Application Features Printing Substrates Wide-format Inkjet
Warwick Printing creates mural for Alberta store

Lethbridge, Alta.-based Warwick Printing recently completed a wall mural project for South Country Co-op Liquor in Redcliff, Alta. using Drytac ReTac.

The client required Warwick Printing to design, print and install 48 individual wall panels to create a mural spanning the store, but Warwick had to work around shelves of fragile stock while doing so.

The mural was designed to promote the spirits, beer and wine on sale, but also included a ‘Cheers Redcliff’ message. The installation took approximately 11 hours, including the set-up and tear-down of scaffolding, due to the team having to work around the bottles on display.

“The main challenge was figuring out how to reach the 17′ (5.2m) install height with racks up against every wall without having to empty the whole store out,” said Lee Weighill, owner of Warwick Printing. “There was not enough space for even the smallest scissor lift or boom lift and regular A-frame ladders would not get us close enough to the walls in the right position. We ended up using painters’ scaffolding and had to stack two units to get high enough, but it was still a 26″ (66cm) reach to the wall which made it a little more difficult.”

However, the project was ultimately successful. “It was a good day’s work and not one bottle was knocked to the floor!” Weighill added.

The team ran over 260 feet of Drytac ReTac Smooth 150 through its HP Latex 360 printer in order to create the mural panels. The 150μ (6 mil) white polymeric printable PVC film is coated with ReTac ultra-removable adhesive technology on one side, allowing easy installation, repositioning and removal of printed graphics from surfaces.

Over the last two years, Warwick Printing has evolved from mainly offset press commercial printing to more digital wide format work, which has helped the company reach new customers and stay successful amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The shop has pivoted to using Drytac FloorTac in its HP Latex printer to create COVID-related floor graphics, to provide marketing materials for re-opening businesses.

“We have fared pretty well so far during COVID-19,” said Weighill. “Overall business was down significantly, as much as 65 per cent in the beginning, but we have seen some major gains in our wide format and signage division during the same period. I estimate we have done more volume during the pandemic than we did in the previous year and a half.”