A Calculated Catastrophe

To output the wallscapes, Orange Barrel Media called on a print shop it had worked with many times in the past, St. Louis-based Commerce Color. After receiving the print-ready files, Commerce Color sent digital proofs to Orange Barrel Media. The print company output the graphics on Verseidag seemee Mesh using its Nur Blueboard and Triangle ink. Two billboards measured 110 x 30 feet while the center wallscape measured 110 x 50 feet, for a total of 12,100 square feet. The job took approximately seven hours to print. Following the output, Commerce Color created pole pockets, which took four hours to sew. “The size of this project,” says Tom Croghan, vice president of Commerce Color, “presented challenges, but we’ve printed wallscapes for this location before so our experience provided us with an opportunity to improve our process.”

The wallscapes were installed by 10 Orange Barrel Media employees. They also hand-painted the “spilled” paint onto the building, parking lot, and cars. Commerce Color supplied the company with swatches of ink so that the “spilled” paint would match exactly with the ink on the graphics. Total time for installation and painting was seven days.

Occupying an 18,000-square-foot facility, Commerce Color employs 18 to 25 people at any one time, says Croghan, depending on the workflow. The print shop specializes in large- and grand-format graphics, including light-pole banners, building wraps, digital wallpaper, event signage, window graphics, vehicle wraps, floor graphics, P-O-P graphics, and of course, wallscapes.

In business for more than 50 years, the shop has kept up with the changes in digital imaging over the years-and most likely has avoided any disastrous “Life Comes at You Fast” moments- to establish itself as a successful industry leader with a clientele base that spans the country.

COMMERCE COLOR
www.commercecolor.com