How we reproduce art:

Phase one:

State-of-the-art photographic copy work

Despite popular belief, photographic film is capable of substantially higher quality reproduction than digital photography. We have also found negative film in reproduction produces more tonal values, especially in the mid-tone range. This approach is more time consuming and technically more difficult, but we pride ourselves on being a high-end studio and print shop.

Original artwork is usually photographed in our studios using high powered electronic strobe lighting and professional view cameras. We use either 4x5 or 8x10 film for maximum quality.

Our photographic studio equipment includes specially modified Norman flash equipment, Sinar and Linhof rail cameras, Schneider, Rodenstock, and Nikkor lenses

Phase two:

Drum Scanning

A high-end drum scan is utilized to produce very large file sizes which can be as large as 500 megabytes. These large files help insure optimal tonal ranges in the art of art reproduction.

A company called Aztek Inc (www.aztek.com) developed special software for Gallery Network to be able to accurately and effectively work with color negative film. The results are natural looking reproduction that often can be mistaken for the original artwork!

Phase three:

Blending Art and Technology

In most cases the artist and publisher sit down with the print technician in front of a large 24 high resolution monitor to crop, size, adjust color hues and saturation levels, color balances. Selective parts of an image are also fine tuned to reflect the character of the original. This is all done with sophisticated graphics software, and the possibilities for enhancing are virtually endless.

A series of proofs are made with additional corrections until the reproduction has been approved by all concerned. Once the final proof is approved by the artist, the actual printmaking information is stored digitally for printing at a later date. The image then is tested at different sizes to help decide the maximum and minimum size the artwork can successfully be printed.

We do set size restrictions for each piece of artwork to maintain the integrity of the artistic statement as well as protecting the buyer from being dissatisfied with the outcome. For instance, a small oil painting that has been painted on a rough toothed canvas may look odd when printed big because the reproduction would show the details of an enlarged canvas pattern.

Phase four:

Giclee printing

Our high resolution digital images are printed on a large format inkjet printer using archival quality pigmented inks. Inkjet printing yields better color than other any offset printing. We print using a Roland FJ500 that using eight different colors. These colors include Cyan, Magenta, Yellow Black, Light Cyan, Light Magenta, Orange, and Black.

The Roland eight color machine also prints variable dots Variable dot means that the machine produces a very tiny dot in the highlight areas, a medium dot for the mid-tones, and a wide dot in the shadow areas. The results are breathtaking. Unlike a print produced by an offset machine, a dot cannot be seen, even under a 30x magnification!

We also used inks that have a long life longetvity. The following web site may be of help to see how Roland Inks rate compared with other manufactures. The Wilhelm Institute rates the inks we use to be over 100 years. See: http://wilhelmresearch.com

Canvas or paper?

We use only the highest quality acid-free archival smooth water color papers. We suggest presentation of prints on paper to be the same as with any quality water color painting: mat them and place them in a frame under glass. Recent new developments to canvas manufacturing have brought even more improvements. The canvases we use on your images are printed on a water-resist canvas. The canvas itself is Ph Neutralized before Gesso coating. The Gesso used is also Ph Neutral. Finally, there is an ink jet coating that uses Titanium Dioxide (T 1 02), which is used as an opacifier. It is the same ingredient that is used to make white oil paints. The manufacture of the substance is DuPont. The canvas has a #94 brightness, which is partly responsible for the color accuracy.

Phase five:

Acrylic Sealant

Our canvas is coated with a water-based acrylic sealer to make the prints water-resist and more durable to scratching. They should be cared for the same as any hand-painted original. The sealant also has a built in UV protection. The intended usage as with most paintings on canvas, is interior. We suggest having your print stretched and framed .