Ontario-based large-format printing company Global Printing Enterprises has used Drytac ReTac Smooth 150 polymeric PVC film to produce a series of colourful graphics to promote the Toronto edition of the ‘Friends Experience’ event.
Created by Warner Bros and Superfly, the event is an interactive celebration of the US sitcom and thousands of fans are expected to descend to Yorkdale Shopping Centre.
To help promote the occasion, Superfly X reached out to Global Printing Enterprises to print a range of graphics, printed on a HP Latex 3100, at Yorkdale Mall. The entrance graphics replicated the famous picture frame installed around the door fisheye in one of the apartments on the show. Other graphics installed outside of the event venue included wayfinding signage, large QR codes that fans could scan to book tickets instantly, as well as famous quotes and phrases from the show.
In total, the graphics covered an area of more than 15,000sq ft, but took the team at Global Printing Enterprises, working in partnership with installation specialist Install Nation, five days to print and install.
Other graphics included wayfinding signage, large QR codes and famous quotes from the show.
Global Printing Enterprises president Carlo Toscano, who opted to use Drytac ReTac Smooth 150 as the material for all the event graphics, said, ‘The base wall had been painted over vinyl graphics, creating a difficult surface to adhere any type of graphics film to. In consultation with Dennis LeBlanc from Drytac, we decided to use an old school multi-layer installation technique. When you look at the wall in its entirety, it looks as if we printed the background and graphics at the same time, when in reality, the back black and purple were applied first.
‘Then came the challenge; using laser levels, the team at Install Nation installed with precision all the components you see on top of the already installed panels. It’s a longer process, but when done properly and with highly skilled installers it makes for a clean and symmetrical image. The product allows the client to change the message if required, update the marketing and add components to the wall without removal of the entire graphic. The science behind the adhesive is genius, and without it we couldn’t have completed this project in the manner we did.
‘Drytac ReTac Smooth 150 works extremely well with HP inks; consistent bright and vivid printing with all the advantages of an environmentally friendly ink product that meets indoor air quality standards.’
