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Get the Most Out of Your Aqueous Printer
Posted on by Jennifer Corn Posted in Technology & Products
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Get the Most Out of Your Aqueous Printer

Are you using your aqueous printer to its full potential? From canvas prints to temporary outdoor graphics, your aqueous printer is the utility player every profitable printshop needs. We’ve put together some applications and media suggestions to help you get the most out of your printer:

Décor: If you are considering décor applications, you may have thought an aqueous printer limited your capabilities, but, in fact, you can print plenty of décor applications, including wall art and wall murals. LexJet Sunset Select Matte Canvas is a customer favorite for photo prints or fine art reproductions. It can also be easily stretched for canvas wraps, like the GOframe system. If you are looking for wall murals, decals or window graphics, try LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric, an easy-to-use and apply option that’s forgivable and repositionable during installation. Check out our Digital Décor Printing Line Card for more aqueous options, as well as many others.

Soft Signage: One of the fastest-growing trends in the market is the transition to soft signage using fabric rather than rigid vinyl or polyester films for POP displays, banners, framed graphics and even trade show booths. The advantage to fabrics like LexJet Water-Resistant Satin Cloth or LexJet FlexTex 170g is that they are easier and lighter to ship, image nicely and can be used for indoor or temporary outdoor applications. With soft signage textiles, you’ll need some easy finishing techniques — watch this video for quick tips on using a hot knife for perfectly finished edges.

Outdoor Banners: When it comes to outdoor advertising and event signage, LexJet TOUGHcoatTM Water-Resistant Polypropylene and  TOUGHcoatTM ThriftyBanner are two of the most popular products. Both products are easy to handle, offer scratch- and water-resistance, and a bright white point which means vibrant prints, even in outdoor weather. Need more outdoor aqueous options? Check out this blog for more ideas and applications that will look great and stand up to the elements.

Still unsure how you can use your aqueous printer to expand your market offering? Call one of our specialists at 800-453-9538 or visit us at LexJet.com.

Flex Tek for Aqueous Wins on Color, Durability & Price
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Flex Tek for Aqueous Wins on Color, Durability & Price

Earlier this year, we launched LexJet Flex Tek 170g for aqueous printers, and it’s turned into a fast favorite among print service providers looking for a cost-effective, easy-handling option for banners.

Photos: Jackson Beverages, La Grange, Ga.

This lightweight, 100% non-woven polyester is finished with a slight embossed texture that gives it the look and feel of a woven fabric, making it an ideal option for both banners and canvas wraps.

At Jackson Beverages in LaGrange, Ga., it’s become the new go-to for short-term outdoor banners.

“Since our primary use of banner/canvas material is outdoor signage, the two most important qualities are water resistance and physical strength in windy weather,” says Jackson Beverages’ Tom Weeks. “Flex Tek’s coating proved to keep the ink colors bright in foul weather and blazing southern sun.”

The polyester base also adds to its durability. “Although it is quite light and easy to handle, it is considerably more tear-resistant than any other non-woven fabric based banner material I have used,” says Weeks, who often finishes Flex Tek with grommets for easy hanging. “My overall impression of Flex Tek is that it is a very good medium for outdoor banners that will hang for less than a year.”

Photo: Orgill

For Vern Goodner, print services manager at Orgill, price was a big concern. Orgill supplies products to 6,000 hardware stores and dealers in more than 60 different countries. Goodner runs the print shop where he produces hundreds of flyers, posters and more for store displays.

Orgill also hosts a 1 million square-foot tradeshow two times per year, in which the company creates multiple mock stores to showcase the latest hardware goods. In these stores, Goodner makes 200 retractable banners, which he has now switched over to Flex Tek.

“I was looking for something with a bright white that gives an eye pleasing to eye popping color,” Goodner says. “And was as affordable as possible.”

At $0.50 per square foot he’s now considering switching all the tradeshow banners to Flex Tek. Both Weeks and Goodner print Flex Tek on Canon imagePROGRAF wide-format aqueous printers.

LexJet Flex Tek 170g Product Highlights:

  • PVC-free / recyclable
  • Versatile media for wall art, banners, gallery wraps
  • Can be grommeted or stitched and used indoors or out
  • Images look great close-up or at long-range viewing
  • Also available: LexJet Flex Tek SUV 200g, compatible with eco-solvent, latex and UV-curable inks
Do You Have a Winning Lineup for Outdoor Graphics?
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Do You Have a Winning Lineup for Outdoor Graphics?

Now more than any other time of year, outdoor signage and graphics are front and center and in demand. We hold outdoor graphics to higher expectations in terms of durability and longevity, but also in photo and color reproduction and overall strength and visual appeal. We gathered some of our customers’ favorite outdoor products for a variety of applications. Check out this list to find your tried-and-true choices, as well as some new products that you’ve yet to discover:

Although it’s not technically specified for outdoor use, our customers have found that LexJet TOUGHcoat ThriftyBanner can take the heat … and the rain. Photographer Carl Caylor reproduced football player images, shown above, and displayed them on the field in frames attached with BannerUps for an entire football season. “We had a few games with really nasty weather, and they really held up great,” he says. “The ThriftyBanner got wet, but after the game we hung them up to dry, and everything was fine. It was amazing for a product that’s not really rated for outdoor longevity.”

LexJet Simple Adhesive Vinyl SUV is a tried-and-true outdoor self-adhesive option. It can be used to cover up eyesores, like Spectra Imaging achieved quite stylishly by covering a generator and finishing it with a film laminate for extra outdoor protection, pictured here. Another self-adhesive favorite is LexJet TOUGHcoat AquaVinyl PSA, a go-to choice for durable outdoor signs, like those used for election season yard signs when paired with Coroplast or foam boards. And don’t forget that LexJet now carries a full line of Avery Dennison films and laminates made specifically for long-term outdoor use for vehicles, transit and marine graphics, as well as floors, windows and walls.

Need a lasting window option? We’ve got dozens of window graphics choices, but if it’s a retail space and you want to see through the graphic, a favorite option is LexJet Simple Perforated Window Vinyl (70/30). Because 70% of the surface area is printable, you get great graphic reproduction and color punch with the added benefit of not obstructing the visibility through the window. Compatible with solvent, eco-solvent, UV-curable and latex inks, it’s designed to mount on the exterior of the window and will cleanly remove from the glass within the first year of installation.

Try LexJet Production Display Film SUV for banner stands. If you’ve got a customer request for banner stands that’ll be used outdoors, this is an ideal option for you. Our Production Display Films were a huge success when they launched, and it’s not hard to see why — this true lay-flat option won’t curl on the sides the way some material will, especially when they’ve been displayed for some time. The solvent option means you don’t have to apply a laminate top coat, and it’s super versatile. LexJet Production Display Film SUV is ideal for trade shows when you don’t need it to stand up to the outdoor elements.

If you’ve got dye-sublimation capabilities in your facility, a high-end, durable solution is ChromaLuxe EXT, made specifically to be used outdoors and guaranteed to last up to and beyond three years. These metal panels create stunning, high-end signage or décor with the vivid color reproduction we expect from dye-sub transfers. Stay tuned to our blog for more information and real-life examples featuring ChromaLuxe EXT!

Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Technology & Products
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Get Double the Mileage with Double-sided Banners

With summer right around the corner, you’re sure to see an uptick in requests for outdoor signage. One way to get a lot of mileage from one piece of media is with double-sided printing. A product like HP Double-sided Blockout Banner makes it easy to produce quality graphics on both sides of the media, thanks to an inner opaque layer that won’t let the graphics bleed through or let light show through.

Double-sided banners can work for outdoor signage like pole flags or hanging banners. They can also come in handy for retail signage when you’ve got a lot of two-way foot traffic.

Choose a matte finish to eliminate any glare. Also, opt for a heavier lay-flat banner media that will eliminate curling along the edges and can finished with grommets, rather than folding and sewing the edges, for a clean, easy-to-handle final banner.

Using a substantial, latex- and solvent-compatible product like HP Double-sided Blockout Banner will allow you to print on both sides of one piece of media, rather than having to glue or sew two graphics together. You can line up your graphic to have the same messaging on both sides, or switch it up so passersby get a new message when they’re coming or going.

If you haven’t tried double-sided printing, check out this training video from Onyx, which takes you step-by-step through the process:

Pre-Order Now: ChromaLuxe EXT Panels for Outdoor Art & Signage
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Technology & Products
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Pre-Order Now: ChromaLuxe EXT Panels for Outdoor Art & Signage

Available to ship mid-November, ChromaLuxe EXT gloss white metal print panels will allow you to produce the lasting, vibrant colors you expect from ChromaLuxe panels with UV resistance that can stand up to outdoor elements for at least three years.

Dye-sublimation printers turn to ChromaLuxe metal panels to create high-definition photos and art reproductions that are fused into the coating, which provides permanent image protection. These versatile panels are used to create stunning wall art, museum displays, tabletops, signage and more.

Now, the masterminds at ChromaLuxe are bringing all those options outside with the new ChromaLuxe EXT Extended Life Metal Prints. A new UV-resistant gloss finish provides the same dynamic image quality, and also stands up to weather; plus it’s easy to clean and resistant to graffiti, scratches and chemicals.

The new ChromaLuxe EXT aluminum has been thoroughly tested to withstand wind and impact, making it ideal for outdoor artwork, photography, signage and all types of displays. While photo reproduction is a favorite application, ChromaLuxe can also be used for branded logo work, directional and informational signage, menu boards, cabinetry, wallcovering and more.

The new panels are available in 11 standard sizes and full 49-by-97-inch sheets. For more details, download this flyer, and call a LexJet representative at 800-453-9538 to discover more ways to use the all new ChromaLuxe EXT outdoor metal panels.

 

Introducing a New, Latex-Friendly Mesh Banner
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Technology & Products
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Introducing a New, Latex-Friendly Mesh Banner

For high-wind areas, creating a good-looking banner that can stand up to the elements and works well with your preferred printer technology can be a challenge. HEYtex Mesh w/ Liner solves all of those problems. This 360gsm polyester base with a 60/40 mesh pattern is particularly latex-friendly, performing better than other mesh banners on the market.

“With other products, you’ll get head strikes and the liner and mesh tend to separate when running them through a latex printer,” says product specialist Shaun Jaycox. “This product works really well with a liner that’s latex-compatible and won’t separate until you’re ready to hang it.”

HEYtex Mesh w/ Liner is also compatible with solvent, eco-solvent and UV-curable printers, making it a versatile banner option for many print operations. It can be easily grommeted and hung — an ideal option for applications like outdoor banners, sporting events, construction sites and many more.

“This is a great, cost-effective solution that’ll save printers a few cents per foot and work more effectively with their latex technology,” Jaycox says.