Masterpiece Graphix

St. Louis, MO January 27, 2011 – Masterpiece Graphix is proud to announce new sales and distribution partnerships with Leed Consultancy and Lowry Sales B.C. Ltd., making MGX’s vast selection of digital sheet and roll materials available in Canada and throughout Europe. Now HP Indigo, Xerox iGen, Kodak Nexpress, EFI Jetrion, Xeikon, and other digital press users in Europe and Canada will have access to MGX’s expansive catalog of digital-ready products. Digital press users throughout Europe and Canada will also be able to utilize custom stocking options not previously available in their region.

“Masterpiece Graphix is tremendously excited to offer high-performance digital materials throughout Canada and Europe,” said MGX President/CEO Doug Watson. “We’ve received many requests for our digital materials to be readily available in international markets. European and Canadian digital press users will now enjoy shorter lead times, reduced shipment rates and access to more materials as a result of our new relationships with Lowry Sales and Leed Consultancy.”

Alan Steenson of Leed Consultancy is MGX’s European Ouside Sales Agent based in the United Kingdom. Leed Consultancy is in the process of finalizing European warehousing options, and is currently taking orders for MGX digital materials in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe.

Masterpiece Graphix’s Canadian distributor Lowry Labels & Tape currently offers warehousing options in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montréal. MGX Customers can opt to store their desired digital materials in these locations, keeping their digital stocks ready to ship quickly as needed. Canadian and European customers can expect shorter lead times for commonly ordered materials when they utilize MGX’s new warehousing and distributorship options.

MGX is scheduling regular monthly shipments of digital material from their St. Louis, Missouri facility to warehouse space in Europe and Canada to save customers from the additional expense and hassle indicative of international freight. Interested parties can get in on the savings by contacting MGX to schedule regular orders of their desired material, or to package a small order for testing along with other orders for reduced shipping rates.

Digital press users in Europe and Canada can contact MGX’s regional distributor to request pricing and lead time on desired digital roll and sheet stocks.

Contact information for Masterpiece Graphix digital material sales and distribution in Europe:

Contact information for Masterpiece Graphix and Lowry Labels & Tape Canadian distribution options:

For additional information, material samples or images please contact:

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Masterpiece Graphix is proud to announce a distribution partnership with Lowry Labels & Tape, making MGX’s vast selection of digital sheet and roll materials available in Canada! MGX’s entire product catalog is now available on a custom stock basis for the first time in Canada, thanks to Lowry’s distribution channels. Now HP Indigo, Xerox iGen, Kodak Nexpress, EFI Jetrion, Xeikon, and other Canadian digital press users will have access to more MGX products, as well as regional custom stocking options not previously available.

Lowry offers stocking locations in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montréal, giving Canadian MGX/Lowry customers a range of warehouse locations that best fit their digital business. Existing MGX customers in Canada now have access to Lowry’s warehouse network. MGX customers can opt to store their desired materials offsite, ready to ship to their pressroom quickly as needed. Canadian customers can expect shorter lead times for commonly ordered materials when they utilize this option.

MGX is in the process of scheduling regular monthly shipments of material from our St. Louis, Missouri facility to Lowry’s warehouse space in Canada to save our customers money and hassles on international shipments. Get in on the savings by scheduling regular orders of your desired material, or package a small order for testing on your press along with other orders for reduced freight charges.

Is there a digital sheet or roll material you are interested in, listed on our website or otherwise? Contact Zoran Culin at Lowry to request pricing and lead time on your requested stock, and set up regular orders to ensure that your desired digital materials are always ready to ship quickly to your facility, when you need them.

Here is the contact information for more information on these new Canadian distribution options from Masterpiece Graphix and Lowry Labels & Tape:

For more information, please contact Zoran directly or email our sales team.

Masterpiece Graphix is proud to offer its vast selection of digital sheet and roll materials in Europe! MGX’s entire product catalog is now available on a custom stock basis for the first time in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. Now HP Indigo, Xerox iGen, Kodak Nexpress, EFI Jetrion, Xeikon, and other digital press users have access to MGX products not previously available in the European marketplace.

MGX has a dedicated sales rep who is handling all material orders in Europe. Alan Steenson of Leed Consultancy is our MGX sales rep based in the United Kingdom and will have European warehousing space available soon to MGX customers. Alan can help your business with pricing and material selection for your specific application. Alan Steenson can also help your company determine the best supply chain solution for your digital business.

MGX is in the process of scheduling regular monthly shipments of material from our St. Louis, Missouri facility to warehouse space in Europe to save our customers on international freight charges. Get in on the savings by scheduling regular orders of your desired material, or package a small order for testing along with other orders for reduced freight charges.
Is there a digital sheet or roll material you are interested in, listed on our website or otherwise? Contact Alan to request pricing and lead time on your requested stock, and set up regular orders to ensure that your desired digital material is always ready to ship quickly to your facility, when you need it.

Here is the contact information for MGX digital material sales in UK and Europe:

For more information, please contact Alan directly or email our sales team.

Digital printers can add value to their services by framing their organization as a marketing service provider, integrating custom marketing solutions into their clients’ print jobs. A complete and effective marketing campaign may only utilize print for a part of the entire customer experience, coupled with social media and online media channels.

With the emergence and popularity of laptops, smartphones and iPads, consumers have the resources to find information they need online, wherever they are. Web browsing on mobile devices is becoming more popular every day; recently Nielsen’s internet measurement service predicted that smartphones will be the dominant web-browsing device by the end of 2011. Why not take advantage of this tool that your customers already utilize every day, and integrate it into your print campaigns to guide customers to valuable product-related information? With the emergence of the QR code, printers can utilize this new technology to make their clients’ print projects interactive and to create a multimedia experience from something as simple as a label or brochure.

What is a QR code, you may ask?  A QR code is a high-density barcode that can be read with a computer webcam or smartphone camera combined with a specialized application to read it. When the QR code is read with the smartphone or tablet PC, the user can be instantly connected to the encoded web content that is associated with the QR code without typing in a URL or promotional code. As far as content goes, the possibilities are endless: the QR code could link with a sales video, a coupon, a social networking page or a personalized URL.

Utilizing QR codes into your existing print job connects your client’s customers to a wealth of information about their product. For example, Nike Belgium recently used a QR code campaign on storefront window signage to drive traffic to their Facebook page and to persuade people to “like” their new fall clothing line. Another creative use is to include QR codes on a food product label to take customers to information on related recipes and wine pairings. The German Yellow Pages are even utilizing QR codes to take people to their mobile website. Masterpiece Graphix recently utilized QR codes on promotional brochures at Label Expo so attendees could easily visit the company website to gain more information on MGX digital products.

What makes a good QR code marketing strategy? An effective cross-media marketing campaign requires a little brainstorming. Ask yourself: What is it that I am trying to get my customer to do, what is the “call to action”? What is an engaging, interesting way to persuade your customer to access your information online? What kind of web content will best communicate your message and convince customers to buy?

It is important to note that QR codes are merely a way to bridge print and web content. In order to generate interest in your product, one must utilize both engaging print and web content to draw the customer in and to persuade them to utilize the QR code. Web content should be dynamic and mobile-device friendly so users can access and navigate your page easily. The printed piece still needs to be eye-catching and informative so the customer will be influenced to scan the QR code to learn more.

It’s easy to get started with QR code marketing. There are many free QR code generators on the internet that will take your desired URL and create a custom QR code to take people to your site.  For more information on the history, application and use of QR codes, please visit the Mobile Barcodes website. You can generate your own free QR code and download QR code reading software from the site as well.

Digital technology was at the forefront at Graph Expo 2010 October 3-6 in Chicago,

Illinois. Many digital press manufacturers like HP Indigo, Kodak, Xerox, Kip, Ricoh, Fugifilm, Oce, and EFI Jetrion showcased their newest technology. Masterpiece Graphix staff were on hand at the show, connecting with clients and learning about the newest innovations in digital press technology.

Color Logic & Xeikon

Color Logic, in conjunction with Xeikon, showcased their Process Metallic Color System™ in conjunction with the Xeikon 3000 digital press. Color Logic’s booth distributed printed samples of MGX’s Xeikon-Authorized Brilliant Metalized Paper/Perm/40# (R1361), which were printed using Color Logic’s metalized printing software.

EFI Jetrion

EFI’s booth showcased the EFI Jetrion 4380 UV inkjet digital press. MGX is a supplier partner for the EFI Jetrion, providing semigloss and gloss paper solutions for the digital press. MGX provided EFI with Jetrion-certified 54# Semigloss/Perm/40# (R1338), which ran on the EFI Jetrion 4380 demo machine throughout the duration of Graph Expo.

Digital on Center Stage…Where was Offset?

One notable point at the show was the lack of traditional offset machines; missing from this year’s Graph Expo were offset giants Heidelburg and Komori, who both pulled their booth reservations for the show. Offset press manufacturers KBA, Manroland and AGFA did exhibit, but did not showcase any traditional offset equipment.

2010’s Graph Expo was definitely a digital press show: the plethora of digital technology was very apparent to show attendees, especially inkjet technology. HP showcased their new HP T350 inkjet press, as well as the rest of their digital technology as the flagship display at this year’s Graph Expo. Ricoh had their InfoPrint 5000 family of presses. Screen and Fujifilm also exhibited their newest inkjet technology. Dry toner digital technology was also big at this Graph Expo. Kip displayed their Color 80 wide-format toner press, and both Kodak Nexpress and Xerox iGen showcased new machines with a larger maximum sheet size than previous models.

On September 14-16, the label and packaging industry gathered in Chicago, IL to share, learn and demonstrate the latest in offset and digital press technology at Label Expo 2010.  Masterpiece Graphix was on hand throughout the conference, meeting with clients, watching demonstrations and learning about the latest digital technology in the label industry. You could find MGX products and services in action at several events and booths throughout this year’s Label Expo.

HP Indigo Label & Packaging Awards:

As an HP Indigo Media Partner and the only HP Certified Treatment Center for HP Indigo in North America, Masterpiece Graphix offers HP-Indigo certified materials and custom material solutions. Masterpiece Graphix provided several rolls of HP Indigo-certified stock that ran on the WS6000 demo machine throughout Label Expo. One featured MGX material was Masterpiece Premium 18 pt. C1S Board Stock (R1275). This HP Indigo-certified substrate was requested by HP to run on the WS6000 during the show. The printed rolls were then finished by AB Graphic, who die cut the material into small boxes.

One highlight of the HP Indigo display was the long wall of labels and packaging samples that were nominated for the 2010 HP Indigo Label & Packaging Awards. This wall along the back of the HP Indigo booth showcased the beautifully-produced labels competing for awards in several categories of the 2010 HP Indigo Global Awards Competition. On Wednesday, September 15, HP hosted an awards banquet, and announced eleven companies as winners. Several MGX clients were nominated for awards. One Masterpiece Graphix customer, Dion Label Printing, located in Westfield, MA, won two HP Indigo Global Awards in the food and neutraceutical categories. Dion Label Printing’s Hay River Organic Pumpkin Seed Oil label, awarded best-in-category for food, was printed on MGX pressure-sensitive 2 mil silver metalized BOPP.

Metalized Substrate Solutions For Xeikon:

Recently, Masterpiece Graphix partnered with Xeikon to offer metalized substrate solutions for the Xeikon press series. As a supplier partner with Xeikon, MGX materials were on the Xeikon 3500 demo machine all day Thursday, along with September 16 at Label Expo. Xeikon and MGX showcased MGX’s Xeikon-authorized MGX Brilliant Metalized Paper/Perm/40# (R1361), as well as other Xeikon-ready metalized materials from Masterpiece Graphix. Xeikon displayed MGX signage and material samples all day on Thursday, September 16 in front of the new Xeikon 3500 roll press at their Label Expo booth.

EFI Jetrion & The Label Expo Technology Workshop:

MGX is an EFI Jetrion partner, supplying high-performance semigloss and gloss papers engineered for the EFI Jetrion UV inkjet digital press. EFI Jetrion printed a label job on MGX-treated high gloss pressure-sensitive label stock as part of the Label Expo Technology Workshop Food Label print demonstration. The Label Expo Technology Workshop showcased four different printing technologies from HP Indigo, EFI Jetrion, Xeikon and Nilpeter, all running the same job at once. This unique press demonstration allowed attendees to compare print quality and performance across the board. The EFI Jetrion food label job was produced on 60# pressure sensitive semigloss that was optimized specifically for the Jetrion print demonstration by Masterpiece Graphix.

On September 14-16, the label and packaging industry will gather in Chicago for Label Expo 2010, to learn about the many innovations in the marketplace including advances in digital press technology. Masterpiece Graphix will be on hand to showcase their high-performance digital material on three different digital demo machines. MGX staff will also be available to meet with you personally at your convenience.

HP Indigo:
As the only HP Certified Treatment Center for HP Indigo in North America, Masterpiece Graphix offers HP-Indigo certified materials as well as custom material solutions for HP Indigo presses. Masterpiece Graphix HP Indigo-certified stocks will run on the HP Indigo WS6000 demo machines during the exhibition. In addition, MGX promotional brochures will be available by request at the HP Indigo booth #3223.

Xeikon:
Masterpiece Graphix has recently partnered with Xeikon to offer metalized substrate solutions for the Xeikon press series. As a supplier partner with Xeikon, MGX materials will be on press on the Xeikon 3500 demo machine all day Thursday, September 16 at Label Expo. Xeikon and MGX will be showcasing MGX’s Xeikon-authorized MGX Brilliant Metalized Paper/Perm/40# (R1361), as well as other Xeikon-ready metalized materials from Masterpiece Graphix. Additional MGX information and Xeikon-printed material samples will be available at the Xeikon booth #6135.

EFI Jetrion:
MGX is an EFI Jetrion supplier partner, supplying high-performance semigloss and gloss papers engineered for the EFI Jetrion UV inkjet digital press. EFI Jetrion will be printing samples on MGX-supplied high gloss pressure-sensitive label stock as part of the Label Expo Technology Workshop. EFI Jetrion will be demonstrating the print quality and ease of roll changes with MGX-supplied material throughout the three days of Label Expo. Additional information on MGX’s Jetrion materials will be available at the EFI Jetrion booth #6423.

Meet Up With MGX:
You can contact your MGX sales rep directly to schedule a personal conversation at the conference. You can also connect with MGX on Twitter. Masterpiece Graphix will be “tweeting” throughout the entire conference, uploading news and pictures remotely from Label Expo in Chicago. Direct Message MGX on Twitter during the conference to set up a personal meeting at Label Expo, and stay tuned to MGX’s Twitter feed to get up-to-the-minute updates straight from the convention. You will also find knowledgeable MGX staff at the three stands mentioned above throughout the duration of Label Expo. For more information or to set up a meeting, email MGX at sales@mgxdigital.com.

On September 14-16, the label industry will gather in Chicago for Label Expo 2010 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center to meet with their peers, promote their offerings and to learn the latest industry trends.  Digital technology is poised to have a huge presence. Masterpiece Graphix will be on hand to meet with digital printers and learn about the new press technologies and capabilities in the label marketplace.

Label Expo attendees have the opportunity to see MGX materials in action and on press on three different digital presses. Masterpiece Graphix will be supplying the HP Indigo WS6000, EFI Jetrion 4380 and the Xeikon 3500 demo machines with MGX digital material at Label Expo. MGX digital material experts will be available on all three days of the conference to personally meet with printers interested in digital substrate solutions and resources for their business.

If you would like to meet up with MGX at Label Expo, please contact us! We want to meet you! Email MGX, call 636.349.6401 x225, or directly contact your MGX sales rep. MGX is also on Twitter! If you are a Twitter user, follow MGX and direct message us to set up a meeting at the show. MGX digital material experts will be on hand to meet with you, and to help your company select the best MGX digital substrates for all of your innovative and demanding print applications.

MGX has partnered with EFI Jetrion to coat materials for use on the Jetrion 4000 and 4830 industrial inkjet roll presses as an EFI-certified Jetrion treatment center. Masterpiece Graphix currently offers an EFI-certified material for the Jetrion: 54# Semigloss/Perm/40# (R1338). As part of the EFI and MGX partnership, every new Jetrion press purchase now ships with a free roll of this material.

In addition to the EFI-certified material, MGX has also formulated two Jetrion-compatible substrates: 2.3 mil white BOPP and 57# Semigloss/Perm/40#. Many white BOPP materials that MGX typically coats for the HP Indigo can also be formulated to be compatible with the EFI Jetrion.

The 4380 is the latest edition to the EFI Jetrion UV inkjet series of presses, designed to produce high-quality, narrow-web digital labels. The 4380 touts a wider web width and faster linear speeds and over twice the throughput than its predecessor, the Jetrion 4000. The 4830 can print up to 8.3 inches wide on a 9 inch roll, allowing 2-up 4-inch labels. The wider print zone enables label converters to efficiently take on more print jobs. The 4380 is unique in allowing press operators to profitably produce both long and short-run label jobs. The press also features white ink capability, and can print directly on pre-printed rolls or pre-diecut labels.

EFI launched its new Jetrion 4830 UV inkjet system during Labelexpo Europe 2009 and subsequently won the LabelExpo Europe Label Industry Award for New Innovation for the 4380. The 4380 recently won the 2010 European Digital Press (EDP) Association Award for the “Best Industrial (Specialty) Printing Solution” category.

As a digital material provider, Masterpiece Graphix can optimize materials for HP Indigo, EFI Jetrion or other digital press applications. MGX can help digital press users develop new substrates for use on their digital liquid toner, dry toner, and inkjet presses. If you would like to develop a new digital-ready material for your specific digital press application, please contact MGX for more information.

Fenton, MO February 18, 2010– Masterpiece Graphix (MGX) now offers both a matte and gloss substrate coating for the EFI Jetrion UV inkjet label press, giving Jetrion users more

substrate options to choose from. MGX has tested these coatings on paper and film materials, with successful results in both cases. EFI Jetrion users can have their preferred substrate digitally optimized with either coating option.

The MGX glossy substrate coating complements the glossy characteristics of the Jetrion’s ink, for a complete, high-gloss label finish. The matte substrate coating is useful for highlighting the Jetrion’s glossy ink, making the printed ink stand out on the matte material.

MGX partnered with EFI Jetrion to coat materials for the Jetrion 4000 and 4830 industrial inkjet roll presses, coating substrates for the Jetrion as an EFI certified treatment center. In addition, MGX has the capability to coat substrates for other UV inkjet press technologies.

Currently Masterpiece Graphix offers an EFI-certified material for the Jetrion: 54# Semigloss/Rubber-Based/40# (R1338). As part of the EFI and MGX partnership, every new Jetrion press purchase ships with a free roll of this material.

In addition to the EFI-certified material, MGX has also offers two Jetrion-compatible substrates: 2.3 mil white BOPP and 57# Semigloss/Perm/40#.