Digital Prints

Disadvantages of Self-Printing
■ Potentially steep learning curve and time commitment to acquire the printmaking
craft. Digital printing is both an art and a craft, and just having the equipment does not
guarantee you will know what to do with it. Learning how to work with a new technology
takes time, and lots of it. This is time that could be spent doing other things or creating
more art. Do you also do your own auto body work or your own roof repairs?
■ Sometimes significant upfront investment in hardware, software, and consumables
(especially for the larger formats). Add to that the perpetual, ongoing costs of selfprinting
that include: overhead (rent, utilities), your time or labor (your time is worth
something, isn’t it?), consumables (paper, inks), maintenance, software/hardware upgrades,
and continuing education and training. If you’re in the business of art, an accountant
would call all of this your “cost of goods sold.”
Of course, if you are doing this as a hobby or in your off-time, then these obstacles are less
of a consideration.
Using an Outside Printmaker or Printing Service
An old saying in the art world goes, “The artist is the eye, the printmaker is the hand.”
Because printing techniques can be complicated, and considering the traditionally collaborative
nature of fine-art printmaking, many photographers and artists use a “printfor-pay”
service to create their final work.
Advantages of Using a Print-Service Provider
■ You work with seasoned printing professionals and take advantage of top-of-the-line
technology that is more quickly updated. An experienced printmaker brings to the table
a vast knowledge of materials and artistic approaches that have been tried and tested many
times before you walk in the door. Besides helping to guarantee a higher-quality result, a
printmaker can act as an aesthetic guide and be a valuable art advisor.
Chapter 1 ■ Navigating the Digital Landscape 29
Mark Staples (right) of Staples Fine Art
in Richmond, Virginia, confers with
artist Durwood Dommisse about the
digital prints Staples is producing from
Dommisse’s landscape oil paintings.
Courtesy of Mark Staples
www.staplesart.com