Prints That Win: Urban Assault

For a professional photographer who has made a career of portraits featuring Santa Claus, the PPA Southwest District winner in the artist category, titled “Urban Assault,” was a huge departure for Chris Smith, M.Photog.

Smith captured the Sunset Print Award-winning image during a SWAT team training session in Midlothian, Texas, when he was requested to shoot the training. It turned out to be an ideal opportunity to get creative for print competition.

“Competition work is something that I do for myself because it is so detailed,” Smith says. “It is very therapeutic digging into that level of detail.”

Visit LexJet at Dscoop in San Antonio

We’re feeling the heat leading up to this year’s Dscoop Conference, which is celebrating the “Architects of Tomorrow” April 14 to 16 in San Antonio, Texas.

Dscoop brings together the HP Graphic Arts business owners and technical professionals who use HP Indigo, Scitex, High-End Latex and IHPS equipment. In past years, only members could attend the conference, but for this year’s event, Dscoop has opened up membership to everyone within the HP Graphic Solutions community.

So if you’re joining us at Dscoop, be sure to stop by LexJet’s booth #229 where we’ll show you how to “Think LexJet” for primers, overprint varnishes and all of your large-format decor needs. You’ll also learn how LexJet is capable of offering customized functional primers for indigo printing. And we’ll leave you with a hot parting gift, too!

We hope to see you at Dscoop next month. Got questions? Give us a call at 800-453-9538.

Using Baryta Papers to Achieve Black-and-White Excellence

For Wonderwall Studio in Austin, Texas, the presentation is as much of an art process as the creation of the artwork itself. The company prints and finishes a variety of images from photographers and artists around the world, and a key focus is choosing the right media to print to. The master printers at Wonderwall print to paper, canvas, wood, metals, mirrors and acrylic frames and boxes, to name a few.

Grand Central StationCompany co-founder and 20-year artwork printing pro Joseph Garcia says he mass-produced artwork in the past, but today his team focuses primarily on high-end art. To stay true to the artist’s or photographer’s work and deliver it in a variety of applications, working with quality substrates is paramount.

For black-and-white image printing, Garcia says he relies on Hahnemuhle FineArt Baryta 325g and Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308g, both currently available at reduced pricing from LexJet. This image of Grand Central Station, at left, was printed on the Baryta paper.

Last Call and Details on the Upcoming Hands-On Printer Workshops

Printing Workshops in California and TexasEverything you wanted to know about inkjet printing for a variety of fine art, sign and display and photography applications will be known at the upcoming free hands-on workshops in Irvine, Calif., on Aug. 13, and Irving, Texas, on Aug. 20.

Sponsored by Canon and LexJet, the workshops will feature a close examination of Canon’s printer technology and software, with operational and efficiency tips, followed by a treasure trove of in-depth information on working with photo papers, fine art papers, canvas, films and vinyl.

You’ll find out what makes each inkjet material tick and how to finish, present and apply them. Moreover, expert presenters from Canon and LexJet will guide you through the most profitable, unique and saleable applications you can accomplish in your market.

For instance, you’ll learn all about canvas from start to finish: how the inkjet coating, material composition and finish impact the printed image, followed by guidelines on coating and stretching canvas, and the most profitable applications.

When you attend the workshops you’ll also receive a $50 gift certificate from LexJet, inkjet media swatchbooks, special printer and inkjet media promotions, printed samples and other giveaways. A continental breakfast and lunch will also be provided.

To sign up for either Irvine, Calif. (Aug. 13) or Irving, Texas (Aug. 20), and if you have any questions, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538. Space is limited, so call to get your seat today, and before registration closes on Aug. 9 for Irvine and Aug. 16 for Irving.

Canon and LexJet Offering Hands-On Printer Workshops in California and Texas

Canon and LexJet Host Printer WorkshopsCanon U.S.A. and LexJet announce two free two-day workshops that address the inkjet printing workflow for a variety of applications for digital photography and fine art (day one) and sign and display applications (day two). Attendees are invited to partake in one or both days of the workshop.

The workshops will be led by inkjet printing experts from Canon and LexJet and will take place in Irvine, Calif., Aug 13-14, and Irving, Texas, Aug. 20-21. They are geared toward anyone interested in learning about new and profitable applications and how to maximize their print workflow.

LexJet Canon Printer WorkshopAttendees will learn how to use the latest Canon imagePROGRAF (iPF) wide format inkjet printers, Canon printer software, applications relevant to your market with application demonstrations, and sure-fire production techniques to increase efficiency and profitability.

The first day of the workshop will focus on digital photography and fine art printing applications, with an emphasis on canvas printing and finishing. The second day will focus on sign and display printing applications, including window graphics, trade show and banner displays, wall murals and more.

The workshops will run from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. both days. Workshop attendees will receive a $50 gift certificate from LexJet, inkjet media swatchbooks, special printer and inkjet media promotions, printed samples, and other giveaways. A continental breakfast and lunch will also be provided.

The number of attendees each day is limited, so please contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538 to learn more about these workshops or to register to attend in Irvine, Aug. 13-14 or Irving, Aug. 20-21.

Unique All-Purpose Vinyl Applications for All Kinds of Signs

LexJet Simple Adhesive Vinyl
This construction barricade was printed on LexJet Simple Adhesive Vinyl – Semi-Matte for a medical center.

 

Alan Russell, manager of FastSigns – Airway in El Paso, produces a lot of day-to-day flat sign work, but the truth is that much of it you really wouldn’t characterize as “day-to-day.” In the examples pictured here, Russell and his crack staff had to find a custom solution that would stay within the customer’s budget.

Dry Erase Laminate
An example of one of the dry erase boards printed on LexJet Simple Adhesive Vinyl and laminated with LexJet Dry Erasable Gloss Laminate that FastSigns – Airway in El Paso produces for various groups at Fort Bliss.

“We’re located in a budget-conscious town, so we have to watch the bottom line and keep our re-cuts down,” says Russell. “A big part of that is picking the right print material. For our standard, all-purpose sign printing we mainly use LexJet Simple Adhesive Vinyl – Semi-Matte. We use it both on our Mimaki solvent and our UV-curable flatbed. It’s an economical vinyl that prints well. It also seems like our re-do’s have gone down in production because it’s a little thicker than most economy vinyls.”

Dry Erase and Info Boards
FastSigns – Airway in El Paso serves the U.S. military base, Fort Bliss, and in doing so they’re asked to create fairly unusual pieces to support the base’s mission. Dry erase boards are a common request, which the shop fulfills using LexJet Simple Adhesive Vinyl for the background graphic, laminated with LexJet Dry Erasable Gloss Laminate (2 Mil).

Sign Printing Vinyl
The change-of-command board printed with a faux wood finish on LexJet Simple Adhesive Vinyl.

“The solution has worked beautifully. The dry erase laminate doesn’t seem to be prone to the same issues as other dry erase laminates, such as having problems with certain marker colors,” explains Russell. “The vast majority of our customers will have us print their dry erase board graphic with the dry erase laminate, which we’ll mount to a piece of Dibond or similar material, and they end up with a relatively inexpensive dry erase board. We do a nice little rounded corner, put a couple of holes in it or put hardware on the back for them to hang it, or however they want it.”

Similarly, the FastSigns staff printed a change-of-command board with a wood grain texture to mimic the look of the old homemade boards made out of plywood. The old ones were, well, old, plus very heavy to move from place to place.

Vinyl graphics for signs
A combination of cut-out graphics and photos printed on LexJet Simple Adhesive Vinyl with dimensional Gemini lettering. FastSigns – Airway in El Paso also has a number of A-frame signs printed with Simple Adhesive Vinyl used at checkpoints in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I found a decent photograph of wood grain, printed the wood grain pattern for the background, and made a banner across the top out of Ultra Board with dimensional lettering and they were ecstatic. The fact that the vinyl provides some texture when printed on the flatbed is incredible. They were blown away because one guy can carry around this 4×8 piece,” says Russell.

Cut-Outs and Construction Barriers
Though FastSigns – Airway in El Paso does not have CNC equipment, they do a lot of die-cut signage with woodworking equipment. Russell says he likes LexJet Simple Adhesive Vinyl for these projects because it doesn’t tear when they cut it or peel it up.

Moreover, Russell says the vinyl works well with the flatbed printer. Though they could obviously print directly to the board (and they do), on flat sign projects that use larger pieces of board, Russell prefers to print to the vinyl. If there’s a misprint, it’s a lot easier and less expensive to re-print a piece of vinyl than it is a board.

“The heat doesn’t impact the vinyl, the ink bonds well with it, and the signs look great. The fact that it’s not super-shiny gives the pictures and logos they use a great finish: a real nice textured, almost painted look. It’s thick, so when someone bumps into it they won’t ruin it. It’s not a delicate vinyl, whereas other thinner vinyls aren’t as durable,” says Russell. “We have certain methods to be cost-effective, and this is one of them. We do not and cannot sell a cheap product. We have to be competitive on a square foot cost basis, but we can’t sell cheap stuff. We give them the product they need and they don’t have to spend a lot.”

For construction barricades and other similar projects, LexJet Simple Adhesive Vinyl is again the print material of choice. The project pictured here for a medical center was up for one day and consisted of about 14 panels.

Though it was a one-day event, the medical center used the panels for other events. “They used those panels for several years, they took a beating and they still look great,” says Russell.