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Streamline Your Inventory to Save Time and Money
Posted on by Jennifer Corn Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Streamline Your Inventory to Save Time and Money

Many print service providers have a fight on their hands for prime real estate known as “roll storage.” If you have limited space, you know how difficult it is to find room for the different products that you keep on hand for everyday use and the specialty products that are taking up space and collecting dust.

Keeping the right products on hand to reduce inventory will help you save money and storage space. When looking to consolidate, it is important to make sure you select versatile products that will meet the needs of the applications your customers request most often.

Take a look at your current inventory. Do you have different products stocked to create indoor signage, outdoor signage, die-cut stickers, fleet graphics, clear window graphics and to laminate? If so, consider finding products that allow you to streamline your inventory, which means you have fewer rolls to organize, an easier workflow and ensures you have the right product for the right project.

If you have been looking for ways to reduce your print shop inventory by using versatile products, the HP Adhesive Vinyl and Laminates line that was introduced at SGIA last October is a good place to start. A roll of HP Optimal Gloss Air GRP can produce a variety of signage and fleet graphics as well as stickers, while HP Matte and Gloss Polymeric Overlaminates are printable, which means they can be used as protection and when customers request graphics on a clear backdrop.

Noting the importance of having a multipurpose product, William Roll of Signarama in Dothan, Ala. says that his team loves the new HP Adhesive Vinyl line of products. “They grab it for every application they can use it on,” he says. With a high-quality, versatile product in the print shop, you can meet the demands of your customers as well as the needs of your team.

If you would like additional ideas on how to consolidate your print shop inventory or have questions about the HP Adhesive Vinyl and Laminates, contact one of our sales specialists at 800-453-9538 or visit us at LexJet.com.

Now Available: Stock & Roll for Easier Media Storage
Posted on by Shellie Terry Posted in Technology & Products
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Now Available: Stock & Roll for Easier Media Storage

Free up space in your shop and make storing and moving media rolls easier than ever with the new Stock & Roll media storage station, now available at LexJet. This compact, lightweight storage system not only saves space, but keeps rolls better organized and free from dirt.

If you’re at SGIA this week, swing by LexJet booth #745 to see Stock & Roll in action.

With this innovation, made in France, you’ll have a compact and secure way to store up to six rolls of varying heights with 2- or 3-inch cores. Because rolls are locked into place and elevated on a platform, you won’t have to worry rolls falling over or getting dirty, which will save you money, over time. While the station can handle lots of heavy-weight rolls, it is still easy to transport with six high-performance wheels with a lightweight base that’s just 2-feet in diameter.

Stock & Roll can also be used at trade shows to house media rolls or even wall paper samples, as pictured above. Create a dynamic trade show display with multiple Stock & Roll units.

SGIA Special: Free shipping available through Oct. 31, 2017.

Getting Started with In-House Printing: The Advantages, Challenges & Lessons Learned
Posted on by Vincent Bejar Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Getting Started with In-House Printing: The Advantages, Challenges & Lessons Learned

So, you’re thinking about bringing wide-format printing in-house? With today’s print technologies and the outstanding quality they offer, it’s hard to resist the many benefits of bringing wide-format printing in-house. Plus, wide-format printing is in demand now more than ever.

Even with the tremendous growth of online digital content, wide-format print will always remain relevant as we live in a world where every product or brand attempts to garner more attention than the next.  But are there any pitfalls in bringing wide-format printing in-house?  Let’s look at whether printing in-house with wide-format is right for you.

Advantages of bringing wide-format printing in-house:

Capabilities – Printing wide-format in-house can open a plethora of opportunities depending on what your wants and needs are. In-house print operators running wide-format printers can produce everything from product packaging, proofing, retail/point-of-purchase signage to fine-art reproduction just to name a few.

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Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in News & Trends, Technology & Products
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Canvas Printing without the Canvas

Sunset Photo Canvas Paper
Fine-art painting by Virginia Phillips (virginiaphillips.com) reproduced by Sharpeye Framing Company on Sunset Photo Canvas Paper 230g.

Print shops, fine-art reproduction companies, photographers and other print providers can now offer their customers canvas prints without the canvas: Sunset Photo Canvas Paper 230g from LexJet.

The new photo paper is LexJet’s popular Premium Archival Matte Paper embossed with a canvas texture, complete with all the benefits of Premium Archival Matte: an instant-dry coating for smudge-free printing and handling; a large color gamut for high-contrast, high-resolution printing; and an acid-free, pH-neutral thick and heavy base for trouble-free printing, mounting and framing.

“This paper saves us a lot of time, cost and labor because it’s basically a two-step process: it comes off the printer, we mount it and it’s done. It gives a canvas look, texture and feel at a lower price point than canvas, and the image quality is great,” says Ryan Wanke, president of Sharpeye Framing Company in Michigan City, Ind.

Sunset Photo Canvas Paper 230g is not an alternative for canvas gallery and museum wraps. Rather, it is an alternative for mounted and framed canvas prints since canvas can be difficult to mount to a board due to its weight and physical properties.

The embossed texture of Sunset Photo Canvas Paper 230g is similar to the 2-over-1 weave of LexJet’s award-winning Sunset Select Matte Canvas, providing a smoother and more consistent canvas texture on a matte finish.

“People love canvas, which is why canvas printing is such a growing market with a lot of opportunity for our customers,” says Jaimie Mask, LexJet’s product manager. “The biggest seller is and will likely always be canvas gallery wraps. However, there is a robust market for mounted and framed canvas prints, and Sunset Photo Canvas Paper makes it easier and more cost-effective to serve this niche.”

Sunset Photo Canvas Paper is now available in 17″, 24″, 36″, 44″ and 50″ widths and 100′ roll lengths from LexJet’s Nationwide Delivery Network. As with all LexJet-branded products, Sunset Photo Canvas Paper comes complete with a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee and free and unlimited phone support from LexJet’s team of printing experts. To find out more, contact one of those experts at 800-453-9538.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Holiday Spirit at the Point of Sale

Holiday Donation Train by Nackard CompaniesThe Nackard Companies recently partnered with a number of sponsors, northern Arizona police departments and area stores to help with a food, coat and toy drive this Holiday season.

This worthy cause is being set up around a Pepsi products display with 12-packs formed in the shape of a train. Shoppers can find out more from the informational flyers attached to the “train” and make their donations.

The Nackard Companies sales department, led by Daniel Josytewa, built the display and the P.O.P. sign crew printed the graphics that complete the “train” with printed wheels. All of the graphics, informational flyers and banners promoting the drive were printed on LexJet TOUGHcoat Water-Resistant Polyproplylene.

Donation Train Display“For the indoor graphics we use a luster laminate to cut down on the glare from the lights, and outdoors we typically use a gloss laminate to give it a little more pop,” says Steve Lalio, shop manager. “We hand-cut each train wheel out and attached them to the display with double-sided tape. We’ve used adhesive-backed material before, and it looks great, but it ruins the packages.”

The “roof” of the “train” has a 1×1 frame with a sheet of 4×8 Coroplast and 6″-diameter PVC piping for the “smokestack.” The banners that point to the display are 3×10, the flyers are 11×17, the big wheel on the train is three feet in diameter, the smaller wheels are about 17″ x 17″ and the arms connecting the wheels are five feet and two-and-a-half feet long.

Toy Drive BannerThe display will be up and collecting donations, and thirsty patrons, through Christmas. “We’re trying to create displays that are simple and cost-effective, yet are effective in getting the information across,” adds Lalio.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in News & Trends, Technology & Products
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LexJet Introduces Economical, High-Quality Inkjet Photo Paper

LexJet Sunset Production eSatin
Get pinpoint accuracy and color reproduction in a production-oriented photo paper with Sunset Production eSatin. Photo courtesy Great American Art, Stoughton, Mass.

 

Print shops, fine art reproduction companies, professional photographers and other imaging companies looking for an economical photo paper for higher production runs now have a high-quality option for their photographic output: LexJet Sunset Production eSatin 250g.

Designed to maximize the enhanced output provided by the latest generation of aqueous inkjet printers from Canon, Epson and HP, the new photo paper is a lighter-weight version of Sunset Photo eSatin 300g, which has become the industry standard for reproducing high-end custom photographic, fine art and display work.

Manufactured to the high standards of the award-winning Sunset line of photo papers, fine art papers and canvas, Sunset Production eSatin provides the traditional satin e-surface that end-use customers demand.

“As a production coordinator I need to know my products and my output. I have been waiting for an answer for this type of photo paper, and this is it,” says Robert Dean of Great American Art, Stoughton, Mass. “On our initial trials it held its own when we did our side-by-side comparisons with a similar photo paper, and we like the Sunset Production eSatin better. The paper is brighter and just as durable and so far has proven to be a winner.”

Highly scratch-resistant and instant-dry, the new photo paper is perfect for production runs of posters, photography, corporate displays, retail graphics, décor and other applications where image quality at an economical price is crucial.

“Our goal was to exceed the quality of similar photo papers on the market while providing a better price point,” says Jaimie Mask, LexJet’s product manager. “Early feedback from our customers shows that we hit the target, particularly given the larger color gamut and pin-sharp detail the paper provides.”

Sunset Production eSatin is available for next-day delivery in most of the U.S. from one of LexJet’s nationwide distribution centers, and comes in 17-in., 24-in., 36-in., 44-in., 50-in., and 60-in. widths. As with all LexJet products they come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.