Mural Technology Marches On!
Nautical Chart Wallpaper began in 2004 with a simple idea: If sailors loved storytelling with their nautical charts, wouldn’t it be great if those charts could be enlarged to mural size and fit on a wall? Now that would be a conversation piece!
Just a few of our old NOAA charts once used to create murals. Now that all our NOAA charts are digital, clients no longer need mail charts.
Back in 2004, you could count the number of companies doing custom wallpaper on one hand – even if you were careless with a chainsaw! But we thought we had a great idea and moved ahead.
In 2004 and for several years after, we had the client choose a chart, put it into a tube, and mail it to us. We then scanned the chart using a large-format scanner, and packed in as much data as we could on the color scan. We would work with the client to find the best view for the wall, and put a printer’s file together with that view which we would burn to a CD and mail it to the wallpaper printer. Total time for the client to get the mural could be as much as six weeks with all the shipping time included.
Today we can create layouts while on the phone with a client - and email them during the conversation to see if we are on the right track. We can also put in windows and doors, etc. so the client can see where wall objects go in relation to the features in the mural.
These days we have all the NOAA nautical charts available digitally, which means no more mailing charts back and forth. I can now talk to a client and while they are on the phone, send some sample layouts that precisely match the height and width of their wall(s). If the client has a half-hour to spend on the phone, I can usually arrive at a layout that is perfect for the client’s needs. Once the layout is approved, the printer's file is sent through the Internet using a large file format. No more mailing CD's or jump drives! Nowadays, the time required from the first client’s phone call to having the Nautical Chart Wallpaper mural arrive on the client’s doorstep is three weeks or less -- about half the time it took when we first started.
And these days, there are some exciting new wrinkles in our business. Our graphic software is aligned with the Benjamin-Moore color collections, so chart colors can be substituted to a precise color for an affordable, additional charge. Best of all, we have managed to do what we do at the same client cost as we charged in 2004, just $10 per square foot plus set-up fee of $170.00. Shipping is still free anywhere in the US.
So now that we are 12 years old and our company is not quite a “teenager” yet, we have certainly grown into the most sophisticated way to create a customized mural. Why not take the time to turn that big wall into something spectacular? Give us a call and let’s talk about your idea for a mural – nautical chart or otherwise!