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The high-rise of ink-jet printing
October 1, 2007

As I walked through the Piazza della Repubblica in Florence, Italy, last Thursday morning, I saw something that piqued my imaging interest. It was a building façade wrapped in ink-jet art. Undergoing a major renovation, the building is surrounded by a scaffolding made of metal. To protect the public view and to prevent falling things from falling onto the restaurant below, the building is wrapped in fabric.

But this is no ordinary fabric. It doesn't say “Tyvek“ over and over. Instead, it features images of Italian Renaissance windows and surface details – it looks like a building. In the middle of the “building” is a huge billboard – printed right in the middle of the printed wrap – for GUESS clothing. A novel technique!



Imagine getting the building permit!
I’m sure that nothing like this gets past the Zoning Commission easily, but what a marvelous solution to a construction problem! First: the building looks nice while it’s undergoing long-term construction, second: the public is protected from falling debris, and third: GUESS clothing foots the bill.

This kind of ink-jet work is certainly not cheap. The wrap is printed on translucent ink-jet material (it has holes punched in it to allow light through while still providing an adequate area for ink) and would be a handsome job for any ink-jet printer. I estimate the piece to be 4,800 square feet, and at a price of just $10.00 per square foot, that’s $48,000 (it would certainly be more). Add the value of sewing, attaching grommets and other attachment devices, and this becomes a handsome project for an ink-jet firm.

Every year I moderate a panel on wide-format ink-jet printing for commercial printers in Southern California. Those who attend are often surprised by the opportunities that these ink-jet technologies present. I am always dazzled by the cleverness of the leaders in ink-jet imaging. Certainly every commercial printer wouldn’t be thrust into the market for building wrappers, but even smaller projects like local billboards, vehicle ads and point-of-purchase displays can be valuable new business for those in the imaging business.

If your company is looking for new markets, new opportunities, and is considering ink-jet, just wrap a building in Florence, and enjoy the view!

Posted by Brian Lawler on October 1, 2007 | Comments (0)