Clear Lake Press Prints Nostalgic Office Décor

Wall Mural by Clear Lake Press

Eric Erickson, prepress systems administrator for Clear Lake Press, Waseca, Minn., loves LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric, and is sticking it everywhere to give customers and prospects a bigger-than-life visual of what they can do with the printable adhesive-back fabric.

The nostalgic photo above was applied at the offices of Clear Lake Press to illustrate the eye-catching displays that can be easily and economically created in similar settings. Erickson has also created visuals in various forms and formats for other environments, like cubicle and bedroom walls.

Cubicle Decor by Clear Lake Press
Clear Lake Press made a cubicle more livable with a view using LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric.

“We’re trying to provide some creative ways of using it, more than just rectangles on walls. You make up something, show it off, and it helps spark ideas for use in their home or business,” says Erickson.

Erickson adds that the unique adhesive, which makes it easy to re-position, remove and re-use is also a big selling point to customers.

“Now that we have offered Print-N-Stick and are showing it off, a lot of people have been asking about it. For instance, we printed some artwork for the Waseca United Way from the front of their brochure. We made a large graphic out of it with Print-N-Stick for use at local businesses to put on their walls and promote the United Way. When they’re done with the promotion, they can peel it off and put it back on the backing paper and hold onto it for future use,” says Erickson.

Printed Wall Graffiti by Clear Lake Press
Wall murals don’t have to be plain rectangles as this cut-out printed wall graffiti illustrates.

For the classic kids’ lemonade stand photo from 1967, Erickson asked the Waseca County Historical Society, a long-time customer, if he could use the photo for their wall. The Historical Society was happy to oblige (with the requisite “be careful with the photo” instructions) and Erickson scanned the original 6 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ black-and-white photo.

The photo was scanned with a desktop Epson scanner and brought into Photoshop for touch-up to get the right tone, and blown up to its final wall mural size of 12′ x 8′. The image was printed in two panels on the company’s Canon iPF8300 and applied horizontally with the help of employees Tonya Wittman and Cory Stencel.

Wall Graphics by Clear Lake Press
Clear Lake Press printed this baby room decor with Print-N-Stick Fabric.

“There’s a little bit of an overlap that you can see. This was our first time applying more than one panel and we learned from the experience. Next time, we’ll include an overlap and slice it right down the middle and take off the excess for a clean, exact cut,” says Erickson. “We love the material and the way the bright white point on the fabric reproduces artwork, whether it’s black-and-white or full color. The coordinator at the Historical Society was thrilled with the mural.

Popular LexJet WallPro SUV Wallcoverings Updated

LexJet WallPro SUV by York
Change an environment to anything your customer wants with high-quality wall decor printed on LexJet WallPro SUV by York. Photo courtesy Fostergraphs, Decorah, Iowa

LexJet has partnered with York Wallcoverings to update its line of inkjet-printable wallpaper compatible with solvent, low-solvent, latex and UV-curable inks. LexJet Velvet WallPro SUV by York, LexJet Pebble WallPro SUV by York and LexJet Canvas WallPro SUV by York are now available in both 15 oz. and 20 oz. weights.

Applied with wallpaper paste, LexJet WallPro SUV by York is a high-quality, permanent wall mural solution for a range of environments, including homes, corporate offices, healthcare facilities, schools, retail stores, museums, restaurants, hotels and resorts, sports and entertainment venues and more.

“LexJet WallPro printed great; it looked like it did on the monitor to the printer,” says Chris Knight, owner of Deck the Walls, Joplin, Mo., regarding a project the company did for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition using LexJet Velvet WallPro SUV.

LexJet Velvet WallPro SUV by York comes in three subtle textures: Velvet, Canvas and Pebble. Velvet has a smooth, lightly textured surface perfect for high-resolution images and photos. Pebble is best for those who desire a more visible texture behind the image. Canvas has the texture of finely woven canvas for a more fine-art look.

“As the oldest and largest wallcovering manufacturer in North America, York understands substrates from a printer’s perspective. And more importantly, we know what works best on walls,” said Tim Quinn, York Wallcoverings Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “York is proud to partner with LexJet in offering six superior-quality LexJet WallPro items.”

LexJet WallPro SUV by York wallcovering substrates also meet Class A fire-rating standards and EPA requirements for low-VOC emitting products.

The 15 oz. and 20 oz. versions of each are available in 54″ x 20′, 54″ x 75′ and 54″ x 150′ rolls from LexJet’s Nationwide Distribution Center Network.

For more information about LexJet WallPro SUV by York, call a LexJet printing specialist at 800-453-9538.

Another Promotional Brick in the Wall

Faux Inkjet Printed Bricks Wall Mural

Brian likes bricks. See Brian make bricks… out of Photo Tex PSA Fabric – Solvent Printers from LexJet.

Brian is Brian Rogers, founder and CEO of Spectra Imaging in Louisville, Ky. He recently brought brick indoors to cover the outside of Spectra Imaging’s showroom.

Inkjet Printed Wall MuralThe outside of Spectra Imaging’s building is covered in brick so Rogers wanted to continue that theme inside to give the space more character, instead of just boring painted walls. More importantly, it makes visiting customers and prospects stop and look, and to ask how Spectra Imaging did it.

“We’ve had a lot of people say that when they first glanced at it they thought it was real brick. Then, the more they looked at it they realized that it wasn’t brick at all and wanted to know more about it,” says Rogers. “We’ve sold a lot of wall murals to companies that see it and want it on their walls; not necessarily brick, but once they know we can print any image on the material, then that’s what they want.”

Inkjet Printed Bathroom DecorAnd sometimes they do want brick, like the customer who requested a brick wall mural for their bathroom décor (pictured here).

“It’s great for companies to dress up their offices because they can use any image. And, if a year later they want to take it down, they can remove it without leaving any residue behind or damaging any of the drywall,” adds Rogers.

Ultimately, the interior décor at Spectra Imaging is a powerful sales tool. And what makes it that much more powerful in this case is the print of a seemingly infinite hallway in and amongst the “brick” on the back door of the showroom.

Rogers could have wrapped the door, but chose instead to print the image directly to a big piece of foam board with a flatbed UV-curable printer. Once the door handle and deadbolt were removed, the printed foam board was stuck to the door with double-sided tape.

The longer wall with just brick is 32 feet long and 82 1/2″ high; the shorter wall with the door is about 20 feet long and the same height. Rogers applied the brick graphics on the longer wall in two panels horizontally. The graphics for the shorter wall were applied in three panels horizontally.

“When we created the file we factored in the door and basically cut it out in the file. Then, we printed the top and bottom panels for the left and right side of the doors and a third smaller panel to apply above the door,” explains Rogers. “To make it as seamless as possible we apply it horizontally. A lot of people apply theirs in vertical panels, but even though it’s a little more difficult to apply it horizontally, I don’t like doing it that way because you create more seams. With this project there was only one seam on each wall in the middle of the wall. We also take our time and use two people for the installation. One person holds the roll and starts applying while the other pulls the release liner.”

Transforming a Blank Space into a Space Base

Space Base Orlando Science Center

The Orlando Science Center aims to immerse visitors in its exhibits. An important element of that immersion is the transformation of the Center’s exhibit spaces with the use of wide format inkjet printing.

The most recent example is an exhibit opening this week at the Orlando Science Center that gives visitors an opportunity to sample what it would be like on a Mars space base. Appropriately, the exhibit is called Space Base.

Space Base Orlando Science CenterThe Space Base’s centerpiece is a Virtusphere, a self-propelled 4D virtual reality experience. Visitors don a head-mounted display and can walk around in the 10-foot rotating sphere, virtually sampling the Space Base environment.

Before the visitors enter the Virtusphere, the scene is set with inkjet-printed wall murals that replicate what one would see through the windows of the Space Base: the Martian landscape. The murals are printed on two walls, one which is 20 feet long and the other 25 feet long.

“For the Virtusphere we used data from Mars to recreate an accurate activity on the surface of Mars that visitors can go through and explore. For the theming I took one of the big surface murals from the Spirit rover and made a big bay window overlooking Mars. It’s all life-size so you feel like you’re there,” says Eric Vickers, Creative Manager for the Orlando Science Center.

Space Base Orlando Science CenterThe Orlando Science Center typically uses either LexJet PolyGloss PSA or LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric to prints its exhibit murals. As noted in the story behind the Curious George: Let’s Get Curious and Engineer It! exhibits, which used Print-N-Stick Fabric, Vickers chose LexJet PolyGloss PSA for the Space Base exhibit because of its gloss finish.

“I wanted it to have a clean, space-station feel. The sheen of the material makes the various parts of the space base look like a metal or plastic material, and not just matte white. The window looks like a window because it has that gloss and sheen to it,” says Vickers. “The PolyGloss also holds up real well to people touching it.”

The murals were printed on a Canon iPF9100 60” inkjet printer. Vickers used Canon’s Photoshop Plug-In to set up and print the 59”-wide vertical panels through Photoshop.

Space Base Orlando Science Center“The Canon plug-ins and driver are so great out of the box, and are very similar to Illustrator’s print controls. We use Illustrator as our main overall layout tool, then make individual art boards for each panel as needed before bringing it into Photoshop,” says Vickers. “We included an inch of overlap for each panel so we had some room for error. When we apply the panels, if we do it vertically from the top, stick the first 6-12” and get it evenly flush where we want it, we can then let it hang and it will flow well down the rest of the panel as we apply it.”

If you’re in Orlando, be sure to see this exhibit and immerse yourself in Mars. The new exhibit runs daily. Check www.osc.org/spacebase for current times.

Menu Updates with Print-N-Stick Fabric

Menus Printed on Print-N-Stick

JuiceWell needed menu signs right away and menu signs that could be easily switched out for its location in the new Santa Barbara Public Market.

One of the neighboring businesses at the Santa Barbara Public Market had something they wanted; a printable fabric with an adhesive that makes the prints removable and reusable so old menus can come down and new ones can go up in their place quickly and easily.

JuiceWell was in luck since local photo and fine art reproduction company Color Services had a roll of what the doctor, or juicer in this case, ordered: LexJet Print-N-Stick Fabric.

“They called on a Wednesday and needed it all on Friday. We printed it late Wednesday night and delivered it early Friday morning. The customer installed it themselves and that’s why they were so thrilled with it: if they change prices or add things to their menu they can change it themselves,” says Glen Hodges, co-owner of Color Services. “We also found that it renders better blacks than other fabrics we’ve worked with. We noticed right away that it has a bright-white base, so it helps make the black deeper.”

Color Services printed six menu panels of varying sizes on a Canon iPF8300 from LexJet and then coated them for added durability with a water-based lacquer. The results met JuiceWell’s every need and showcase an additional application Color Services can provide its customers.

JuiceWell shop owner Sharon Egan said, “The ease of installing both large and small wall clings was pretty much mistake-proof and a testament to the quality of the material Color Services uses. Their printing is sharp and rich, and their team does an amazing job in taking care of and going the extra mile for the customer.”

Color Services plans to follow up with more prints on the front counter at JuiceWell, and is ready to go with any menu changes on the fly.

Important Wall Graphics Application Update

3M recently released a Bulletin regarding graphics application over low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints, which 3M says are becoming increasingly popular and can cause adhesion issues.

Installing Wall Graphics3M’s recommendation is to clean a section of the wall twice with a mixture of 70 percent isopropyl alcohol and 30 percent water.

Then, apply strips of the graphic to the cleaned areas where the graphic will be installed and observe their release characteristics after 15 minutes. If the adhesion looks good, use the same cleaning method to prepare the entire application area.

However, be sure the surface hasn’t been freshly painted. Installation professional Keith Bernard of Road Signs in Sarasota, Fla., says to avoid alcohol on freshly painted surfaces. “A lot of interior barricades you find at malls are drywall with a fresh coat of primer, and if you use alcohol you run the risk of smearing the paint, which will cause adhesion problems with the material you’re installing,” he says.

And, as you prepare for the application, the first rule with inkjet-printed media is to allow the ink to dry and set for a minimum of 24 hours. Then, it’s safe to apply to whatever substrate you’re using. Also, when you prepare the surface, don’t use soap, Windex or any ammonia-based cleaners as they leave a residue that will affect the graphic’s adhesion. It’s best to follow 3M’s recommended cleaning and application procedures, which you can also find detailed at http://3mgraphics.com/lowVOC.

If you need any additional help or advice, give one of our experts a call at 800-453-9538.