Bay Lightboxes
Phones 4U, the high street retail arm of the Caudwell Group, is the UK’s fastest growing independent mobile phone retailer. Employing over 8,000 people it has some 450 stores and is reputed to sell a staggering 26 mobile phones every minute as well as laptops, mobile broadband and related accessories.
Because of its size Phones 4U achieves great deals across all of the major networks for both upgrades and new contracts and, a now well-recognised brand, it has become synonymous with no-nonsense value and a down to earth approach.
With a keen eye for promotional and marketing opportunities Phones 4U is well known for its quirky TV ads, such as the recent “Great Deals for Popular People” campaign, and boasts an enviable following across the various Social Media sites.
It has been voted “Best Online Retailer” in the mobile phone industry in both 2009 and 2010 and won an award for “Best National Advertising and Marketing Campaign” at the 2008 Mobile News Awards.
The Brief
The client was undertaking a store refurbishment programme, and as part of this, new lightbox units were being introduced into stores at a rate of 10 per week. Each unit needed to contain two high quality lightbox graphics. The lightboxes were currently being produced on Duratrans (Durable Transparency) translucent-base film. However the sheer quantity involved in the project meant that the cost of the material used needed to be reduced.
Considerations
Whilst a substitute material was required, the quality of the graphics could not be compromised and still needed to be backlit.
Solution
As an alternative substrate, both lampshade PVC and white translucent Polypropylene materials were tested. These were litho printed onto both sides to create the desired strength of print. Although this was a less expensive method of production and both materials were acceptable alternatives, the image density was not as strong as in previous iterations. Cestrian continued tests to improve the quality, and ultimately found the perfect solution. Instead of litho printing the image on to both sides of the material, production was switched to the M-Press digital press. It was discovered that, by increasing the artwork image strength in studio and pre-press, printing on to one side of the material delivered the necessary quality.
Outcome
The solution provided the following benefits:
- High quality perfectly registered prints
- Faster production times
- Cost reduction from original Duratrans production (110% saving)
- Excellent print strength in lightbox situation
- Environmentally friendly option printing on the white translucent polypropylene
Perfect for Our Needs
The final outcome was achieved using an M-Press Tiger with a maximum sheet size of 2.6 x 1.6m and resolution up to 720dpi capable of 770sqm per hour. Text and images were printed single sided onto white translucent polypropylene suitable for a range of applications that include retail graphics printing, signage.
