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Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Vinyl Application Christmas Gift

Prints by Stephen Edward Graphics

Just in time for Christmas, Stephen Weber, owner of Stephen Edward Graphics, Brandon, Wis., treated himself to an early gift, a 56-inch wide Big Squeegee. Just in time, too, since he had some large (4×8) background panels to print for a Christmas play at a local church.

Big Squeegee Vinyl Application“I had never applied vinyl to something that big. Typically we use a hand squeegee. I started doing it with a hand squeegee and realized it wouldn’t work very well,” recalls Weber. “I found out about the Big Squeegee at an online forum. I ordered it, tried it and the first one worked flawlessly.”

Weber produced three large panel backdrops, printed on HP Permanent Adhesive Matte Vinyl with his new HP Latex 310 Printer from LexJet.

HP Latex 310 Printer“You roll the print up onto a roll. The squeegee sits behind the roll and you walk the squeegee down the board. It takes the backer off as you apply it and goes right along the board,” explains Weber. “It came out real smooth. You can also use it to apply laminates. I didn’t laminate these prints, but I’ve printed some car decals that I applied laminate to and it worked very well. Then you can take it to the cutter and contour-cut it.”

For demo videos of the Big Squeegee applicator, click here. And, to find out more about the HP Latex 310 Printer and HP Permanent Adhesive Matte Vinyl, contact a LexJet print specialist at 800-453-9538.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Tips & Tricks
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Making Production Simple for Signs and Vehicle Graphics

Advanced Signs and Graphics uses LexJet Simple Flo Wrap Vinyl for a lot more than just vehicle graphics because it's ecomonical and simple to use.

Advanced Signs and Graphics, Lancaster, Pa., has found that LexJet Simple Flo Wrap Vinyl is far more versatile than the name implies. Production Manager Bill Felter says the company uses Simple Flo for a lot of different applications beyond vehicles, particularly larger display boards that can be difficult and awkward to apply vinyl to.

“It goes down so nice and you’re able to work out any bubbles or air pockets, especially for large pieces where we’re mounting to wood, PVC or any other material. We don’t have a lot of space, so working on big projects can be a challenge and hinder the application process. Simple Flo makes it so much easier,” says Felter. “It’s got that honeycomb backing and if you have any air pockets it’s very easy to get them out. Once it’s down, and if you have to reposition it a bit, you can pull it up easily and put it back down. The way that it handles and the way it mounts to substrates saves us a ton of time, plus it cuts down on material waste. Over the course of a couple of months it probably saves me a few hundred dollars in spoilage.”

Felter says that Simple Flo is less expensive than similar vinyl products, making it easier to justify its use on projects he might have used an intermediate vinyl on in the past. “I’ve been using it as our everyday vinyl for a lot of different things, like simple post-and-panel signs, real estate signs mounted on half-inch board, display boards where we wrap the vinyl around the edges and even a large 12 ft. x 4 ft. Sign Foam display piece,” adds Felter. “The print quality is as good as any vinyl I’ve printed on; it prints colors that are just as vibrant as a higher-end vinyl.”