PressOn work with the Royal Navy and produce dazzling results
To help mark the centenary of the First World War, 1418 NOW asked digital print specialists PressOn to wrap an entire ex Royal Navy warship, HMS President, in dazzle print camouflage vinyl. The HMS President’s design was created by European artist Tobias Rehberger, one of the most respected European artists of our generation.
The ship is now berthed by Victoria Embankment on the Thames and has become a popular tourist attraction and local landmark. PressOn worked on the project in close collaboration with the artist’s studio and design team advising on artwork, materials and installation which involved printing on 2,000 sq. m of polymeric multi-fix vinyl.
It was essential that the print and vinyl media were protected from the challenging and harsh Thames side environment, to achieve this PressOn chose to apply a Landor protective coating which signifi cantly increased the print durability and UV resistance.

Installing vinyl in the water of the Thames with rising and falling tides was a logistical challenge with many 3am starts in the cold and dark water. A small vessel circled the HMS President during low tides enabling the installers to fit and heat the vinyl and smooth it across the irregular surface of the hull. 12 installers took 10 days to complete the job. PressOn have years of experience with Landor protective coatings and have used them on many everyday and diverse applications.
The use of a protective coating for this particular application was the perfect compliment to the whole project and gave PressOn ultimate confidence during and after such a challenging installation.