Working with a tight deadline and a challenging assignment, Sussex, Wisconsin-based Color Ink delivered its client realistic 1:1 scale models of Olympic bobsleds in time for the Olympics. Printing for the job was done on an Onset Q40i UV printer from Cambridge, UK-based Inca Digital.

　　Before the 2014 Winter Olympics, Century 21 Real Estate approached Color Ink through its ad agency asking if they could create a paperboard replica of a U.S. Winter Olympic bobsled needed for its promotional efforts. Century 21 is an official sponsor of the U.S. bobsled team and their objective was to display a handful of the replica bobsleds at various locations during Winter Olympics that took place in February 2014.

　　The project overcame multiple challenges. Color Ink had to come up with a structural design that would be lightweight for shipping, and have as few parts as possible so that it would be relatively quick and easy to assemble the model. In addition, they had to make sure that the material was durable enough so it would not sustain any damage during the shipping process—but it had to look as authentic as possible. All of this was requested within a budget of approximately $1,300 for each finished bobsled.

　　The final bobsled model was created from lightweight 40mm white styrene wrapped around a one-inch Ultraboard curvature frame and printed on an the Onset Q40i.

　　“Printing the job with our six-color Inca Digital Onset Q40i was simple. In fact, from our point of view, it is usually the easiest task of any job,” says Todd Meissner, president of Color Ink. “Just by virtue of the printhead and ink technology, the quality from the Inca Onset Q40i is exceptional. The solids were very easy to replicate, without any banding.”

　　For its efforts, Color Ink was honored a special award for creativity during Inca Digital’s 2014 IDEAs awards ceremony this past May in Munich. The judges praised the effort, saying, “This was a unique design, with complicated specs. It was impressive.”