to stand, which direction to walk down an aisle, where to pick-up food, and even where to work out in a gym. With so many graphics needed in so many different places, how do you know which product is the right one? Well, we’re here to help you.

We talked to our product managers, our vendor partners, our sales team, and more importantly, we talked to our customers. We asked them what products they are using and how they choose which ones to use.

Looking at slip ratings, compatible floor surfaces, and textures, we compiled some of the top products LexJet customers are currently buying. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most popular solutions:

  • LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric – a customer favorite since it launched, Print-N-Stick is as simple as it sounds: print, peel, and stick! If you have an aqueous printer, you may not feel like you can offer floor graphics. With Print-N-Stick, you can provide your customers with a temporary solution that is slip-rated for safety. Also available for solvent, latex, and eco-solvent printers.
  • LexJet Textured Indoor Floor & Wall Vinyl – Popular with the tradeshow crowd because it is cleanly removable, Textured Indoor Floor & Wall Vinyl is a great cost-effective option for frequently replaced graphics used on heavily traveled indoor floors. The textured surface provides an R10B slip certification.
  • DreamScape™ Caviar Wall + Floor Wrap – An industry staple for indoor wall décor, DreamScape™ Caviar Wall + Floor Wrap was recently ANSI rated to use on floors. The high-end Caviar texture gives the finished graphics a certain panache, making it perfect for use in high-end businesses or special events.
  • Jessup CatWalk® – With gyms and pools slowly reopening, signage is important in locker rooms and changing areas. CatWalk is approved for high moisture areas such as indoor pools, saunas, locker rooms, and showers. It works on a variety of indoor surfaces, like concrete, marble, tile, and even porcelain.
  • panoRama Walk & Wall – The name says it all when it comes to panoRama Walk & Wall, one of the most versatile products available from LexJet. This durable, one-step solution can be used on sidewalks, outdoor carpet, concrete, wood, and PVC flooring. Your customers can replace the blue painter’s tape outside restaurants with eye-catching – and safe – graphics printed on Walk & Wall.
Floor Graphics Media Selection Chart

Aside from the aqueous version of Print-N-Stick, the rest of the products we reviewed are for latex, solvent, UV-curable printers.

Visit our LexJet Reviews library to see all the products in action.

Coming soon, we’ll review some of our top products for wall solutions. In the meantime, if you want more information on these products, give us a call at 800-453-9538 or visit LexJet.com.

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!

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.

Temporary Solutions: Have Your Walls Your Way
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Technology & Products
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Temporary Solutions: Have Your Walls Your Way

Not all wallcoverings are the same — and that’s a good thing! While sometimes a customer may want a long-lasting wall paper, chances are they are looking for a more temporary solution for company brand messages, home décor or trendy retail spaces. Digital print technology makes customizing the visuals simple. The right media will make installation — and removal — quick and easy, too.

Printed Photo Tex used in place of tiles on this kitchen backsplash

At LexJet, we offer a wide range of wallcovering options, from glossy vinyls to satin fabric textures with just the right amount of adhesive backing to stay on the wall … til you customer changes his or her mind.

Here’s a look at several of our most popular temporary wallcovering media options:

Photo Tex – Opaque (Solvent) is a 95% opaque fabric that won’t shrink, wrinkle or rip, but it will come down from a wall without any residue left behind. The matte finish makes it a good choice for residential spaces, and it will stick to any non-porous flat surface. The detailed print quality makes creating a faux finish a breeze (see kitchen backsplash photo). It’s also available in an Aqueous version.

Avery Dennison’s MPI 2600 Series Wall Film, pictured at top, offers scuff resistance that holds up in busy areas. The films also offer a variety of textures for extra interest, like canvas, crushed stone or stucco. Create quick, customizable wall decoration with easy installation and removal.

LexJet Simple Flo Vinyl Wrap offered awesome branding for Scorch Fitness

LexJet Simple Flo Wrap Vinyl is a favorite of both printers and installers, with a glossy white finish with an ultra-conformable calendared adhesive backing for easy handling. As one customer says: “It produces great image quality and the air-egress liner makes it extremely easy to work with.  This is a great go-to product for all types of different applications.”

LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric is a customer favorite not only for its ease of use when creating an accent wall or an entire room, but it’s one of our most versatile products that can be used on walls, windows, floors and even metal (like elevators). It’s been Class A, ASTM E84 Fire Rated and provides a higher ink saturation for richer colors. It’s also available for Solvent printers.

HP Optimal Gloss Air GRP used on an accent wall in an office setting

HP Optimal Gloss Air GRP is a great vinyl that’s optimized for Latex printers, and priced just right. This newer product is quickly becoming a customer favorite for its ease of use, consistent results and budget-friendly price point. “The print quality is great, profiles are set, and I don’t have head strikes or color issues as compared to my other products,” says one customer. For similar results in a matte finish, try HP Prime Matte Air GR.

To learn more about wallcovering options, both temporary and permanent, call a LexJet pro at 800-453-9538 or visit LexJet.com/wall-murals.

Posted on by Jennifer Corn Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Bringing Children’s Books to Life with Wall Decals

A few years ago, John Etienne wanted to do something different with children’s activity books, so he started brainstorming to come up with different themes.

“As an illustrator, I thought it would be nice to have educational wall decals,” he says. “I wanted them to have activity and coloring books, but I also wanted them to have wall decals that matched the books.”

Today, he runs Wall Adventure, an online business that offers activity books with matching fabric wall decals. “I do the illustrations for the books and then I print the decals in-house,” Etienne says. “I started in 2017 and had to learn how to use the printer and cutter and find the right fabric.”

Since he started the project as a freelancer, he had a lot of questions and turned to LexJet for help. “I use the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-Series 4000S and LexJet Print-n-Stick Fabric,” he says. “The printer is easy to use. I got all the information I needed from LexJet, including ICC profiles.”

The reviews are in. “My customers love the products. The colors on the fabric are bright. The combination of printer and fabric is working well,” he says. Using the right printer and material is important. “I use a Graphtec cutter and I was having issues getting a clean edge when I cut and trimmed the product. That’s when I started using the Print-n-Stick.”

Currently, his products are only available online, but Etienne plans to attend conventions in the future. “I want to get the word out and get more exposure,” he says. “It started with some brainstorming a few years back and now, and one day I will be doing my first convention.”

From concept to reality, Etienne is creating interactive adventures for children around the world and he is glad that Canon and LexJet are along for the ride. “I can get the information I need, or someone will direct me on where to find it on the website,” he says. “They are always very helpful.”