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Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Technology & Products
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Video: A Printable Vinyl that Doubles as a Dry Erase Board with HP Latex Inks

Over the past few months, Berea Printing‘s production manager, Phil Crawford, has put two print materials to the test, reviewed their performance, and disclosed the results through video (click on the links below to see the videos):

Using Dry Erase Markers on LexJet Simple Adhesive VinylThis time around, Crawford reveals a new find: LexJet Simple Adhesive Vinyl SUV – Gloss (5 Mil) can double as a dry-erase board when used with the HP Latex Printer and HP Latex Inks, based on his testing. In most cases to make a graphic dry-erasable, you need to use a special laminate on top of the print.

“We’ve had requests from customers who use dry-erase boards for presentations who would like to mark on top of presentation graphics and use dry-erase markers. We found that this vinyl with the HP Latex Inks works for that application,” says Crawford. “The HP Latex Ink will stick even if you use a little water to wipe off a ballpoint pen mark. It’s a nice item to offer because a lot of corporations, businesses and schools are looking for a dry-erase solution, so we should market it more.”

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Video: Berea Printing Reviews LexJet Poly Select Blockout Fabric

When Phil Crawford, production manager for Berea Printing, Berea, Ohio, finds a product that helps his company, he shares his finds with others through his YouTube channel, The Promo Video. Crawford recently reviewed Sunset Production Gloss Canvas SUV, which we featured here at the LexJet Blog.

LexJet Poly Select Blockout FabricCrawford’s latest review focuses on a blockout fabric compatible with aqueous and latex printers: LexJet Poly Select Blockout Fabric.

The timing of the review couldn’t be better since the blockout fabric is on sale until this Saturday, Oct. 4 for 35 percent off. Crawford’s review provides a closer look at the various features of the product, including a fairly severe water test to check the fabric’s water resistance.

“We were looking for a new print material for our HP Latex 25500 Printer because we’re working on a campaign to appeal to what they call live event shows. It’s a program we put together for these events, seminars and presentations where we print everything they need, from flyers and business cards to posters and banners,” explains Crawford. “We had a request for a cloth banner because other banner materials were too heavy and they creased. I talked to Erin Kcmar at LexJet and she recommended the Poly Select Blockout Fabric. We’ll switch to this material because we think it will also work for general display applications. This is more versatile and something that’s easy to work with that I don’t have to fight with.”

Check out the video, and call a LexJet printing specialist at 800-453-9538 to take advantage of the sale on LexJet Poly Select Blockout Fabric before it ends on October 4.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Video: Berea Printing Reviews Sunset Canvas

In the video above, Berea Printing’s production manager, Phil Crawford is “returning the favor,” something he does on a regular basis through his YouTube channel, The Promo Video.

Berea Printing Sunset Canvas“I’ve done several product reviews; it helps with our YouTube rankings and they’re informative. I spend a lot of time looking on YouTube looking for products and services. YouTube is a great resource. This is a way to give back and help someone else figure out something. It’s a way of returning the favor,” says Crawford.

Berea Printing, based in Berea, Ohio, just south of Cleveland, has been in business since 1967. Crawford joined the company in 1997 and has seen it transition from analog offset to a fully digital shop, both on the commercial side with three Konica 8000s, and the wide format side with the HP Latex 25500 Printer.

In addition to traditional commercial printing applications like catalogs and brochures, the company specializes in specialty printing for marketing and promotions. Wide format printing is an integral part of that specialty mix.

“We create a lot of marketing products. Wide format printing has come in handy for us to create specialty items and interesting products because our customers want something unique and eye-catching,” says Crawford. “Our dominant wide-format product is LexJet Simple Adhesive Vinyl SUV, which we use as a poster material on foam board. It’s the most consistent vinyl we’ve tried… hands-down.”

Regarding this review of Sunset Production Gloss Canvas SUV, Crawford says: “We’ve tried a lot of canvas materials, and the canvas Erin Krcmar [Crawford’s LexJet rep] sent me was clearly the best material. Most of the canvas material we’ve tried, if you rubbed it or looked at it wrong, the ink would fall off of it, and when you stapled the canvas, it would tear, which was a big problem. This stuff is great, and it’s inexpensive.”