Graphics at Jim Darcy School in Montana Pay Tribute to Fallen Hero

PRINTING AND INSTALLING graphics for a 70,000-square-foot building can be a daunting task. Add a timeline of 10 days and the need to honor the school’s namesake, a fallen hero, in a professional but fun way and the pressure is on. The Jim Darcy School in Helena, Montana, named after Jim Darcy, a helicopter pilot who was fatally shot during the Vietnam War, called upon Fastsigns of Helena to take on the challenge. “They wanted a fun aviation theme to honor this hero,” says Greg Painter, owner. “But the principal didn’t want little kiddie graphics. Coming up with concepts and implementing them with only 10 days from start to finish was huge. I’m really proud of my team, who are kids in their mid-20s, who took this great project and ran with it.”

Fastsigns of Helena relies on HP Latex printers for the shop’s wide-format projects, including the Jim Darcy project. “We have both a 360 and 315,” says Painter. “We like that they use a water-based ink and don’t off-gas. Perfect for a school project like this!” 3M Scotchcal Graphic Film IJ35C was used for the wall graphics and foamboard. Foam airplanes were printed with a Mimaki JFX200 UV-LED flatbed printer and finished with an Esko Kongsberg X24 flatbed cutter. General Formulations Floor Graphics media and General Formulations floor laminate was used for the floor graphics throughout the school. Jim Darcy’s picture was back printed on the Mimaki JFX200, backed with white, and then cut out on a Gravograph LS900 80 Watt Co2 Laser Engraving Unit.

“Bringing tears to Army Generals’ eyes as they tour this school is really powerful and we are so honored to be a part of this,” says Painter.

PHOTO GALLERY (13 IMAGES)