When MGM Resorts International was looking to make a king-sized splash to promote the new “Viva Elvis” Cirque du Soleil show at its recently opened MGM City Center on the Las Vegas Strip, the hotelier turned to local print provider, the National Print Group (NPG) for assistance. The result of the partnership—a 19,200-square-foot building wrap—looms large on the front of the 28-story Harmon Hotel.
Cirque du Soleil and the MGM graphics department used InDesign and Photoshop to create the image for the oversized wrap, which features the Viva Elvis logo, then sent the digital files to NPG for prep work and output.
“We always do color correction,” explains NPG president Doug Newson. “For this job, we went through
a few rounds of substrate proofs and put it on pieces of glass the same color as the hotel where the image is posted. That way, the client could view this in its actual environment and approve the color.”
For final output, Newson’s team used its five-meter, 8-color HP Scitex XL Jet with Onyx ProductionHouse RIP. Both the media and inks were custom.
“We used our proprietary window perf product, which we have co-developed with one of the largest vinyl manufacturers in the US,” Newson says. “It’s exclusive to National Print Group and made for our specific presses and our specific inks.” The company’s custom inks are designed specifically for NPG’s modified printers, he says, and are formulated to withstand the extreme weather conditions common in the desert southwest.
Output of the job took a little over three days, plus another two days for finishing. Laminating, trimming, edging, and other hand work were all done in-house. Vision Sign, which also does contract work with MGM Resorts International, managed the installation.
“Being able to highlight the newest Cirque show paying homage to the ‘King’ was a wonderful project to be able to work on and we are thrilled how the project turned out,” Newson says. “The show is a hit and the graphic is definitely a hit, too.”
NATIONAL PRINT GROUP
www.tnpg.com