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Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Rolling down the Runway with an Inkjet Printed Canvas Triptych

Canvas Triptych Print by Broadstreet Fine Art

Broadstreet Fine Art and Framing, based in Fairburn, Ga., recently pieced together this canvas triptych with an appropriate passenger jet image for the Atlanta Airlines Terminal Corporation (AATC).

AATC handles facility management at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and this carefully-crafted piece is part one of a two-part décor project at the company’s executive offices. Part two will be a series of vintage photos from the airport printed on Sunset Fine Art Paper that will decorate the common space between reception and the offices.

For this canvas piece, Broadstreet Fine Art owner Loran Hygema used Sunset Select Matte Canvas protected with Sunset Satin Coating. The canvas was stretched on 2″ stretcher bars using Broadstreet’s automated canvas stretching machine. Each canvas piece of the triptych is 36″ x 36″ for a total image size of 3′ x 9′.

Canvas Inkjet Print by Broadstreet Fine Art“Sunset Satin Coating is not only cost-effective, but it’s the best by far we’ve used for coating. The canvas is hands-down, head and shoulders above other canvases I’ve used. It is more like a canvas should feel: more pliable and much easier to stretch. We do a lot of big canvases 4×6, 4×7 and Sunset canvas works well for us, especially at the large sizes we often produce, because we don’t have problems with wrinkles,” says Hygema.

The airliner image is black-and-white, but the client requested a subtle sepia tone to go with it, so Hygema added a slight tint for that effect. “I prefer the image in black and white, but the customer is always right,” says Hygema.

Hygema also used Perfect Resize from OnOne Software, which was formerly known as Genuine Fractals, to create the wrap borders and to res-up the file. Hygema says Perfect Resize will create selective, mirror, museum-wrap style and other types of wrap borders.

He used the LexJet profile for printing through his Epson Stylus Pro 11880 wide format inkjet printer. “I’ve had great luck with the profiles supplied by LexJet. We have a color management system to make custom profiles, but don’t fix it if it ain’t broke,” he says.

The three printed pieces were laid out and lined up before stretching, and then hung on mirror hangers, rather than wire hangers so that all the pieces will stay in the exact same position.

“That was a bit of a challenge,” says Hygema. “You can’t really adjust the canvas on the wall like you can with wire hangers, so we had to do a little trial-and-error to get the hanging hardware in the right spot in relation to each other. They love the triptych and are excited about seeing the rest. We’ll be working with the Delta Air Museum to find the right vintage photos for the rest of the project.”

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in News & Trends, Technology & Products
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Pump up the Canvas Wrap Volume with the fastFrame and the easyFrame

Canvas gallery and museum wrapsThere’s only one machine on the market that can produce up to 80 canvas wraps per hour: it’s called the fastFrame 1000 from Swiss manufacturer Imaging Solutions, and it’s a fully automated canvas stretching machine that can mount canvas onto 12″ x 8″ to 41″ x 41″ stretcher bars.

Available in the U.S. through LexJet, you can schedule an appointment to test the machine and see it in action, in person, at LexJet’s demo facility in Sarasota, Fla., in July. If you’re interested in scheduling a demo and finding out more about the fastFrame 1000, contact a LexJet account specialist at 800-453-9538.

Later this summer, the easyFrame is expected to arrive at LexJet’s demo center. At about half the price of the fastFrame, it’s a semi-automated system that can produce up to 40 canvas wraps per hour. The fastFrame is listed at around $153,000 USD and the easyFrame at around $82,000 USD.

With both machines you can use pre-assembled canvas stretcher frames, or you can make them yourselves. Imaging Solutions also offers a semi-automatic frame assembling machine called the fastMount.

In the video embedded below you can get a preview of the fastFrame to see how it works and how easy it is to automate canvas stretching, producing consistent, high-quality results…

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in News & Trends, Technology & Products
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LexJet’s 2012 Product Reference Guide Now Available

Inkjet printing materials and equipment catalogLexJet customers will receive the 2012 Product Reference Guide over the next week or so in the mail, if they haven’t already. Keep this handy guide by your desk as a year-round reference tool to find the right product for the project.

“The Product Reference Guide I received last year was what drove me to LexJet in the first place. It’s nicely laid out and easy to browse, with pictures of printed applications using the different materials and all the specifications and pricing information we need as we work on new projects,” says Rick Hillbrand, owner of Cottrell Printing in Centennial, Colo.

The 40-page guide includes specifications and pricing on:

  • LexJet, LexJet Sunset, Hahnemuhle and EPSON aqueous media
  • Sunset Stretcher Bars, Sunset Pro Photo Albums and Sunset and ClearStar coatings
  • LexJet, General Formulations and HP solvent, latex and UV-curable media
  • LexJet laminates, adhesives and backers
  • Canon, Epson, HP and LexJet inks
  • Canon, Epson and HP printers

To view the catalog now, click here. If you weren’t a LexJet customer in 2011 and would like to receive the free printed guide, click here. And, if you have questions or need help with anything, call a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538.