Pyramid Visuals were contacted by Endemol, the production company behind Big Brother and the current consumer documentary on Channel 4 simply entitled “FOOD”.  The programme series is essentially about investigating the journey of food consumed in the UK every day and examines where food comes from, what happens to it and how long it takes to get to the nation’s dinner plates.

Given that time was short with only days to go until filming commenced for the series, we were asked if we could print an image of a beach scene directly onto a “rigid board type material”.  Having offered various options, the decision was left to us to select the correct substrate required to fulfil the somewhat open-ended brief of, “it will either be free standing on set, fixed to a wall or propped up as a temporary backdrop in front of the presenters”.  We therefore took the decision and recommended that the desired image be printed directly on our Inca Spyder V Flatbed digital machine printed onto a 5mm foamex panel and cut to the required size (10’ x 5’).  This was duly agreed and the ok given.

Fortunately, having sent a proof of the beach scene image to the client for approval prior to pressing ahead with printing, the production company decided that a beach scene wasn’t right after all as the programme was about food, farming and rural sustainability.  With an even tighter deadline, a substitute image was found – one depicting a classic rural scene (as shown below) – and production duly commenced.  The job was completed and despatched from Pyramid Visuals directly to the studio set for immediate filming within 2 days.

Rick  –  September 2010

Images above as featured on the documentary programme, FOOD on Channel 4

Pyramid Visuals installs Spyder after calls for faster turnaround.

Pyramid Visuals has reacted to demands for faster turnaround by adding an Inca Spyder V large-format UV inkjet printer from Fujifilm.

The Surrey-based large-format specialist also expects to expand its level of work in the point-of-sale (POS) market.

Production director Scott Meader said: “Every machine we have is digital. The beauty of digital is that although a run may be 150 sheets, those 150 don’t have to be the same design.

“For example, a free-standing display unit may be intended for a product that is priced differently in London, Scotland, Newcastle and Ireland. The client can have the same design, but can change the price and not incur extra set-up costs. It means we can be really competitive in that market.”

Pyramid will handle short-run POS jobs on the machine and it is already running at capacity. It runs at speeds of 130sqm per hour and covers a print area of 3.2×1.6m. It can handle substrates up to 30mm thick.

Pyramid Visuals was founded in 1993 as a sign and signwriting supplier. It made the move into the digital arena six years ago

http://www.printweek.com/digital/news/972806/Pyramid-Visuals-installs-Spyder-calls-faster-turnaround

Scitex Press May 2003

The January/February www.glaucoma.org.il of popular trade magazine Signs, Screen & Digital Printer, featured Scitex Vision customer Pyramid Digital, of Surrey, England. Describing Pyramid’s transition from the general sign-maker to all round graphics provider, the article highlighted the company’s “bold” step in moving straight up to a Scitex Vision XLjet 3 from its first non-sign-making purchase, Gerber Edge.

Scitex Vision Digital Printer

Pyramid’s chairman John Fidler said that “We felt that rather than purchasing an interim level printer it would, in the longer run, make more commercial sense to acquire a super-wide, high production machine that was versatile enough to accommodate anything from posters to billboards and everything in between”.

According to Signs, Screen & Digital Printer, the Scitex Vision XLjet 3 emerged as the clear favourite of all options on offer, due to the vibrancy and quality of the colour reproduction. The fact that, with a printing speed of 75 sqm/hr, it is one of the fastest printers in its class, and the Scitex Visions XLjet’s ability to switch effortlessly between four- and six colour printing onto a wide variety of different substrates were also important considerations.