Business - Applications

Robert Horne Group’s expert knowledge ensured that UK-based Tara Signs was ready to reach the challenges of high rise signage manufacturing and installation. 

With over 40 years experience in the industry, Tara Signs manufactures large scale corporate signs for blue chip companies right down to smaller customised signs for local businesses. The company was commissioned to supply corporate signage for J P Morgan. The brief was to produce two sets of 3.5 metre high built-up logos for installation on the North and South elevation of its new 502 feet high office building in Canary Wharf, London.

Challenge

With a requirement to engineer and install the signage solution at this extreme height, this project was challenging. Tara Signs is one of a few companies in the UK with expertise in managing projects where signage is required in high rise buildings and was able to demonstrate its experience on this unique project.

Quality was paramount to Tara Signs; it needed to produce the signage using materials that were reliable, resilient and long lasting. After all, installing the lettering and illuminating it, would be futile, if the materials used were not fit for purpose.

Solution

Tara Signs wanted to develop both a solution and a working prototype to present to its client and having worked with Robert Horne Group for many years, consulted with the materials supplier for expert advice.

Robert Horne’s team of polycarbonate experts worked with Tara Signs’ sales manager, Marc Finnegan, demonstrated the range of material solutions available and recommended the best product for the job in hand, taking into account the unique requirements for this highly specialised signage solution. 

This complex project required a unique, robust solution and Robert Horne recommended using LEXAN OPAL SG3050B 5mm micron media as the polycarbonate of choice. 

“Robert Horne Group helped us by recommending the best substrate solution that would meet the exact requirements of a very specific brief. We needed a strong, durable polycarbonate with excellent bright whiteness and illumination. Robert Horne’s proactive approach, its recommendation of LEXAN OPAL and ability to supply samples that enabled us to create a prototype solution, played a significant part in Tara Signs securing this unique project,”  says Marc Finnegan.

Key Benefits

LEXAN OPAL has all the properties required for the job in hand, including strength, a brighter white colour when illuminated and excellent diffusion, eliminating hot spots. LEXAN OPAL is virtually unbreakable, extremely strong and designed to withstand high winds and weather extremes making it an ideal solution for this high rise building where these are major factors.

Robert Horne provided Tara Signs with samples of LEXAN OPAL as well as a light box to demonstrate its superior appearance. This enabled the company to produce a working prototype of the recommended solution to demonstrate to J P Morgan the unique diffusion illuminating properties and the brighter white of this polycarbonate when combined with LED lighting.

Creating a prototype was paramount in securing the deal as - after seeing the solution first hand - J P Morgan commissioned the project which was delivered by Tara Signs. 

Working in partnership, Robert Horne and Tara Signs calculated and evaluated other LEXAN OPAL product factors such as weight restrictions and drilling compatibility, during both the manufacturing and installation processes.  The consultative approach, support and expert materials advice provided by Robert Horne ensured that Tara Signs delivered this six month project to the highest standards and met the requirements of the designers, architects and engineers employed by both the end client and within Tara Signs own skilled team. For example, using the calculations specified by the structural engineer, Tara Signs was able to illustrate that LEXAN OPAL had the strength to withstand the wind factor, even where the thin serif on the logo type face reached a minimum size.

“Brand image was always paramount to the client - especially in such a high profile location - and we were delighted with the representation and superior illumination of the logos on the new offices. Robert Horne Group delivered a first class product and service,” concludes Marc.

For more information on Robert Horne Group, please visit www.roberthorne.co.uk

[Photos above and below show the installation at J P Morgan]

Chelsea Football Club's return home after a last-minute win over Bayern München in the EUFA Champions League was celebrated in style with the help of Avery Dennison.  Vehicle graphics specialists Totally Dynamic wrapped the two team buses which formed the focal point of the victory parade which took place in the streets of London. 

Time was of the essence, as the Chelsea players returned from Germany to their London home the very next day following the match.  Totally Dynamic had less than 24 hours to complete the job, and  Scott Coleman, owner of Totally Dynamic’s north and south London franchises, had to work through the night with his team to deliver the two fully-wrapped buses in time for the victory parade.  

He explains, "We had to start wrapping the buses before the game actually started on Saturday as it would have been impossible to have completed the project otherwise. We were all listening to the Champions League match live on the radio as we worked, and were absolutely dreading the penalty shoot out at the end."   

It was just as well the team took the risk of starting early, as Chelsea won a last-ditch victory.  Scott Coleman was able to make a selection from his company’s extensive stocks of Avery Dennison wrapping and marking films to meet the brief and commented, "The printability and ease of application of the films helped us to meet the deadline and deliver two perfectly-wrapped buses."

For more information on Totally Dynamic, please visit www.totally-dynamic.co.uk

For more information on Avery Dennison films, please visit www.europe.averygraphics.com.

Prismaflex has supplied and built two LED digital screens on London’s M4 elevated section for world-leading out of home media company CBS Outdoor UK.   The SMD (surface-mounted diode) LED screens, produced by Prismaflex’s own Prismatronic Gold series, is a 10mm pitch, the highest resolution created so far for OOH applications.

They have the longest available lifespan, lowest power consumption and highest pixel resolution currently available for this size format.  All key components are continuously monitored so that any problems can be identified before affecting the site. The screens’ critical key components are manufactured in Europe to the highest standard.

The M4 elevated section in west London connects Heathrow Airport and the M4 with central London and is the busiest route in Europe. Over the years it has been the setting for numerous innovations in out of home media including the first 96-sheet posters and now state-of-the-art developments in digital billboards. The new CBS sites are the first large landscape screens on this key part of the M4.

Prismaflex UK CEO Sam Cook says, “Prismaflex has 25 years experience in servicing the property industry and major media owners with turnkey solutions. The key to this is working closely with all parties to maximise both property and media assets and having the right product solution for every type of location. This new iconic location will set the gold standard for outdoor in the UK and beyond.”

Jason Cotterrell, Country Director at CBS Outdoor UK comments, "We hope our new Site 76 will be the first of many exciting developments in this area as we look to further bolster our UK portfolio and enhance our extensive digital reach in the capital.   What will set it apart from other roadside screens is the flexibility that we will offer advertisers, who can target travellers at bespoke times with tailored messages appropriate to that time or day, whether they are travelling in or out of London.”

The Royal Academy Schools are staging their annual exhibition of final year postgraduate students’ work profiling the work of 16 artists until 1st July. Several of the works on display include those produced using large-format Epson printers and projectors, accessible to the students in the on-site Epson Digital Media Suite. Epson provides the very latest in large format printers and other technologies to the RA Schools so students can experiment with different materials and designs and to produce their final artwork.

The Royal Academy Schools offer the UK’s only three-year, full-time, postgraduate course and is regarded as a Centre of Excellence in the art world. The graduation exhibition provides visitors with a rare opportunity to view the finished artwork across a range of media from painting to photography, sculpture, digital print and film.

All the students have worked with Epson’s large format printer and/or projectors at some time during their course. Included in this year’s exhibition are:

• Chris Mew: who has combined digital printing with painting to produce atmospheric panoramic canvas pieces created by feeding raw cotton canvas through the Epson Stylus Pro GS6000 printer.
• Pio Abad: has created an installation using the large-format Epson Stylus Pro GS6000, the Stylus Pro 11880 and Stylus Pro 9900 printers. Often using high gloss papers and vinyl transfer materials, his works often also include found objects, clothing, posters, photos and prints.
• Jolanta Rejs: has used Epson’s printers to create transparent films of details of engravings by Albrecht Durer, which she then uses as guides to produce atmospheric hand cut printing blocks.
• Adele Morse: has used Epson technology to help create her installation which includes her study of the mythical beast “Orang Pendek”. Within the installation is a mock gift shop selling merchandising celebrating this creature produced on the whole range of Epson printers, including T-shirts, badges, rulers, pens and posters. Surrounding this are two projected film “mockumentaries” that fill the entire exhibition space via the  EB- Z8000, one of brightest and technologically advanced of all Epson’s projectors.

Mark Hampson, Tutor of Material Processes, Royal Academy says, “The RA Schools graduation show demonstrates the wonderful creative outcomes of our collaborative relationship with Epson. All the students have worked in the Epson Digital Media Suite while researching, preparing and producing their artwork and their involvement with Epson technologies has influenced their final show tremendously.”

Nick White, Sales Manager, ProGraphics adds, “As a leading supplier of technology to the fine art market, Epson is very keen to support young artists.  Through our partnership with the Royal Academy Schools, we are able to offer the students the opportunity to test Epson’s equipment to its limit and experiment with their creative ideas.”

Opening hours and admission:

Open to the public: 20 June – 01 July 2012, 10am – 6pm (last admission 5.30pm).  Admission is free

For more information, please visit www.royalacademy.org.uk

[Image caption: Pio Abad, 1986-2010, 2012. Final Show at the Royal Academy Schools - the large print on the wall is printed on an Epson Stylus Pro 11880]

Print Discount, a subsidiary of Granthams Ltd, has taken delivery of one of the first KIP C7800 in the North of England and is now ready to offer the trade a profitable, effective solution to medium to high run poster printing.  The KIP C7800 is a full colour high-production print system and offers a comprehensive solution for all types of wide format printing tasks that require the highest levels of quality and performance.

The system’s workflow provides powerful poster printing control for any production environment from a range of print submission applications, cloud printing, scan & copy, etc. The KIP C7800 saves serious time and money – making ultra high quality wide format printing more cost effective than ever before. Printing is much faster, operation is simpler and impressive reliability means that trade customers will be delighted with the fast turnaround poster printing jobs.

The KIP C7800 system produces a wide range of documents including posters, banners, presentations CAD submissions and much more. KIP C7800 prints are ideal for most applications.  It is able to deliver high-resolution image quality at production print speeds of 11 seconds for A0 print with exceptionally low operational costs, making it perfect for competitive trade work.   Following installation of the new printer, Print Discount has announced prices on colour posters starting at £1.30 per A2 and £3.70 for up to A0 in size.  Further trade prices are available upon request.

The machine is fast and offers and exceptional quality while being cost-effective in the medium-run poster production market. It is ideal for a number of sectors including Events, Retail, Hospitality, Publicity, Point of Sale , Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Research, Teaching, Food & Beverage and Exhibitions.

For maximum productivity and operator efficiency, the KIP C7800 handles print images up to 130’/39 metres long on any media type from any of its 3 integrated media roll decks.

Kirsty Reader, general manager at parent company, Granthams Ltd, comments, “The new technology and service has bridged a gap between inkjet and Litho printing that until now has existed in the market, allowing trade customers unparalleled quality of prints from A2 to A0 at never seen before prices and on a range of materials that was unheard of before now, including a range of weights of Poster Paper, Dayglow Papers, Blueback, Tracing and Banner Materials. We’re delighted to be one of the first in the north of England to install this new printer. The quality is so good and the speed so quick that it will be such a great solution for trade work.”

For more information on the service and Print Discount, please visit www.printdiscount.co.uk.

Olympic Team GB synchronised swimmer Katie Skelton brought a splash of colour to the West Midlands when she took a break from training to play a key role in producing a ‘record-breaking’ banner.  Katie, a member of the synchronised swimming squad that hopes to clinch a medal at the Olympics, is sponsored by Birmingham-based signs and graphics specialists Hollywood Monster.

She visited the company’s Tyseley headquarters to push the button starting the print run for one of Europe’s largest ever banners, which will be installed at Westfield Stratford City, adjacent to the Olympic Park, before the event begins next month.  The enormous banner is just one of many projects Hollywood Monster is working on, alongside retail giant Westfield, in the build up to the world’s greatest celebration of sport.  The 24-year-old swimmer, from Reading, met Hollywood Monster managing director Tim Andrews, from Solihull, and was invited to begin the print process.

Hollywood Monster was awarded the contract by Westfield, the latest in a string of high-profile projects it has completed for the retail giant. The £1.45 billion Westfield Stratford City is Europe's largest urban shopping mall with over 300 High Street names and 50 restaurants.

Tim says, “We are really proud to be supporting Katie as she prepares for what is probably the greatest moment of her sporting career. I am also delighted that she agreed to perform the official start of the print run for the Westfield banner which will be seen by millions of visitors to London throughout the course of the games.”

The new banner will replace one produced and installed earlier this year by the company. Measuring a vast 350 metres by 14 metres the banner display, which has images with a sports theme, will be installed this month (June) at the new Westfield Stratford site, directly opposite the new Olympic Park.

Hollywood Monster director Simon McKenzie comments, “It’s a huge coup for us to be working on such a prestigious project with Westfield Stratford – it’s part of the UK’s most ambitious regeneration project and of course it’s one that we’re really excited to be involved in. In addition to the record-breaking banner, we’re also producing vinyl glass wraps and fabric hoardings.”

A creative team has been working on producing the banner over the past four weeks at Hollywood Monster’s Tyseley HQ, and its rope access installation team of 20 will be positioning it at Westfield between June 28 and 30.  The banner display is being printed on a HP Revolution five-metre wide press on 400g per sq/m mesh fabric.

Simon adds, “The calibre of contracts we’re awarded from Westfield is very high – there’s lots of scope for creativity and flair, something our team prides itself on. We can’t wait to see the full effect of the Stratford banner – it’s going to have a massive impact throughout the world’s greatest sporting event.”

Hollywood Monster has invested heavily in state-of-the-art printing technology enabling it to produce enormous banners and advertising hoardings at high-profile sites including sports stadiums, festivals, rock and pop concerts, shopping centres and property developments.

For more information, please visit www.hollywoodmonster.co.uk.

[photo shows Olympic hopeful Katie Skelton starting the print run, next to Hollywood Monster's Tim Andrews]