Digital Prints

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Mastering Digital Printing
Lown also advises that those searching for a printmaker “look for someone who does other
work that resembles your own. This guarantees that the printmaker is aware of your sensibility.
In dealing with images, most people think about ’technology’ when, really, it’s
about ‘culture.’”
Physical Space/Location?
Where are they located? Is it local, or does it require mail, courier shipments, or online
interaction to reach them (see more about online services below)? Is there a professional
viewing booth? Do they encourage artists to come in and view their work in progress and
interact with the staff? French printmaker Franck Bordas of Atelier Bordas explains that
“We work in a large studio in the center of Paris. Many of the artists come here in person
to finish and prepare their files. For this purpose, we have set up three Macintosh workstations
(G4/G5) with large screens.”
If possible, take a tour and look at the printmaker’s operation. Does it look like a real business,
or is it just a hobby in the garage?
How Long Will It Take?
What is the turnaround time from file to final print? Whatever you’re told, add 50 percent
to come up with a more realistic schedule. And make sure you factor in shipping
time, holidays, etc.
Keep in mind that print-service providers are running commercial businesses. Time is
money to them, and they will want to move your project through their production flow
as efficiently as possible. But the digital print process takes time, and there’s no point in
short-circuiting it.
Printer Profiles Provided?
One purpose of a printer-provided profile is so the imagemaker can soft-proof the image on
their own computer screen to get an idea of how it will look when printed. This reduces the
likelihood of a poor print, and it becomes even more important if the photographer-artist is
You could never confuse Harvest
Productions in Anaheim Hills,
California, with a garage operation
(although that’s exactly how they
started off). Harvest is currently the
largest giclée printing company in the
world. Shown are some of the 12
Roland Hi-Fi JETs they use (that’s in
addition to the 13 IRIS printers plus
others).
Courtesy of Harvest Productions Ltd.
www.harvestpro.com