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Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Bold, Bright Suite Graphics Light up an Arena

Wall Graphics for Branding and Advertising

Competing for the consumer’s attention is especially intense at public venues like sports arenas and stadiums. Inundated with advertising messages, not to mention the game or event at hand, it can be difficult to stand out and grab someone’s attention.

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. High Country in Rapid City, S.D., found a solution to this vexing challenge at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City: a full wrap of its corporate suite in bold Coca-Cola red.

Inkjet Printed Wall Murals“When we got the suite in January of 2012 we wanted to do something dynamic that would stand out and make it obvious we were in there,” explains Holly LaGrande, marketing manager for Coca-Cola Bottling Co. High Country. “Because we were the first to wrap the inside of one of the suites it was very visible, not only because it was the first one, but because it was so bright and so red. It’s very vibrant, and I was even worried that we overdid it. However, the people at the arena like it and were looking forward to someone doing it because no one had to that point, and the beer companies followed up with their own wraps.”

LaGrande used Photo Tex PSA Fabric – Aqueous Printers from LexJet and printed the wrap in 60″ x 144″ panels. The panels were installed in the suite in two four-hour sessions, which LaGrande did by herself. She says it would have been nearly impossible to apply the graphics by herself with an adhesive-backed vinyl since Photo Tex is repositionable and thus extremely easy to apply and re-apply if necessary.

Adding Graphics to Walls
Before: What a difference a wall mural makes, as you can see in the “after” pictures above.

“First, I had to take out all the light fixtures, door stops and electrical outlets and strip everything out. Then, I started at the top on the far left and applied each panel across. I was able to pull it apart and get it re-applied easily when it bunched up,” says LaGrande.

LaGrande plans to update the graphics for the 2013-2014 hockey season in late summer or early fall and says she’s looking forward to printing the project on the new Canon iPF9400 she picked up from LexJet earlier this year.

Posted on by Regan Dickinson Posted in Case Studies & Profiles
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Inkjet Printed Wall Murals Illustrate Military History

Photo Wall Mural

It’s one thing to learn about World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam on the Military Channel, but quite another to see the actual equipment and weaponry and rare photos from those conflicts in person. Tom Rancour, who’s an engineer by trade, is the curator of the privately-owned Armed Forces Military Display and Gifts museum in tiny Wasta, S.D., which is near Rapid City.

Photo Wall Mural at a MuseumThe museum is located right off I-90 with visibility that helps ensure curious passersby stop in to see the impressive collection of military memorabilia, much of it drawn from Rancour’s personal collection. As an engineer, Rancour is used to printing in large format with an HP3500CP, but mainly for CAD drawings and renderings.

Creating large murals that help shed additional light on the various displays, however, is another matter entirely. Rancour wanted to include two rare photos from his private photo collection that would tie into a display of German field equipment used in World War II.

“I looked for a year and a half for a material I could apply to the wall to avoid hanging photos in the back of that display case. When I found Photo Tex at LexJet I was so relieved because it saved a lot of headache on how to hang that material,” says Rancour. “Those photos are originally 1 1/2″ x 2”. I scanned them with an Epson scanner and then printed them on the HP printer using the HP Standard Coated Paper setting, and that seemed to do the trick.”

Armed Forces Military Display and Gifts Museum
The Armed Forces Military Display and Gifts Museum in Wasta, S.D., has an amazing collection of arms, equipment and uniforms from past wars.

Rancour adds that the quality of German photography from that era was head and shoulders above what the Allies were producing, thus allowing the images to be blown up to life-sized wall murals.

“You can’t argue with a photo for accuracy, and much of what’s on display is also in the photo,” says Rancour.

Rancour was relieved to find Photo Tex because the material is almost infinitely repositionable and doesn’t tear the paint off the wall. Rancour decided to use Photo Tex EX instead of the regular Photo Tex since the EX version has an adhesive that’s 40-45 percent stronger.

Armed Forced Military Display and Gifts Museum
The museum’s collection includes items from all the major players in past wars, such as this display of Soviet weaponry from WW II.

“It was easy to apply with just about the worst condition you could have on a wall: an eggshell textured surface. I went to the EX because I was concerned about that. The standard Photo Tex probably would have worked, but better safe than sorry, and it’s only a few dollars difference between the two,” says Rancour.

Rancour adds that he used a self-leveling visible laser level on a mast tripod to align the mural panels at the top. “I used my hands and a wallpaper brush to smooth out the material. A razor blade was used to cut off the unprinted margins on a cutting table, and to cut around the wall switch, security sensor and outlet openings,” he says.

So, if you’re in the Rapid City area, be sure to drive out to Wasta and check out one of the few privately-owned and funded military history museums in the Midwest.