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HP technology helps make green the new gold at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games
Championing environmental responsibility Every four years, athletes from around the world gather to compete in the Special Olympics World Winter Games. Organizers of the 2009 Games, held in Boise, McCall and Sun Valley, Idaho, are taking the gold in a new event—environmental responsibility.
With amission to “green the Games,” organizers recognized that if they could responsibly produce the estimated 50,000 square feet of signage, they could make significant progress toward their goal. In need of durable signage printed with the environment in mind, the World Winter Games turned to corporate sponsor HP. Thanks to its broad portfolio, including the new HP Designjet L65500 Printer, HP Scitex FB6100Printer, and numerous HP ink and large-format media as well as third-party substrate options, HP helped the Games reduce the impact of its printing. “Sustainability hadn’t been factored into previous Games. With the help of HP technology, we’ve taken proactive steps to make this year’s event as environmentally responsible as possible,” says Heather Hill, vice president of marketing for the 2009Special Olympics World Winter Games.

The benefits of a broad portfolio From providing directions to creating an ambiance that energizes fans and athletes alike, signage plays a vital role at the 2009 Games. Thanks to the broad HP portfolio and two experienced providers, event organizers met all their signage requirements while reducing the impact of their printing.
“HP’s full breadth ofcapabilities made it easy for us to address our need for both flexible and rigid substrates in an environmentally responsible way,” explains Hill.

For signage printed on flexible substrates, such as pole banners and window installations, organizers turned to Splash!Events and the HP Designjet L65500. New water-based HP Latex Inks enable the printer to produce odorless prints1 that emit extremely lowlevels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

“Sustainability hadn’t been factored into previous Games. With the help of HP technology, we’ve taken proactive steps to make this year’s event as environmentally responsible as possible.”
—Heather Hill, Vice President of Marketing 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games To produce rigid signage, including carpet and sidewalk graphics, the 2009Games worked with Fusion Imaging and the HP Scitex FB6100. Using eight UV-curable inks that emit lower levels of VOCs than solvent inks, the HP Scitex FB6100 prints on almost any rigid, thick or heavy specialty media. “The HP Scitex FB6100 is consistent; it can print on almost anything. And with UV-curable inks, the prints can be managed right away, saving valuable time,” says Wayne Boydstun, chiefoperating officer for Fusion Imaging.

Challenge:
• Special Olympics wanted to make all aspects of the 2009 World Winter Games as green as possible, including the estimated 50,000 square feet of signage.

Solution:
• HP’s broad portfolio, including the HP Designjet L65500 and the HP Scitex FB6100, ensured that the World Winter Games achieved high-quality, durable signage printed with theenvironment in mind.

Completing the circle With signage to be displayed throughout the city of Boise and surrounding areas, the World Winter Games sought out high-quality prints that satisfied their desire to use water-based or UV-curable inks. HP technology achieves consistent color across a range of products, ensuring the Games received the same great color in every image.
Prints from both theHP Designjet L65500 and the HP Scitex FB6100 are also durable enough to withstand even the harshest Idaho winter conditions. Outdoor prints produced with the HP Designjet L65500 and HP Latex Inks achieve display permanence up to three years unlaminated and provide scratch-, smudge- and water-resistance comparable to low-solvent inks on a range of media.2
1 Printers using HP Latex Inks use...