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Articles
by Chris A. Paschke, CPF GCF CMG
"Digital Discussions 2007"
June 2007
By
now we all know that digitals are here to stay, but continue to struggle with
exactly are custom framers are going to be influenced by their dominance in the
market. As I continue work on the third edition of The Mounting And Laminating Handbook discussions of digital imaging become more and
more prevalent within it's pages. Even the PPFA ReCertification class seems to
spend more and more time on digitals when discussing the handling of art forms,
yet there remain few hard and fast answers.
At
the recent PPFA Conference in Las Vegas many of my classes were filled with
photographers and digital production framers. Traditionally, framers attend
this annual conference for the education and not the trade show itself, but
where better to explore and become familiar with digital photographs, fine art
and canvases than at this particular show?
As the self-appointed digital diva for the framing industry,
it is my job to comb the show floor and target new research projects for
learning how to better understand and handle digital imagery in the custom
frame shop. Framers have resisted the digital world for years not really seeing
the forest for the trees. But now that film photography is becoming as extinct
as the drive-in theater, digitals require a new vocabulary, new equipment, new
handling techniques, and a whole new attitude.
Read, Read, Read
As a registered attendee of the
recent Vegas (PMA/PPFA) show, every morning there are two publications left on
your hotel room doorstep. Printed in
newsmagazine format and designed to read like the daily paper these are filled
with promotionals, press releases, and industry news of product launches and
technology that may be seen at the show.
I pour over these like they are
manna from heaven, with this basic information giving a perfect starting point
for helping determine are the trends of electronic printing and what may be the
next dilemma for custom framers. These newspapers are a must read for any
framer who desires to maintain their edge in the market, as they can only help
you speak language.
i3A Consumer Friendly Advice
The current group of print
technologies known as digital inkjet, dye diffusion thermal transfer and the
digital versions of traditional silver halide photos (RA-4) continues to emerge
from digital photographic techniques. Damage by deterioration and degradation
is a natural consequence of the chemical changes that happen to plastics, dyes,
adhesives and metals over time. Learning how to handle and preserve photos and
prints during long term storage or for permanent display should be vital to any
custom framer.
A new consumer friendly website,
Consumer Photo Preservation (CPP) at www.savemymemories.org, was
recently launched by the International Imaging Industry Association (i3A) and
announced at the PPFA show. I am a member of i3A in order to be allowed to work
on select ISO committees and am thrilled at my first overview of this
informative site. It was created to
educate, inform, and motivate consumers to take steps to better care for and
protect their digital photos. It outlines the needs, risks and methodology for
proper storing and preserving of digital photos both as display and storage
images. Participating companies include Acmeworks Digital Film, Creative
Memories, Eastman Kodak, HP and Sprint. I3A will monitor and update the site
and welcomes feedback from related industries to help improve it over time.
Take a moment to check it out.
Digital Avoidances
More and more photographers,
artists, and framers are getting into the production of medium- and wide-format
images for their own and consumer consumption. The knowledge required in
handling these images goes far beyond the heat tolerances of mounting or the
use of cold roller-laminators. Degradation issues surrounding the aging of
digital equipment include the deterioration of hard drives, CDs, and DVDs, but is
also the impacted by temperature, light, humidity, moisture, and permanent
display of the print.
For best long term storage, all
these issues must be controlled. Avoid storage sleeves made of polyvinyl
chloride to control outgassing; make certain images are printed with paper and
ink combinations advised by manufacturers; do not house or store images in hot,
humid, or excessively dry environments; keep prints away form unventilated
kerosene or natural gas heaters, and ozone generating printers; avoid high
light areas and direct sunlight; and always select UV-glazing when framing. It
has been said that placing images in albums or behind glass will retard
pollutant damage, though this has yet to be scientifically proven, outside the
use of boards that utilize zeolite protection.
Permanence Claims
When searching for image
permanence ratings by manufacturers always verify display vs. storage longevity
in their description. When it has been stated an image will last "100
years in a photo album", it suggests a museum quality photo album (dark
storage), with buffered or rag papers, kept at moderate temperatures, under
controlled humidity...not an image framed for constant display in the presence
of light for 100 years.
Current inkjet systems may claim
"50 years of display fade resistance" but verify the specifics as to the
type of papers that validate that claim, and realize the phrase "archival
quality" is little more than a marketing term, unless specific support and
testing data has been supplied. All this said, recent advances in digital
printing technologies has greatly improved print life, fade and moisture
resistance over the past few years.
Big Changes in Inkjet
Digital printing has taken a huge
leap in the production of fine art images this year with the launching of
Kodak's new thermal inkjet EasyShare AiO (all-in-one) Printers which feature
pigment based inkjet technology for photos, documents, scanning and copying. The
popular Kodak thermal dye-transfer/dye sublimation process found at over
100,000 kiosks around the country may be brought home and could compete with
Canon, HP, and Lexmark desktop models. The new printer uses pigment inks for
greater lightfastness at half the price of the thermal transfer images at
kiosks.
The
release of HP's Designjet Z2100 and Z3100 thermal inkjet printers are 8- and
12-ink systems using HP Vivera pigmented inks. Capable of printing on a variety
of media from photo papers to canvas, the lightfastness ratings are listed at
more than 200 years. It is stated with a number of HP media that the HP
pigmented Vivera inks may be laminated for added durability, but it does not
state whether they mean over-lamination or liquid lamination. These inks need
to be heat and lamination tested with framing products and equipment to better
determine their tolerances in our world. I feel that vinyl over-lamination might
visual compromise image appearance.
Canvas
Studies
In
light of the current debates over the stretching vs. mounting of digital
canvases, I attempted to locate manufacturers of canvas receptor coatings and
assorted canvas products at the show to begin my testing of this problem. InteliCoat
Technologies was showcasing their Torino line of coated canvas for pigmented
and dye inkjet printer systems using the Epson Stylus Pro 7800 printer and Canon
imagePROGRAF iPF8000. The Epson UltraChrome K3, 8-color, pigment based ink printer
with drop-on-demand Micro-Piezo® technology has lightfastness ratings of up to 108
years for color and 200 years for B&W. The Canon iPF8000 uses Lucia
pigmented inks with a 12-color thermal inkjet system, but does not readily
promote it's lightfastness predictions.
InteliCoat
printed many beautiful canvas samples on their Magiclée 100% Cotton Matte
Canvas for pigment inks; Poly/Cotton Canvas for dye and pigment inks; and Poly/Cotton
Matte Canvas for pigment inks showing fabulously vivid and brilliant colors for
inkjet on canvas. With the help of samples from InteliCoat I will be conducting
canvas studies of stretching, heat and pressure-sensitive adhesive tolerances
over the next few months. I have a theory it may be the 100% cotton vs.
synthetic blend that impacts the sagging of a stretched canvas.
New Dye-Sublimation Thermal Transfers
The world of thermal transfer
imaging, also known as dye transfer, dye diffusion, or dye-sublimation is also
making advances with more portable units and new players in the field. There
are thousands of free standing thermal transfer kiosks in everything from drug
store chains to big box discounters across the country printing millions of photo
images for consumers daily. The Sony Picture Station prints in 7-80 seconds
depending on output image size 4x6" to 8x10", with greeting cards in
just 20 seconds, all suitable for framing.
Along with the new Kodak and
existing Canon thermal systems, the new portable Fuji ASK-2000 and ASK-4000
high speed digital printers allow professional photographers the opportunity to
quickly provide guests at any special event on-site 4x6" prints in 8
seconds and 8x10" prints in 40 seconds. The Mitsubishi Electric CP-3020DAU
and CP-9550DW are also portable dye sublimation thermal printers new to the
scene. They print in 15 to 90 seconds depending on image size and will also
help in revolutionizing wedding and special events with immediate reproduction
and gratification.
So What?
So how do all these printers
impact framers? Wide-format and medium-format inkjet photos, fine art prints,
and canvases will be cropping up at craft fairs and bazaars more than ever
before. The small town wannabe artist or photographer may now create limited
editions that will actually last decades longer than the original
electrophotographic Canon 4-color toner copiers of the early 90s that lasted 3
months. Desktop printers are finally allowing for scrapbookers and lovers of
photographs to print out quality images that are affordable and have the
required longevity. And guests from weddings, bar mitzvahs, and kids sporting
events will have dye sublimation images immediately, all ready to frame.
Longevity and lightfastness
issues aside, many customers may want their framer to coat these images with
laminates, which is not a framer option. The trick will be to know what framers
can do with, and for, these images to best display them while not invading
their integrity. And then to teach our
customers about them. Then again there is that issue of stretching digital
canvases. Well, stay tuned for my reports on these in a month or so, and keep those
roller-laminators in mind.
END
Additional information on mounting basics is found in The Mounting and Laminating Handbook,
Second Edition, 2002, and The Mounting And Laminating Handbook,
Third Edition, 2008. Creative
Mounting, Wrapping, And Laminating, 2000 will teach you everything you need to know
about getting the most from your dry mount equipment and materials as an
innovative frame designer. All books are available from Designs Ink Publishing through this website.
For live consultations with Chris Paschke, CPF GCF call Designs Ink,
661.821.2188. A flat fee of $25 will be charged for each new technical problem.
Unlimited calls or emails are allowed for each established mounting
problem.
Chris A Paschke, CPF GCF
Designs Ink
Designs Ink Publishing
785 Tucker Road, Suite G-183
Tehachapi, CA 93561
661.821.2188