LexJet

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the corporation LexJet. For other uses, see LexJet (disambiguation).
LexJet Corporation
Type Privately held company
Founded Sarasota, Florida (1994)
Headquarters Sarasota, Florida, United States of America
Key people Arthur Lambert and Ron Simkins, co-founders
Industry Digital imaging
Products Wide-format printers, software, and materials
Employees 95[citation needed]
Website "www.lexjet.com"

LexJet Corporation is a manufacturer and direct provider of materials and equipment utilized in wide-format inkjet printing. LexJet's primary markets are wide-format commercial print-for-pay companies and digital photographers. In addition to its own line of laminates, adhesives, and printable films, photo and fine art papers, vinyl, and plastics, LexJet carries 23 OEM brands of printers, laminators, software, printable materials, laminates, adhesives, and other digital imaging equipment. LexJet is a privately-owned company based in Sarasota, Fla., with a West Coast office/distribution center in Los Angeles, and distribution centers in Albany, N.Y.; Birmingham; Cincinnati; Denver; Milwaukee;Reno; Dallas; Jacksonville, Fla.; and Wilmington, Del.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Background

LexJet Corporation was founded in 1994 by Art Lambert and Ron Simkins, two senior executives from Zenith who initially launched a sign company in the early '90s in Sarasota, Fla., called Intelligent Signage Inc. (iSi). The sign company's primary business was the production of ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Braille signage for public facilities. At the time, one of the production methods for ADA signage was to subsurface screen print Lexan material, emboss the Braille, and apply raised text to the surface of the Lexan. The Lexan would then be applied to a thicker-gauge substrate, such as acrylic, and finished with square or rounded corners, or framed. The printing portion of the process had drawbacks, mainly that intricate logo details were often lost or impossible to produce. Moreover, the screen-printing process was costly due to the intricate and time-consuming setup required, demanding large production runs that made it economically unfeasible to provide a custom, short-run sign program. To find a solution, Lambert and Simkins worked with North America's largest GE Lexan distributor at the time, Tekra, and asked the company to develop an inkjet-printable coating for Lexan. Months later, iSi had the first reverse-print Lexan for use with standard desktop color inkjet printers. First available in 8 1/2" x 11" sheets, iSi began to produce custom, short-run ADA signs for hospitals and other facilities. The company began to sell 100-sheet boxes of the new material to other sign manufacturers. As iSi moved from sign production to sales of the new material, a new company, LexJet, was formed in 1994.

[edit] Founding

LexJet then began the development of a wide-format version of its product, called LexJet Clear, in conjunction with the emergence of viable wide-format inkjet printers from Encad (now owned by Kodak) and LaserMaster (now MacDermid ColorSpan). LexJet Clear is printed in reverse so that the ink is protected by the textured, polycarbonate surface, and is typically backed with one of LexJet's white backing materials, which is applied with a laminator. The second-generation product was manufactured in 50" widths and was primarily targeted to the trade-show graphics market. It enabled the printing of full-color photographic images that could be tailored to a specific trade-show market and location. LexJet Clear is currently in its fifth generation of development, LexJet Clear PreLume HD. Previous generations addressed compatibility with Hewlett-Packard wide-format printers and various inksets, as well as the incorporation of PreLume technology. PreLume, licensed by LexJet, is an additive that eliminates yellow and gray casts caused by printable papers and films. It utilizes Optical Reflection Technology to offset color shifts, and is incorporated in a number of LexJet printable materials, laminates, backers, and adhesives.

[edit] Product Line Development

During the development phase of LexJet Clear, LexJet began designing and manufacturing other LexJet-branded materials for wide-format printing, from films to papers, building a product line that now numbers in the hundreds. At the same time, LexJet built a portfolio of related products from other OEMs in the market that it sells direct to the end user. Since 1994, wide-format printing technology has developed and expanded beyond the original water-based inksets and into solvent-based and UV-curable inks. LexJet's product development has mirrored these technological advances with material lines for each printing technology. Additionally, LexJet has begun to market, sell, and service the most recent entrant into the UV-curable printer market, Digital Equipment Company's Legend 72HUV, a hybrid (roll-to-roll and flatbed) 72" UV-curable printer that can print directly to rigid materials up to 1-inch thick.

[edit] LexJet Product Lines

LexJet's branded product lines include: Sunset Media for photographic, fine art (giclee), and fine photo printing; LexJet replacement ink for HP 5000/5500 printers and Roland VersaCAMM and SOLJET printers (ProSolvent Ink); aqueous inkjet paper; aqueous specialty inkjet media; solvent inkjet media; UV-curable inkjet media; laminates, adhesives, and backers; display hardware; accessories; finishing equipment; laser media; and pre-made photo frames.

[edit] OEM Products

LexJet sells and supports products from Canon, ColorByte Software, DuPont, Epson, FLEXcon, Hahnemuhle, Hewlett-Packard, Ilford Photo, Kodak, MacDermid ColorSpan, Neschen, Nik Software, OKI Printing Solutions, Onyx, Oracal, Seal, 3M, 3P Inkjet Textiles, Wacom, Wasatch, X-Rite, Vertus, and Unibind.

[edit] Recent Corporate Initiatives

In 2005, LexJet expanded its distribution network to ten strategically-located centers across the United States. LexJet also ships related products of its corporate partners – such as HP, Epson, Hahnemuhle, and FLEXcon – from 19 additional distribution centers.

In 2006, LexJet acquired Sone Systems, a major California supplier of wide-format imaging supplies, opening an office on the West Coast and further expanding distribution.

In September 2007, LexJet launched the Great Output Seminar Tour, a nationwide seminar tour designed to teach photographers the ins and outs of the wide-format digital printing process. The tour travels to 16 cities across the U.S., winding up in New York City in February 2008.

LexJet expanded its Inkjet Cartridge Recycling Program beyond the HP 5000/5500 printer series of cartridges, and added 18 cartridges from HP, Canon, and Epson to the program as part of its Environmental Initiatives in September 2007. The program allows users of the cartridges included in the program to send their cartridges to LexJet at no charge for recycling, either to be processed into recycled materials or for use in new consumer products.

[edit] Awards and Accolades

  • 2000: LexJet ranked first in the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Fast 50, fastest growing technology companies in the Tampa Bay area, and was also ranked 175th on Inc. Magazine’s fastest growing privately-held companies in America
  • 2001: LexJet ranked 48th on Inc. Magazine’s fastest growing privately-held companies in America, and 13th in the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Florida 100, which ranked the fastest growing businesses in Florida
  • 2005: LexJet named by the Tampa Bay Business Journal as one of the best places to work in the Tampa Bay area
  • 2006: LexJet named Technology Company of the Year by the Economic Development Corporation of Sarasota County
  • 2007: LexJet recognized by PCMag.com's 10 Ways Technology Can Make a Difference for its Inkjet Cartridge Recycling Program

[edit] References

[edit] External links