Moab Moenkopi Unryu 55 Japanese Paper

Being a fine artist that uses both traditional and digital methods for creating my art I am always searching for that "special" paper that gives me the desired end result that I am envisioning during the creative process. For the past year I have been creating a series of Japanese Koi fish using my Cintiq Wacom tablet (*Quick tip, if your serious about creating digital art and looking for that natural feel you may want to look at the Cintiq 21UX 6D Art Pen, its cost around $70 bucks, but worth it, the standard pen that came with my tablet has its limitations. The Cintiq 6D Art Pen provides better control and reacts with more sensitivity and feels more natural, I noticed a huge difference in my art when I switched to this pen). Painter X has taken my digital art to a new level, the new features in the application makes it a necessity to any digital artist or illustrator. Once I have finished my Koi pieces I print them out on my Canon iPF5000 using a handmade Japanese paper called Moenkopi Unryu 55 by Moab. The paper is almost transparent and has a slight texture to it, provides excellent medium for creating Japanese art and Koi fish. The paper is a little more expensive than other fine art papers, but it is worth it. My clients love this paper. If you are interested in this paper give the sales team over at DTG a call (1-800-681-0024) and see if they can send you some samples or a swash book of the various hand made Japanese papers by Moab.

Epson Transforms Commercial Sign Making Industry With New Epson Stylus Pro GS6000

Epson America Inc. has entered the outdoor commercial printing industry with the introduction of long awaited and much rumored Epson Stylus® Pro GS6000, offering technical advancements poised to dramatically impact the professional sign making market.

The Epson Stylus® Pro GS6000, will feature Epson UltraChrome® GS ink, a new solvent-based ink technology with eight individual colors, including an all new orange and green, the Stylus Pro GS6000 produces the industry's widest color gamut for unparalleled output quality on nearly any solvent-based media. The printer's new Dual-Array MicroPiezo® AMC™ print head has been uniquely engineered for the demands of high-production solvent printing. The Stylus Pro GS6000 is also the fastest 64-inch wide roll-to-roll printer in its class, with print speeds of up to 340 sq. ft. per hour for banner-quality printing, up to 180 sq. ft. per hour for everyday production and up to 91 sq. ft. for photographic signage output.

Here are some Specs:

* Industry-Leading Print Quality: Eight-channel, high-performance,
Dual-Array MicroPiezo AMC print head produces a maximum resolution
of 1440 x 1440 dpi with a droplet size as small as 3.7-picoliter
and features a new ink repelling coating technology to dramatically
reduce nozzle clogging
* Broad Industry Support and Media Flexibility: Support for multiple
solvent media suppliers and compatibility with a wide range of
third-party RIP manufacturers and workflows
* Robust Automatic Take-Up Reel System: Efficient take-up reel for
unattended production of large print runs
* Intelligent Preventative Maintenance System: Four-mode automatic
cleaning system maintains optimum print quality and integrates
simple user-focused maintenance process for less downtime
* High Performance Media Heating System: Individually controlled pre,
platen and post heaters for optimum media support in which
temperatures are controlled via a front control panel or front-end
RIP software
* Intelligent High-Capacity Ink System: Eight individual 950 ml
"hot-swappable" ink cartridges enable sign makers to avoid
production downtimes and maximize profitability
* Superior Connectivity: Standard connectivity includes USB 2.0 and
Gigabit Ethernet port

New Inkjet Canvas from Fredrix - Fredrix 777Bwr - Bright White Water Proof Inkjet Canvas

Having tried just about every inkjet canvas on the market (EPSON PremWr, Fredrix 901, Breathing Color, Hahnemuhle, Torino, Magiclee, etc.) I have finally found the perfect canvas with the widest gamut, easy to stretch and it won't rip while stretching, bright white coating. consistency from roll to roll and price. FREDRIX 777Bwr (Bright White Water Proof). I print on both the EPSON 9800 and the Canon IPF9000 and this canvas is compatible with both (noted that I created custom ICC profiles for each printer). My painting are very vibrant and rich in color and very hard to reproduce (this is the painting that I used for my initial testing, the painting was captured with the new H3D II by Hasselblad). I was amazed at the results I got from both printers and even more so off the Canon IPF9000. Another quality that I like about the Fredrix 777Bwr is it easy to coat, and I recommend coating your giclees. I have used several products on the Fredrix 777Bwr (Fredrix Texturing Gel, Clearstar Type C and PremierArt ECO Print Shield Aqueous Coating). personally I like the ClearStar Type C and for one reason, it is easy to apply and it dries even with out any lines or cloudiness. I can't say enough about this new canvas from Fredrix, they have really done a good job in creating a product that superior to any other inkjet canvas on the market. So if you are in the Giclee reproduction business or you are a fine artists who creates their own Giclee's pick up a sample roll of the Fredrix 777Bwr and see for yourself.

LaCie 526 LCD & Color Success

Since the death of the CRTs there has not been a serious color accurate LCD on the market. A large percent of the LCDs that come bundled with DELL, HP, IBM..etc. systems are samsung LCDs made in S. Korea in the same plant. Same monitor just a different look and feel on the outside. I get asked a lot if "I purchase a monitor calibrator will it improve what I am seeing on screen". Well. Yes and no, the problem is with the LCD not the calibrator. These LCDs can only show about 60 to 65% of the RGB color space. Digital photographers looking for color accuracy from screen to print this is vital. Your printer can print the entire color space, but if you can't see it and adjust for it. You are shooting in the dark and you are going to waste a lot of media, time and hair trying to print what you see on screen. So here comes the LaCie 526 LCD to the market. I have one word.. WOW, having owned a LaCie 321 I was happy with my setup, I use the GretagMacbeth Eye-One Display 2 to calibrate my monitor (I do it once every 3o days). My paintings are very bright and vibrant and there were some colors that I couldn't hit. So after some consultation and finger nail biting I bit the bullet and purchased the LaCie 526 with the blue eye calibrator (I was informed that there are advanced software features in the blue eye that are only used with the LaCie 526 and provide a more accurate calibration). I hooked both monitors up and brought up my art on both screens and WHAM.. VHS v.s. HI DEF, I was floored there were colors that I could not see with my 321 that were showing up with the LaCie 526. I spent some time making some color adjustments and ran a test print. I am using a Canon IPF 8000 with Fredrix 777 bwr canvas (which I totally love and the gamut range is insane). I pulled the original piece and set it next to the giclee and I couldn't believe my eyes. They matched... They matched. WHOO HOOO.. So my suggestion is this, if you are in need of high end color accuracy and need the most critical color accurate LCD, then the LaCie 526 is the way to go. I looked at Eizo's and compared the two, the LaCie 526 shows about 98% of the RGB color space and is 26" wide. I paid a little over $2,200 and that was with the Blue Eye calibrator.

Welcome

Welcome to the inkjet Giclee blog, review and overview on what is going on in the inkjet giclee printing industry. From the latest LCDs, new product release news and notes to process and procedures. The information on this blog is created from a end user/artist that creates their own giclee's using the industry best equipment. The opinions given on this blog are just that opinions. I have one goal when producing/creating a giclee. That the end product is as accurate to the original and the average person does not know they are looking at an original piece of art or a giclee/print. So shall we begin.