So what happens when you have some of the most creative types in Michigan in your shop?  What do you get when you have one of the fastest wide format printers in your building?  You get some pretty amazing graphic work that can be placed on small signs, 12 foot wide gazebos, or you can cover race cars with full body graphics.

But you can get some other pretty amazing work too.  Creative types rarely keep themselves to one media or one format, so we see the graphic guys busting out cameras for video or still work or finding themselves in workshops crafting something of wood, metal or plastic.  Here we have a great description in video form just what we have when it comes to our new Seiko printer.

If you have been in Michigan in the last few years, you know that it has been rough from the down turn of the economy to the issues with the auto manufacturers.  We have so many talented people in this state that it is a shame we are not using them all.  But from time to time, you get that small glimmer of hope and the Boblo Boat project is just that.

The Ste Claire was one of the two ships that ferried people from the Detroit area to Bob-lo island for over 80 years.  The amusement park on Bob-lo is now long closed and the ships have had little duty since, but leave it to the drive of Michiganders to take on the project to restore the Ste Claire to her former glory.

She is going to be rebuilt and will continue with voyages on the Detroit river and surrounding areas.  But the project needs more support, the shop here did what we can and donated a gazebo for the Project to use around at different venues to drum up more support.  So visit them and do what you can to drive the whole state of Michigan with hope.

http://bobloboat.com/

You can even read their comments about our products too here.

In our local area, there is a production company named Wolf Creek Studios and one of their newest yet quickly popular shows is Deer City USA.  The man behind the show, Steve Gruber, walked into our shop wanting something that would make him stand out in the trade shows that he and his crew would soon be traveling to for further promotions.  Ideas were tossed around about the standard trade show graphics but more was wanted.  Thus the idea for a full vehicle wrap was born.

With Deer City being mainly a hunter and outdoor show, the idea of a camouflaged wrap was talked about but it was determined that would be to average, but a mesh of antlers, now that idea was much more unique.  Our production graphic artist, Dan, started on the long task of laying out a mesh of antler sheds to form a background that if printed could span 6 x 20 feet.  Thinking that this task was simple just making a repeating graphic would be foolish.  Dan spent hours upon hours making a mesh that was seamless, working from photos taken by the Deer City guys.

This mesh really turned into the simplest part of the layout and design, next came the building of the layout that would actually fit to the Ford truck.  Photos were taken of the truck to aid with the layout work. After a couple weeks of layouts, a final design was chosen.  The layout quickly ran through our Seiko Color Painter onto MACtac Bubble Free Pro and then found a quick coat of MACtac Rayzor laminate film.  The pieces were laying out on the production room tables.

The real fun started once the truck was pulling into the dock of the building.  A quick wash and clean of the truck lead to the production guys, Rob and Kevin, working tirelessly with the large sheets of the wrap. They worked to make a flawless finish on the truck. In less than a week’s time, the truck has been transformed from the dark red into the colorful and bold standout design.

Toss in a few banners and quickscreens printed with the same motif, Steve and Mark Millis are now armed with one of the best eye-catching designs, sure to gather more fans to their shows.

The newest additions to the shop have been the new embroidery machines.  Now can place logo, designs and other graphics onto cloth.