Masterpiece Graphix

Fenton, MO September 19, 2011 – Masterpiece Graphix (MGX), a digital material manufacturer and treatment center, has been named as a Certified Color-Logic Partner for digital metalized substrates. Now Masterpiece Graphix can provide compatible solutions for fantastic digital press metallic and special effects with Color-Logic’s Process Metallic Color System™.

Announcing the partnership, Color-Logic director of sales and marketing Mark Geeves commented: “Masterpiece Graphix and Color-Logic have worked together to ensure that Masterpiece Graphix Brilliant Metalized Paper/Perm/40# (R1361) provides the best possible image quality results on the Xeikon 30000 Series of digital label presses.  As a result, Masterpiece Graphix becomes the first Color-Logic technology partner to qualify substrate for use on Xeikon equipment.  Our collaboration ensures that Masterpiece Graphix is familiar with the Color-Logic Process Metallic Color System™, and stands ready to assist Xeikon users who wish to print on metalized paper to achieve the dramatic Color-Logic effects.”

MGX also offers Xeikon-authorized enhanced metalized material solutions for BOPP and polyester synthetic substrates. In addition, Masterpiece Graphix manufactures a multitude of metalized roll and sheet substrates that are compatible with other digital label presses.

For additional information, please contact:

About Masterpiece Graphix:

Masterpiece Graphix (MGX) is the premier digital substrate manufacturer, providing solutions for liquid toner, dry toner, and inkjet digital press technologies. As the first and only HP-Certified Indigo Treatment Center established in North America, Masterpiece Graphix has successfully treated hundreds of digital sheet and roll materials for the HP Indigo press. Masterpiece Graphix offers turnkey, ready-to-run digital material solutions for HP Indigo, Xeikon, EFI Jetrion, Kodak Nexpress, Memjet RapidX, and Xerox iGen digital presses, as well as solutions for other digital press technologies. As a digital material manufacturer and treatment center, MGX is a one-stop-shop for all traditional commodity stocks and exotic materials, opening up new revenue opportunities for digital press users.

About Color-Logic:

Color-Logic^™ develops color communication systems and software tool sets for a variety of special effect printing applications.  Color-Logic provides brand owners, product managers, corporations, and their advertising agencies the ability to differentiate themselves and their clients with a simple print production process that yields dramatic results.  Color-Logic special effects utilize the existing workflows of printers and designers, yielding dynamic results without the use of special equipment.  Color-Logic supports the value of print and works with designers and printers to enhance their printed media.  For more information, visit www.color-logic.com or call 513-258-0047.

Are you looking for a way to get more value out of your current label or packaging product, and increase name recognition of your company? Would your customers value the same kind of product options to increase interest in their brand? Masterpiece Graphix offers an inexpensive and innovate way to create more exposure to your message using your current product offerings with our material backprinting options. Now you can create a recognizable product image on the back of your labels, creating brand identity for your company.

MGX can backprint your materials with a single color, repeated image on any printable liner, or even the back of a card or tag stock. The backprinted material can be printed with either an opaque graphic or a light watermark in the color of your choice that retains your desired level of transparency. Backprinting your substrate with MGX is more cost-effective and will save you on click charges, rather than trying to achieve the same look on a digital press.

Backprinting your labelstocks with a logo, a website or another image on the liner makes your product instantly recognizable, adding more promotional value to your existing packaging stocks. If your customers like the look of your label, they will instantly know where the product came from and are more likely to reorder from you. You can also add value to your customer’s current material orders by offering a backprinted message or graphic to a folding carton that is visible when opened. Applications for backprinting include logo recognition, website promotion, or as a security feature.

Masterpiece Graphix can offer expertise and guidance on the best way to utilize backprinting in your business model. For more information on our backprinting options and pricing, 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.

Metalized substrates add pizzazz to your digital press offering with sparkle and interest. However it can be tricky to for a graphic designer to create a file that will achieve the desired metalized colors and effect when it goes to press. Color-Logic, a developer of color communication and software tools for special effect printing, The Process Metallic Color System™ by Color-Logic provides a communication system linking graphic designers with printers and converters. Previously only available for offset lithography applications, the Color-Logic Process Metallic Color System Version 2™ now supports digital press, inkjet and flexo printing processes. The Process Metallic Color System Version 2 ™ enables licensed printers to produce remarkable metallic effects on HP Indigo and Xeikon digital presses. The system is designed so that nearly any digital press that can print opaque white ink on a metallic substrate can produce striking images, hundreds of metallic colors and dazzling special effects.

Now industrial HP Indigo and Xeikon users with five-color printing capabilities (white plus CMYK) can utilize the Color-Logic process to produce as many as 250 different metallic hues on metalized substrates. The Color-Logic software works by incorporating the metallic substrate into the design, creating an effect equivalent to that achieved when running offset lithographic images with metallic ink. The Process Metallic Color System™ standardizes the process to benefit both printers and designers, to ensure files are correctly printed without the trial and error that can hinder metallic printing projects. The software system produces beautiful special effects for labels, folding cartons, signage, literature, point-of-purchase, and other specialty applications.

The Process Metallic Color System™ by Color-Logic has gained popularity initially for its ability to produce striking metallic images and special effects using offset lithography and flexography. In addition to Xeikon and HP Indigo technology, Color-Logic has recently released the new version of their metallic printing system to be compatible with wide-format inkjet.

The Process Metallic Color System™ software works by providing graphic designers with the ability to add a fifth silver separation to their usual CMYK images, creating designs that were previously impossible to achieve. Many Color-Logic special effects are simple and easy to create, and the system does not require you to purchase additional hardware or software to implement the technology. Files are generated by the same design software press users currently use, so Color Logic’s Process Metallic Color System™ platform is already compatible with your existing workflow. Printers that want to utilize the system are licensed and authorized by Color-Logic after demonstrating their metalized printing capabilities with the Process Metallic Color System™. This certification is a strong selling point when bidding on metallic printing jobs.

Color-Logic sells directly to printing companies who can then license the process from Color-Logic on a one-time basis, for perpetual use. Color-Logic partners with major press and output device suppliers, including manufacturers providing coating and proofing equipment, as well as ink and substrate suppliers, to ensure compatibility with existing printer workflows and practices. Products are thoroughly tested before release to ensure that the metallic printing system produces exceptional results on different digital press models.

Color-Logic, in conjunction with Xeikon, showcased their Process Metallic Color System™ at Graph Expo in October 2010 in Chicago, Illinois. 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 on a Xeikon digital press.  Color-Logic’s Process Metallic Color System™ received a coveted MustSee’em Award in the Software category at Graph Expo.

Take a few minutes to see how the Color-Logic Design Suite produces dynamic  effects with the most common design programs available in the marketplace today by following this link.

Masterpiece Graphix can provide digital metalized substrates for HP Indigo and Xeikon that work well with Color-Logic’s Process Metallic Color System™. For more information on our metalized substrates, please contact your MGX sales rep directly or email our sales team.

Metalized prime labels combined with high-impact digital graphics are an eye-catching way to dazzle your customers. MGX offers a full line of digital-ready metalized substrates including iridescent, foil, metalized paper and holographic materials. Many MGX metalized options are competitively priced and can be on your pressroom floor ready to print in a matter of days. No matter your desired product appearance, specific material requirements or budget, Masterpiece Graphix can provide a metalized substrate to suit your digital application.

Silver Metalized Paper/All-Temp Perm/40# SCK(R1172): This premium finished metalized paper material features a bright silver high-sheen face with an acrylic topcoat and excellent HP Indigo printability. The permanent adhesive bonds to many common substrates, is FDA 175.105-compliant and performs well in all temperatures. The material’s versatility makes it an ideal choice for many prime label applications. Masterpiece Graphix is proud to offer R1172 as a readily-available, compatible material solution for the HP Indigo.

Xeikon-Authorized Brilliant Metalized Paper/Perm/40# (R1361): Masterpiece Graphix is has partnered with Xeikon to offer metalized substrate solutions for the Xeikon digital press series. Xeikon-authorized MGX Brilliant Metalized Paper/Perm/40# (R1361) is enhanced with a digital topcoat and is authorized for use on all the Xeikon label presses for the best possible image quality and toner adhesion.  MGX also offers Xeikon-authorized enhanced metalized material solutions for other metalized synthetic substrates such as BOPP and polyester.

2 mil Metalized BOPP /Perm/1.2mil PET (R1375): This MGX HP Indigo-compatible material features a bright silver, mirror-like glossy face and a superior wet-out adhesive well-suited for squeezable container applications. Masterpiece Graphix’s R1375 offers resistance to water, oil and chemicals, making the substrate an excellent choice for high-gloss cosmetic and toiletry labeling.

Dull Silver Foil/Perm/40# (R1497): MGX currently offers HP Indigo-compatible Masterpiece Dull Silver Foil/Perm/40# (R1497) as a readily available metalized option. In addition, Masterpiece Graphix offers several other HP Indigo-optimized foil materials. Other available materials include a silver or gold face with a dull (matte) or bright (mirror-like) finishes. Laminated foil offers exceptional durability and excellent color reproduction. Some press operators opt to flood-coat silver foil stocks to produce custom tinted metallic and color matched foils. The permanent adhesive used on MGX laminated foil stock is suitable for virtually all prime label applications.

Holographic Iridescent Metalized Paper/ Perm/40# SCK (R1187): This substrate is one of our most commonly ordered HP Indigo-compatible metalized materials. Featuring a two-dimensional holographic diffraction pattern and an FDA 175.105-compliant adhesive, MGX’s Holographic Iridescent Metalized Paper/Perm/40# SCK is eye-catching and is more economically-priced than many metalized substrates. HP Indigo-optimized MGX R1187 is a competitively priced roll product with that can be quickly treated and shipped to your pressroom.

Custom Material Options: The highlighted products above are just a few of the metalized substrates Masterpiece Graphix can provide for use on your digital press. Do you have a specific material in mind that’s not mentioned here? No problem. MGX can help you select, trial, and digitally optimize the specific material you want with our custom substrate options. Masterpiece Graphix offers short lead times and competitive pricing from the industry’s top suppliers. If you plan on regularly ordering the same metalized facestocks to run on your digital press, custom stocking options are available. For additional information on all of MGX’s metalized material options, please contact your MGX sales rep 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.

MGX is proud to announce its new status as a Gold Partner within the Digital Solutions Cooperative for HP Indigo Users, or DScoop. This enhanced partnership level recognizes MGX as a valuable contributor to the HP Indigo community. Since Masterpiece Graphix is the only HP Indigo-Certified Treatment Center in North America, DScoop’s independent group of HP Indigo printers will benefit from MGX’s digital knowledge and expertise through its Gold Partner participation. Masterpiece Graphix will exhibit as a Gold Partner at the DScoop6 convention February 17-19, 2011 at the Gaylord Palms Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

Masterpiece Graphix will use this enhanced partnership status to present new digital material innovations to the HP Indigo industrial and commercial marketplace. This year MGX has made many exciting changes to their business model, adding a new coater, doubling the size of their facility and has added new co-branded digital products like acpo digital overlaminates, DSS security paper and Transilwrap plastics.

DScoop, or The Digital Solutions Cooperative, is a user-driven interactive community of HP Graphic Arts press owners and their sales, management, marketing and production teams. DScoop members support each other to collectively improve their print businesses and HP Indigo digital press technology. DScoop members collectively influence Hewlett-Packard’s product direction by sharing ideas and success stories within their membership. DScoop members interact throughout the year online via the DScoop website and face-to-face at the annual DScoop conference. This year, DScoop is hosting the first-ever DScoop/HP Partner Summit, which will be held during DScoop6 in the nearby Orlando Marriott World Center. This unique event will allow DScoop partners and HP Indigo partners the opportunity to directly interact with HP’s engineers and sales professionals, to learn firsthand about new product developments and to influence future HP Indigo technology.

As DScoop6 approaches, look for more product announcements and company news from Masterpiece Graphix in the coming months. If you are attending please contact your MGX sales rep directly to set up a meeting at DScoop6 or send us an email for more information. We look forward to connecting with you at DScoop6!

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.

Masterpiece Graphix supplies are available through Tailored Solutions’ Label Traxx as a supplier partner. MGX became available on Label Traxx earlier this year and customers have enjoyed issuing PO’s and tracking inventory from their software with ease. Label Traxx makes ordering the full line of MGX’s digital materials easy, fast and reliable with the convenience of automatic inventory updates.

Label Traxx is a job management software system created by Tailored Solutions specifically for narrow web printers and printers who specialize in in-line roll converting. It enables different departments within a printing company to communicate easily via twelve user modules including Estimating, Job Costing, Quality Control, and Job Coster. Each module is a complete end-to-end solution that contains everything needed to streamline communication throughout the organization and to efficiently manage the print business. MGX customers using the Label Traxx system are able to reduce their order entry time by connecting directly and securely to Masterpiece Graphix, eliminating double entries and greatly reducing erroneous entries.

MGX, through Label Traxx, provides immediate order confirmation and advance shipment notice data. Utilizing the convenient bar code scanning feature of Label Traxx, users have the ability to scan incoming and work-in-process MGX material to maintain an accurate inventory count with ease. Many MGX customers that utilize Label Traxx have noticed that keeping track of material inventory is much easier and that ordering MGX material through the software is fast, convenient and easy to do.

For more information on Tailored Solution’s Label Traxx, please visit their website. For MGX-specific information about the Label Traxx system, please contact Masterpiece Graphix’s customer service at 636.349.6401 x211, or via email.