HP Durable Backlit Fabric and SEG Frame – A Perfect Pair

When it comes to attention-grabbing backlit graphics, standing out from the crowd is paramount. For years, backlit graphics were printed on a polyester film and then placed in a framed light box. Even with advances in printer and media technology, most are still done that way today.

Enter the innovative combination of HP Durable Backlit Fabric and SEG frames. Combined with Keder tape, this option offers a quick solution that helps you light up any tradeshow graphic, POP/retail, even offer a new take on decorative art. The Durable Backlit fabric is lightweight and easily rolled, saving you time and money in shipping, while also reducing the potential for damaged graphics during transit.

The soft signage market is gaining momentum, as advertisers are looking for new ways to gain attention in a digital age. With people sharing cool and unique applications on social media, producing share-worthy graphics is a new challenge facing the industry. The opportunity to create unique applications is endless with HP Durable Backlit Fabric. With crisp, sharp lines and a brilliant color gamut, your graphics will look more like art than advertising.

For additional information and applications, call 800-453-9538 to speak with a LexJet sales rep or visit lexjet.com to purchase HP Durable Backlit Fabric today.

Say It on Nearly Any Surface with panoRama Walk & Wall

Now available at LexJet: panoRama’s Walk & Wall, a textured, self-adhesive, non-slip vinyl that can be repositioned for your next tradeshow, floor, sidewalk or wall mural project.

Because it requires no lamination, panoRama’s Walk & Wall is a one-step solution for short- to medium-term indoor and outdoor applications.

GVH Studio and its Recession-Proof Approach to Wide Format Printing

Printing wall murals for an exhibitIt’s always nice to find success stories in and amongst a general recessionary atmosphere. It is these success stories, and the methods employed for success, that will help lead all of us out of economic uncertainty.

Case in point is GVH Studio, based in Bennington, Vt. Though not near a major metropolitan area (the closest city outside of Bennington is Albany, N.Y.), GVH Studio has not only weathered the storm, but thrived with 15-20 percent growth over the past few years.

GVH Studio’s success is due to the company’s strict adherence to a core philosophy that combines quality, customer service, on-time delivery, solid vendor relationships and attention to detail. Of course these are all elements that every company strives for, but putting them into practice consistently requires constant vigilance.

“A generally understood element of wide format is that it’s going to be really big and no one will walk up to it, which is not always true. At museums, for instance, people walk up to it and look at it closely, so you want to see image quality and color fidelity,” explains GVH Studio’s owner Greg Van Houten. “Then we have to get it there on time, and that’s one of the biggest challenges with printing in general. When a museum is opening an exhibit it has to get there, and that’s what we do. That’s been the basis of our growth. Our clients rely on that, and do not want to risk it by shopping for a lower price. We survey the installation site before we produce a job to make sure we have the right media at the right size with the right approach. We strive to understand the job from all angles before it goes into production.”

Printing exhibit graphicsThis deadline-oriented approach comes from years of experience before Van Houten opened and incorporated GVH Studio about five years ago. Previously, Van Houten worked in the offset pre-press industry where his specialty was color correction, imaging and darkroom photography.

“In offset, delivery is everything. We were doing everything from publishing to national one-page advertising, and it was a culture of making deadlines. You learn techniques to get things going and what to get going first and how to get things in line from there,” explains Van Houten. “Our goal is to deliver the jobs early, and not be opening up with the customers on the day it’s due and finding mistakes then. That’s just an attitude. A lot of it just comes from understanding the customer and what your role in their life is. Very early in my career I can remember getting excited about a thousand-dollar job, and then realizing that the production manager is trying to traffic a $3 million television campaign. They don’t want a $1,000 job to eat up their day; you have to make it happen for them so they can check it off their list. So you have to find out what your role is in their production workflow and be part of their production system.”

All of this is accomplished over an impressive range of applications and client types: Museums, industrial clients, corporate clients, special events, trade shows, vehicle wraps, banners and design-build projects of all stripes. Despite the variety of work that comes through the door, Van Houten says they keep a relatively limited inventory of different print media.

“I try to keep my product line relatively small. I don’t want 400 brands of PSA vinyl on the shelf. Quality control and predictability are synonymous. When you change media all the time, you lose track of what it does, how it performs in the field and how it prints,” says Van Houten. “I’ve worked with shops that fight everything tooth and nail just to get a couple of cents per square foot off the media, and they do every job with a different brand of material and no one knows what it does. As an example, we use LexJet’s Simple Flo Wrap Vinyl for different applications, including vehicles, and we know what it’s going to do and how it will perform. We use specialty media when the project calls for it, of course, but we try not to jump around too much.”

Printing durable tradeshow graphicsVan Houten maintains a close relationship with his vendors, making sure that he’s up to date with them on billing while nurturing that relationship as much as possible. After all, says Van Houten, “I tend to use the same vendors and when I need a favor, I need a favor. If someone pays their bills, you’ll get to their job and get it done, and that’s the way we are. It’s not just about the customers and our guys here in the shop, it’s also about our vendor chain, whether it’s a fabricator or a media supplier. We try to find vendors we can depend on and are responsive. LexJet, and specifically Jaime Mask, have been fantastic. She’s great and fun to work with; it’s a very pleasant and enjoyable relationship. And if she’s not there, there’s always someone to pick up the phone and get me what I need. I don’t shop around with a bunch of vendors trying to find three cents off a square foot. I like the material, LexJet gets it to me on time, and that’s what I need to know. I won’t deal with someone I don’t like anymore. I fired a customer a couple of years ago. I got to the point where I didn’t want to do their work anymore. They made us crazy, didn’t pay their bills and screamed at us. This is not why I come to work in the morning. We’re very fortunate to have wonderful customers and very enjoyable vendors to work with; it keeps the ulcers away.”

GVH Studio produces its work on an Epson GS6000 low-solvent and three HP Designjet 5000 Series aqueous printers. The Epson is generally used for outdoor work and the HPs for indoor projects. Ultimately it boils down to project parameters and budget. The production area is complete with a 60″ SEAL laminator, a 54″ Graphtec cutter and tables with rollers so that they can be moved out of the way for larger projects that require more floor space.

The shop setup is a kind of an ergonomic extension of the company’s core philosophy. It’s built for efficiency and flexibility so that GVH Studio can ensure all of the qualities it brings to the table for its client base. It’s less about cutting costs on items like print media or production equipment and more about creating efficiencies that bring costs down and reduce turnaround times.

Wrapping a box truck with graphics“Everybody’s trying to do things economically; the bigger the company the more price conscious they are because they’re looking for ways to cut costs. The smaller the operation, however, the more they want to see success and get a quality product. A lot of times they don’t know what that means, exactly, and that’s where we step in,” says Van Houten. “You can always find something cheaper. We show up and make sure you’re happy with it, and in the long run you’ll spend less money if you use us than if you bounce around to different vendors to shop price. If one of my regular customers comes in and they’re not happy with it, we’ll do it over. Those are the people who pay our mortgage, and we want them to walk out of here thinking their money is well spent. That’s how clients come back and justify doing the next project with us to their people.”

The Latest Lifetime Warranty for Trade Show Graphics

LexJet recently added LexJet 10 Mil Opaque Display Film with LexJet 10 Mil PreLume ExhibitGuard to its tradeshow solutions that come with a lifetime warranty against tunneling and de-lamination. The lifetime warranty provides LexJet customers with both peace of mind and an additional sales tool to help differentiate their graphics in the competitive tradeshow market.

The other tradeshow product combinations that come with a lifetime warranty include LexJet’s flagship tradeshow product combination – LexJet Clear PreLume HD backed with one of LexJet’s PreLume Opaque White Backers – and LexJet 10 Mil Opaque Display Film with LexJet 10 Mil PreLume DisplayFlex.

Each product combination has been tested and developed to ensure a solid bond between the two materials – either backer or laminate with the base printable material – so that the graphics will not split, tear or de-laminate, regardless of how many times the graphics are shipped, unpacked, installed, packed and shipped again.

LexJet 10 Mil Opaque Display Film is a bright-white, high gloss polyester film with an instant-dry coating and light blocking layer designed for quick and simple production. It is compatible with dye and pigmented inks on printers that use thermal or piezo printheads. LexJet 10 Mil PreLume ExhibitGuard is a polycarbonate film that enhances both the look and durability of the finished graphics. The laminate incorporates PreLume, an optical reflection technology that ensures brighter and cleaner white areas, producing graphics that stand out and grab the attention of passersby in a variety of indoor applications.