Movie buffs' delight: When visitors tour Schawk Inc.'s printing facility in Los Angeles, massive images hang on almost every wall—billboards, building wraps and big bus signage. Recent examples include this summer's action thriller “Wanted,” starring Angelina Jolie.

To meet the production demands of Universal and other Hollywood studios, the premedia/print firm relies on two large-format (16.4´) EFI/VUTEk Ultra Vu 5300 piezoelectric digital printers and a new 5330 installed three months ago. In addition, its 73´´ manroland 900 XXL sheetfed offset press was the world's first 8-color-with aqueous coater large-format press when it was installed last year.

Schawk management began shopping for a new very-large-format (VLF) press after it acquired Applied Graphics Technologies from Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. in 2005. Prior to that, as part of Seven Worldwide, KGT had developed an impressive reputation and niche as a large-scale print provider.

“We became experts at making allowances for a bigger image moving across a bigger sheet,” says Carl Taylor, Schawk LA sales VP and a 26-year print marketing veteran. They often play the role of consultant to professional photographers regarding original image creation that must grow.

But in the pressroom, two 6-color 77´´ Miehle carton presses were 40 years old and too slow in terms of output and makereadies. “We determined that 90% of our work fits on a 70´´ machine, so 73´´ was plenty big,” Taylor notes. At the time, most printers in the area were reproducing large-format work on 40-pt. flute board for corrugated. There was only one local competitor printing on commercial-style offset presses, he adds.

The 73´´ 900 XXL features double-diameter impression cylinders and air-glide delivery via touchless printed sheet transfer. “It has all the automated bell-and-whistle technology that our 40´´ presses have. The 900 XXL is a great paper-printing press,” Taylor says, referring to the quality of its dot.

He notes that makeready times are 60% less than the old Miehles, which are still in use. Taylor attributes the new press's 30-minute makereadies, in large part, to enhanced on-press software and closed-loop color via the manroland Pecom system. And staffing has been reduced, too, he says, from four- to three-person crews.

Schawk became a beta site two years ago for EFI/Inkware's BioVu ink products. Like most printer's environmental initiatives, it all began when a customer requested a green campaign. After initial testing, the firm retooled one of its superwide VUTEk 5300s to run the eco-friendly inks.

BioVu ink durability is highly reliable, with a two-year outdoor guarantee. Additionally, the color gamut, is similar to solvent inks, such as VUTEk UltraVu 5.

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits is that Schawk now can manufacture a product that's fully biodegradable. With this in mind, the shop focuses on using BioVu inks with outdoor campaigns that run on Ultraflex Systems' nontoxic BIOflex vinyl. Based on highly pure PVC resin, fine-particle limestone, BIOflex provides opacity, and its plasticizer of vegetable origin provides flexibility. The same titanium pigment is used in high-quality paint to add to sunlight resistance. More than 80% of its overall content is derived from sources other than petroleum, says the company.

The 105,000-sq.ft. LA plant employs 220 people and operates 24/6. It is the only part of the Chicago-based premedia giant's operations that focuses on putting ink on paper, vinyl and fabric. In addition to the film promos, Schawk LA produces attention-grabbing point-of-purchase work, including banners, shelf-talkers, case cards, window decals and floor graphics. The 5300s are “real workhorses,” praises the firm. There's also a market for short runs of customized point-of-sale displays and promotional materials for co-marketing programs. Some customers like to test different creative concepts, while others adapt creative for targeted marketing programs and/or create versions that are account- or site-specific. These applications are on demand and just in time.

For backlit promotional signage used in theater lobbies, the Schawk team developed a proprietary technology that places different values on inks to enhance backside images.

The print operation runs a Kodak Prinergy 4 premedia workflow. Schawk LA's prepress department features a very-large-format Magnus VLF CL for imaging 81.5´´ plates and two Trendsetter models (32×42´´ and 58×80´´) processing Kodak Sword plates.

For proofing, a trio of Kodak Spectrum digital halftone proofers (39×29´´) are dri ven by Global Graphics Harlequin Scriptworks 5.5 with HDS/FM screening. There's also an HP DesignJet 5500 60´´ inkjet printer; five Epson 9800 Stylus Pro inkjet printers; and two HP DesignJet 1050s. Schawk has been testing Kodak InSite virtual proofing with three customers.

ONLINE: A video of Schawk LA's manroland 900 XXL in action—Multimedia channel, graphicartsonline.com