This offer ends March 31. Limit one 2-for-1 floor graphics/laminate combo short roll per customer. Use Promo Code SIFAV5 when purchasing online (the second letter in the Promo Code, by the way, is an uppercase i).

Be sure to download the Application Guide to Floor and Carpet Graphics, which includes useful information on how to sell and install floor and carpet graphics. You can also access other valuable guides and white papers at LexJet’s Learning Center.

Other guides at the Learning Center include: 

·         Coating, Stretching and Wrapping Canvas 

·         How to Create a Wall Mural

·         Increase Revenue by Offering Banner Stands

·         Printer Pre-Installation and Shipment Guide

You can find how-to and demonstration videos on a myriad of topics related to your business and graphics production at www.youtube.com/lexjet, including Installing LexJet Simple Indoor FloorAd and Installing LexJet Simple CarpetAd.

For more information, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538.

The videos detail the setup for various models of spring-back, retractable, and telescopic banner stands and include options that can be used indoors or outdoors, as well as the Coyote Pop-Up Display for trade show booths.

Display hardware and how-to videos featured in the playlist include:

• Coyote Pop Up Display Demonstration
• Spring 3 Retractable Banner Stan Demonstration
• Zoom Banner Stand Demonstration
• Retractor 2 Banner Stand Demonstration
• Blizzard Outdoor Banner Stand Demonstration
• Pegasus Telescopic Banner Stand Demonstration
• Orient Retractable Banner Stand Demonstration
• Imagine Retractable Banner Stand Demonstration
• Expand MediaScreen Demonstration
• Expand XStand Demonstration
• Expand Banner Stands – Trimming a Graphic
• Using Expand Banner Stand Templates in Adobe Illustrator
• Using Expand Banner Stand Templates in Adobe Photoshop

For more information about these display products, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538. You can also find more about these products and other display hardware at www.lexjet.com in the Display Hardware category.

The last time we spoke to John Reiff Williams, he was preparing for the big showing of his work at Thomas Paul Fine Art in Los Angeles. More than 50 pigment inkjet prints later, the exhibition opened this past weekend to what Williams characterized as a “sea of people.”

“It became almost a retrospective, in that my beach work was done in the late ’70s. Having that as a reference point helped people make the leap between the earlier single-point perspective concept to going liquid in the photography. It helped me explain that evolution during the opening, and the people there seemed to grasp the concept,” says Williams.

The three photographic series – the La Jolla Beach Project, The Edge of Collapse Series from Mexico City and the Hollywood Boulevard Series – are all featured at the gallery exhibition, which is expected to run through March.

Most of the work was printed on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308 g on Williams’ Epson 3800 Stylus Pro inkjet photo printer. A couple of the bigger pieces (30″ x 40″) were printed by a service bureau.

Originally, the prototype frames were welded metal, but maple frames were used instead. Optium Museum Acrylic was used over the prints in place of glass to cut down on glare.

“In terms of presentation the component that was really astonishing to me was that museum acrylic over the images. So much of the work is in the low end as far as tonality so it was important that the lights didn’t distract from the photography. And, the maple frames did their job and made the work pop so that the photographs were the star of the show,” says Williams.

For more information about the exhibit at Thomas Paul Fine Art, go to www.tpaulfineart.com/. And, for an insider’s view of the thought process behind the photographic series at the exhibition, click here.

As with the rebates, this 0% financing promotion expires on March 31. The lease program will have a $1 end-of-term purchase option.

For more information about the rebates, 0% financing and Canon’s line of wide format inkjet printers, contact a LexJet account specialist at 800-453-9538. You can also learn about printer setup, workflow, software and other tips at the Canon iPF Printers and Workflow playlist at LexJet’s YouTube channel.

February Webinar Schedule

Thursday, Feb. 9, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET, Editing Portraits in Photoshop & Getting Prints Back that Match Your Display!
Spend an hour with host Joe Brady learning how to edit portrait photographs to create images clients will love. Joe will share some of his favorite techniques, tips and tricks for adding shape, direction and finish to portraits. From simple blemish removal to complex reshaping of body parts, these step-by-step tutorials will enhance your Photoshop skills and improve your editing quality and speed.

Before starting any serious editing, it’s critical that a photographer’s monitor is calibrated and profiled. Joe will start with a short profiling demonstration and then dive into Photoshop edits.

Topics that will be covered include the why and how of monitor calibration and portrait edits from minor to major including: correcting color casts, exposure issues, blemish removal, body re-shaping, skin softening and “glows”, layer masking for local control, light shaping, adding “pop” to flat images, image sharpening and preparing files for lab printing.

Tuesday, Feb. 14, 11:00 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET, Image Edits and Enhancements in Lightroom 3
While many photographers have become comfortable with the basic image edits available in Adobe Lightroom 3, some of the more powerful image editing capabilities remain a mystery. Host Joe Brady will explore both basic and advanced image editing techniques in a software program every photographer should have.

Joe will first discuss Lightroom’s Library Module and deciding how and where to organize images. He will also discuss how to make sure a monitor is calibrated to show the most accurate color so that prints will match what is seen on screen as closely as possible. Joe will also share his favorite editing tips, including

retouching, creating masks for local adjustments, using the gradient tool, cropping for composition and other fine details to best prepare a file for printing.

Topics that will be covered include why monitor color is important for Lightroom 3 (and what can be expected in LR 4?) and image edits and batch processing including: Global image edits, local color and light adjustments, retouching both skin and landscape blemishes, composition, image sharpening options, and preparing files for lab printing.

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 1 p.m. ET, For the Birds! Nature Photography with Maxis Gamez
Nature photographer Maxis Gamez specializes in bird photography. As a self-taught photographer he views the world from a different perspective capturing powerful images that have been featured in Audubon, Shutterbug, Outdoor Photography Magazine, and Nature Photographers Magazine.

Maxis will share his secrets for capturing amazing images of birds relying on X-Rite color management solutions and Nik Software to enhance and finish his images. Attendees will learn how the X-Rite i1Display Pro and Nik Software’s Viveza 2 can give them the creative edge they need. Using live software demonstration Maxis will share some of his techniques for creating amazing bird photographs. He will demonstrate how to pull details from digital images using Nik’s Control Points showing the before and after results.

Who should attend: amateur and enthusiast photographers, nature and wildlife photographers, bird and raptor specialists, and birders interested in photography.

Thursday, Feb. 16, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET, Edit & Enhance Landscape Images in Photoshop
Photographers spending an hour with host Joe Brady will learn how to enhance landscape images using Adobe Photoshop. Joe will share some of his favorite techniques and processes to bring out the beauty in landscape photography and will share his workflow, decision-making process and enhancement techniques to bring life into image files that just don’t match the beauty and spirit of the scene the way it’s remembered.

Following a short discussion about workstation color and calibration, Joe will show attendees step-by-step Photoshop edits that they can put to work right away to bring life and drama back into their landscape images.

Topics that will be covered include monitor color for consistent results and image edits from minor to major, including: Using Adobe Camera Raw – even with JPEGs, exposure, contrast and light shaping, global and local color adjustments, compositing new skies, composition, removing unwanted elements from an image, image sharpening options and preparing files for lab printing.

All Webinar registration can be found on XritePhoto.com. Visit the Webinar page found under the Learning section.

Canon’s mail-in rebates for its 12-color iPF printers range from $350 to $3,200 or a one-year CarePAK Extended Service Plan, based on printer make, model and size, and include the iPF5100, iPF6300, iPF6350, iPF8300 and the iPF9100. To submit a claim, go to www.usa.canon.com/rebates.

Canon also offers Trade In Rebates for all of its 6, 8 and 12-color imagePROGRAF printers, which include the iPF6300S, iPF8000S, iPF8300S and the iPF9000S. For Trade In Rebates, any printer larger than 17 inches wide is eligible to be traded. All Canon rebates are good until March 31.

Epson’s mail-in rebates last until Feb. 29, and include mail-in rebates of up to $700 on the Epson Stylus Pro 3880 K3, 3880 Signature Worthy (SW) Edition, 3880 Designer Edition (DE), 4900 HDR and 4900 DE; instant rebates of up to $4,000 on the Epson Stylus Pro 7890 K3, 7890 DE, 7900 HDR, 9890 K3, 9890 DE, 9900 HDR, 11880 K3 and the GS6000 low-solvent inkjet printer; and a mail-in rebate for a free sheet pack of Epson Signature Worthy Media when you buy three packs.

HP is offering trade-in rebates of up to $1,000 on the HP Designjet T1300, HP Designjet T7100 and the HP Designjet Z6200. Add an HP Care Pack, which is a three-year next business day onsite support contract on those printers, and you’ll receive an additional cash-back amount of up to $150. And, you can get a mail-in rebate of up to $6,000 when you upgrade to an HP L26500 or L28500 latex printer and show proof of ownership of an eligible aqueous printer (42″ or wider) or an eligible solvent printer (30″ or greater). For more information and to submit a claim, go to www.hp.com/go/upgradetolatex.

For more information about these rebates, contact a LexJet account specialist or go to www.lexjet.com/rebates.aspx.

The guide provides a background on the market, application ideas, stories from the field that show the effectiveness of floor graphics for advertising or promotional campaigns, and installation guidelines.

The interactive document also features links to product specifications and a how-to application video. The Installation Guidelines section includes detailed instructions on preparing, installing and removing both floor and carpet graphics.

To download the free guide, click here. If you have any questions, you’re looking for the best product for your project or you need help with anything, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538.

If you are experiencing ink smudges on your latex prints, you may need to adjust specific heat settings. The location of the smudging on the print will determine what settings need to be adjusted in the Onyx Media Profile.

In the videos embedded below, learn how to fix the following ink smudging issues by adjusting the Media Profile in Onyx X10:

One brief, yet impactful piece I’ve come across during my 32 years in sales and sales management is entitled Make Up Your Mind. I’ve never been able to identify the author of this little gem, but following the simple advice it provides transformed me in several important and valuable ways.

The benefits it has given to me pale in comparison to the resulting value it has delivered to my customers. You’ll find the piece below. Over the next five weeks I will highlight and expand on two bullet points contained in the article per week. I hope it will be as beneficial and inspirational to you as it has to me…

MAKE UP YOUR MIND
Your power to persuade others originates from your philosophies and beliefs. Your selling philosophies determine the attitudes you develop and the habits you form. The principles of selling and living that you adhere to will move you up to join the successful people who get to the top and stay there. MAKE UP YOUR MIND to live by these principles…

• That you are your most important customer. You must be sold on your job, your products and your ability to perform.
• That your product and service, properly sold, is of considerably more value to your buyer than any commissions you can possible earn.
• That time is money and that learning to manage your time productively will be one of your most profitable achievements.
• To believe in the law of averages and the wisdom of knowing the dollar value of each of your primary activities.
• That honest, intelligent effort is always rewarded.
• That it is to always be a “win-win” encounter.
• That the power of your sales presentation will always lie in its simplicity.
• That the purchase must be “helped along” and is more often made because you guide the prospect’s behavior in an effective, organized manner.
• That people buy today, not nearly so much because they understand your product thoroughly, but because they feel and believe that you understand them, their problems and the things they want to accomplish.
• That almost all development is, in fact, self-development and that personal growth is the product of practice, observation and self-correction.

Let’s take a closer look at the first two important points…

1. You are your most important customer. You must be sold on your job, your products and your ability to perform.

This is the alpha and the omega. The lesson I learned is my success begins and ends with me. I must believe. Customers can sense insincerity, dishonesty and a lack of confidence from a mile away. They can also pick up on enthusiasm, integrity and self-confidence in very positive ways.

Have you ever lost a sale when you seemingly had the “best” solution and proposal? You may never find out why and the customer may not consciously   know why either. When asked they may say, “I just didn’t have a good feeling about that company.”

Since you are the face of your company to the customer, that means they didn’t have a good feeling about you. Think of it this way: You can’t take credit for a big sale and then blame a big loss on something else. The key word in the point above is sold. It only stands to reason that before you can sell, you must be sold.

The best way for you to believe that you’re a sales professional who delivers measurable value to your customers is to invest in yourself. Invest time to know more about your customers’ needs than anyone else. Invest time building on your business education. Invest time in researching your competitors, their products and how your solutions outperform theirs.

Investing in you translates into confidence in yourself. These investments will pay huge returns in your career over the long-term. Hard work equals seamless confidence. Do it for you and your customers.

2. That your product and service, properly sold, is of considerably more value to your buyer than any commissions you can possible earn.

A famous line from Kenny Rogers’ The Gambler croons, “You never count your money when you’re sittin at the table, there’ll be time enough for countin’, when the dealin’s done.”

If you’re thinking about you, you’re not thinking about your customer. This is another one of those things customers feel without anything being said directly. Our personal income goals are not our customers’ business goals.

Your customer pays for you to solve their problems, not yours. This is really a state of mind issue for us sales professionals. Focusing on the customer and genuinely caring about their satisfaction will result not only in financial rewards for us, but also in job satisfaction. You can’t buy that!

You can’t pay yourself a dime, but your customers can reward you handsomely. Sure, they will reward you by buying from you. But by caring about them and solving their problems, they will recommend you to other potential customers. You can’t buy that either!

What is meant by “properly sold?” I’ve found that this means the customer gets a lot more than just the products they purchase from you. They get an expert who understands their business goals and can represent those goals within their organization. They get an advocate who communicates to manufacturers/suppliers on their behalf.

They get a problem-solver who knows where to go and what to do to get things done without passing the buck. They get a pro that learns to anticipate their needs and solve problems they don’t even have yet. Don’t just deliver for your customers… over-deliver.

Commit completely to what you do, accept nothing less than your absolute best when you do it and do it for your customers, not yourself. This will lay a firm foundation for being a respected sales professional instead of just another salesperson.

Until next time…

In addition to the exhibit hall, EXHIBITOR2012 features a conference offering more than 220 seminars, workshops, field trips and Peer2Peer Roundtables in seven different learning tracks. Sessions include information on creative strategies, organization and time management, maximizing sales leads, social media, pre-show planning, case studies, a Graphics Boot Camp and more, grouped into seven main categories: Measurement and Results, Planning and Execution, Marketing and Communications, Corporate Events, Personal and Career, Exhibits and Experiences and Global (the effects of globalization on the trade show industry).

Whether you provide graphics for, or exhibit at trade shows, EXHIBITOR2012 might be worth a look this year. The show is hosted by EXHIBITOR Magazine, which reports that this year’s show has grown from last year.

“This is the second year in a row that we have needed to expand the floor plan to make more room for large exhibits. Already, more than 65 island exhibits have been sold for EXHIBITOR2012,” said Carol Fojtik, managing director of EXHIBITOR2012. “We had 53 island exhibits in 2011. This year’s expansion allows us to accommodate the needs of both large and small exhibitors who are now on our waiting list for space.”

For more information about the conference sessions and to register to attend, go to www.EXHIBITOR2012.com. If you’re interested in exhibiting, contact Jeff Naccarato at exhibitor2012@heiexpo.com or call 877-394-2114.