GrafXGroup launches new web site

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Visit us at our new website  www.pcigrafx.com

or go to our blog at

http://pcigrafx.com/blog

Installing graphics for the City of Boulder's Energy Future Program

GrafXGroup installation team was out between thunder storms yesterday installing graphics on buildings promoting Boulder's Energy Future program.

Robb Shurr from the city shot this time lapse video of the install on Walnut Street.

Check out the video here

Master framer, Paul Rosario, displays a framed photograph headed to the David Brookover Gallery in Jackson, WY.

When does a frame become a piece of fine furniture?

When it's crafted that way. -Heirloom Quality-

1) We use only the highest quality moldings from Picture Woods, Roma and Larson Juhl; solid wood moldings not particle wood composites or extruded plastic like used in less expensive frames. Even if a cheap frame looks good at first, six months later you may start to see warping and separation at corners. Quality frames hold their look for decades.

2) We're experts at mounting all types of artwork, from photographs just printed to antique prints and even three dimensional objects. For example, we use PH balanced dry mount adhesives to mount photographs to the sub board rather than taping. Taping's cheaper, but taped prints ripple after a time and look cheap. Dry mounted prints will look beautiful indefinitely. And when work does have to be attached using other means, we use only museum quality materials.

3) From the moment you come in, you are working with experienced print makers as well as framers. Whether we are handling your artwork or making the prints that will be framed, you can feel secure knowing that we have the experience. We'll help you pick out mattes and moldings that compliment your work. We can explain the differences in glass vs. acrylics vs. laminates for displaying and protecting work. We know our materials and we know what works.

What does value like this cost?

Master framer, Paul Rosario, works with you to come up with a frame that speaks to your goals. Every job is quoted individually. There are no off-the-shelf frames or prices. Each job is special,

What's the best printing process for large format graphics.

With Photo (LightJet), UV Flatbed, and Inkjet to choose from, what's the best printing process to use?

There is no simple answer as to the best printing process to use for a graphic imaging project. It's possible your project may be best accomplished using several processes, which is why it is good to use a company that can provide multiple methods of printing. We are not talking here about different materials to print on, but the printing process that is used. For example, a vinyl banner can be printed using several different methods. It can be printed on a solvent printer, an inkjet printer using aqueous or pigment inks or a printer using UV curable inks. All can look nice but depending on the use, one process may be far superior to others.

Briefly, here are a few of the differences in the processes:

Photo printing using the LightJet 430
Extremely high image quality especially for photographic images.
Long print life. This is a true, silver based, photographic print.
If you are going to frame it and hang it on the wall, this is the process.

UV Flatbed using the Accuity
A UV Flatbed prints directly to rigid substrates, no need to print first and then mount. It saves time and money. It also has an eco-friendliness in that there are less materials used versus printing and mounting.
Image quality is very high and works well with photo elements as well as graphical elements. It is a CMYK printer and works well with pantone colors so designers trying to match other printed pieces will find this a more suitable process.
UV is great for POP and signage. It stands up well outdoors, however it is not great for flexible materials that will be subject to a lot of motion like outdoor banners as the inks are not as flexible as some other processes, such as solvent.
We also use it for printing to acrylic and exotic substrates such as DiBond. It has a number of interesting designer features in that you can lay down a layer of white ink and then print on top of that. We have made some very cool displays using a variety of materials and UV printing.

Solvent Inkjet printing
Printing with solvent inks (we use "low" solvent inks as they are more environmentally friendly) is the best method for printing banners, outdoor wall murals, floor graphics, window graphics, cloth and the vinyls used for vehicle wraps. Image quality is very good and outdoor durability is excellent.

Regular Inkjet printing
Inkjet printing comes in several flavors. Along with solvent, we offer both aqueous (dye based) and archival pigmented inks.
Aqueous inks are very bright and colorful but will not last long especially if subjected to direct sunlight. We typically use the aqueous inkjet printer for making proofs and for quick turn prints that don't need to last.
Archival pigment Inks are used for printing to canvas and fine art papers. This process, sometimes called Giclee printing, is great when you want a "fine art" look and when you want the ultimate in longevity.

You don't have to feel alone when it comes to choosing the best process or materials for your next project, that's part of what you get when you use the GrafXGroup and Photo Craft Imaging. We bring 37 years of quality imaging experience to every job we do. That's why we call it the GrafX Experience,

the GrafX Eperience.....
Impressive Products, Uncommon Quality, Real Service since 1974
.......... are you ready?

GrafXGroup and Photo Craft Imaging go Solar

In September 2010 GrafXGroup / Photo Craft Imaging finished installing a 46 kilowatt photovoltaic array atop the Photo Craft Building in Boulder, Colorado. The 46 kilowatt system will generate enough electricity to provide for all of the graphics production plus some. This is an environmental statement that your clients will appreciate. Many companies are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and being able to say all their graphics are produced using renewable energy is something they will like to hear. So, let them know that your production house is a Solar Powered Company.

Check out some shots from the installation.










Picture of the Photo Craft Building shot from across Pearl Parkway showing the full solar array

Photo Craft is going Solar

The following press release appeared today in the Boulder County Business report.

http://www.bcbr.com/article.asp?id=51886

Ever since we first saw our new building we knew it was prime for Photovoltaic. It's a long skinny building running east-west, which results in a huge south facing roof at just the right angle for PV. But, systems aren't easy to afford, and since we didn't own the building we put the idea aside. When our landlord Lou DellaCava suggested partnering on a system we jumped on it. Fortunately, there are some great incentives for building owners, but without buy-in from the tenants there is no way to pay for it. Being the only tenant meant he only needed buy-in from one.
The production of graphics today, just as photo processing has been forever, requires lots of power. If the 46 Kilowatt solar array performs as expected we hope to provide up to two thirds of our power requirements from the sun.

New Printer! the Fuji Acuity UV Flat Bed

Well, it was a long time in coming, but we finally installed our first flat bed printer. First we needed to move into our new facility so we would have the room, but even more important we had to wait for the technology to get to a point where we were comfortable that we could produce the image quality we demand.

The printer we picked was the Fuji Acuity. It will print onto rigid materials up to 4 feet by 8 feet, such as foam core, Gator board, Sintra, styrene, clear and frosted acrylics, metals, glass, wood, and coroplast. Actually, almost anything up to 1.75 inches thick, think doors!

Also, the Acuity can print with white ink, which opens a whole world of design possibilities. One of our first jobs was to print large display panels onto 1/2 inch thick acrylic. The customer wanted the background to be clear with blocks of text but there were also pictures that had to look good. The old way would have been to print onto a clear photographic film for the text blocks and photographic paper for the images and then mount onto the acrylic with an optically clear adhesive. You could print the whole thing to clear film but then you would have a transparent look to the pictures or all on photo paper but then you would loose the transparency of the background. With the Acuity we printed everything directly on the acrylic and then printed white ink as a backer only where there was an image. It was beautiful.

Think about other possibilities, with white ink one can use colored substrates. Print white first and then the image on top of the white. Take it a step further and create the image with white as a variable density layer. How about starting with black foam core, Gator or Sintra and print just using white. I've seen some stunning pieces done this way.

The flat bed also presents some interesting "green" angles. First off there is a lot less waste to go in the trash. Since we are not mounting there are no adhesives or release papers being used. There is way less energy used as we don't have to mount. Since the inks are cured instantly there is no out gassing. (Inks have to have a liquid carrier and virtually all carriers have some volatile compounds so if you can cure the ink rather than letting it dry on its own you reduce the release of VOCs.)

Even better, we can turn jobs much faster and pass some of the labor savings on to our clients.

This doesn't mean the end of our 104" wide HP printer or photographic printing on the LightJet 430. There are still plenty of things these systems do better than any other method and we will continue to employ multiple processes so that we can always recommend the right process for the project. Unlike many companies that rely on one type of printing process we know that there is no such thing as a one shoe fits all method.

We look forward to having a lot of fun with the newest tool in our arsenal of great printers.