Keeping the Beat with Custom Drum Graphics

Printing custom drum graphics and images

Decorating drums with custom images is a real challenge. Though you can get the drums in hundreds of different colors and styles, from wood grain to pearlescent, it’s not very practical to apply photographs and other full-color designs to a drum kit.

That may have all changed recently when custom drum maker, Bill Cardwell of C&C Custom Drums in Gladstone, Mo., decorated custom drums for the closing ceremonies of this summer’s Olympic Games. Cardwell was introduced to the material that would make this particular project work, and work well, by Mike Bertram, a doctor with a drumming habit who’s been working on a simple and efficient way to produce custom drum graphics.

Bertram told Cardwell about LexJet Avatrex and the race was on to provide the custom graphics for the Olympics as quickly as possible since there were only a few days left to get them produced and shipped.

Cardwell got the images from Coca-Cola, one of the sponsors of the closing ceremonies, and Bertram had the images printed in reverse on LexJet Avatrex and sent to Cardwell to apply to the drums. Cardwell says he applied the graphics with a drop of dishwashing liquid and water and it went on smoothly and easily.

“One of the problems we’ve run into in the past with vinyl is that it has a tendency to crimp up along the edges where the metal parts are attached to the drum shell. The Infinium is so thin and conformable that it doesn’t have the same problem,” explains Cardwell. “And, we’ve always had to put a clear coat of some sort over the top of it for protection, and we didn’t have to put anything on the Avatrex. It was also easier to lay flat and work out the bubbles. It really worked well for applying it to a drum shell.”

Avatrex is typically applied with heat and pressure for more permanent applications, conforming to the material to which it’s applied and essentially becoming part of that material. However, since this was a temporary application and time was of the essence, a “cold” application works just fine.

“As a drummer, I’ve watched the industry evolve over time, but the application of custom graphics to drums really hasn’t changed much over the years,” says Bertram. “Now that Avatrex is available it’s a whole new ballgame because the process can be streamlined and it applies to wood really well.”

CBS Outdoor and Titan Approved MetroMark Transit Vinyl Available in 62-Inch Widths

Transit advertising graphicsDesigned for outdoor transit applications and CBS Outdoor and Titan approved, MetroMark Transit Vinyl will be available in 62-inch widths at LexJet in mid-June, but you can pre-order the product now. This is good news since bus posters are typically 30 inches wide, so you’ll have less waste when you print two-up. Other sizes include 54″ x 150′, 54″ x 20′, 54″ x 300′, 64″ x 150′, 64″ x 300′, 64″ x 300′ (six-inch core) and 64″ x 750′.

“We love using MetroMark. It was easy to profile, prints consistent and reliable with great image quality, it applies quickly, and removes without heat. MetroMark has all the right features at a great price,” says Keith Bernard, owner of Road Signs Inc., Sarasota, Fla.

MetroMark Transit Vinyl is designed for outdoor transit applications like bus kings, queens and tail posters. It’s a 3.5-mil opaque, flexible vinyl with a matte finish, compatible with solvent, low-solvent, UV-curable and latex inks. The vinyl can also be layered if need be.

It can be used for temporary transit advertising programs. With a one-year removable adhesive it’s easy to take off and swap out at the end of the program. And, at around 22 cents per square foot, it’s an economical way to get your customer’s message across in transit.

For more information about MetroMark Transit Vinyl, as well as LexJet solutions for a variety of applications, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538.

LexJet Offers Removable, Repositionable Inkjet Printable Vinyl

Applying removable vinyl to window for advertisingFor wide format inkjet printing projects where repositionability and removability is an important consideration, LexJet’s new Opaque AquaVinyl Removable PSA fits the bill.

The low-tack adhesive was formulated to make repositioning during installation a breeze and removes cleanly and easily when it’s time to take the graphic down. Applications include short-term window graphics, signs and point of sale displays.

The vinyl base is water resistant with aqueous dye and UV inks, as well as latex inks, and provides a bright white matte base for excellent image reproduction and minimal glare for optimum viewing in any lighting situation.

For more information about LexJet Opaque AquaVinyl Removable PSA and to order, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538. Like all LexJet products, it comes with a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee and LexJet’s $9.99 flat rate shipping from a nationwide network of distribution centers.

LexJet’s New Sales & Application Guides Help Imaging Professionals Sell More

Sales and application guides for wide format inkjet printing and imagingPrint shops and other imaging professionals looking for an effective sales tool that shows, tells and sells their wide-format printing output now have LexJet’s Large Format Graphics Sales & Application Guides to help seal the deal on the spot with their customers.

The new Sales & Application Guides are hard-bound, three-ring binder media product books. One guide details more than 50 aqueous inkjet media compatible with the latest printers from Canon, Epson and HP. The other guide includes more than 50 inkjet media compatible with solvent, low-solvent, UV-curable and latex printers. Both guides include about a dozen media-laminate combinations as well.

“The Sales & Application Guides serve a dual purpose. Most importantly, they allow print shop salespeople to show their customers the actual inkjet materials and all the creative options at their disposal for any application they can imagine, including those they didn’t realize were even possible,” says Rick Nerenhausen, LexJet’s director of sales. “It’s also a great educational tool for everyone in the print shop, from sales and purchasing to production.”

The Sales & Applications Guides include sheets of banner materials, display films, vinyl media, fine art and photo papers, wall coverings, complete trade show and point of purchase solutions, and various laminates.

Each product includes a brief description, as well as features, applications and technical details. One half of the media is printed and the other is blank so customers can see how colors reproduce on each material and the texture, surface properties and base color of the material before it’s printed.

Supplies are limited, so to purchase a LexJet Sales & Application Guide (Aqueous and SUV), contact a LexJet account specialist at 800-453-9538. Like all LexJet products, the Large Format Graphics Sales & Application Guides come with a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee, $9.99 flat rate shipping anywhere in the U.S. and Canada and fast delivery from one of LexJet’s 15 nationwide distribution centers.

Wall Murals and Decals Made Simple with Simple WallCal

Printing custom wall murals and decalsFollowing the recent introduction of Simple Perforated Window Vinyl (70/30), LexJet announces the latest addition to its Simple line of imaging materials for solvent, low-solvent, latex and UV-curable printers: LexJet Simple WallCal (6 Mil).

With Simple WallCal in your media arsenal you can enhance any home, retail or commercial environment with one-of-a-kind custom wall murals and cut-out decals without the added expense of professional installers. Simple WallCal is very easy to install, thanks to the innovative microsphere adhesive that allows the material to be repositioned frequently during installation.

Simple WallCal is removable for up to one year after installation, making it the ideal choice for wall murals and graphics that will be replaced at least once a year. When removed within a year’s time, Simple WallCal will peel right off without damaging the wall or leaving any residue.

With a 6-mil thickness and a lay-flat liner, the semi-rigid premium matte vinyl is also easy to work with in production and will not curl, either in production, during installation or while it’s on the wall. Like all LexJet Simple materials, Simple WallCal images exceptionally well and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

For more information about Simple WallCal and other Simple materials for vehicle, window, floor, carpet and other applications, contact a LexJet account specialist at 800-453-9538.

Winning the Advertising Turf Battle with Tabletop Graphics

Printing and wrapping tabletops for advertisingSometimes the solution is right in front of you, even on the table where you rest your beer. At least that was the solution that Billy Owen, graphic designer for Grellner Sales & Service in Sedalia, Mo., came up with to cut through the advertising clutter and boost the visibility of the company’s beverage brands at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia.

“It’s difficult to get our name out there because every inch of the fair is covered with ads. You have to be creative about it, so we thought we’d decorate these tabletops at the fair for the various brands we carry, like Boulevard, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Coors Light and Smirnoff,” explains Owen. “We put some more eye-grabbing elements together in Photoshop, printed the images on LexJet Extreme AquaVinyl w/ PSA, applied them, and they turned out pretty awesome.”

Wrapping tabletops to promote a brandOwen chose Extreme AquaVinyl based on the recommendation of his LexJet customer specialist, Kelly Price. He was looking for something durable enough to withstand the abuse of fairgoers without lamination and removable. The material fit the bill perfectly. “Kelly is great,” says Owen. “When I’m looking for the right material for a project, especially unusual applications, Kelly is always there to help.”

The tabletops were printed on the beverage distributor’s new Canon iPF8000S, which has become the workhorse printer for Grellner and its four additional branches. “I print most of the big projects for our branches, especially in the summer with events and concerts, so my workload has increased quite a bit and the printer has kept up with the demand. It’s a great printer; I love it,” says Owen.

Printing and applying graphics to tabletopsOwen says that the idea didn’t come completely out of the blue since one of Grellner’s other branches had printed a successful tabletop project. For the fair, they wrapped about 18 different tabletops and the application to each one was seamless and flawless.

“We have a lot of experience with similar applications, so we were able to apply them quickly and smoothly. We just peeled the liner back, smoothed the vinyl down with a squeegee and wrapped it around the edges,” explains Owen. “Everybody loved the tables, and it’s another way we can try to boost our sales over last year. I just went to check them out last night and they’re holding up very well.”