New Zealand’s Osmand Signs has been in business since 1954, specialising in vehicle wraps and building signage. As a boutique company, Osmand has produced signs for a wide variety of client needs, using many types of substrates. However, the business recently completed one of the most unusual jobs it has encountered in its 60 years of operation.
The client, Samsung, wanted a 6m x 13.5m (19.6 ft. x 44.2 ft.) reproduction of Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” erected on a brick wall in the heart of Auckland’s central business district.
“The twist with this job was to paint over the mural with the same colour as the bricks to conceal the image,” says Keith Ellis, one of two directors who run the business. “They wanted us to erect the mural and then paint over it so they could do a slow reveal to make it look like someone had actually painted the image directly onto the bricks. That’s how good the quality is with the HP Latex prints. It really did look like a painting, not a vinyl print, and our client was impressed with the final installation.”
The mural was printed on the company’s HP Designjet Latex Printer with HP Latex Links using Arlon 6000XRP vinyl substrate and a matte laminate. Printed in 12 drops, the sign was applied to the brick wall and painted over with washable acrylic paint.
It took Michelangelo four years to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, one of the most recognised images of his masterpiece is the “Creation of Adam”. Osmand Signs printed the 12 panels over an eight-hour shift and installed them the following day.
“We could have printed and installed on the same day, but we didn’t know how long it would take to print the large vinyl panels. HP Latex Printing Technology is very fast, and because you don’t have to wait for prints to dry you can handle them straight away. We were very pleased with how easy the printing of the job turned out to be,” concludes Ellis.
Osmand Signs
www.osmandsigns.co.nz
