PUBLICATION CENTER

Picture This Photography in Avon, Ind., gets a lot of mileage out of its vehicle promotions. Last year, the studio applied samples of its work complementing its senior pictures marketing campaign on the studio's Hummer and a box truck the studio uses for storage, hauling props, and as signage at its storefront.

The campaign was so successful that they did it again this year. Like last year, Picture This Photography used LexJet's Extreme AquaVinyl, printed on the studio's Epson printer.

This year, the studio tweaked its printing and application a bit based on what it found after a year with the graphics on the road.

"We learned that you really need to wrap it. The vinyl needs to get behind the body moldings, the trim strips inside the doors, the luggage rack, the turn signals, and so on. We take those off and wrap it all the way behind those areas so that it's really secure. If you just put it on there, the edges will start to come off a little bit, but it's not an issue at all this way," explains owner Scott Crosby.

"Last year's images lasted right at a year. It was starting to fade a little bit, so we sprayed a generic UV inhibitor on it this time, which will help guard against fading. We really push our colors here, and the vinyl has great contrast. We also wash the truck by hand and don't run it through an automatic wash. And when I spray it with water, I don't spray the images," Crosby adds.

In addition to its use as the studio's primary mode of transportation, Crosby takes the Hummer to special events and tailgates at area high-school football games.

"We put a plasma screen in the back of the Hummer with amps and speakers. We have our models out there, with slide shows, music, and signups for drawings. It's great networking and exposure," says Crosby.

Crosby adds that he was quoted about $4,500 to have a local sign company print and install the graphics. Crosby was able to do it for about $200 in materials and a couple hours of labor.

The same concepts for the Hummer applied quite well to the studio's box truck, though the box truck spends the majority of its time in front of the studio. Since the sign codes are quite restrictive in Avon, Crosby gets tons of advertising mileage out of something that doesn't go out on the road very often.

"We have it parked in our parking lot because we don't have real good signage here, and it's ten times bigger than any sign we could have. We also store seasonal props and haul displays to shows in it," says Crosby.

Labeling a Vineyard

A true and faithful art reproduction captures color correctly, but it also conveys the same nuance and spirit of the artist's intention. When the original medium is a quilt, the task takes on new levels as the reproducer is called on to make the transition between needle and thread to an inkjet medium seamless.

Bob Swanson, owner of Swanson Images, Weed, Calif., was given just that task, and has so successfully and artfully printed the stunning quilted artwork of Mary Ellen Parsons that viewers of his canvas reproductions are tempted to touch (and sometimes do) the prints because they're convinced the prints are the real thing.

Mary Ellen Parsons' quilt reproductions on canvas lead a double life, as fine art for public consumption and as commercial art for a unique boutique winery in Carmel Valley, Calif., Parsonage Village Vineyard. Mary Ellen and her husband, Bill Parsons, own the winery, which specializes in high-quality, low-volume wine production.

The canvas reproductions printed by Swanson are set to adorn a new wine-tasting and gallery showroom at Parsonage Village Vineyard. The artwork also serves as labels for the wine bottled at the vineyard.

For a run of special (and very expensive) double magnum bottles, Swanson printed the artwork on 3P Universal Heavy FR fabric from LexJet. Each label measured no more than four inches across, but Swanson used an entire roll since the winery produced about 800 bottles or so.

"We started out trying to use the LexJet Instant Dry Satin Canvas we use for the gallery reproductions, but the weave is too coarse for the size of the labels. Her work is so detailed that it didn't look right, so I tried the Heavy FR, and it really brought out the detail," says Swanson. "I regard the Heavy FR as a synthetic linen, so I recommend it to a lot of artists who like the look of linen for their work."

The Parsons sign each label personally and affix a non-permanent adhesive to the back so that the buyer can peel off the label as a collector's item. Swanson says they experimented with various spray coatings, and settled on a Krylon clear matte spray to protect the labels.

"She's a very good client, and is very easy to work with. The dyes in the fabric match well with the UltraChrome inks," says Swanson. "I regard what I'm doing as art printmaking. You're translating something. If you want to make a litho or offset reproduction, you won't even get close in a painting with a huge color gamut, for instance. So rather than copying a piece of art, I'm translating the work from one medium into another."