Biggest printed digital image-world record set by Base3

 BUENOS AIRES, Argentina -- Base3, known as one of the top digital printers in Argentina, printed a single image at the stunning size of 60m x 20m -setting the world record for the Biggest printed digital image .

Photo: The 60x20m poster depicts Ischigualastao, in Valle de la Luna. It is displayed in Buenos Aires and was produced using HP’s Scitex XL1500.
   ( enlarge photo )

 Robert Ruiz, one of Argentina’s most famous photographers, used a 12-megapixel Nikon D2X camera to take a photo of the Ischugualastao, an extraordinary rock formation designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ruiz got the entire site into the frame by taking a master photo and using it to map 119 shots of the scene. The shots were then digitally recomposed into a single image.

   Ruiz teamed up with Base3, known as one of the top digital printers in Argentina, to print the photograph. And Base3 turned to its HP Scitex XL1500 super-wide digital printer.

   Installed in early 2006, the roll-to-roll printing system prints on a wide range of flexible media up to 5m wide, in eight colours.

   “The XL1500 offers speed at a very competitive price,” says Damian Mogilner, Production Manager at Base3. “And the financing services allow you to improve production capacity and productivity of your business without committing limited financial resources that can be used in other areas.”

The whole job ran quickly and smoothly. “We did the whole thing in record time – two days for printing and installation. We printed 1,200 sqm (12,900 sqft) in 15 hours, including changing and loading the media. We loaded the media so that there were no interruptions between printing the strips and we didn’t have to replace inks.”

   The photograph was printed in strips measuring 4.8m wide, the maximum width of the perforated mesh. The strips were soldered together until the giant print was in two halves, each measuring 30 x 20m, to create the final 60 x 20m billboard. The HP Scitex inks provide excellent flexibility, which meant that Base3 could fold the giant mesh prints and take them in a pickup truck to the installation site.

   “It was incredible,” says Ruiz. “Once the billboard was installed, and you stood back, it was really exciting. The image quality was amazing. It was so realistic.”

The goal of the Ischugualastao project was two-fold: to print the biggest ever digital image and promote tourism to Argentina.
   With the backing of the Argentina Ministry of Culture, Ruiz received approval to install the billboard in one of the most symbolic locations in Argentina, the Placa de la Republica (Square of the Republic) in the center of Buenos Aires.

    Ruiz explains the goal of the project:' I wanted to do something important, that was different. The idea of inserting a landscape billboard into the urban landscape seemed an exciting way to both promote tourism and create a strong, contrasting image. The size was to amaze, and grab attention. The world record for the Biggest printed digital image was just an extra."

 Following his successful collaboration with Base3, photographer Robert Ruiz is also setting his sights on the next big thing. “We’ve already started planning something even bigger: seven billboards in seven strategic locations around the city, about 7,000 sqm (75,350 sqft) each.”

   “We have done even bigger billboards, but this was one photo, one shot. It turned into a huge event and the image became famous throughout the whole country." Damian Mogilner, Base3

Friday, September 26, 2008

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