Tree of Life

The Clients

Sun Valley Community Church – Tempe Campus 

The Players

Group Imaging

Tools & Supplies

Canon Océ Colorado 1640 printer, HP Scitex FB700 printer, Mimaki JV5-320S printer, MultiCam 3000 Series CNC router, AIT GFO 126 heat press, Dreamscape Suede wallcovering, Styrofoam, ½-inch Gator foamboard, ½-inch black PVC, steel armatures, aluminum, polyurea spray, Velcro

The Job

With more than 8000 weekly visitors, the Tempe Campus Sun Valley Community Church is heavily invested in shaping a spectacular first impression for new parishioners. The megachurch turned to long-time print partner Group Imaging “to design a children’s area that created a ‘want to be here’ experience for first-time children in Sunday school,” says Jeff Burris, Group Imaging owner.

Production

After creating wallcoverings for four other branches of the congregation, Group Imaging wasted no time fashioning a cartoon-adventure theme for the Tempe Campus. The shop first printed wallpaper using their Canon Océ Colorado 1640 and Dreamscape Suede wallcovering.

Vivid wallpaper was just the beginning: Dimensional standoffs were added on top, output onto ½-inch black PVC with an HP Scitex FB700 printer. The real showstopper? A 17-foot-tall, 500-plus-pound tree in the lobby. The tree’s base was comprised of steel armatures and Styrofoam shaped by a MultiCam 3000 Series CNC router, then coated with polyurea spray for a durable finish and air brushed to complete the look. For the canopy, Group Imaging routed ½-inch Gator foamboard and attached it to aluminum arms arranged around the top of the tree. A 9-foot diameter dye sub cloth imaged on a Mimaki JV5-320S and transferred with an AIT GFO 126 heat press was attached to the underside of the canopy with Velcro to hide the metal. Installation took more than one week to complete.