Circle Graphics is a leading provider of large format printed materials to the out-of-home advertising industry. They have six facilities across the United States. These facilities combined have 407,000 square feet of manufacturing space, eighty-eight grand and large format digital printers, and custom finishing and coating equipment.

The San Fernando, CA location produces transit advertising, building wraps, and backlight signs for bus shelters and airports. They print on latex and UV materials on sheets up to 16’ wide. Large jobs are tiled together at installation. About 18 times a year they produce a large wall piece for a Los Angeles client. For this job they print numerous 4’ wide x 90’ tall panels that are then tiled together during install.

Prior to moving to San Ferando, Circle Graphics was located in Burbank. In this facility they were using GTI overhead luminaires (not wall luminaires) hung at an angle to simulate a wall viewing system. This set-up provided adequate viewing conditions, but it was not perfect. The illumination on the wall viewing area was not as even as they would have liked and if someone walked up close to the wall to view a print during a color check, they would cast a shadow.

David Gerharter, Vice President of Operations at Circle Graphics in San Fernando, has been using GTI products for his entire career and used a GTI Wall Viewing System at his previous employer. He knew he wanted to get one, but he also knew they would be moving to a new facility in San Fernando, so he thought it best to wait to make the capital expenditure until after the move.

In March of 2021 Circle Graphics ordered three GLL Wall Viewing Luminaires with D50 5000K LED Lamps (GLL-548/LED/V), three wall brackets to mount the luminaires (WB-GL/48), and three neutral gray metal wall panels (WP-4896). They also purchased a gallon of N8 neutral paint (N8/G) to paint the walls around the panels.

David considered LED and fluorescent lamp technology. He decided on LED because of the fast lamp warm up time, the three times longer lamp life, and lower energy cost. A three luminaire LED wall system uses 390 watts of energy while a three luminaire  fluorescent system uses 960 watts of energy.

Circle Graphics wired the luminaires into a four-gang switch so each luminaire can operate independently. The fourth switch will turn them all on and off in unison.

Circle also purchased an LED backlight from a local company. This light is used to proof bus shelter and airport advertising signs. GTI custom cut a hole in the metal wall panels to accommodate the backlight.

When a client’s job demands critical color accuracy, they will supply the file the with a GRACOL certified proof. Circle will run the file as it was sent to them through their color management system. They then compare the printed file and the GRACOL proof side by side under the D50 5000K light provided by the wall viewing system. Viewing the output under ISO 3664 viewing conditions allows Circle to quickly determine if they have a good match. If any adjustments are required, their customers trust them to make them.

Having used GTI’s solutions throughout his career and seeing how GTI approaches lighting as a science, David was confident that his decision to implement a purpose-built GTI wall illumination system was the right one. He was not disappointed.