From painting to printing
As awareness of and demand for Steam Whistle’s pilsner grew across Ontario, the painting of its vehicles—and repainting, following the inevitable dings and scratches—became a drain on time and funds, so the brewery turned to digitally printed and laminated wrap graphics instead.

The first results, unfortunately, were not satisfactory, with banding and grain visible in the graphics. So, the company started to look for another print service provider (PSP).

“We began working with Eminent in 2013,” says George. “We had just purchased a 1970 International Scout and were looking for a new print partner to install its wrap artwork. Mark Dorey and Jay Farren, Eminent’s co-owners, had completed personal projects for one of our sales representatives and for Greg Taylor, one of our co-founders. So, we touched base with them, beginning our partnership.”

Founded in 2006, Eminent had catered to custom markets early on in its development, including Canadian beer brands like Molson and Labatt.

“A rep from Steam Whistle was referred to us,” says Eminent’s Dorey. “We applied graphics to their trailers and that got us our shot. Our first full wrap for them was the International Scout, which still had its original paint job.”

Controlling quality
The success of that wrap led Eminent to work on the broader fleet.

“It can be hard to achieve a solid colour,” says Dorey, referring to Steam Whistle’s earlier, poor-quality graphics. “We created custom profiles through trial and error to really ‘dial in’ the brewery’s brand colours.”

As for materials, Eminent used Avery Dennison’s MPI 1005 Supercast Easy Apply RS film and DOL 1360 gloss overlaminate, which conformed well not only to the vintage vehicles, but also to newer models in the fleet, including a Dodge Charger, a Jeep Wrangler, a Toyota FJ Cruiser and a Mini Cooper. In fact, the performance of those wraps led to requests from the brewery for similar wraps of promotional items, many of which used the same materials.

“We went on to wrap all types of items for them, including about 100 of the portable coolers for contest giveaways, along with the ping pong table,” Dorey says. “We used the Avery Dennison film and overlaminate consistently over the years because of the print quality and ease of installation.”

When it came time to wrap tabletops for restaurants that serve Steam Whistle’s beer, Eminent instead sourced a calendered film and overlaminate from Avery Dennison.

“A table takes a lot of abuse from hot plates, knives and such,” Dorey explains, “so we used a film and laminate that were quite a bit thicker than those for the vehicles.”

The only times Eminent sourced materials from a different manufacturer were when Steam Whistle commissioned outdoor wraps for brick walls and other heavily textured surfaces, which called for 3M Canada’s Envision Print Wrap Film. Such applications have touched the brewery itself, as well as restaurants, bars and out-of-home (OOH) advertising spaces all across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).

“When it comes to applications, installations and materials,” says George, “I make certain requests, such as gloss or matte, but generally, I trust all of the suggestions and input they offer, because this is their area of expertise. If we face any ‘hiccups,’ I simply tell them where the issues are and we work together to find a solution.”

Meanwhile, much like how the production of graphics for Labatt and Molson helped prepare Eminent to wrap Steam Whistle’s vehicles, so too did that work in turn lead to a referral for Creemore Springs Brewery, another Ontario beermaker, and landing its fleet graphic contract.