Kent-based wide-format specialist Wallace Print is no stranger to fast turnarounds – but when former The Only Way Is Essex star and football pundit Mark Wright called about setting up a pop-up store with just days to go, director Gary Wallace knew he was in for a sprint.
It’s just lucky that you can’t spell ‘sprint’ without print – for that matter, you can’t even print ‘sprint’ without print…
What was produced?
Wright was in the middle of launching his new fitness clothing brand, Aytee7, and had booked space for a pop-up store at Manchester’s Trafford centre. He now needed a display.
Wallace Print produced 20 free-standing boards with balancing feet on 20mm PVC-free Stadur Easyprint honeycomb board, giving the new company a professional, portable presence.
“We’ve supplied many different options over the years but these standees are portable and reusable, and [Wright] chose a different product image on each side of the 20 boards, complementing the clothing he’d have on the rails,” explained Wallace.
What did the job entail?
The team printed double-sided direct-to-media on the firm’s SwissQprint Impala flatbed from the hi-res images provided.
Cut on the firm’s Kongsberg X44 3.2m-wide cutting table, the 2.2x1.25m boards were then matt laminated on a Seal 62 Pro 1.5m laminator.
What challenges were overcome?
As befits a man setting up a fitness brand, Wright was moving quickly. A tight turnaround was vital to allow Wright time to pick up the boards and set up in time for the pop-up store.
Wallace said: “We received the last couple of artworks at 3pm on a Thursday afternoon, and managed to print, cut and laminate overnight across around eight hours; our 24/7 facility allowed us to hit another ridiculously tight deadline.
“Mark came down and collected [the boards] in a Luton van himself – he is a very grounded person.”
What was the feedback?
Even at first glance, Wright was impressed.
“He couldn’t believe how good the quality was at life size, with the actual colour balance matching the products and looking as realistic as it could ever be,” said Wallace.
That positive impression has stuck with Wright, who told Printweek all the way from Australia – where his wife works as an actor – Wallaceprint.com is incredibly reliable – and this is why we continue to use them, as the quality and turnaround time are amazing.”
Wallace added that Wright had kindly given the firm permission to talk about the job on social media, helping Wallace Print get its name out in public.
He said: “He even put a video up on his various work [social media] profiles – we gained huge exposure, just as a humble printing company!”
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