KODAK Production Matte Paper / 170g is geared toward production print shops looking for that perfect balance between quality and cost. The paper is ideal for long production runs of point-of-purchase displays, posters, architectural renderings and presentation graphics.

Its smooth, bright white, instant-dry surface provides the high ink-load retention needed for saturated, brilliant colors. It can be thermally laminated and is universally compatible with dye and pigmented inks.

KODAK PROFESSIONAL Inkjet Photo Paper, Matte / 230g is designed for the discerning imaging professional interested in higher-end applications like photo and fine art reproductions and décor for home and office.

It has a smooth, neutral-white matte finish with an instant-dry coating that prevents smudging and fingerprints, providing hassle-free print production. It is also acid-free for long-lasting, non-yellowing prints when used with pigmented inks

KODAK Production Matte Paper / 170g is available in roll sizes ranging from 24″ x 100′ to 60″ x 100′. KODAK PROFESSIONAL Inkjet Photo Paper, Matte / 230g is available in various sheet sizes and rolls up to 60″ x 100′.

For more information about these new papers, the KODAK line at LexJet or anything else you need help with, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538.

Staff Sergeant Bobby Jones of the Iowa Army National Guard got the call to produce a comprehensive and challenging timeline across 54″ x 54′ of wall space at Fort Jackson, S.C.

The military timeline spans the American Revolution to the current War on Terror and is designed to give recruits attending Basic Combat Training a big picture view of the National Guard’s place, and their place, in history.

“The idea for the project originally started as a concept that showed a timeline with silhouettes on an American flag background. The jpeg that was sent to us from Fort Jackson was about 31k and was clearly not useable for the project. With the help of Specialist Brandynn Boren, we set out to design an image that would keep the integrity of the concept, but provide some more detail,” says Jones.

Jones adds that the final design is similar to the artwork found at the armory he works out of on Camp Dodge, Johnston, Iowa, which illustrates the history of America’s wars, the pivotal battles and the Iowans who fought and died in those wars.

“We also incorporated the use of the streamers of each conflict. The streamer is attached to the Army flag and represents the Army’s involvement in that particular war. When soldiers are deployed they receive a medal their involvement in the campaign, and the ribbon is made of the same pattern and colors as that war’s streamer,” explains Jones.  “So we used some of the same concepts used in our own armory and added a few personal touches like the use of some of the symbols of our great nation: the Liberty Bell, the 13-star flag, the 50-star flag, and the bald eagle. We also made sure to include the seven Army Values:  Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage.”

The next step was to find the right inkjet media for the project that would work well, both on the application to the painted brick surface and with the Iowa Army National Guard’s HP Designjet L25500 Latex Printer.

Jones turned to LexJet government specialist Vincent Bejar for advice. Bejar recommended LexJet Simple MTS Adhesive Vinyl for the project. The design printed without a hitch and was installed in about six hours with a ladder, a propane torch and a couple of Roller Pro Vinyl Application Rollers.

“We found that the measurements provided were guesstimations, so we had to make a few adjustments on-site.  We have never done anything of this size or on brick. I am very happy with the results and ease of use of this product, and look forward to using it again in the near future,” says Jones.

PostNet North Port’s show room features numerous samples of the store’s wide-format inkjet capabilities with a Canon printer and LexJet inkjet media.

The PostNet store in North Port, Fla., like other PostNet locations across the world, provides a full slate of printing-related services. Over the past three years or so, the North Port location has seen its wide-format printing operation grow substantially each year.

North Port PostNet owner Joyce Klingle estimates that wide-format printing now accounts for about 30 percent of the store’s sales, which is quite a jump over three years given the plethora of products and services the store offers its clients.

PostNet North Port’s storefront features LexJet Aqueous Perforated Vinyl used to promote the store’s printing services.

A big break came when a local Perkins Restaurant manager noticed samples of perforated window graphics at North Port PostNet. The manager asked for pricing and a sample to send to Perkins’ headquarters, which led to a contract to ship window graphics all over the U.S.

“Our customer specialist at LexJet, David Iannotti, first told us about what we could do with perforated window film. Any time we have a question about anything all we have to do is call David; he’s our go-to guy for information about wide-format printing,” says Klingle. “We printed more than 1,500 window perf graphics for this project and laminated them since we knew they would be displayed outdoors.”

This sample at PostNet North Port is printed on LexJet 8 Mil Absolute Backlit.

The project came off without a hitch and helped contribute to the positive word of mouth so crucial to this PostNet location since it’s not located on busy Highway 41, which bisects North Port.

“We’ve been at this location for three years. We were located across the street from here for about two years before we moved into this location,” explains Klingle. “We rely a lot on word of mouth and people coming in to see what we can do.”

And they can do just about anything with their Canon iPF8000S, though the bulk of their wide-format printing is for canvas gallery wraps printed on LexJet Sunset Select Matte Canvas and coated with Sunset Satin Coating, banners typically printed on LexJet TOUGHcoat ThriftyBanner and window graphics on LexJet Aqueous Perforated Vinyl.

“Every year our wide-format printing increases by about 50 percent,” adds Klingle.

A sound workflow will help you to achieve consistent, quality results.

In the two videos embedded below, learn how to print through Photoshop and the HP driver using a Mac or a PC, in that order…

The Product Reference Guide is an excellent desktop source for everything you need for printing, with details on hundreds of products, including fine art materials, photo papers, fabrics, canvas, films, vinyl, banner materials, adhesive-backed materials, wallcoverings, specialty media, laminates, adhesives, printers, inks and more.

“I recently received the LexJet Product Reference Guide, and that’s very helpful because I can see all the different things we can do with our printer,” says Douglas J. Eng, owner of Douglas J. Eng Photography, a fine art print shop and photography studio in Jacksonville, Fla. “LexJet’s unique in that we have a rep that’s available to help us out when we need it.”

The 46-page guide includes specifications, application ideas and pricing on:

• LexJet, LexJet Sunset, Hahnemuhle and EPSON aqueous media
• Sunset Stretcher Bars, Sunset Pro Photo Albums and Sunset and ClearStar coatings
• Fredrix Print Canvas
• LexJet, General Formulations and HP solvent, latex and UV-curable media
• Specialty films and fabrics
• LexJet laminates, adhesives and backers
• Canon, EPSON and HP inks
• Canon, EPSON and HP printers

If you have questions or need help with anything, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538.

Bennett was awarded a LexJet Sunset Award at the PPA Northeast Region competition for the image he captured during a trip with a group of photographers last November and December to Burma’s Shan Plateau. It was the only image out of about a thousand in the competition to score 100.

Though it’s somewhat monochromatic, the shades of golden hues that permeate the image, along with the perfection of its composition, were elements that obviously impressed the judges.

“It gets very warm in the afternoon and cold at night, creating a real nice mist in the morning. We got up for each of the sunrises, and one day about half an hour after sunrise I saw a hut on stilts with a pyramid shaped roof,” recalls Bennett. “It was a real golden hour for the light. It lasted about a minute and a half and when the person in the hut moved into the perfect position I took a couple of shots. About 30 seconds later, it was gone.”

Bennett used a Canon EOS 5D Mark III, and captured the scene at 125 mm, 1/1600 seconds, ISO 400 and f/10. Bennett adds that he did very little photo manipulation, sharpening the hills and mountains in the background and taking out small distracting items here and there.

Elaine and Robert Hughes made a dramatic shift in their photography and art about five years ago. Highly decorated and certified professional photographers who used to specialize in high-end wedding photography, the pair now specializes in creating surreal digital artwork.

The pair’s work is an anticipated addition to the various competitions they’ve entered. This past year, Elaine Hughes won a LexJet Sunset Award at the PPA North East District competition for Illustrative Artist. The award-winning print, called Dream World, is a wildly colorful example of Elaine’s original art.

“Lately I’ve developed a series connected with water and dreams. It’s chaotic, disconnected and fun, with symbolism you can’t really put your finger on, like in your dreams. I left it open to your own interpretation. The door, for instance, could be the girl’s next journey, your next journey, or you could go in and out of the dream through that door,” Elaine explains.

Elaine says developing the art is quite time-consuming, but it’s what she loves to do. It’s a bonus that the art sells, she auctions it off for charity and it wins awards. The images combine photographs Elaine takes when she’s out and about at various locations across the country with color and abstract work in Photoshop.

“Bob’s art is edgier, while mine is happier and dreamier,” Elaine says. “I create backgrounds all the time with texture and color. About half the time I have an idea and the other half I experiment. It just doesn’t happen; I work on these for a long time. I go to a lot of Photoshop classes and watch Bob do his work in Photoshop. I wish I had started doing this a long time ago.”

Jacksonville, Fla., recently hosted the One Spark Festival, billed as the world’s first “crowdfunded” festival. During the course of the five-day downtown festival, more than 480 creators and artists promoted their projects.

The windows of the empty buildings on this side of the street feature Douglas J. Eng’s fine art photography series City Reflections, printed on LexJet Poly Select Heavy.

The “crowd” voted for their favorites via smart phone, casting more than 50,000 votes. Jacksonville’s own Douglas J. Eng Photography won 2nd Place Overall and 2nd Place in the Art category for the studio’s renditions of Douglas J. Eng’s fine art photography splashed across downtown buildings.

These fine art photo splashes were installed in boarded-up window alcoves near Eng’s old studio. Eng has since moved to a new studio space, but always wanted to do something with those empty facades and the One Spark Festival provided the perfect opportunity. He wanted to “change the nature of the space.”

To accomplish this, Eng called Danny Chalmers for some direction on inkjet printing materials to use that would hold up for the festival and beyond and would work well with his Epson Stylus Pro 9900 aqueous inkjet printer.

“Danny has been very helpful. LexJet’s unique in that we have a rep that’s available to help us out when we need it. This project was a departure for me, since I mostly do fine art printing,” says Eng. “I recently received the LexJet Product Reference Guide, and that’s very helpful because I can see all the different things we can do with our printer.”

Eng didn’t want to try an adhesive-backed material on the plywood that covers the windows of the empty buildings because the plywood surfaces are extremely rough and inconsistent.

What Eng did instead was to print on LexJet Poly Select Heavy coated with LexJet Sunset Satin Coating, and then fastened the inkjet-printable fabric to the plywood with screws.

“It was about 2,300 square feet of printing; the biggest job we’ve done. Some of the windows were huge, up to 20′ x 15′, so we had to rent a lift,” says Eng. “The color and imaging looks great on the fabric, even after three weeks of being in the elements. Fortunately, people have left it alone and there’s no graffiti on it.”

The buildings where Eng applied his fine art photography are across the street from each other. One building features a series by Eng called City Reflections and the other is called Building Nature. If you’re in Jacksonville be sure to go to Laura Street and check out Eng’s work while it’s still up.

For a detailed look at this project, go to beyondthefacade.com.

All of these solutions feature a bright-white base that provides higher ink saturation for vibrant colors with additional scratch and weather resistance for producing photo-quality outdoor and indoor graphics…

• LexJet TOUGHcoat AquaVinyl PSA: Provides outdoor durability of up to eight months without lamination and up to two years when laminated with LexJet Elite Matte UV or Elite Luster UV laminates.
• LexJet TOUGHcoat Blockout Scrim Banner: Includes a blockout layer that provides 100 percent opacity.
• LexJet TOUGHcoat ThriftyBanner: An economical option for high-volume jobs that also require excellent image quality.
• LexJet TOUGHcoat Water-Resistant Polypropylene: Water-resistant 8 mil polypropylene film with a matte finish ideal for short-term banners or outdoor posters.
• LexJet TOUGHcoat Water-Resistant Self Adhesive Polypropylene: A great alternative to adhesive-backed vinyl with a strong solvent-based adhesive that sticks to a wide range of substrates, including rigid PVCs, foam boards and aluminum.
• LexJet 11 Mil Blockout Water-Resistant Polypropylene:  A lay-flat material that includes a gray back coat for added opacity so that less light shines through the back of the graphics. It can be used as a cost-effective alternative to typical polyester inkjet material for trade show and retail displays, as well as long-term indoor and short-term outdoor banners.

For more information about this limited Buy 3 Get 1 Free promotion, as well as help finding the right product for the project, contact a LexJet customer specialist at 800-453-9538. This offer is not available online and is only good when you call in. Some restrictions apply.

X-Rite Photo Marketing announced its schedule of free May 2013 Webinars that have been developed to address specific color management topics and are designed to appeal to both professional and serious amateur photographers and videographers.

One of this month’s webinars is co-sponsored with Gura Gear and it focuses on the work of travel and landscape photographer Scott MacQuarrie.

As more and more still photographers move into videography with DSLR cameras the need for color management solutions specific to those output environments has become obvious.

X-Rite’s i1Profiler software now includes video presets for popular video formats including NTSC, PAL-SECAM, and Rec. 709. The introduction last year of the new i1Display Pro colorimeter combined with these presets in i1Profiler makes the X-Rite i1Display Pro the logical solution for calibrating and profiling monitors for video editing and output.
When i1Display Pro is combined with X-Rite ColorCheckers the combination provides a capture to output solution for video editing that allows exceptional control over white balance in any scene.
This webinar will review how to access and utilize the video presets in i1Profiler software and will briefly look at use of ColorCheckers in the video footage as a visual reference.
For photographers shooting, editing, and preparing video for output, this webinar will give them the insight into X-Rite color management solutions that can streamline their color control in video.

Date: May 30
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Title: Simply Amazing Color. Take control of your monitor, projector, printer and camera!
Presenter: Brenda Hipsher
Registration Link: http://xritephoto.com/ph_learning.aspx?action=webinars&eventid=1494&eventdateid=5519
*Co-sponosored by Hallmark Institute of Photography

Join Hallmark Alumnae for this special edition webinar co-sponsored by Hallmark Institute of Photography. This webinar will review the individual ColorMunki solutions including software demonstrations and discussions of how each solution is used.

This webinar provides the opportunity to ask questions and understand each solution in detail so you can make the right decision on what ColorMunki family solution is for you.