FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2004

VUTEk® printed graphic helps Graz become 'Capital of Culture' 2003 - Typico and its VUTEk® UltraVu® 3360 EC bring culture to Graz train station

Typico Megaprints Co., of Austria, has used its VUTEk® UltraVu® 3360 EC to produce a 2500 sq m graphic for the internal walls and ceiling of the Graz train station. Produced for the cities 'Capital of Culture' program 2003, high-resolution images of brightly colored geometric patterns were used to enhance the stations visual appearance. Following the success of the VUTEk® printed graphic, Graz went on to win the prestigious title.

Walter Klocker, Typico partner comments, 'The size, quality and color of the graphic meant that this was a very big job for us. As the imagery would be seen from a short distance as well as from afar, we needed to ensure consistent colors on each panel. To achieve this we printed using all the UltraVu® 3360's eight-colors, providing an extremely high saturation of color with no visible substrate joins.'

Walter continues, 'The VUTEk® UltraVu® 3360 EC was very important for this job, providing supreme print quality at great speed. The high standard of print, retention, exceptional color hues and variable speeds of the UltraVu® 3360 EC, enabled us to complete the job meeting all customer requirements.'

Inspired by organic shapes, the graphic was designed by a local artist who stretched and manipulated images to create the impression of 3D moving objects. Typico was then sent the original design to retouch, before printing using one of its two UltraVu® eight-color, three-meter printers.

As part of its 'Art and traffic' entry for the 'Capital of culture' program, the Graz train station was one of four installations created to highlight different means of access to the city. Designed to "contribute to bringing the peoples of Europe together", the European City of Culture project was launched in 1985, and has since enjoyed tremendous success. In 2002, the award was won by the French city of Brugge and the Spanish city of Salamanca. Graz, Austria's second largest city took the title for 2003.

Walter comments, 'Luckily, the UltraVu® 3360 EC is a very versatile printer and can be used to image on many different materials. With this flexibility, we could be very selective as to substrate, and still guarantee amazing graphics.'

Due to the complexity of installation, Typico had to carefully consider which substrate to use. It chose a very light rigid mesh, with virtually invisible perforations. Walter explains, 'The mesh material we use is very good for structures because it doesn't move. It is from the same family as outdoor mesh, but lighter as it has less coating.

'But, to establish the exact characteristics of the material, we had to make a preliminary holding structure to evaluate how it would stretch. Even though the ceiling and wall panels were printed in separate sections, they had to fit together seamlessly and not be a danger to commuters below.'

Due to the sheer size of the graphic, installation was a very time consuming and complicated job for Typico. 1,500 m of holding and structural rails had to be positioned on the walls and ceiling, providing a base for the screws and anchors to secure the graphic in place. Following installation, to make sure the mesh didn't bend the wrong way, Typico then fixed a rail down the center of the mesh and a tension rail to the walls. Once this was done, the graphic was not only safe, but the design was brought to life.

By day, the Graz train station operated as normal with thousands of commuters coming and going. By night, a team of eight Typico employees installed the graphics over a two-week period - working from 10pm to 4 am.

Walter continues, 'Finishing this job was certainly an achievement - we were really thrilled with the way the graphics were installed and the fantastic print produced on the UltraVu® 3360 EC. It is a great case study for Typico's service capabilities and the quality of print available from our VUTEk® printers.'

In October 2003, Typico utilized the benefits of its five-meter VUTEK® UltraVu® 5330 EC, to print graphics for a Mercedes Benz booth at the Amsterdam Automotive show. As one of the biggest in Europe, the Amsterdam exhibition displayed the latest utility vehicles, vans, lorries/trucks and trailers.

Using its VUTEK® UltraVu® 5330 EC, Typico produced a single 1200 sq m double sided mesh graphic for Mercedes Benz. Installed on its two-story U shaped booth, the wall featured marketing imagery on one side, with a plain printed gray background on the other designed to blend in to its steel framework, and be looked through like a window.

Walter comments, 'There is no way we could have completed this job without the five-meter capability of our VUTEK® UltraVu® 5330 EC. The client specifically requested that the graphics be printed on one sheet, and not on individual panels. As such, a first-class five-meter printer was needed to provide the width and color consistency required.

'In my opinion there is no other five-meter machine that comes close to the VUTEK® UltraVu® 5330 EC, providing high quality, 330dpi print.'

Typico bought an UltraVu® 3360 EC and UltraVu® 5330 EC in December 2002, following the success of its original UltraVu® 3360 EC in 2000. The company was established in 1992, and now employs 26 people. It is currently expanding at a rate of 20-30% each year, attracting many new customers by word of mouth.

Walter concludes, 'I believe VUTEk® printers to be the only wide format machines to have. They are not only very fast and extremely reliable, but they also produce the highest quality superwide print around.

'Since installation of our VUTEk® printers, our reputation for high quality printing has spread far and wide - as such we now receive much of our work through referrals. With our advanced print and installation capabilities, we plan to become the leading large format print and installation specialist in Germany and Austria.'

About VUTEk® Inc.
Founded in 1988, American manufacturer, VUTEk® Inc., is the leading worldwide supplier of superwide format inkjet printers to the graphic arts market. VUTEk® pioneered superwide format printers, and sets the standard for superwide/grand format and specialty printing, using inkjet technology for out-of-home advertising applications including billboards, fleet graphics, banners, bus shelters, point-of-purchase displays and posters. Its current product portfolio includes the UltraVu® product range, for high quality, high speed superwide flexible printing in 1.5-, 2-, 3-, and 5-meter formats; and its PressVu® family of digital inkjet flatbed printers, capable of printing on both rigid and flexible substrates.

All trademarks noted herein are either the property of VUTEk® Inc. or their respective companies.

VUTEk®
Contact: Jane Cedrone
Phone: 603 279 4635
Fax: 603 279 6411
E-Mail: jcedrone@vutek.com
Website URL: www.vutek.com