Masterpiece Graphix

Would you like to be able to print 24, 30, and 36 mil cards on your HP Indigo roll press? Every Indigo professional knows that the press’s current capabilities limit printing to only 18 mil and thinner stocks.

MGX now offers a revolutionary digital product that allows you to produce double thick cardstock projects: Masterpiece Premium MAX Impact Stock. This innovative MAX Impact solution creates a finished piece that is twice the thickness of a typical “thick” postcard, and is compatible with HP Indigo and other digital press technology. This product is available in rolls or as sheets, and has recently been RIT-Certified for the HP Indigo 5500 & 7000 digital sheet presses. MGX now offers custom roll products in this innovative and versatile stock.

Imagine going to your best customer with hang tags, loyalty cards, postcards, retail tags, greeting cards, gift cards, business cards, and other commercial press projects that are more impactful and higher quality due to the thickness of the stock.

You’re probably wondering how you can produce all of these thicknesses on a digital press, when the maximum thickness you can run may be only 18 mil or less…read on to find out how we can do it.

MGX’s MAX Impact Stock is actually 12, 15, or 18 mils thick, with a specialized no tack adhesive on the back of the sheet and a score down the center. Both sides of your design are printed on the front of the sheet. When the printed piece is folded at the score with a typical bindery folder, the front and back lock together when cut on a guillotine cutter to create an impressive 24, 30, or 36 mil card. After printing, the sheets can be UV coated to add gloss and protection, or add a thin protective lamination layer to make the card thicker and more durable. MGX MAX Impact stocks are available as a custom roll product, and is made to order per your company’s specifications.

Masterpiece Premium MAX Impact Stock is compatible with a wide variety of liquid toner, dry toner, and inkjet digital presses, such as the HP Indigo, Xerox iGen, and Kodak Nexpress. Other digital press models may also be compatible, but we recommend testing the stock first to evaluate compatibility with your particular press model.

Masterpiece Graphix MAX Impact 24 mil Cardstock sheets are currently RIT-Certified for the HP Indigo 5500 and 7000 digital sheet presses, and MGX is working on certifying MAX Impact roll stocks as well.

For pricing and additional information on Masterpiece Premium Double Thick Card Stock options for your digital roll or sheet press, please contact your MGX sales rep or email the sales team.

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.

Would you like to be able to print 24, 30, and 36 mil cards on your digital sheet press? Everyone knows your press capabilities limit you to only 18 mil and thinner stocks!

PROBLEM SOLVED: MGX is offering a revolutionary digital product that allows you to produce double thick cardstock projects: Masterpiece Premium MAX Impact Stock. This innovative MAX Impact solution creates a finished piece that is twice the thickness of a typical “thick” postcard, and is compatible with HP Indigo, Kodak Nexpress, OKI Data Engine, Memjet, and Xerox iGen digital press technology.

Imagine going to your best customer with hang tags, loyalty cards, postcards, retail tags, greeting cards, gift cards, business cards, and other commercial press projects that are more impactful and higher quality due to the thickness of the stock.

You’re probably wondering how you can produce all of these thicknesses on a digital press, when the maximum thickness you can run may be only 18 mil or less…read on to find out how.

Each sheet of MAX Impact Stock is actually 12, 15, or 18 mils thick, with a specialized no tack adhesive on the back of the sheet and a score down the center. Both sides of your design are printed on the front of the sheet. When folded at the score with a typical bindery folder, the front and back lock together when cut on a guillotine cutter to create an impressive 24, 30, or 36 mil card. After printing, the sheets can be UV coated to add gloss and protection, or add a thin protective lamination layer to make the card thicker and more durable.

Masterpiece Premium MAX Impact Stock is compatible with a wide variety of liquid toner, dry toner, and inkjet digital presses. Other digital press models may also be compatible, but we recommend testing the stock first to evaluate compatibility with your particular press. Now you can create impressive digital postcards on extra-thick stocks, for more impact and responses when combined with your digital press’s variable data options.

As an example, if you were making postcards with Masterpiece Premium MAX Impact Stock, the material could be trimmed into several postcard sizes: 4 cards at 4.125 x 5.5 inches, 2 cards at 5.75 x 8 inches or one very impressive card at 8.5 x 11 inches. With these options, your digital press can produce other impressive double thick cardstock projects. Max Impact face material is HP Indigo-certified, and is currently pending certification with its glue combination. Options are also available for your roll press as well.

For pricing and additional information on Masterpiece Premium Double Thick Card Stock options, please contact your MGX sales rep or email the sales team.

HP Indigo digital printing technology is well-suited to digital photo production, and is gaining popularity in the digital photofinishing industry. Photo-specialty printing is one of HP Indigo’s fastest growing markets, with a 30% year-over-year increase for new HP Indigo press placements in photo specialty applications in 2009. In addition, HP Indio saw a 40% year-over-year increase in photo specialty page output during the photo industry’s peak-production season, October 1 to December 31.  Applications for photo specialty products are endless, and more products are hitting the marketplace all the time. Some possibilities include photo books, accordion folders, high-end cards, photo prints, and wall graphics.

Digital technology has “caught up” with traditional silver halide photo production: the HP Indigo can now offer archival-quality printing options, small runs, and inline finishing options. A print permanence study by Wilhelm Imaging Research (WIR), the respected industry authority on digital print longevity, gave HP Indigo pages printed on a gloss stock a WIR Permanence Rating of approximately 45 years, which outperforms the best silver halide paper on the market. The study also shows that HP Indigo photo book prints received a WIR Album/Dark storage rating of greater than 100 years.

To meet this exploding demand, HP has developed several flagship solutions specifically for the photo production industry. Many HP Indigo users are currently utilizing the HP Indigo WS6000, 5000, 5500, 7000 and 7500 to produce photo-specialty products. In addition, the HP Indigo 7200 offers improved color management and consistency specifically for high-volume printing of photo-specialty products like photo books. This digital sheet press offers blazing-fast production speeds of 240 four-color letter-size pages per minute, and volumes of up to 7.5 million pages per month. Other features include linked color management utilities and optional finishing systems for inline cutting; offset stacking of book blocks, and lamination.  Dry toner presses like the Xerox iGen and Kodak Nexpress also are capable of producing photo specialty products like books, prints, and cards.

If you are looking to integrate photographic products into your press offerings, Masterpiece Graphix can help with substrate selection, production consulting, and product development. Digital printers that desire a traditional high-gloss paper or cardstock product can achieve this by applying a UV or high-gloss laminate over the printed stock. These finishing options also add longevity to the print. If you are looking for a unique, luxurious look, MGX can also supply textured roll or sheet substrates that mimic the look of canvas, cloth, linen, metal, or vellum. Any substrate can be varnished or laminated to add durability and permanence to the printed product, or printed without a finishing solution to create more cost-effective option.

The possibilities for photo production are anything but limited to card and paper substrates. Emerging technologies include fabrics and pressure-sensitive stickers and wall graphics. Your Masterpiece Graphix sales rep can help you source and treat the digital materials you need for your specific photo application, whether it’s a traditional or off-the-wall product. For more information on all of our photo production substrate solution, please contact your MGX sales rep or email the sales team.

Digital printing on the HP Indigo has proven time and time again to be the most diverse digital production press on the market. The HP Indigo roll press can be used to produce labels, shrink sleeves, flexible packaging, folding cartons, and other paper products. But did you know you can produce temporary tattoo products on your HP Indigo too?

Masterpiece Graphix now offers a premium temporary tattoo option: a FDA-grade film with a medical adhesive. Masterpiece Premium Medical Tape/Rem/60# (R1570) is designed to be comfortable, breathable, and transparent, and was originally developed for the surgical market. These aren’t atypical low quality apply-with-water kid’s temporary tattoos; this product can be applied right out of the package with no water, and offers a durable vibrant surface for your digital graphics. Plus they stick to skin until removed with no flaking or rub-off. Users can even shower and sweat without damaging the graphic. The temporary tattoo peels off easily when it is time for removal. R1570 is specially formulated to be compatible with the HP Indigo roll press series.

You may think that the temporary tattoo market would have a narrow focus. That’s not so! There are many diverse uses and applications that can easily create new revenue streams for your HP Indigo roll press. Here are some creative applications that are already utilizing medical tape:

• Show Your Team Spirit With Fan Tattoos: There are already a few digital printers that utilize this material for college and professional sports-themed temporary tattoos for fans. Athletes can even get in on the action by proudly displaying their team spirit on their skin. Temporary tattoos are perfect for any level of sports participation, and can be “applied” for just about any individual or team sporting event.

• Athlete Identification: One digital printer came to MGX for a very interesting (and creative) way to utilize our medical tape. This digital printer wanted to produce leg and arm numbers for triathlon participants. These ID numbers would be applied to the athlete’s arm and side of the calf, adding a whole new level of visibility for each participant. Masterpiece Graphix medical tape is breathable, lightweight and very comfortable, making it an innovative choice for participant identification. The triathlon organizers even added the event colors and logo to the graphic, creating another level of branding for the organization.

• Other Creative “Applications” for Temporary Tattoos: The possibilities for temporary tattoo sales are endless! Some creative applications include holiday promotions (including Halloween costume production), movie-themed items, holidays and special events. These are just a few of our ideas for using temporary tattoo production on a digital press; can you come up with other applications.

For more information about Masterpiece Graphix’s temporary tattoo products, please contact your MGX sales rep directly or email our sales team.

Digital printers often come to Masterpiece Graphix for the highest-quality digital products, and to help secure additional revenue streams for their business. Last month Masterpiece Graphix debuted new HP Indigo-compatible thermal transfer materials for HP Indigo sheet presses. These thermal transfer materials are pending HP Indigo certification for HP Indigo commercial presses. Due to high customer demand, MGX is now offering the same material in roll format for beta testing on HP Indigo roll presses.

Interested HP Indigo roll press owners can contact Masterpiece to trial this innovative new material. The digital press owner will be provided a loaner heat press and a roll of sample transfer material so they can experiment with a complete end-to-end garment production solution in their facility. Press owners will need to furnish their own t-shirts or other items for production trials.

Digitally-printed garments are gaining momentum in the marketplace, and the revenue potential continues to grow. Combined with the ability to produce short runs and custom items, digital technology is a win-win for garment production. Start-up costs are relatively low for HP Indigo press owners to diversify their existing business model with digital garment offerings. Digital heat transfer applications can range from the atypical tee to specialty items like totes, accessories, pillowcases, ribbon, and other various promotional items.

These newly offered heat transfer materials work best on light colored cotton or cotton/polyester blend fabrics with a tight weave. The transfer is very durable, with excellent color density lasting at least 15-20 wash cycles.

The transfer image is produced by digitally printing the file as a mirror image on the non-glossy, unlined side of the material. Any unprinted paper is trimmed off of the printed graphic before application, so that only the graphic is transferred to the garment. The heat press should be set at 375°F with a high pressure setting (60 psi) for the best transfer results.

Before pressing the graphic into the garment, first press the garment individually for 3-5 seconds to release any moisture and remove wrinkles. When you are ready to adhere the transfer to the garment, place the printed and trimmed graphic face down on the garment with the lined side facing up. Press the garment for 20-25 seconds. When pressing is completed, wait three seconds then remove the backing paper while the graphic is still hot in a smooth and even motion. Let the garment cool, and it’s ready to wear!

Other digital heat transfer options for HP Indigo roll presses are in the works. For more information on MGX’s heat transfer trial program or our HP Indigo-compatible sheet or roll heat transfer products, please contact your MGX sales rep or email the sales team.

Masterpiece Graphix, the only HP-Certified Treatment Center in North America, is participating in the Midwest’s first and only package printing forum, Follow Possible. This event is being sponsored by HP Indigo and Innovative Labeling Solutions (ILS) to showcase how HP Indigo digital printing technology works to the packaging community, and how packaging professionals can leverage it to maximize relevance and connection with their customers. Follow Possible will be held at Innovative Labeling Solutions in Hamilton, Ohio, so attendees can see ILS’s full-scale HP Indigo operation at work.

This unique event will guide attendees through the entire process of HP Indigo prime label, folding carton, flexible packaging and shrink film production. Digital packaging capabilities will be showcased on ILS’s 3 HP Indigo WS6000’s and finishing equipment from AB Graphic, Delta, and Karlville. Masterpiece Graphix is providing its HP Indigo-certified Premium 18 pt. Board Stock to demonstrate folding carton and hot stamping production on ILS’s AB Graphic Digicon Series I.

Attendees will enjoy a presentation on key packaging trends by Tim George, editor of Shelf Impact, as well as other informative seminar s on packaging and digital printing. The event is free and open to packaging industry professionals. You can learn more information on this event, including the itinerary and attendee information, at the Follow Possible website.

Masterpiece Graphix offers many options for prime labels, flexible packaging, folding cartons and shrink film production on the HP Indigo. For more information on our HP Indigo products, please contact your MGX sales rep directly or email our 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.

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.