To most people, the term outdoor photography means photographs taken outdoors. But with pro-model pigment-ink wide-format inkjet printers and banner materials from LexJet, the term outdoor photography can also mean photographs displayed outdoors.
For example, check out this triptych photo banner that Joe Menth of Fine Balance Imaging Studios in Langely, WA, created using LexJet’s TOUGHcoat Water-Resistant polypropylene film on an Epson Stylus Pro 9800 with UltraChrome pigment inks and ImagePrint RIP software.
Polypropylene film is a bright white, tear-resistant alternative to photo paper that produces outstanding image quality. Yet it’s durable enough to hang outside for several weeks or months without lamination.
Menth originally created this banner to celebrate Earth Day. But it looked so nice, and called attention to their studio’s second-floor location that they kept it hanging for a couple of months afterwards. Plus, the entire building is constructed from reclaimed and recycled materials, so the Earth banner went nicely with the sustainability theme of the building.
“One reason the banner is in three pieces is that we wanted a way to hang it out our windows, and be able to remove it or change it out easily,” explains Menth. “And because we don’t have any way to weld the panels together, we decided to just put it up as a triptych.” The banner could be seen from many blocks away.
For photographs and art that will be displayed outdoors for longer periods of time, you would probably need to find a service bureau equipped with a printer that uses low-solvent, solvent, or UV-curable inks instead of the aqueous inks used in popular, wide-gramut photographic printers.
LexJet works with thousands of services bureaus nationwide that use solvent and UV-curable printers and can recommend a printing firm in your area that can help you.
To learn more about different materials and options available for producing and displaying photographs outdoors, call a LexJet account specialist at 800-453-9538.
You can read more about Fine Balance Imaging Studios in the July issue (Vol. 4, No. 7) of LexJet’s In Focus Newsletter or in the Studio LexJet posts: Deskfront Displays for Photo,Art, and Promotional Prints. Or visit their website: www.fbistudios.com