Consumables

Berlin local and digital

Thursday 03. January 2013 - A10 shopping centre in Berlin: Wallpaper is an attractive wall covering for the retail trade

Visual attractions are a proven means of drawing customers into shops. As a result the operator of the A10 shopping centre in Berlin chose customised printable Erfurt CA wallpaper from Neschen.
ECE took the decision to use wallpaper and in particular the Erfurt CA wallpaper at an early stage. “As a result of good experience gained with the service provider Stiefel Digitalprint on previous projects, we relied completely on the materials they proposed,” says Mark Gurney, Director Creative Design at ECE in Hamburg.
Mark Gurney and his team chose the motifs on specific themes and delivered them to Stiefel Digitalprint in Lenting. They are based on locations close to Berlin, Dahme-Spree Forest, Barnim and Oberhavel. The characteristic features of these areas were abstracted into graphics.
“Erfurt CA wallpaper has absolutely nothing to do with photo coverings from a DIY store,” explains Wolfgang Polarek, sales team member and project manager at Stiefel Digitalprint. “Each wallpaper is completely customised; they are unique with motifs and print data created especially for this one product – and the printing results are top quality.”
Stiefel prepared the print data to form large-scale digital printing. The variety of colour tones had to be matched precisely and the motif details with their complex patterns and diagonal lines also had to fit exactly.
Three strips of the smooth Erfurt CA wallpaper, each 1.50 metres wide, were printed simultaneously, i.e. in parallel. The printing press, which is five metres wide, then produced the five or nine metre long strips that Stiefel needed to cover the A10 shopping centre. In order to work better with the digital print wallpaper on site these were then cut into strips each 70 centimetres wide.
One for all
When planning the materials to be used it was essential to comply with the extremely strict fire protection regulations for public buildings. Each material on its own and all of the materials together – from the sub-surface and adhesive via the digital fleece and coating right up to the paint and varnish – had to meet the strictest requirements.
“For ECE it was not only about appearance and modern design, top quality is also essential,” explains Wolfgang Polarek, confirming the client’s high demands. “This applies to each individual product. But that is not enough: it must also apply to the complete installation. This means that the materials used have to match each other perfectly.”
Extremely resistant
The printed Erfurt CA wallpaper can stay on the walls for five to six years. Then the wallpaper will be replaced. Although the digital printing is subject to bright light and UV radiation, the colour intensity is retained for this period of time. In terms of the quality, the fleece wallpaper is so good that it even withstands mechanical loads and bridges tears.
“We are now recommending the wallpaper for corridors in offices or hotels,” confirms Wolfgang Polarek. “The colours do not run and with an appropriate protective varnish it can withstand impacts that can come from such hard items as chairs or suitcases.” Also ideal for use in commercial property.
The professional digital printer receives the Erfurt CA wallpaper via Neschen AG in Bückeburg. The specialist artistic dealer can purchase the custom-printed digital fleece wallpaper under the Erfurt-On wall brand.