What did the job entail?

Paul Turner Displays (PTD) was drafted in to create an inspiring space for the project’s final phase. The Lancashire company had to bring together print suppliers to decorate a 23x9m room using display boards, vinyl lettering and 151 cardboard boxes.

How was it produced?
The boxes were adorned with one-off printed panels featuring the designs created by Lancaster University students. The print work was outsourced to Runcorn-based PS2 Print, who used a roll-fed 500mm-wide Xeikon 8000. PTD hand glued the panels into place.

Display panels for directing visitors around the exhibition were printed direct to Foamex and BCP’s Ditto Formcore board by Xtreme Graphics using a Mimaki flatbed. Both these and the vinyl lettering, also used to direct visitors, were cut on a Zünd.

What challenges were overcome?
As the project had limited funding, PTD managing director Paul Turner knew that large-format production of the students’ artwork for the box panels would be impossible. Instead he opted for the Xeikon 8000 to digitally print each piece.

"The Xeikon prints at around 1,200dpi, the same as a large-format machine, but without the manual handling, which is where we save on cost and time. That was really important for the job," said Turner.

What was the feedback?
PROUD project design manager Gemma Coupe said: "The end-product looks awesome and people are really spending time in the space and loving the look of it all."