CMYUK’s Asphalt Art and wide-format technology combine to generate unusual application

When Worthing and London-based L&S Display was approached to produce a bespoke graphic application to the outer building of renowned auction house Christie’s, the company responded to the challenge by producing a graphic substrate suitable for application even though both the surface and the finish were far from being typical for digital production print.  

L&S Display’s task was to wrap part of the Christie’s King Street Gallery in central London, working from visuals that demanded a specific type of material with high levels of adhesion for direct application onto the stone surface of the walls as well as onto the pavement. Utilising its many years of experience in the wide-format arena and engaging with its highly skilled technicians the company provided Christie’s with the ideal solution. Using Asphalt Art non-slip media, that conforms perfectly to irregular and rough surfaces, the job brief required a product which offered excellent conformability and strength but was easy to remove when required.

The application was printed on L&S Display’s EFI VUTEk GS2000 2m roll-fed and flat-bed wide-format printer which proved to be the ideal solution for generating the vivid green colour required. Each section was cut to size on the company’s Zünd G3 digital cutter, which incorporates advanced material handling and the right tools for even the toughest of substrate types, leaving a clean edge on the finished application. The bold green visual graphic was produced and installed within very tight deadlines, and performed excellently for the period required.

“Because the building is stone, and we had an extremely tight install time, a conventional brick vinyl was not an option for us as the material would have needed to have been heated in,” explains Adam Broomfield, Sign and Display Sales Manager at L&S Display. “We ran some tests on the Asphalt Art material from CMYUK and, because it adhered very well to the stone fascia and the pavement, it was immediately approved by Christie’s.”

The material was printed using UV-curable inks on the VUTEk GS2000 which, again, demonstrated excellent performance characteristics, before being finished on the company’s Zünd G3 in a variety of required sizes. Installation of the Asphalt Art media was also straightforward, and simply required a squeegee for it to adhere satisfactorily to the stone surface of the wall and to the pavement. 

 “This job is a typical example of the sort of challenge where CMYUK thrives on providing innovative solutions, from printer to cutter and to the most suitable materials,” comments Michael Crook, Commercial Director – Consumables Division at CMYUK. “Although this was only a six-day project, it was vital that every part of the job was produced to the highest standards, was able to perform as expected, and was easy to remove without leaving a trace of residue.”

Asphalt Art has been developed as a non-slip graphics material that is ideal for applications which need a durability of up to twelve months. It requires no over-lamination and is thin enough to conform to untreated and rough surfaces including stone, brick and paved areas. Simple and quick to apply, it is also easy to remove, making it a popular choice for events, wayfinding, street art and retail graphics. 

“L&S was created in 1981 and, since then, we’ve been busy producing the highest quality print products for leading brands, institutions and the creative industries,” continues Broomfield. “We have successfully evolved into a new breed of communications’ provision offering a full service, end to end solution from creative to production, storage and distribution, plus mail and delivery, also providing a build and installation service for all our client partner’s events and exhibitions.

“Our extensive plant list gives us the capability to produce all of our clients marketing and print requirements in-house under one roof. Built on a reputation for hitting the tightest deadlines, we pride ourselves on delivering products on brand, on time, every time,” Broomfield concludes. “Our obsession with service and the quality of products we provide has led to continuous investment in staff, equipment and technologies.”

CMYUK is the UK’s long-term partner of EFI and the VUTEk GS2000 numbers among the portfolio of the company’s wide- and superwide-format printers that covers widths from 1.6m up to 5m in combination and roll-to-roll options. The company also is a key distributor for Zünd digital cutting solutions as well as products from Mimaki and Vortex. Its growing range of materials includes Asphalt Art media along with A Berger textiles, plus complementary framing systems from Spirit-Tex.