Vote for Your Top Wide Format Imaging Products in the Readers’ Choice Awards

Readers’ Choice Top Product AwardsVoting starts today for Wide-Format Imaging magazine’s Readers’ Choice Top Product Awards. Click here to vote for the products that have “caused the most excitement in the industry and have been a valuable asset to wide-format print service providers’ (PSPs) businesses over the last year.”

In other words, LexJet and Sunset products, which were nominated in the following categories…

Wide-Format Imaging’s Top Products Awards will recognize the products that are doing the most for a PSP’s bottom line, including: wide-format printers, wide-format media, laminating equipment, inks, RIP software and scanners. Voting ends on Feb. 13.

Don’t forget to vote! Go to https://2015wfitopproducts.questionpro.com/

Winners will be announced at the International Sign Expo in Las Vegas, April 8-11, and featured in the April issue of Wide-Format Imaging magazine.

Finding a Competitive Advantage for Poster Printing

Poster Printing
Productive Displays, Addison, Ill., was able to print high-quality posters cost-effectively with Sunset Photo Satin SUV.

There are certain volumes for poster printing where digital inkjet printing simply can’t compete with offset or screen printing. However, those volume numbers, and the margin where such projects are profitable, inch higher for digital printing companies as time goes by.

Inkjet Poster PrintingBruce Ulrich, president of Productive Displays in Addison, Ill., reports that with the addition of LexJet Sunset Photo Satin SUV 275g, that volume number where his company can compete for poster jobs with offset and screen printing is near 1,000.

“Typically, where we compete most effectively for this type of work is in the 1-800 piece range. Once we go over 1,000 pieces I would need another 20-30 percent off the cost,” says Ulrich. “We used another product in the past, but it was much more expensive. I needed to find an option that would give us at least another 40-50 percent off the cost of producing posters.”

Ulrich found that option with LexJet with Sunset Photo Satin SUV 275g. Moreover, Productive Displays is able to provide a higher-quality, sharper and more color-accurate poster. Sunset Photo Satin SUV is also instant-dry, so that production of multiple-run posters can move quickly and smoothly using the company’s Mimaki JV3 solvent printers.

Inkjet Poster PrintingThe job pictured here for Dish Network is an excellent example as it required three versions with 100 prints of each version. Variable-data print projects, where there are multiple versions of the same print, continues to become more commonplace, fitting nicely into a wide-format digital print company’s wheelhouse.

“With most customers, they’ll come back and ask me for the price for three versions, five versions or ten versions. When they say that to the offset or screen print companies there’s a setup charge. I try to explain to them that where our favorable cost situation comes into play is that it doesn’t matter how many versions they want, the price per poster won’t change,” explains Ulrich. “The client was very pleased with the look and quality of the posters. The Sunset product will allow us to compete more cost-effectively against the offset and screen print companies for poster-related projects.”

Speed up Production and Get 20% off the New Instant-Dry Solvent Photo Papers

Sunset Photo Papers for Solvent Printers
Find out what happens to this print on LexJet’s new SUV photo paper and why it’s relevant to your print shop in the video embedded below…

See LexJet’s new instant-dry photo papers for solvent, low-solvent and latex printers in action in the video embedded below. Then, give them a try and save even more when you call in or purchase the new papers online with Promo Code: LJSUV14.

Use the code and get 20% off any of the new LexJet SUV photo papers. This offer is good through March 31, and the Promo Code can only be used once. There is no limit to your order, and you can purchase any of the three products in any combination.

The three new SUV photo papers eligible for this promotion include LexJet Sunset Photo Satin SUV 275g, LexJet Sunset Photo Gloss SUV 275g, and LexJet 8 Mil Production Satin SUV 180g.

You can click on the links to the photo papers above for more information and to add them to your cart, or give us a call at 800-453-9538, and be sure to use Promo Code LJSUV14.

Printing High-Quality Variable-Data Posters

Poster Print on LexJet Sunset Photo Satin SUV

Poster printing is a print shop staple. A perfect fit for wide-format inkjet poster printing is where variable data is included in a given poster print run.

Behlmann Digital, Florissant, Mo., recently completed just such a project where the variable data was language.

Owner Jeff Behlmann says about 10-12 posters out of the entire run of 1,100 posters for an international life science and technology company were printed in a given language and distributed worldwide.

Poster Printing by Behlmann Digital“It wasn’t feasible to go to an offset press for this project, given the different languages that were being printed, which was a perfect fit for what we do,” says Behlmann. “We used a different print material for the first batch, but they came back and wanted them printed on a thicker, higher-quality paper.”

Behlmann chose the new LexJet Sunset Photo Satin SUV 275g for the next batch, which totaled about 200 pieces, varying in size from 24″ x 18″ up to 46″ x 33″.

“The images reproduced very well, and we never had issues with the ink drying,” says Behlmann. “We were able to push our Roland low-solvent printers at 360×720 because they wanted them quickly. There were problems with the posters that went to Japan because the translations were wrong, but fortunately we didn’t have anything to do with the translations.”

More Application Opportunities for Latex Inkjet Printing

Printing Backlits with HP Latex Printers

Give your customers the benefits of backlits, posters, maps, photo prints and more with HP Latex Printers. With HP Latex Printers from LexJet you can cut down on print time since latex inks are dry right out of the printer and ready for laminating and finishing.

Plus, you get better saturation and no banding, making backlit signs deeper, richer and more vibrant. The perfect backlit inkjet media is HP Backlit Polyester Film, which not only produces super-sharp images that pop out when backlit, it’s recyclable for a sustainable print process.

For posters, maps and other temporary graphics you can eliminate the laminating step for temporary graphics since HP Latex Inks are as durable as low-solvent inks, plus latex inks are environmentally-friendly. Choose from a variety of versatile HP and LexJet inkjet media, including HP Coated Paper and LexJet 46# Simple Bond WR for economical temporary signage, maps and technical applications.

HP Latex Printers also allow you to create long-lasting photo-realistic prints on a variety of photo papers. For eye-catching posters, HP Photo-realistic Poster Paper produces vibrant images at an economical price point. LexJet also recently introduced two new photo papers for the more discerning customer: Sunset Photo Gloss SUV 275g and Sunset Photo Satin SUV 275g.

LexJet offers the HP Latex Printer lineup – including the HP Latex 210 61″ Printer, HP Latex 260 61″ Printer and the Latex 280 104″ Printer – as well as a full range of HP and LexJet media compatible with these printers.

If you are not yet using HP Latex technology and are interested in finding out more, the timing couldn’t be better since LexJet is offering a Play Now, Pay Later promotion on all printers 36” and larger, including the HP Latex 210, Latex 260 and Latex 280.

New Instant-Dry Photo Papers for Solvent, Low-Solvent, Latex and UV-Curable Printing

Fostergraphs Poster Printing
Fostergraphs’ poster printing for Iowa’s sports teams is now easier, quicker and more dynamic with the addition of LexJet 8 Mil Production Satin SUV 180g.

 

Three new instant-dry photo papers for solvent, low-solvent, UV-curable and latex printers that address both high-end and production-oriented photo reproduction and graphics production have been introduced by LexJet.

The new photo papers were developed to open up new markets and profitable applications for print shops, sign companies, point-of-purchase and exhibit producers, and fine-art reproduction companies.

The new LexJet photo papers include:

LexJet Sunset Photo Satin SUV 275g: Highly scratch-resistant, this 11-mil satin-finish photo paper is perfect for posters, fine photos, corporate and hotel lobby displays, retail displays, décor, and other applications where image quality and performance are essential.

LexJet Sunset Photo Gloss SUV 275g: Provides the same benefits as the new satin photo paper but in a gloss finish. Both papers are specially formulated to dry instantly with low-solvent, solvent, latex and UV-curable inks so that users can put their take-up reel to work for longer production runs. They’re also the thickest, most durable photo papers on the market in their class. The new Sunset SUV photo papers are based on LexJet’s award-winning Sunset line of fine art papers, photo papers and canvases preferred by professional photographers and fine art reproduction companies for their extremely wide color gamut and high Dmax, as well as their ability to hold fine detail.

LexJet 8 Mil Production Satin SUV 180g: Geared toward high-volume production work that requires a balance of quality and economy, this satin-finish production paper features a high-performance, instant-dry, scratch-resistant base for posters, photo reproductions, point-of-purchase displays, and other commercial applications.

“The Sunset Photo Satin and Gloss SUV media print great on our Epson GS6000 low-solvent printer, and the drying time is very good with both,” says Trevor Odell of Colormax Digital, Evansville, Ind. “I’ve been searching for a heavyweight, durable paper for solvent that’s just as good as photo papers for aqueous printers, but at a lower cost, and this is it.”

Fostergraphs Photo Printing
Kent Foster, Fostergraphs, also reports that LexJet’s new SUV photo papers produce excellent saturation and color.

Regarding LexJet 8 Mil Production Satin SUV 180g, Kent Foster, Fostergraphs Inc., Decorah, Iowa, comments: “I tested other solvent photo papers previously and it was always a challenge to get it to dry on our Epson GS6000. This is better now, and the color and saturation is great.”

All three of the new LexJet SUV photo papers allow those who have transitioned to solvent, latex and UV-curable printing from aqueous-based printing to win back customer and market share for higher-end production graphics and photographic reproduction. For long-time users of solvent and UV-curable technologies, the true photo-quality papers open up a range of profitable applications in both emerging and existing markets.
“LexJet’s new suite of photo papers were designed to maximize the production quality of low-solvent, solvent, latex and UV-curable printers, and make production easier,” says Jaimie Mask, LexJet’s product manager. “Our customers are looking for ways to differentiate their output, and that was the driving force behind the development of these new photo papers.”

The new LexJet SUV photo papers are available for next-day delivery in most of the Continental U.S. from one of LexJet’s nationwide distribution centers, and come in 36-in., 54-in., and 61-in. widths. As with all LexJet products they come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538 for more information and to order.