LexJet Introduces Versatile New Polypropylene Blockout Media

Polypropylene inkjet media for displaysLexJet introduces two new lay-flat polypropylene inkjet printable materials that have a gray back coat for added opacity: LexJet 11 Mil Blockout PolyGloss and LexJet 11 Mil Blockout Water-Resistant Polypropylene.

Both can be used as a cost-effective alternative to the typical polyester inkjet materials for trade show and in-store point-of-purchase graphics, as well as long-term indoor banners and short-term outdoor banners.

“We already offer a fantastic water-resistant polypropylene, but our customers were looking for something more opaque that wouldn’t allow as much light to shine through the back and detract from their graphics,” says Jeff Leto, LexJet’s product manager. “The great thing about the new blockout polypropylene materials is that you can use them for practically any type of display graphics applications.”

The water-resistant materials have a bright-white inkjet-receptive coating that yields additional color and contrast. LexJet 11 Mil Blockout PolyGloss is compatible with aqueous inkjet printers and LexJet 11 Mil Blockout Water-Resistant Polypropylene is compatible with aqueous and latex inkjet printers.

Both blockout polypropylene materials are available in 24″ x 75′, 36″ x 75′, 42″ x 75′, 50″ x 75′ and 60″ x 75′ rolls. For more information and to order, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538. To find out more about these new blockout polypropylene materials, check out the video embedded below…

Printing Branding Backgrounds for Beers

Wall murals and graphics for stores

The cooler wrap is tried and true for selling beer at the point of sale. It becomes even truer when you can translate it to any room in the house, so to speak, and create a branding background that gives your brand the highest visibility.

Printing wall murals for store signageTennyson Lacasio, sign shop manager at Colonial Beverage in North Dartmouth, Mass., took the inkjet printed cooler wrap to the next level with two recent projects at local liquor stores. Both projects were printed on LexJet TOUGHcoat Water-Resistant Self Adhesive Polypropylene and laminated with LexJet 3 Mil Matte UV Standard Low Melt.

Lacasio says he laminated the prints first (each project had anywhere from three to 12 printed panels) then applied the laminated pieces to Coroplast. This method helped hide the ridges that normally show through when you apply the print material directly to Coroplast before laminating.

“When you run print material through the laminator directly to Coroplast it bonds so closely that it shows the creases in the Coroplast. When I laminated the material first, it gave it a nice, fine, seamless finish,” says Lacasio.

Inkjet printed wall muralsAlso seamless was the paneling, particularly on the Blue Moon background display. Lacasio says this was mostly due to the fact that the wall he applied the panels to in the new building was perfectly square. Moreover, and most importantly, this 12′ x 19′ Blue Moon mural did its job rather effectively.

“You see it right off the bat when you walk into the store. The walls are light blue, which complements the graphic and draws your eye to the back of the store. The owner just wanted to do one brand, which allows you to focus on the strong points of the brand,” says Lacasio. “The image is not pixilated at all and it’s very impressive to stand right in front of it. After we installed it, people were walking out of the store with Blue Moon and they commented on the enticing feel of the image.”

As per usual Lacasio paid special attention to brand details in the designs, including such minutia as the types of glasses in which you serve the beers.

The other two wall murals – featuring Coors Light, Miller Lite and Leinenkugel’s – are on either side of a walk-in cooler door. The Coors Light mural, themed as an American fall, is 8′ x 13′. The Miller Lite/Leinenkugel’s mural, themed as a German Oktoberfest, is 8′ x 10′.

“Fortunately, they’re placing a minimal amount of cases at each display and replenishing them regularly so that you can see most of the display from just about anywhere in the store,” says Lacasio. “I had huge canvases to work from, which makes all the difference in wall branding graphics.”

A Once in a Blue Moon Point of Sale Display

Point of sale display printed for Blue Moon beers

It happens once in a blue moon… That is, a blue moon. No, the moon doesn’t literally turn blue. Technically, it means there’s an extra full moon once every two and a half years, on average. This month, Aug. 31 to be exact, is the next blue moon, which won’t show up again until 2015.

This relatively rare event was the perfect opportunity to promote – what else? – Blue Moon beers. It also happens to coincide with a MillerCoors display design contest, so account representatives Anthony Copetillo and Vinnie Montemurro and P.O.P. shop manager Steve Lalio of The Nackard Companies in Flagstaff, Ariz., collaborated on a display concept for a Wal-Mart in Show Low, Ariz.

Printing a point of sale beer display“MillerCoors put out a creative display incentive for August and September, which included Blue Moon. They showed us some examples of a full theme, and I thought this concept would be perfect for the season. It also gave us an opportunity to educate customers about all the characteristics of Blue Moon beers,” says Copetillo. “I give Steve some ideas and the points I want to see on the display, then he comes up with the design theme. Steve always has great ideas that are exactly what I’m looking for, so there are rarely any changes to his design.”

Lalio’s design is divided into three parts to comprise the full backdrop behind the beer display – in-depth information about the different Blue Moon beers (year-round, seasonal and specialty), a centerpiece to draw attention and illuminating copy about what a blue moon is – plus the phases of the blue moon that “float” in front of the backdrop.

“We submitted it to MillerCoors and it caused some ripples. They were happy to see that we’re educating the customers about Blue Moon,” says Copetillo. “I’ve been doing this for 18 years and now more than ever people want to know what food to pair it with, the flavors and the characteristics of each beer.”

Printing point of sale display for beer companies
Here's a similar display conceived and executed by the Three Musketeers of The Nackard Companies: account reps Anthony Copetillo and Vinnie Montemurro and P.O.P. shop manager Steve Lalio.

The backdrop was printed on a Canon iPF8000S on LexJet 8 Mil PolyGloss Banner in seven 36″ panels, which were then stapled to the wall. Lalio says he designed it in Photoshop and used the ONYX RIP to properly tile it so that it could be spliced into one seamless backdrop. The total size is 21 feet wide by six feet high.

The moon phases, which dangle from fishing line a few feet in front of the backdrop, were printed on LexJet TOUGHcoat Water-Resistant Self Adhesive Polypropylene, laminated with LexJet 3 Mil Luster UV Standard Low Melt and applied to a heavy card stock.

“I used the PolyGloss Banner for the backdrop because I knew the Blue Moon and fall colors would really pop out with that material. We designed it so that it was informative about not only the beer, but the blue moon,” adds Lalio.

Smooth, Bubble-Free Window Graphics Applications

Applying window graphics on the inside of a windowAvailable from LexJet’s Nationwide Delivery Network this week is a new 1-mil clear polyester film with adhesive on both sides designed for applying temporary window graphics.

LexJet FaceMount-X Removable Adhesive has a permanent solvent acrylic adhesive on one side where the graphic is applied facing out and a removable solvent acrylic adhesive on the other side where it’s applied to the inside of the window.

The air flow release liner on the removable side makes installation quick, easy and bubble-free. Once the promotion or campaign is over, the graphic is easily removed with no residue.

The removable adhesive is ideal for protecting the graphic from picky passersby and the weather, as well as sign code enforcers who don’t like graphics applied to the outside of windows.

For more information about LexJet FaceMount-X Removable Adhesive, as well as LexJet’s line of window graphic products for any project or ink type, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538.

New Durable and Ultra-Convenient Expand Retractable Banner Stand from LexJet

Retractable banner stands for trade show and point of purchase graphicsIf you’re on the lookout for a retractable banner stand that gives your customers a lifetime of durability and convenience, check out the new Expand MediaScreen 3 now available at LexJet.

The Expand MediaScreen 3 may be the best retractable banner stand available on the market for end use customers who want something that takes all the headaches out of shipping it around and makes it a snap to change out graphics.

It comes with a lifetime warranty, a patented system of changeable cassettes for quick-change graphics and a base that can be adjusted in case the stand is placed on an uneven surface. The width is 33 7/16″ and the height of the telescopic pole can be adjusted from 63″ to 88 5/8″.

For protection and ease of shipping, the banner stand comes with a shock-resistant, recyclable, hard plastic carrying case. Optional accessories include a spotlight, product shelf, literature holder and LED lighting that illuminates the graphic from the bottom of the display.

For more information about the Expand MediaScreen 3, the entire Expand line, as well as inkjet material options for banner stands, contact a LexJet account specialist at 800-453-9538. And, be sure to check back at the LexJet Blog for a video demonstration of the Expand MediaScreen 3.

A River Runs through a Point of Sale Display

Point of sale product displayTennyson Lacasio’s last point of sale, in-store display masterpiece featured here used flowing “beer” (actually ink-stained water) to draw additional attention and sell more Guinness. Lacasio, graphic designer for Colonial Wholesale Beverage in North Dartmouth, Mass., recently created another water feature. While the concept was different this time around, the outcome was similar; namely, more beer sales.

“This store is one of our other top accounts and after seeing the YouTube video they were interested in doing something unique in their store as well,” explains Lacasio. “We basically had the same amount of square footage with six palettes of beer stacked together. We went over a number of designs with them and the castle theme we settled on seemed like a lot of fun.”

Building a point of sale product displayThe previous display was built to sell Guinness Black Lager; this most recent castle display was built to house Diageo brands Guinness Draught, Guinness Stout, Guinness Black Lager, Harp and Smithwick’s. The big push on these Diageo brands coincides with St. Patrick’s Day and Lacasio reports that the display needs constant replenishment even though the big weekend before the big day has not yet arrived.

Once again, the display not only had to be eye-catching and thirst-inducing, it needed to be easy to shop. The display has scored on both points, drawing consumers ever closer with the final touch – a drawbridge over bubbling water that leads to the castle in the background.

Originally, Lacasio planned to place real fish inside the pool of water over which the drawbridge sits. However, the risk of floaters – fish that might up and die as fish are wont to in these situations – was too great. Therefore, Lacasio printed some fish, laminated with LexJet 3 Mil Gloss UV Premium Low Melt.

The big prints – the two knights which guard the front of the display and the castle – were printed on LexJet Extreme AquaVinyl w/ PSA applied to Coroplast. The drawbridge was printed on LexJet TOUGHcoat Water-Resistant Self Adhesive Polypropylene and laminated with 3 Mil Gloss UV Premium Low Melt. All of the graphics are double-sided, excepting the knights (it’s hard to find knight backside images) so that the effect continues on the other side of the display.

In addition to the photos here, get a consumer’s eye view of the display at the video embedded below…