Photo MuralTag:

Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in News & Trends
Leave a comment

Top 5 Wallcovering Trends for Digital Print Providers

By now, you’ve likely looked into adding décor printing into the offerings you provide your customers. And wallcovering is a vital link in that chain. You’ve got lots of products to choose from, including the HP Latex-certified Vescom Wallcoverings, available from LexJet.

Vescom is known for its consistency and elegant finishes, plus installers prefer this Type-II-certified vinyl media, which has a non-woven backing that makes installation using standard techniques a breeze.

We asked our friends at Vescom for some tips on how wallcovering trends are evolving this year. Here are five of the top digital wallcovering trends they’re seeing for 2019:

  1. THE 5th WALL

Not satisfied with just decorating four walls, designers are increasingly covering the ceiling of a room to bring in the “other” wall as part of a more visually unified space and one that will stand out among the crowd. Vescom Matte has a non-woven backing that installs easily with common adhesives and installation techniques.

  1. FLORALS

Florals have made a comeback, but forget your grandmother’s wallpaper, today’s florals are more sophisticated and dramatic with a nature-themed feel done in a modern aesthetic. Vescom Tabby adds a soft warmth to a floral design.

  1. METALLIC

Go Hollywood with metallic wallpaper that adds an element of luxury and glamour. Vescom Metallic Sand provides a subtle shimmer for an ultra-modern look.

  1. I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S WALLPAPER

Faux finishes continue to be the rage, from brick and stone to bamboo and grass, digitally printed wallpaper lets you create an artificial pattern without the cost and hassle of the actual material. Vescom Polster is a natural texture that emulates materials such as stucco, brick or stone.

  1. ROOM WITH A VIEW

A large-format photo mural makes a stunning statement, creates a visual escape and is perfect for windowless spaces, conference rooms and lobbies. Vescom Matte has a smooth surface and prints high-resolution photos and imagery.

Give a LexJet print specialist a call at 800-453-9538 for more ideas on how digitally printable wallcovers can help you create one-of-a-kind projects for your customers.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
Leave a comment

Celebrating UW Wrestling with Print-N-Stick Fabric

University of Wisconsin Photo Wall Mural
Photograph used for the photo wall mural, printed on LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric by AW Artworks, by David Stluka Photography.

It’s a request that’s becoming more common: Can you put up graphics and murals that I can easily tear down and replace without damaging the wall? Andy Wredberg, owner of AW Artworks in Sun Prairie, Wis., has just the print material for that request: LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric.

The University of Wisconsin’s wrestling program was looking for replaceable graphics featuring its current wrestling team national tournament qualifiers, and a photo wall mural for its offices.

Pillar Prints by AW Artworks“We applied the images of their national qualifiers to the big concrete pillars that run through the wrestling center. They have summer camps in the center and wanted something the kids would see and aspire to while they’re in there,” explains Wredberg. “The surface of each pillar is rough and has a lot of imperfections, but the Print-N-Stick contoured to the surface variances really well.”

Wredberg printed six poster-sized images (18” x 36”) for the wrestling center pillars. To ensure an even presentation across the wrestling center, Wredberg added Bucky Badger, UW’s mascot, to the mix since there were five national qualifiers represented.

Bucky Badger printed on LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric“With the tight weave and bright white point and the Print-N-Stick Fabric, the blacks are blacker and it has a richness you don’t typically see in a fabric,” says Wredberg.

For the office mural, Wredberg printed three and half 44”-wide panels applied vertically from ceiling to floor. The photo mural commemorates the record-breaking attendance (more than 10,000) at the most recent Big Ten wrestling tournament held at UW’s arena. David Stluka Photography captured the image from the Big Ten tournament used for the photo wall mural print.

“To make sure everything lined up we picked a few of the elements – the signs and banners going across the picture horizontally – to key off of. The whole thing went up quickly and easily; I was pleasantly surprised. From start to finish, including taking all the furniture out, installation and trimming, it took about an hour and a half. I couldn’t be more pleased,” says Wredberg.

LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric
Mission accomplished: The boring Jumbotron image was seamlessly replaced, actually covered up, with a swatch of Print-N-Stick emblazoned with the Wisconsin logo.

As a final touch, Wredberg is changing the image on the Jumbotron in the photo. Actually, he’s not replacing it, but printing a new image to be placed over it on Print-N-Stick Fabric. We’ll add a photo of the updated mural to this post when it’s been applied, so check back to see how it turned out.

“After we applied the mural they asked if we could put something different on the Jumbotron because the current image is kind of boring. So, we measured it, I’ll print the image, trim it to size and cover up that little section. It will be pretty seamless. You would be hard-pressed to do that with other materials and have it look as good as it does with Print-N-Stick,” adds Wredberg.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
Leave a comment

Inkjet Printed Wall Murals Illustrate Military History

Photo Wall Mural

It’s one thing to learn about World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam on the Military Channel, but quite another to see the actual equipment and weaponry and rare photos from those conflicts in person. Tom Rancour, who’s an engineer by trade, is the curator of the privately-owned Armed Forces Military Display and Gifts museum in tiny Wasta, S.D., which is near Rapid City.

Photo Wall Mural at a MuseumThe museum is located right off I-90 with visibility that helps ensure curious passersby stop in to see the impressive collection of military memorabilia, much of it drawn from Rancour’s personal collection. As an engineer, Rancour is used to printing in large format with an HP3500CP, but mainly for CAD drawings and renderings.

Creating large murals that help shed additional light on the various displays, however, is another matter entirely. Rancour wanted to include two rare photos from his private photo collection that would tie into a display of German field equipment used in World War II.

“I looked for a year and a half for a material I could apply to the wall to avoid hanging photos in the back of that display case. When I found Photo Tex at LexJet I was so relieved because it saved a lot of headache on how to hang that material,” says Rancour. “Those photos are originally 1 1/2″ x 2”. I scanned them with an Epson scanner and then printed them on the HP printer using the HP Standard Coated Paper setting, and that seemed to do the trick.”

Armed Forces Military Display and Gifts Museum
The Armed Forces Military Display and Gifts Museum in Wasta, S.D., has an amazing collection of arms, equipment and uniforms from past wars.

Rancour adds that the quality of German photography from that era was head and shoulders above what the Allies were producing, thus allowing the images to be blown up to life-sized wall murals.

“You can’t argue with a photo for accuracy, and much of what’s on display is also in the photo,” says Rancour.

Rancour was relieved to find Photo Tex because the material is almost infinitely repositionable and doesn’t tear the paint off the wall. Rancour decided to use Photo Tex EX instead of the regular Photo Tex since the EX version has an adhesive that’s 40-45 percent stronger.

Armed Forced Military Display and Gifts Museum
The museum’s collection includes items from all the major players in past wars, such as this display of Soviet weaponry from WW II.

“It was easy to apply with just about the worst condition you could have on a wall: an eggshell textured surface. I went to the EX because I was concerned about that. The standard Photo Tex probably would have worked, but better safe than sorry, and it’s only a few dollars difference between the two,” says Rancour.

Rancour adds that he used a self-leveling visible laser level on a mast tripod to align the mural panels at the top. “I used my hands and a wallpaper brush to smooth out the material. A razor blade was used to cut off the unprinted margins on a cutting table, and to cut around the wall switch, security sensor and outlet openings,” he says.

So, if you’re in the Rapid City area, be sure to drive out to Wasta and check out one of the few privately-owned and funded military history museums in the Midwest.