The Job As with many small college towns, the City of Pullman, Washington, has developed a close bond with its college cohabitant, Washington State University. So it should have surprised none of the local citizenry when the city teamed up with the university to promote school spirit within the community by unveiling 18 Pullman Transit busses wrapped in WSU Cougar-themed graphics. The town sent out bid proposals for the job to a number of local print providers to wrap, maintain, and remove the graphics after three years. “We were one of four businesses who formally responded and were awarded the contract, says Paul Perovich owner of Speedpro Imaging of Spokane. “We were not the lowest cost bid, but we did our homework and had a very competitive bid proposal.”
Production A WSU graphic designer created the wrap design, approved by the city. After Speed Pro acquired the files, it color-matched the university’s crimson as well as the tones of the Cougar’s face. Color test strips were output onto vinyl and sent to the university for approval. Then, the design was adjusted so that the main elements of the graphic remained intact with the varying elements of the three different Gillig Low Floor busses – several of which were vintage.
“After a lot of searching, we were able to find some templates for each style that were very close to their configurations. In order to be efficient with media and installation efforts, we ultimately refined each wrap template to a series of smaller body-specific panels that had an appropriate amount of overlap so that we could install bottoms, windows, and tops independently,” says Perovich.
For output, Speedpro utilized its Roland SolJet Pro III XJ-640, printing onto 15,000 square feet of 3M Controltac IJ180-CV3 cast wrap vinyl. 3M Scotchcal 8519 luster overlam was applied using a GBC 1064WF Arctic cold laminator. Finished panels were cut with a Fletcher-Terry table cutter.
Speedpro handled the installation on all 16 buses. Two installers wrapped one bus per week at the Pullman Transit bus parking and maintenance facility. During week six, Pullman lost one bus to an accident while another was out of service for an engine rebuild, so it became increasingly difficult to take another bus off of the road for five days at a time to be wrapped. The buses were unveiled during the university’s homecoming celebration, accompanied by a marching band, cheerleaders, the university’s president, and the mayor of Pullman.
The Client City of Pullman, Washington, and Washington State University
The Players Speedpro Imaging of Spokane (www.speedprospokane.com)
Tools & Supplies Roland SolJet Pro III XJ-640, 3M Controltac IJ180 vinyl, 3M Scotchcal 8519 luster overlam, GBC Arctic 1064WF laminator, Fletcher-Terry table cutter