TEXTILES.ORG
By Jill C. Lafferty
The project. Fabricating a 100-percent digitally printed tent for a mobile marketing campaign for the Wynn|Encore Hotel of Las Vegas, N.V. The client worked with Aztec products in the past and desired a custom-branded tent for use in promoting the casino resort at trade shows and public events.
The company. Tent manufacturer Aztec Tents of Torrance, Calif.
The task. Printing a supplied design on the exterior top of a 10-by-20-foot Festival™ style frame tent, as well as on both sides of three sidewalls. The art was developed by the client’s creative team from existing collateral, so the task for Aztec focused on durability, ease of transport and capturing the colors to match the client’s other mobile marketing elements. “We start most any printing process with the development of a blank layout or template for the customer to provide their own creative design to work with and tweak the design,” says Aztec vice president Alex Kouzmanoff. “Once we receive the preliminary layout from the client, we determine if there are any issues that might affect the finished product or how it will need to be fabricated. Once layouts are approved, the files are prepared for production and printing.” For the top and walls, Aztec used 100-percent opaque vinyl that prevents light from causing images to bleed through the fabric. Aztec most often uses solvent-based inks due to their RF welding properties.
The challenge. Color matching to existing elements of the marketing campaign was critical.
The solution. Several test prints were sent between Aztec and the client to narrow down specific colors. “Color matching was done by starting with a PMS equivalent in the printer software and adjusting the color values to get a close match with the customer-supplied color proof,” Kouzmanoff says. “It was just a simple trial-and-error process once we got in the right range.” The client sent an employee to Aztec for final approval of the colors as the first pieces were coming off the printer.
The result. “The project was a great success for both the client and Aztec,” Kouzmanoff says. “The tent will be part of a year-long mobile marketing campaign at several outdoor public events throughout the country.”