MIDLAND, Texas — We’re all probably used to seeing your average printer that uses sheets of paper and maybe even 3D printers, but there are also printers that can print text and designs on walls inside and outside that use a special ink.
“This is an onsite vertical printer, meaning that we can take this to different locations and print on almost any vertical surface, including drywall, brick, cinder block, etcetera. It prints full-color images, high resolution," said Jay Gannaway, AP US History teacher at Midland High and owner of West TX Wall Printing.
"It's UV ink, so that makes it resistant to sunlight, and that makes it last longer, especially outdoors. And you can also put a coating on top of the image once it's done to make it last outdoors and indoors; it will last indefinitely.” said Ethan Gannaway, sophomore at Midland High.
Gannaway saw a video of a similar printer a while back and was intrigued by it, especially since before becoming a history teacher at Midland High, when he worked in the printing industry for 15 years in Lubbock.
“Well, when we purchased the printer, they did not have anybody doing this in West TX, the company that sells these in North America, and so we paid for this particular territory to be the first and only wall printer with this machine in our area.” Jay Gannaway continued.
Once he got a hold of a printer, he started a small business, West TX Wall Printing, as another means to support his family while still fulfilling his passion in teaching.
He’s even done work for the Heritage Museum in Big Spring, but Gannaway says that he’s happy that he gets to do all of this alongside his son.
“I did start this business with my son Ethan in mind, who's helped us on all of our printing jobs so far and is learning how to operate the machine and all of that. So, it's something that we can do on the side.” Jay added.
Gannaway hopes this kind of technology catches on in West Texas because he feels both businesses and the average person can benefit from the kind of designs that it's capable of printing.