All New Fire Ratings for LexJet Media

From canvas and backlit film to wall murals and laminates, LexJet media have received fire ratings adding yet another benefit to these versatile wide-format products.

Sunset Production Satin Canvas SUV received a Class A fire rating. This 100% polyester canvas is OBA-free and delivers a high-end feel and traditional canvas texture. Compatible with eco-solvent, latex, solvent and UV-curable inks, this US-made canvas is ideal for canvas wraps.

Sunset Select Matte Canvas received a Class B fire rating. A best-selling canvas option, SSMC is an award-winning, poly-cotton blend with a consistently wide color gamut.

Save Like a Winner on Sunset Select Matte Canvas

Now’s the time to stock up on best-selling Sunset Select Matte Canvas, the award-winning bright-white, poly/cotton blend canvas that provides gold medal-worthy consistency and color gamut for fine art reproduction and photo printing.

Get your game on now to be prepared for the upcoming holiday seasonal demand for photo reprints and custom canvas wraps. Through August, Sunset Select Matte Canvas is 25% off when you order through your LexJet rep at 800-453-9538 or by ordering online.

Product highlights:

  • Acid-free, pH-neutral coating and high white point for consistent, accurate colors
  • Water-resistant poly/cotton blend for greater durability and ease in stretching
  • Heavyweight (408gsm) bright white matte canvas with an Oxford 2 over 1 weave

Sunset Select Matte Canvas, a 2010 Hot One Award winner, works with aqueous inks and is compatible with printers from Canon, Epson and HP. SHOP NOW

Next-Generation Sunset Coatings for Canvas Now Available

Fine Art Print by Color Simulation Service with Sunset Gloss Coating
Randy Orgeron of Color Simulation Service found that Sunset Gloss Coating was easy to work with – it doesn’t set up too fast or too slow and self-levels – even on a large canvas piece, like this 18″ x 54″ fine art reproduction on Sunset Select Matte Canvas.

The next-generation Sunset Gloss Coating and Sunset Satin Coating are now in stock and shipping from LexJet’s Nationwide Delivery Network. The popular coatings have been reformulated to improve canvas coating performance with consistent results that can be applied with a brush, roller or spray.

Sunset Gloss Coating and Sunset Satin Coating are non-yellowing, pH-neutral water-based acrylic coatings that are self-leveling and ready-to-use straight from the easy-to-pour, easy-to-store containers.

Randy Orgeron of Color Simulation Service, Thibodaux, La., provided detailed feedback when he tested the updated formulation of Sunset Gloss Coating on Sunset Select Matte Canvas. Among his findings, Orgeron noted:

  • It rolls on easily with a foam roller
  • There do not seem to be any issues with it gunking up and it lays flat from the offset
  • Initially, the coating turns hazy, like car wax prior to buffing, but becomes crisp and clear
  • There were some bubbles that formed during application; however, once completely dry that concern proved to be unwarranted
  • The finish is gorgeous and really articulates the print, and there were no issues with the coating lifting the ink off the canvas

“The piece I tried this on at first was only an 11×14 canvas. Since the coating tends to set up rather quickly I was interested to see how fast I would have to work to cover a large canvas, and if could go back over missed spots on the first application,” adds Orgeron. “I’ve used other brands that dry so quickly you can only use them on smaller prints. With the Sunset Coating I found that you can keep working it after you apply it, so it’s going to be very effective for all of our prints, large or small.”

Other improvements to Sunset Coatings include:

  • Greater UV protection
  • Increase solid content so you get more coverage out of one container
  • NMP-free to comply with state and local safety and health regulations

Call a LexJet print specialist today at 800-453-9538 to find out more and to order the new Sunset Coatings.

Creative Interior Imagery Combines Fine Art and Industry on Canvas

Canvas Decor by Creative Interior Imagery

Creative Interior Imagery is located at the epicenter of an oil and gas boom in Pennsylvania. Williams, an energy exploration and production company, recently opened new offices in nearby Tunkhannock, Pa., as part of its continued expansion in Pennsylvania over the past several years.

Inkjet Canvas by Creative Interior ImageryWilliams and Creative Interior Imagery collaborated on interior décor for the new offices, combining the industrial work Williams specializes in with a fine-art ambiance on canvas.

From Williams’ initial direction, Creative Interior Imagery took the project from photographic capture through the print process to installation.

“When we first met with Creative Interior Imagery, we were comfortable with them right away. They took extra time with the images and produced quality work,” says T.J. Gentile, facility services rep. sr. for Williams.

Gentile adds that Williams was looking for a clean, timeless look and felt that framed pieces would not have the same impact and could start to look a bit dated over time. The solution was to reproduce photos of Williams’ machinery and pipelines on canvas, which fit the company’s distinct vision of what it wanted the décor to portray in the new building.

“After an intensive two-day photo shoot at Williams’ production sites we gave them a choice of hundreds of photos and they picked out the ones they wanted to use in their offices. We zoomed in and cropped some of the photos as necessary to prepare them for printing,” says Betsy Green, design consultant for Creative Interior Imagery. “We wanted to merge the industrial look with fine art using the technology in our business.”

Canvas Wrap Creative Interior ImageryCreative Interior Imagery produced about 20 canvas wraps, most of which were 4′ x 6′, on Sunset Select Matte Canvas with an Epson Stylus Pro 11880. One 10′ x 5′ giant gallery wrap hangs on the wall in a stairwell just outside the lobby.

“Northeast Pennsylvania is considered one of the top production areas for natural gas in the world. The fact that Williams built this brand-new gorgeous building up here me says to me that this company intends to be here for many years to come,” adds Green.

Video: Gallery Wrapped Canvas Start to Finish

AW Artworks – Gallery Wrapped Canvas start to finish from Andrew Wredberg on Vimeo.

Shot at AW Artworks Design Gallery and Studio in Sun Prairie, Wis., the video embedded above gives consumers interested in buying a canvas gallery wrap an inside look at its production.

Canvas Gallery Wrap Video AW Artworks“Every day I see an online deal for $5 canvas that’s supposedly a $120 value. I get questions from people who wonder why our canvas gallery wraps are so much more expensive,” explains Andy Wredberg, AW Artworks’ owner. “This is a video version of my answer, which is that I’m spending the time necessary to make sure their canvas wrap is absolutely perfect with color correction, setting up the image correctly, hand-cutting the frame with high-quality wood, printing with the best canvas material, and coating and wrapping it by hand. We won’t be the cheapest; our goal is to be the best.”

Wredberg printed this sample for the video with a Canon iPF8300 inkjet printer on Sunset Select Matte Canvas. Wredberg builds the stretcher frame from scratch and uses a Tensador II to complete the wrap.

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.