Arguably hockey’s biggest event, the NHL Winter Classic, was played at Michigan Stadium earlier in January. But the Winter Classic isn’t just about pro hockey. About 70 youth teams from all over converge on Ann Arbor for the event, and play at nearby Yost Ice Arena.

PDQ Photos, based in Wyandotte, Mich., specializes in making those youth teams look great. In addition to shooting action photos (more than 45,000!), PDQ Photos owner Dan Swint and his crack team also set up team photos while they were there.

This year, PDQ Photos photographed 38 teams, and printed them on-site with two Canon iPF6400 wide-format inkjet printers on LexJet Sunset Photo Metallic Paper. “We bought one a few weeks before and liked it so much we bought a second one right before the Winter Classic,” says Swint.

The action photos were also viewed by the teams on computer monitors set up outside each game and printed on-site.

“The team photos were shot against a green screen and then dropped on top of that background. Everything was done on location and delivered at the event,” explains Swint. “The prints were phenomenal. We had such good feedback from the hockey teams and our staff. When they see it come off the printer, and the way the Metallic paper pops, it puts it over the top. It’s a real new product for us and has done very well at all the tournaments, and not just the Winter Classic, but the smaller tournaments prior to the Winter Classic.”

Swint adds that the combination of the Canon printers with Sunset Photo Metallic Paper has been a real boon to tournament business, making it easier to sell the output on-site. “I can’t say for certain that the Metallic look has pushed it any further because it’s been really busy since we added these poster printers to our lineup. However, we feel, based on our presentation and the look of the product, that it has had an impact,” he says.