Masterpiece Graphix

“This Dscoop event is not a tradeshow and it is not a conference—it is an experience,” said David Wierengo, president of Gregory Inc. “The only event where the emphasis is on the people of the industry and their collective need to learn more so that they can excel. It is a place to trade ideas and a place to spend three days networking with your peers. Dscoop is an investment that will yield great returns.”

Are you ready for what’s next? Apply for a membership in Dscoop today and expand your professional network at Dscoop7.

About Dscoop

Dscoop is an open and informed network of graphic arts professionals who own and operate HP Indigo and Scitex presses. Dscoop members discuss solutions and business strategies to help improve efficiency and profitability in their companies. How can you learn what’s next in the digital print industry?

• Dscoop annual conference, open to Dscoop members only, is the only event where the HP graphic arts community comes together to gain exposure to best practices and ideas in the industry.
• More than 40 Webinars per year addressing topics on new business practices, technical solutions and products.
• Four issues per year of Dscoop Quarterly, a printed newsletter highlighting the latest information and new ideas for your business.
• The Online Print Directory, viewable by the public, where potential customers and Dscoop members can view your contact information and product fulfillment.
• 24/7 online discussion forums
• Special discounts and deals from more than 90 Partners, including Masterpiece Graphix, a Dscoop Bronze Partner

Visit the Dscoop website to learn more, or contact Dscoop headquarters at 312.527.6707 or info@dscoop.org [mailto:info@dscoop.org] for membership information.

Are you finding yourself printing on your expensive, mainstay stocks in order to calibrate your HP Indigo roll press? Would you like to utilize the same trusted standard that HP Indigo has used to keep their onsite show demo machines running flawless and trouble-free? Look no further than Masterpiece Premium 100# Gloss Calibration Paper (R1341). This 100# gloss text weight paper not only offers stability and consistency for calibrating your HP Indigo, it also is a versatile stock paper useful for a variety of press projects.

Masterpiece Premium 100# Gloss Calibration paper is a foolproof setup stock, essential for troubleshooting color and registration calibration on the HP Indigo. Glossy 100# calibration paper is recommended by HP to perform correct calibration using the Indigo’s densitometer. An industry benchmark, Masterpiece Premium 100# Gloss Calibration Paper is HP Certified for use on the WS6000, and is an excellent choice for flawless HP Indigo roll press setup and calibration.

HP Indigo has used R1341 to calibrate their demo presses at industry trade shows like Dscoop and Label Expo. Masterpiece Graphix customers trust this versatile setup paper to effectively calibrate their Indigo for easy and worry-free setup. Using setup paper is a more consistent and less expensive alternative to utilizing your costly BOPPs and pressure-sensitive stocks for fixing press issues. With Masterpiece Premium Setup Paper, you can save your expensive stocks for printing jobs, and utilize a less expensive and simple-to-run stock to calibrate your digital press.

In addition, Masterpiece Premium 100# Gloss Calibration Paper is an excellent choice for everyday print projects. It’s an easy-to-run stock, and since it’s a calibration paper, you can rest assured that your job will print with flawless results. Use it to produce books, unsupported labels, and other projects for trouble-free printing.

Masterpiece Premium 100# Gloss Calibration Paper (R1341) is stocked in our St. Louis facility in 12” wide rolls, and is also available in custom widths and lengths to fit your press needs and budget.  For more information on our HP-Certified setup paper, download a spec sheet, talk to your MGX digital expert, or email the sales team.

In case you missed our Dscoop webinar on Space Branding July 27, you can watch it here!

Use Space Branding to Create a One-of-A-Kind Marketing Experience

Dan Lawellin, Masterpiece Graphix; Jeff Sarenpa, Express Image Inc.; Adam Larson and Troy Kilfoyl, 3M Commercial Graphics; John McGowan, PRM Films Inc.

SpaceBrandingWebinar072711

Be sure to tune in to the MGX Dscoop webinar: Using Space Branding to Create a One-of-A-Kind Marketing Experience, presented by Masterpiece Graphix on Wednesday July 27 at 12pm-1pm CST. This presentation will feature a panel of participants, including: Dan Lawellin, National Sales Manager, Masterpiece Graphix; Jeff Sarenpa, Express Image, Inc.; Adam Larson and Troy Kilfoyl, 3M Commercial Graphics; and John McGowan, PRM Films, Inc.  The webinar content will include concepts, examples, case studies, and applications to help your HP Indigo production facility build new revenue around branding business locales.

In this new economic climate, consumers are carefully planning purchases and are less likely to make an impulse buy. According to the In-Store Marketing Institute’s (ISMI) Shopper Marketing Trends, in-store branding has a formidable impact on consumers, with 70% attracted to aisle displays, 63% to merchandising displays, and 52% to shelf talkers.

Because of these emerging trends in buying behaviors, retailers are looking away from traditional advertising means and considering new avenues to engage the customer. In 2009, there was an 11% drop in traditional advertising spending in the typical television, print and billboard ad categories. This shows that brands and retailers are seeking out new and unique ways to draw attention to their products by utilizing in-store promotions, commonly referred to as “space branding”. Space branding can create “a store within a store” environment, to engage consumers, guide them to your products within the store and create a dynamic and immersed shopping experience.

The goal of space branding is to engage the consumer, creating a shopping experience and a personal connection to the brand. Retailers can apply space branding concepts to canvas an entire area of a store by using the aisles, walls, floors, shelves, windows, signage, and even its product packaging to create a uniform appearance. Retailers are already utilizing in-store tactics to promote their brand; a recent Retail Systems Research report indicated that 70% of retailers use in-store technologies to improve the customer experience. Other businesses like event marketing, restaurants, and corporate offices can also utilize space branding to create a compelling onsite message-centric experience.

Now your clients can effectively brand their entire location with floor graphics, wall graphics, counter talkers, shelf signage, POP displays, window decals, and even protective skins for electronics. Wall graphics, floor graphics, glass applications and pressure-sensitive vinyl are just a few of the available digital materials from MGX that can be used to produce elements of a space-branded location.

Want to learn more about space branding technology? Register for our webinar and tune in next Wednesday, July 27 to learn all about this innovative revenue stream for your HP Indigo.

• Dan Lawellin: Digital Material Expert & National Sales Manager, Masterpiece Graphix
• John McGowan: President, PRM Films, Inc
• Jeff Sarenpa, President , Express Image, Inc.
• Adam Larson & Troy Kilfoyl, 3M Commercial Graphics

In this new economic climate, consumers are carefully planning purchases and are less likely to make an impulse buy. Because of these emerging trends in buying behaviors, retailers are looking away from traditional advertising means and considering new avenues to engage the customer. One relatively new and unique ways to draw attention to a product is to utilize in-store decoration, commonly referred to as “space branding”. Space branding can create “a store within a store” environment, to engage consumers, guide them to your products within the store and create a dynamic and immersed shopping experience.

Now your clients can effectively brand their entire location with floor graphics, wall graphics, counter talkers, shelf signage, POP displays, window decals, and even protective skins for electronics. A team of industry experts on space branding will show you all of the various options available to brand your space, as well as provide inspiration and case studies to help you utilize space branding services within your HP Indigo business.

MGX’s exclusive Transilwrap 3D Large Bubble Sheets (MGX-1267) have been a big hit with HP Indigo sheet press users. MGX-1267 is a stocked non-certified Masterpiece product for HP Indigo presses with a thick substrate upgrade. This non-certified product was initially designed to run on the HP Indigo S2000 press, but many HP Indigo 5000/5500 customers have ran the material even though it is technically out of spec (the material thickness ranges from about 18-20 pts.). Masterpiece Graphix recently showcased Transilwrap 3D bubble sheets as well as other digital-ready products available through MGX’s partnership with Transilwrap at Dscoop6.

Transilwrap® 3D Large Bubble Sheets is an innovative material that when printed creates a 3-D effect that is similar yet different to the 3D look of lenticular, which can be utilized without costly software or art setup charges.  The final effect creates the illusion of 1-2” of depth of the printed image in front of the substrate’s bubble pattern, and the finished look is reminiscent of raindrops on a windowpane. Transilwrap 3D bubble sheets are also available in a small bubble variation as a custom product (MGX-1265). The material is incredibly unique and versatile, lending itself to creating eye catching business cards, marketing collateral, direct mail, POP displays or indoor signage. Because of its unique visual qualities, many of our HP Indigo 5000/5500 customers have expressed interest in using Transilwrap 3D in their commercial print projects.

MGX has been working with Transilwrap in getting this unique material within the parameters for HP certification on the HP Indigo 5000/5500. At this time, Transilwrap 3D Bubble sheets are offered as a non-certified MGX product until the material can be manufactured in the 16-18 pt. range, the maximum thickness recommended for an HP Indigo 5000/5500 with a thick substrate upgrade. In spite of this rating, several HP Indigo 5000/5500 customers have successfully printed on Transilwrap 3D Bubble sheets, despite the material being slightly thicker than HP’s recommendations.

No matter which press you run the material on, Transilwrap 3D Bubble sheets can be tricky to print on due to the textured surface inherent of both sides of the material. MGX customers have achieved exceptional print results when using these press settings on their particular machine:

HP Indigo 5000/5500 with a Thick Substrate Upgrade:

• Stock set to 400 GSM
• 155°F Blanket Temperature
• The substrate works best on a new blanket and current machine LUT
• Please note: Transilwrap 3D Bubble sheets will only run on an HP Indigo 5000/5500 that is equipped with a thick substrate upgrade.

HP Indigo S2000 Press

• 130.5°F Blanket Temperature
• 0.08 Pressure
• Black blankets were used when printing by our testers

It is important to note that Transilwrap 3D Bubble Sheets are only HP Indigo-printable on the front side of the substrate.

For additional information on Transilwrap 3D Large Bubble sheets or printed samples from Masterpiece Graphix, please contact your MGX sales rep directly or email the sales team.

The HP Indigo industrial and commercial community gathered in Orlando, Florida February 17-19 for the Digital Solutions Cooperative for HP Indigo users, or Dscoop6. Masterpiece Graphix was a big part of Dscoop at the Gaylord Palms Hotel and Convention Center, participating as a Gold Partner for the first time.

Dscoop is an independent global community of HP Indigo Industrial and Commercial press business owners and technical professionals. With over 5,500 members, Dscoop is focused on continuously educating and connecting its members with each other and to HP to improve members’ business growth, efficiency, and profitability.

Some of the highlights of this year’s Dscoop6 Orlando conference included:

• Keynote speakers Stan Slap and Brian Tracy, offering methods, ideas and techniques for managers and professionals who want to put together the best team and be personally effective. Stan Slap opened the conference Thursday with a funny presentation about branding and the power of being a good manager to inspire loyalty in your employees. On Friday morning, Brian Tracy outlined some of the keys to maximum achievement for unlimited personal success.
• Over 200 speakers presented at this year’s Dscoop educational sessions, with many diverse topics packed with relevant content for HP Indigo users and businesses. Sessions included subjects in Business & Sales, Commercial Printing, Operations, Label & Packaging, and presentations from Dscoop Gold and Platinum Partners.
• MGX Digital Material Expert and National Sales Manager Dan Lawellin gave Masterpiece Graphix’s Gold Partner presentation on Saturday: Choosing High-Performance Digital Substrates for Your Best Digital Print Projects. In his entertaining and informative speech, Dan outlined the flaws that are typical in standard-treated digital substrates and showed viewers the type of press issues that originate from lesser-quality digital materials.
• This year’s event included many social opportunities to network with others in the HP Indigo industry. Events ranged from speed networking exchanges for HP Indigo partners and other business segments; peer-to-peer networking events, TweetUp: an informal luncheon for Twitter users in the industry, and the Solutions Showcase Opening Reception and Dscoop6 Celebration.
• Dscoop launched their new dynamic, user-friendly website at Dscoop.org, with added functionality and networking capabilities, customizable community pages, and relevant educational materials. All Dscoop6 educational sessions (excluding partner sessions) are now available on the new website for members to view.

Masterpiece Graphix showcased many new company offerings at Dscoop6. MGX presented its HP Indigo-compatible PVC, styrene, Pro-Print®, clear polyester and unique 3D effect substrates from Transilwrap.  In addition to new digital Transilwrap products, MGX highlighted some of the latest materials recently added to their arsenal of products for the HP Indigo, including an innovative heat transfer material, 50 micron PETG shrink film, and Masterpiece Premium GlassMate® window application.

MGX’s HP-Certified Premium 18 pt. Board Stock (R1275) ran on the WS6000 demo machine during HP Indigo’s print demonstrations.  Folding cartons, along with shrink sleeve and flexible packaging production, can provide additional revenue streams for HP Indigo press owners besides typical press applications like prime labels. Both HP Indigo and finishing partner ABG showcased the latest in HP Indigo digital folding carton technology, as well as the aforementioned applications. In addition, HP Indigo utilized MGX’s HP-Certified Premium 100# Gloss Calibration Paper (R1341) to calibrate the WS6000 demo machine.

Masterpiece Graphix is proud to have been a Dscoop partner for several years, and plans to continue to contribute to this dynamic and user-driven community of HP Indigo press users in the years to come. For more information on the Digital Solutions Cooperative, and its next event, Dscoop7 March 22-24, 2012 in Washington DC, please visit the new Dscoop website.

Are you looking for a new digital material for your press that will help you tap into new applications and markets? Do you desire a substrate that adheres to glass that is also weatherable and reusable? Typical digitally-produced window decal applications utilize static cling or wall graphic material, but constant UV exposure will deteriorate the printed piece over time. Look no further than Masterpiece Premium GlassMate®. This innovative newly released material is available in white or clear, and is UV-resistant, washable and reusable. This specialized substrate is pending HP Indigo certification for industrial and commercial presses and is engineered specifically for window applications.

Masterpiece Premium GlassMate® features a solid non-gummy adhesion system that works only on glass surfaces. If the material is applied properly to a clean glass window, the printed piece will remain indefinitely until removal. The specialized adhesive system allows the piece to be removed cleanly and easily without leaving residue behind.

What also makes this specialized substrate unique is that the material and adhesion system is completely washable, so the printed piece can be cleaned and reused again and again. Premium GlassMate® is also weather-resistant and does not yellow or become brittle from UV exposure. These characteristics make Masterpiece Premium GlassMate® an excellent option for indoor or outdoor POP displays as well as seasonal/promotional signage for retail and restaurants.

Masterpiece Premium GlassMate® is pending HP Indigo certification for both commercial and industrial machines. The material is offered currently in white or clear as an MGX HP Indigo-compatible product in sheets or as rolls. Premium GlassMate® is also available as a dry toner compatible product for machines like the Xerox iGen and Kodak Nexpress. Please specify your specific press model when ordering to ensure you receive the correct digital-ready product for your machine.

In addition to their exclusive Premium GlassMate® material, Masterpiece Graphix offers many other digital products for glass applications including static cling and wall graphic. For more information on Masterpiece Premium GlassMate® or other digital substrates for your specific end-use, please contact your MGX sales rep directly or email our sales team.

With its ability to produce colorful eye-popping graphics that grab attention on retail shelves, shrink sleeves are one of the fastest-growing segments in the digital labels market.  A recent L&NW shrink film article cited a TLMI projection, predicting the shrink sleeve industry to grow by at least 7 percent each year. The ability of the HP Indigo press WS4050, WS4500 and WS6000 to be able to print shrink sleeves as well as conventional labels, flexible packaging and folding cartons, shows that the HP Indigo industrial series press truly represents the best in digital package printing and converting in the industry. Masterpiece Graphix supplies many digital shrink film options for HP Indigo digital presses, and is proud to offer a new digital-ready material: 50 micron PETG shrink film to HP Indigo users.

The use of digital shrink sleeves is expected to increase as it eliminates the problems of printing on irregularly shaped containers and widely diverse substrates. The unique technology also allows packaging designers to create attention-grabbing graphics on their products that couldn’t be achieved with another production method. The finished piece exhibits the sought-after ‘no label’ look trending in modern package design. Shrink sleeves can increasingly be found on food containers, household chemicals, pharmaceuticals, health/beauty products, or even as a tamper-evident security feature.

One major consumer of shrink sleeve labels is the beverage industry, and this ultra-competitive business segment is possibly the most demanding of print quality and technology.  With fierce competition between brands, strict adherence to corporate identity, trademark brand colors and the highest possible print quality are all important factors to stand out from rivals. The HP Indigo is perfect for producing the highest-quality graphics digital shrink sleeves to garter the most impact on store shelves. The power of digital print’s variable data technology is also desirable for regional branding and sweepstakes promotions, tools that many beverage companies currently utilize to market their brands.

Masterpiece Graphix supplies several types of shrink film for the HP Indigo, including high/low shrink PVC & PETG, roll-on, shrink-on, and other variations. Masterpiece Premium 50 micron PETG shrink film (R1397) is the newest MGX spec added to our HP Indigo shrink film options. The digital-ready film allows you to seam without a pattern coating on the primer. The material is scuff-resistant and primed for digital printing on the outside of the film surface. Masterpiece Premium 50 micron PETG Shrink Film is currently pending HP Indigo certification, and several Masterpiece Graphix customers are already achieving exceptional print results when utilizing this material on their Indigo.

If you are interested in getting in on this hot new market for HP Indigo label & packaging converters, MGX can provide substrate guidance for your unique application and business model. For shrink film seaming and finishing equipment, be sure to review Karlville and ABG’s lines for digital shrink sleeve production. For more information on Masterpiece Premium 50 micron PETG Shrink Film, as well as other shrink sleeve substrate options, please check out the shrink film specs listed on our website. We also offer other options including custom constructions for your project. For more information and substrate guidance for your unique shrink sleeve application, please directly contact your MGX sales rep or email our sales team.

Masterpiece Graphix is proud to be a Gold Partner at Dscoop6 February 17-19 ath the Gaylord Palms Hotel and Convention center in Orlando, Florida. Stop by our Booth #1121 by the HP Indigo WS6000 learn all about our newest business developments and our newest digital roll and sheet products.

MGX plans to showcase many recent developments and new business offerings at this year’s Dscoop. Masterpiece Graphix digital sheet and roll products are now available in Europe and Canada, and has recently doubled the size of their St. Louis headquarters. MGX has partnered with Transilwrap to bring new high-performance digital-ready plastics and synthetics to the HP Indigo marketplace that were previously unavailable for digital press users. MGX is exhibiting its HP Indigo-compatible PVC, styrene, Pro-Print®, clear polyester, and unique 3D effect substrates from Transilwrap.

In addition to new digital Transilwrap products, MGX will highlight some of the latest materials recently added to their arsenal of products for the HP Indigo. These new offerings include an innovative digital heat transfer material, 50 micron PETG shrink film, and Masterpiece Premium GlassMate® window application. Many of these new offerings are pending HP Indigo certification for the industrial and commercial markets. Be sure to ask your MGX sales rep about new 3M digital-ready products!

Don’t miss our Dscoop educational Gold Partner Session on Saturday, February 19 at 11am in the Gaylord Palms Osceola A conference room: Choosing High-Performance Digital Substrates for Your Best Digital Print Projects. Listen to Masterpiece Graphix digital material experts Dan Lawellin and Doug Watson explain the flaws that are typical in standard-treated digital substrates and help you diagnose press issues that originate from lesser-quality digital materials. Dan and Doug will present the aesthetic and technical benefits of using high-performance substrates in your best digital print applications. We invite stop by and discuss standard digital-treated substrates (our competitors), versus high-performance digital materials with contiguous treatment (MGX).

See MGX’s HP-Certified Premium 18 pt. Board Stock (R1275) run on the WS6000 demo machine during the Dscoop print demonstrations. Folding carton production can provide additional revenue streams for HP Indigo press owners. Both HP Indigo and finishing partner ABG will be showcasing digital folding carton technology to help your company tap into this emerging market. Another MGX substrate will also be showcased at Dscoop6; HP Indigo will utilize MGX’s HP-Certified Premium 100# Gloss Calibration Paper (R1341) to calibrate the WS6000 demo machine.

MGX staff will be on hand throughout the duration of Dscoop, so contact your MGX sales rep directly or email the sales team to set up a one-on-one meeting to discuss the solutions we can bring to your unique business model. From folding cartons to 3D effects, flexible packaging to shrink sleeves, Masterpiece can provide the solutions you need to incorporate new revenue streams into your digital product offerings. Masterpiece Graphix will also be “Tweeting” live from Dscoop, so follow the MGX Twitter feed for up-to-the-minute happenings at this year’s conference.