The Satin-Finish Paper for the Long Run

When print production managers need a paper that delivers rich, consistent photo and image quality and can go the distance for high production runs, they turn to LexJet Sunset Production eSatin 250g.

With a high-end, traditional satin finish and an economical price point, Sunset Production eSatin is an ideal choice for print shops, fine art reproduction companies, professional photographers and other imaging specialists looking for a lightweight, high-volume alternative.

It’s comparable to other photo papers on the market, but at a much lower price. For mounting or framing, it’s an ideal lightweight alternate to the award-winning Sunset Photo eSatin Paper 300g, with the identical satin finish. Sunset Production eSatin gives you the same wet-lab look, making it the go-to choice for high-quality posters, photo albums and other photo output needs.

It’s available in rolls from 17- to 60-inches, making it an optimal option for long runs on any aqueous inkjet Canon, Epson or HP printers. Plus, the Production eSatin uses the same printer profiles as the 300g, so you can transition easily between media without any issues.

It dries instantly and resists scratches, making it perfect for schools, corporate displays, retail graphics, décor and other applications where image quality at an economical price is crucial.

To learn more about LexJet Sunset Production eSatin 250g, call a LexJet print specialist at 800-453-9538.

Documenting the Latino Experience in America with Inkjet Photo Printing

Photographic Art Exhibition Printing
Gihan Tubbeh’s work for the LATINO/US Cotidiano exhibition in Washington, D.C., printed by Bridget Sue Lambert on a Canon iPF8300 from LexJet on LexJet Sunset Photo eSatin Paper.

 

Bridget Sue Lambert launched her diverse and eclectic visual arts business about a year ago. With the discerning eye of an artist and a photographer, and years of fine art and photographic printmaking behind her, Lambert was well equipped to handle the important and relatively massive project that came through her doors earlier this year.

Art Exhibition Printing
Photographic art by Ricardo Cases printed by Bridget Sue Lambert for the LATINO/US Cotidiano exhibition in Washington D.C.

The project, entitled LATINO/US Cotidiano (cotidiano means “everyday life”) and created and produced by SPAIN arts & culture, is the culmination of a wide-ranging group of photographers – a dozen total – who captured the Latino experience in America. Their work would then be translated into large format for the benefit of visitors to an exhibition in Washington, D.C.

Lambert would end up printing 95 images, ranging from approximately 20″ x 30″ to 40″ x 60″ (Lambert worked in millimeters since she was coordinating images with a dozen photographers located at various points on the globe).

Inkjet Printing and Proofing
Laying out the artwork and comparing proofs to final prints at Lambert’s studio. The large image in the foreground is by Ricardo Cases.

The exhibit is on display at the former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain at 2801 16th Street NW in Washington, D.C., and will be featured there until May 12. The exhibition will then pick up stakes and tour various cities across the U.S.

Claudi Carreras, one of the foremost experts on IberoAmerican Latino photography, was commissioned to research and select established and emerging photographers of Latino descent who both embrace the theme of the exhibit and excel at their craft.

The exhibition included noted artists Carlos Alvarez Montero, Sol Aramendi, Katrina Marcelle d’Autremont, Cale, Ricardo Cases, Livia Corona, Hector Mata, Karen Miranda, Dulce Pinzon, Susana Raab, Stefan Ruiz and Gihan Tubbeh.

“They let me pick the paper the images were printed on, and I chose LexJet Sunset Photo eSatin Paper because it prints nicely, has a good price point and is durable,” explains Lambert. “The challenge was working with 12 different photographers who are justifiably particular about their work, and I wanted to do the best I possibly could for each image.”

Printing and Framing Photos
Printed and framed for exhibition are two of Karen Miranda’s photographic art pieces for the exhibition. Lambert worked with Light LLC, who framed the pieces.

Lambert used the Canon iPF8300 inkjet printer she bought from LexJet and printed the images through Photoshop. She printed proofs before submitting the images for printing at their final sizes.

“Jayme McClellan, who runs Civilian Art Projects, was a liaison on this project. She came in and we checked the proofs, made any changes and printed it to the size specified. I keep records of proofs and once approved I use Photoshop to bring the layers over with the proper adjustments I made to get it right. I want to keep what the artist intended; not what I intended. Photographers spend a lot of time adjusting their images before they print and I made sure to preserve those adjustments,” says Lambert. “I did all the printing over a month’s timeframe, which is challenging, and only lost five final prints that I had to re-print. When I went to the opening of the exhibition, I had not met most of the artists. Three of them came up to me and told me they loved how their images looked, so that was a relief.”

Lambert had the images framed at Light LLC, Silver Spring, Md. She works with Jeff Knabb, who does most of Lambert’s photo mounting and framing. Lambert and Knabb delivered the prints, which were framed in thin, black metal frames behind plexiglass, to the exhibition in batches of 30 or so.

Photographic Exhibition of Inkjet Printed Photography
The opening of the exhibition at the former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain at 2801 16th Street NW in Washington, D.C., which will be featured there until May 12 and then will travel to cities across the U.S.

“The artists were excited about the prints: the eSatin has a nice weight and is durable so you don’t have to worry as much about moving the prints around. It’s a lot more forgiving than other photo papers; it cuts and prints great. I’ve never had any quality issues with this paper,” she says.

Lambert adds that the support she received from Canon and her LexJet customer specialist, Rob Finkel, was instrumental in ensuring a smooth and ultimately successful process from start to finish.

“The support from Canon has been amazing. I had a printhead go down in the middle of the project, but fortunately it was under warranty and Canon got it over to me the next day. If I had to buy another printer, I would definitely buy another Canon,” Lambert says. “Rob is always helpful. I couldn’t do half of what I did without his help. I appreciate the support he provides that’s above and beyond what anyone else provides.”

For more information about the exhibit and the artists:

Feature at BBC News Magazine

LATINO/US Cotidiano at Flickr

LATINO/US Cotidiano backgrounder at SPAIN arts & culture

Classic Success Story: Keith Fabry Reprographic Solutions

Perforated window vinyl applicationsDuring the great digital color output revolution of the mid-90s, a host of traditional reprographic and pro photo lab companies died on the vine. The transition was difficult for any number of reasons, but much of it having to do with the question of when to write off the large capital expenses of the previous tried and true technology in favor of a less expensive but immature technology. It was not only a question of adopting new technology, but exploring and adopting new markets and clientele.

Keith Fabry Reprographic Solutions, which had been providing traditional blueprints since 1958, succeeded in that transition and thrived. Keith Fabry, based in Richmond, Va., not only transitioned, but held onto its core business. The company was able to expand its large-format digital graphics offerings while maintaining a steady reprographics business, emerging stronger and more capable overall.

Glass panel inkjet printed graphics
Keith Fabry applied LexJet Simple Low Tack Clear Vinyl, printed with only white ink on an Oce UV-curable flatbed printer, on eight glass panels for a US Army exhibit.

“In the late ‘90s we got an Epson printer from LexJet and a solvent printer and started doing banners and high-end posters. Then we got a flatbed printer [an Oce 550 GT with white ink and roll-to-roll] and are now doing aqueous, solvent and UV-curable printing, plus we have CNC routing equipment, three laminators, fabricating equipment with a small wood shop and full-time designers and installers on staff,” says operations manager Ricky Shannon. “It’s difficult to categorize what is essentially a modern sign shop, but we still do a lot of architectural printing, like building documents and presentation boards for architects. A separate building handles blueprinting and commercial printing, while here at this building we do large-format printing. Whether we’re doing museum or retail work, fine art and photography reproduction, special events, trade shows or displays for new home developments, every day is a different experience.”

Producing point of purchase displays
Keith Fabry recently showcased its display-building abilities at a point of purchase trade show.

Keith Fabry recently updated its aqueous inkjet printing capabilities with a 44” Canon iPF8300 from LexJet and does most of its fine art and photographic reproduction with the printer. Generally, the UV-curable flatbed printer is used mainly for rigid substrates and the solvent printer for outdoor projects.

“It depends on the final application: What they’re using it for, how much sunlight and temperature the project will take, and whether the material needs to be conformable, especially with UV-curable since the inks are too brittle to make curves, tight bends and stretch with the media. For higher image quality indoors we usually print aqueous. It’s a more lucrative area because the requirement is for higher-quality images on premium papers as opposed to high volume work,” explains Shannon.

Printing photographs and fine art
Show and tell: Keith Fabry shows potential customers the different looks that can be acheived for fine art and photography with LexJet Sunset papers.

Shannon says his favorite inkjet materials for high-end work are LexJet Sunset Photo eSatin, Sunset Photo Metallic and Sunset Fibre Gloss. “My favorite is probably the Fibre Gloss. It’s a good all-around paper, and I like the fact that there’s the slightest texture that shows through. I also like the Photo Metallic. I wouldn’t call it gimmicky, but if you’re looking for something non-traditional with a lot of pop, it’s a great choice,” says Shannon. “We print the Photo eSatin more than any other aqueous material. We find higher end photographers and artists that are re-selling their artwork prefer these nicer papers. For some of those projects we work through local frame shops where they’re packaging the artwork and contracting us to print it.”

Shannon adds the Keith Fabry prints for a client base that ranges from local college students to national franchise accounts, but it’s much more than simply printing. With its design and fabrication capabilities, Keith Fabry can take on practically any advertising or promotional project and is not afraid to do so.

Installing banners on a building
Keith Fabry not only designs, builds and prints, but also handles large installations like this giant banner for a local private school.

“Our willingness to try new things and constantly expand our offerings – basically our lack of saying no – can get us into trouble, but it’s helped us grow a lot. We have clients who come to us because they know we can find a way to make their ideas happen,” says Shannon.

Prints that Win: End of the Line by Duncan MacNab

Award winning competition print

A great print can make all the difference at photography competitions. It’s certainly not the only difference, but it can provide that little extra boost that makes judges take notice. Take, for instance, Duncan MacNab’s entry, End of the Line, which won a LexJet Sunset Award for Excellence in Image Quality at the 2011 PPA Western District Competition.

MacNab turned to friend and fellow professional photographer Michael Timmons of The Portrait Gallery is Vasser, Va., to turn his image of a train near Nevada City, Mont., into a printed piece of art. Timmons used LexJet Sunset Photo eSatin Paper to capture all the depth and detail of the image.

“When it came in and I unwrapped it, I called Michael and damn near cried I was so happy with it. The paper is phenomenal. When you really look closely at it, it really has a nice glow,” says MacNab. “The paper lends itself to competitions and Michael’s a master at printing. He knows what I want and off we go.”

MacNab used his Panasonic LUMIX digital camera with a 7-14 mm lens for the capture and converted the image to black and white. He also submitted a color version in another competition, but the black and white image was the award winner.

“It’s one of my favorites that I’ve done in my long career. It just grabs you and demands attention. It came up on the easel and instantly the judges got up and looked at it,” explains MacNab. “I’ve been a jury chairman for 25 years and when I watch the judging panel as the prints come around I can see their eyes and which prints grab their attention. Sometimes they’ll take a closer look at it and find a bunch of things wrong with it and it goes down the tube. Most of the time when you see that pop the judges will look at that image a lot closer. When you see that first reaction you know it’s going to score pretty well.”

Putting Sedona on the Map

Though Sedona, Arizona is a worldwide destination known for its scenery, spas and resorts, it’s not well known for its coffee. That may change thanks to a unique blend created by a local Starbucks manager and a branding campaign produced by photographer/designer Bill Louf.

Labels on demand: Bill Louf prints on-demand labels for the local Starbucks' Sedona Red brand with LexJet Sunset Photo eSatin Paper. Louf designed the logo around his photo of Sedona's Snoopy Rock formation for this most-popular local coffee blend.

Louf owns Image Master in Sedona and was approached to help the local Starbucks, a licensed franchise located in the Hyatt, to submit one of his photographs of the iconic red rock scenery surrounding Sedona to label the new coffee blend called Sedona Red.

One thing led to another and Louf ended up not only providing his photography (a shot of Sedona’s Snoopy Rock), but his design, Photoshop and printing expertise as well. After about nine revisions, a final design was approved that included the original Snoopy Rock photo morphed with another shot Louf had taken in Utah for the sky, and the addition of coffee beans Photoshopped in the foreground.

The Right Ingredients for a Star Sales Rep

Darcie Siiteri nominated Sean McGettigan for National Business Media's Star Rep of the month award. McGettigan was selected by NBM for going above and beyond to help the studio grow and realize greater profits. Darcie and husband Chris own and operate Innovative Photography in Austin.

Nominated by Darcie Siiteri, owner of Innovative Photography, Austin, Texas, LexJet’s Sean McGettigan was chosen by National Business Media (NBM) as its Star Rep of the month. Based on nominations from sign and graphics companies across the U.S., throughout the coming year National Business Media is looking for supplier sales reps that exemplify customer service.

According to NBM, “The most distinguished sales reps have standards for service above what even their employers’ demand and beyond the expectations of their customers. The best reps see excellent service as normal and don’t expect any special reward. But still, once in a while a reminder of what genuine customer service really looks like is in order.”