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Soft Signage Options for All Printer Technologies
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Soft Signage Options for All Printer Technologies

Recent reports show that the demand for soft signage has seen double-digit growth in the last few years. That means you need options to create fabric banners, signs and exhibit graphics that work with the equipment and printer technology you own.

And while some fabrics may cost more for, say, trade show booth graphics, the upsell to your customer is that they can use fabric graphics more than once, and they’re less expensive to ship and stand up to traveling better than heavier, easily damaged options.

Let your customers know that the higher cost buys them easier installations that are foldable, reusable and even wrinkle resistant. Plus, they look more high-end and will drape more elegantly than vinyls or films they’ve used in the past.

So, in effort to make soft signage and printable fabrics more accessible to you, we’ve collected a list of products, based on printer type and application to streamline your search:

Latex

EnduraFab Textiles

Fabric solutions for Latex printers have hit the market in recent years, including the EnduraFab line of products, which are finished with a proprietary coating made specifically to work with Latex inks, while providing durability and a soft hand to the fabric. EnduraFab Stretch is a great option for SEG frames (or sew-less frames like SignComp). Check out this video review from HP’s Timothy Mitchell on how EnduraFab performs on Latex. For hanging banners and other indoor soft signage, try HP Light Fabric, for brilliant prints that stand up to creasing and wrinkling — now available at a reduced price.

Aqueous

LexJet Water-Resistant Satin Cloth

You don’t need dye-sub to create great-looking fabric signage. You can get it done with an aqueous printer and the right printable textiles. For everything from banners to backlits to signage, LexJet Water-Resistant Satin Cloth is a lightweight option that is finished with a coating that will hold high levels of ink saturation and maintaining its water resistance. One of our customers says: “The cloth is very durable! The fabric holds the colors well, and can easily be folded to fit into convenient packaging for transport. Any creases or wrinkles can be quickly reduced with a light ironing upon arrival.” For a slightly heavier, versatile fabric, consider LexJet FlexTek 170g, an aqueous-compatible, budget-beating option that can be finished with either grommets or sewing, and works indoors our out. It also works well as an alternative to canvas, and wraps easily on stretcher bars.

Solvent/Eco-Solvent

We’ve got the versatile LexJet FlexTek SUV 200g in a solvent-compatible version, as well. Great for outdoor projects, and a cost-friendly option for banners and gallery wraps. For a lighter-weight option for backlit displays or trade show graphics, check out LexJet Poly Select Light SUV. The tight weave and satin finish give it an elegant finish that looks great in retail spaces or even for décor items.

Dye-Sublimation

Teardrop flags.

Tried-and-true printed fabric results are traditionally achieved with dye-sub, and now we offer Fisher Textiles in wide-format widths. We’ve got a full portfolio of Fisher Textiles to choose from for a variety of projects, but we wanted to highlight 4019 Nirvana BOB for its award-winning soft knit fabric that’s coated with a black backing, so you get the lightweight fabric with excellent opacity and flame resistance certification. If you’ve got requests for the popular teardrop flags, there’s no better option than Fisher Textiles 1701 Primary Flag.

For even more fabric ideas that match your printer technology, call a LexJet specialist at 800-453-9538 and grow your soft signage business, too!

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in News & Trends
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LexJet Named to Digital Output’s Top 50 List

Best companies in the graphics industryThe November issue of Digital Output, which is due to hit the streets on Oct. 26, honors 50 companies in the industry as top innovators in 2012.

LexJet was chosen by Digital Output readers to the Top 50, as well as three LexJet products: Poly Select Light, 8 Mil PolyGloss Banner and PolyGloss PSA.

The Top 50 were generated using Digital Output‘s website metrics system, DOdirect.net. As readers throughout the year inquire about products and services in the magazine, on the website and eNewsletters, Digital Output tallies the inquiries to create the Top 50.

For more information and to get a copy of the November issue, either printed or digital, go to the Digital Output website. And, for more info about the top products — Poly Select Light, 8 Mil PolyGloss Banner and PolyGloss PSA – as well as the myriad of products available at LexJet for large format inkjet printing, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in News & Trends, Tips & Tricks
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HP Z6100 Firmware Update Provides Vacuum Control for Slipping Substrates

Firmware updates for HP large format inkjet printersSome media types like to slip slide away as you print. Fabrics are particularly guilty of this slipping offense. To help with those troublesome textiles, and any other media printed on the HP Designjet Z6100, HP has a firmware update that fixes this issue.

The update allows you to modify the amount of vacuum applied to various media, and for both thick and thin materials, you can adjust the loading vacuum level. So, for fabrics like LexJet Water-Resistant Satin Cloth and the Poly Select line of fabrics, the extra control makes it easier to keep them in line.

Click here for more instructions and to download Firmware Version 9.0.0.4.

And, as always, if you need any additional help with the firmware update or have any questions about LexJet’s fabric line, HP’s Designjet printers, and any other inkjet printable media, call a LexJet account specialist at 800-453-9538.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Inkjet Printed Window Shades as a Complementary Interior Décor Design Element

Inkjet printed window shades

Most accidents fall into the Not-so-Happy category, but some fall into the Happy category, as was the case with a recent home décor project Tim Dussault, owner of The Color I in Anacortes, Wash., recently completed for a homeowner.

Printing custom window shadesDussault printed custom window shades on LexJet Poly Select Light as a complement to the interior décor of the home, which was based around a painting that hangs in the couple’s living room. The “accident” was the bottom section of the shade was also a perfect complement to the home’s overall color scheme.

“They rolled the shades down about nine inches to let as much light into the room during the day, making a nine-inch valance.  It created a nice design element to the room so that you didn’t have to have the shade completely up or down to do that,” says Dussault. “That really opened my eyes to using that bottom section of the print for whatever design element you want, whether it’s a consistent color or pattern, to go with the overall interior design of a room.”

Inkjet printed window shadesThe artwork is from a 24×36 original watercolor by Jennifer Bowman, an artist Dussault has worked with in the past. Dussault generated the scene into panels that matched the window spaces in the bay window and printed them on Poly Select Light.

Dussault used his recently updated line of DiY Roller Shade Assemblies for the window shades, which you can pick up at artrollershades.com, and watch the videos below to see the installation of this project as well as how to use the DiY Roller Shade Assemblies. Or, if you prefer, you can view them at YouTube at this link.

“The installation went smoothly and they really liked it and how it all flowed together,” says Dussault. He adds that he chose the Poly Select Light over the Poly Select Heavy since he wanted as much light as possible to flow through them when they’re drawn down.

Dussault also used Poly Select Heavy in another recent project he collaborated on with his wife for a restaurant that turned its bar into a club. In addition to hanging wall murals, Dussault created custom gallery wraps with Poly Select Heavy.

“I like to stretch that material; it’s easier to stretch than canvas. I was also surprised by how well it accepted the spray coating. My experience with fabrics told me that it would absorb some of the coating and change the color of the image, but it dried really well and there was no color shift. Using the fabric and stretching creates a totally different look that I think is more attractive; it’s softer and more tactile,” says Dussault.

Look for photos from this project and more information in a future post here at the LexJet Blog. In the meantime, check out the videos of the installation and how the DiY Roller Shade Assemblies work…

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Video: How to Assemble Inkjet Printed Fabric Window Shades

How to assemble window shades for inkjet printed fabricThere’s been a lot of response to an earlier post about Tim Dussault’s custom window shades, printed on LexJet Water-Resistant Satin Cloth, 3P Universal Heavy fabric and LexJet’s new Poly Select Light. Dussault, owner of The Color I in Anacortes, Wash., was kind enough to share the video embedded below, which shows how to assemble the window shades step by step.

Though the video below details Tim’s older system, the concepts and steps are fairly universal. If you’re able to find someone who can supply you with window shade hardware this video should provide some ideas and guidance. We’re looking for someone who can help you with custom hardware and will let you know as soon as we find someone to whom we can refer you.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Technology & Products
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New Versatile Fabric Line for Aqueous Inkjet Printers

Printing on fabric with a large format inkjet printerPrint shops looking for a versatile, economical and high-quality fabric to include in their product offering for their aqueous inkjet printers now have a dependable choice with LexJet’s new line of Poly Select fabrics.

The polyester fabrics were engineered for short-term outdoor applications like special events and longer-term indoor applications, such as banner stands, retail point of purchase, trade shows, corporate lobbies, table drapes, flags, backdrops and more.

“We’ve actually gained in our marketplace because the customers like the LexJet fabric so much. A lot of customers run specials and they can take it down, fold it up, store it and when they start that special again they can put it back up,” says Todd Barlow, graphic design and special event coordinator for RMC Distributing in Pueblo, Colo. “It’s versatile, flexible, easy to work with and the colors come out brilliant.

We use it just about everywhere and for every type of promotion and special event.”

The fabrics are available in three weights: Light, Medium and Heavy. LexJet Poly Select Light is 7.5 mils thick and weighs in at 155g. With its tight, barely discernible weave it’s ideal for reproducing colorful, finely detailed high-end images and designs. LexJet Poly Select Heavy is 13 mils thick and weighs 230g. It lays flat so it’s easy to work with in production and it’s glare resistant to ensure consistent viewing in any lighting situation. LexJet Poly Select Medium combines the tight weave of the lighter fabric with additional durability and thickness (12 mils).

Printing fabric with a Canon inkjet printer
LexJet Poly Select Light, Poly Select Medium and Poly Select Heavy all take advantage of the wider color gamuts provided by the latest generation of printers from Canon, Epson and HP. Photo courtesy RMC Distributing

“Canon, Epson and HP have greatly improved their aqueous inkjet technology. The ink sets in the latest generation of printers are more durable and provide a wider color gamut, so it was important to our customers that we make the most of those improvements with a fabric line that maximizes the latest printers’ capabilities,” says Dione Metnick, LexJet’s product manager.

All three fabrics – LexJet Poly Select Light, LexJet Poly Select Medium and LexJet Poly Select Heavy – are available and shipping from one of LexJet’s nationwide network of distribution centers for one-day delivery to most of the Continental U.S. LexJet Poly Select Medium is currently available in only one roll size: 36 in. x 150 ft. Poly Select Heavy and Poly Select Light are available in 24 in., 36 in., 42 in., 50 in. and 60 in. widths.