HP latex print helps stage Royal Ontario Museum’s Ultimate Dinosaurs exhibition

Floor-to-ceiling, life-like graphics produced on HP Latex Printing Technologies are helping visitors dive into the world of dinosaurs at an exciting new exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Canada.

The exhibition creates a view of the world during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods through the use of scientific fossil evidence. The details are accurately brought to life with more than 100 print panels covering approximately 10,000 square feet with rich colours and a size that lives up to the incredible grandeur of the dinosaur age. The longest single mural within the exhibit is more than 100 feet long. Regardless of where a visitor stands within the exhibition, the effect is an overall feeling of being transported to a lost world.  

To transform the distant past into realistic life-sized colour images for its new Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana exhibition, the museum turned to Beyond Digital Imaging, a print service provider (PSP) from Markham, Ontario.

The ROM’s key criteria for a PSP extended beyond getting the best image quality and cost. The ROM also needed a product that would easily come off the walls, without damaging them, after the exhibition ends. The ROM also considered sustainability and environmental impact when making their choice.

“The success of Ultimate Dinosaurs: Giants from Gondwana depended on creating a captivating lost world for our visitors that would entertain and educate people of all ages,” says Dave Hollands, head, Design, Royal Ontario Museum. “Working with Beyond Digital Imaging and their use of HP Latex Printing Technology was an easy choice for us as we knew they could deliver astonishing graphics that were durable and faithfully showcase our enormous, scientifically accurate, mural art. We also are always on the lookout for products that are odourless and environmentally friendly. We’d definitely look to specify using latex printing in future RFPs.”

Technology plays an ever increasing role in the way the ROM’s galleries and specimens tell stories. Creating an authentic experience using large-scale visuals at 1200dpi is unique in this scale of an exhibit and was integral to the exhibition’s impact.

“It’s no small feat to change the world around us and that’s just what HP Latex Printing Technologies doâ€"both literally and figuratively,” said Mark Lehmann, vice president, Large Format, HP Canada. “Beyond Digital Imaging’s work showcases the dynamic opportunities to create graphics that engage and delight viewers while also focusing on a technology with proven environmental benefits.”

Beyond Digital Imaging considered several key factors to determine the best approach for creating the exhibit graphics:

• Limited timeline to print and install the graphics
• Huge file sizes (up to 10 gigabytes for a wall 16 feet high by 130 feet long)
• Strong emphasis on using a wide colour spectrum
• Preference for an environmentally sustainable print medium

“Choosing the right materials is essential for any job we consider,” said Larry Chan, owner, Beyond Digital Imaging. “When considering the needs of this busy and high-impact exhibit, we knew HP’s Latex Printing Technology was the best choice for three main reasons: quality, durability and environmental sustainability. We’d like to see latex specified in request for proposals; it’s the future of interior commercial design.”

For more information on ROM, please visit www.rom.on.ca.