Imagine approaching the Earth after a long trip in outer space - at first it's just a little blue orb floating frailly in a pitch-black expanse, but as you approach, you're soon able to make out various features, like a topographical map. It's often said that of all manmade structures, the Great Wall of China is the one that can be seen from furthest out in space. Sure, it may not be visible from the moon as is often maintained, but with a length of 6,000 km (comparable with the Earth's radius of 6,400 km) it is without doubt the biggest thing ever made by man. And with its construction stretching across ages from the 3rd century BC to the 16th century, you could probably safely say that it also took longer to make than any other structure.

While it has long lost its original purpose as a defensive barrier or lookout post, the Great Wall remains as a priceless example of human achievement, one that could even represent a message of welcome to visitors from elsewhere.

Canon's imagePROGRAF is a large format inkjet printer capable of creating prints up to 1117.6 mm (44") in width, and an incredible 18 meters in length. Producing ink droplets as small as just four picoliters (one picoliter is one trillionth of a liter), it creates such ultra-detailed prints that an 18 meter-long print created using the highest resolution would boast more ink droplets than the number of bricks used to build the Great Wall.

By printing such an infinitesimal number of droplets onto paper or fabric, the imagePROGRAF can instill all kinds of media with a powerful message. The project engineers reveal the countless efforts they made to bring this large format printer into the world.