Printing the Impossible

Print shop Unicorn Graphics set out to do what seemed unattainable: Print on any imaginable substrate. Starting with a portrait printed on nearly 10,000 screw heads, they have since tackled peanut shells, golf tees, bread, and more. Created with a modified UV flatbed with special adhesion promotors manufactured in-house, these proprietary Spatial Prints offer brand managers and other customers the opportunity to incorporate elements of their actual brand – be it bookends, raw spaghetti, or wine corks – into their marketing materials.

And the obstacles extend beyond Unicorn’s avant-garde engineering: Each new substrate – gummy bears, for example – is a new color calibration riddle, not to mention a workflow challenge when it comes to prepping a run of up to a few thousand. But the ability to do what conceivably no one else can has its dividends, especially in a world where retailers are eager for new ways to stand out.