Pharos Editions Services to Artists -

Summary.

Marketing and promoting art prints in today's economic environment necessitates the highest possible quality.

We achieve this for artists by providing a highly personalised service using the world's most advanced technology together with a customised strategy of printmaking techniques based on extensive and ongoing research . This includes

1/ Choice of the most appropriate fine paper for each individual print.

2/ Advanced file optimisation.

3/ Perceptual adjustments for colour, depth , volume, light distribution and visual direction.

This process mimics the way the brain interprets reality. This means the prints appear three dimensional, with depth, tonal separation and increased luminosity.

4/ Printing with custom profiles. The way in which the red, green and blue numbers in a digital file are interpreted is highly variable. We translate them with finely tuned adjustments called profiles. Profiles are widely used, but we use up to 8 very special profiles per paper-ink-printer combination.

Time requirements.

We seldom can offer a 2 day turn around.

Current demand necessitates you booking about 2 months in advance for exhibitions.

In peak season the lead time may be up to 3 months. If you have a show anytime in late 2010, you should book now.

Despite this we can often fit in small projects at short notice.

You should also be prepared to discuss your desired aesthetic outcomes in depth, in order for us to devise the most elegant strategy for your exhibition.

A Pharos print is a thing of increasing value itself. Pharos Edition prints have been exhibited in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, USA, Japan, Korea, China, France, Italy and South Africa . Works are held in private collections worldwide as well as Regional and National Galleries. A combination of pigment inks, fine art papers and protective coatings ensure the highest conservatory and museum archival standards are exceeded. The embossed  Pharos Editions "chop" indicates approved quality by one of the world's most highly regarded fine print studios.

Services

Situated in Australia, Pharos Editions works collaboratively with visual artists worldwide.

The following summarises our current services:

• Museum and conservatory standard fine art digital printmaking for fine art prints, exhibitions, artists books and folios. We can print on canvasses , linen , silk and other materials but most prints are made on acid free art papers  of the highest quality and archival properties.
• Print sizes to 1.1m wide to any length. Some very specialist art papers, eg handmade Awagami , may only be available in certain sheet sizes .
• Scanning film- 35mm and larger format , up to 4000dpi.  We can also scan glass plates.
• Scanning documents, art works and photographs up to A2 to 4800 dpi. For larger than A2 , and for highly textured surfaces, we would utilize high resolution digital photographic reproduction. We can advise as to the most efficient procedures for individual projects. Scanned works can be combined with other images and/or text.
• Digital photography of art works eg. sculptures, 2D media (photography, paintings, drawings and most media prints ), ceramics and jewellery. This includes documentation of post graduate research projects.
• Portrait photography and photography of exhibitions and installations.

• Workshops in seeing, the creative process, digital print file preparation, integrated printmaking techniques and monochrome printing . Private tuition and  mentoring can be arranged.
• Folio reviews by established artists , photographers and master printmakers.  Students aiming for tertiary entrance or for Masters or Doctoral studies can also be advised.
• Consulting services , particularly for tertiary courses in photography and visual communications . We also consult to individual artists, galleries and commercial organisations.
• Media for sale: Papers from Museo ( Silver Rag and Portfolio , Lana (Edition D'Art Digital), St Cuthbert's Mill (Somerset Velvet) , Hahnemuhle (full range, including the eco friendly paper, Bamboo), Harman Baryta based papers and the full range of Canson Infinity papers and canvasses including Baryta Photographique, Rag Photographique, Arches Velin Museum Rag, Arches Aquarelle and BFK Rives.The latter 3 are mould made.
• We can also supply Premier Art Print Shield (now Hahnemuhle Protective Spray-same stuff) and Eco Print Shield, spray coatings to protect inkjet prints against UV light, moisture and abrasion.  
• All art media products are available by mail order.            See Media page here                         

The "Atelier" Approach

  The concept of collaboration and craft, where artist and printmaker work together to produce the finest possible outcome, has been a feature of traditional printmaking for centuries, but has largely been lost in today's high technology environment. The French word for "studio" is "atelier", but in printmaking circles "atelier" has come to mean a high quality custom art studio, as used by the great European and Japanese artists of the past.

In the establishment and practice of fine printmaking at Pharos Editions we continue the atelier tradition.

The potential of modern high technology printmaking cannot be achieved by automated laboratory services but by the intimate collaboration possible in a custom atelier .

A Technical/Aesthetic Philosophy

Pharos Editions is one of only a handful of digital studios in the world using using advanced strategies to increase perceived realism in printmaking.

For most of the 20th Century art was essentially "flat". Attempts toward externally perceived reality were largely rejected. Photography alone retained a claim to the representation of an external world. Photographers struggled to produce the appearance of three dimensionality. They tried stereo images and lenticular screening, but these never attained wide acceptance . European painters of the Premodernist period had succeeded in this endeavour by the control of local contrast and tonality.

Photographers and printmakers of the 20th Century , especially those working in colour, were severely limited in local controls. They could darken or lighten local areas with limited precision . Photographic colour papers were only available in one contrast . Local masking was very tedious . The computer now provides new tools , that with skilled use and knowledge of how humans perceive qualities like volume , depth and luminosity, can provide high degrees of realism.

Printmaking from digital files, produced totally within the computer, or derived from manual media,  can utilise  the new strategies to increase dimensionality .

Fine detail has been a photographic quality difficult to emulate by hand. The problem with both fine handwork and detailed photographs, is that enlargement can severely reduce the appearance of sharpness.

Adobe Photoshop is a very comprehensive program that is extremely useful for commercial purposes. There are limitations in it's use in fine art printmaking.

At Pharos Editions we use specialist software to overcome these difficulties.

Largely derived from the US space and defence programs, they afford detail and clarity of both tone and colour .

As far as we know these services are unique to Pharos Editions.

Trimming to Size

Prints can (and usually are) trimmed to exact size, including surrounds, as required by the artist.

Print Wrapping

All prints are now wrapped or covered with the highest quality acid free archival tissue or/and polymers at cost .

No prints are allowed to touch the inside of a tube , which is a common practice that often results in print damage on removal.

When prints are posted they are wrapped around a 3" core  with interleaving archival tissue or smooth acid free polymer , then outer bubble wrapped . Final protection is by rigid card box or tube. This is charged at cost.

We have 1m wide clear cello and 3 and 5mm foam core. Prints can be attached to foam core with archival Mylar corners and wrapped with cello. This is a good presentation for use in flip racks . Smaller prints can also be delivered flat in archival boxes.

Pharos Editions Fine Art Publishers and Printmakers -A History.

Pharos Editions commenced operation early in 2004 with a seven colour A2+ printer, the Epson 4000.  A large number of artists working in digital art, photography and traditional media availed themselves of  the opportunity of having their limited edition prints made in a dedicated "atelier" in collaboration with a Master Printmaker. The response to the prints at the resultant exhibitions was highly enthusiastic.

In October 2005, we installed a wide format Epson 9800 printer. In 2009 we installed Epson's most advanced printer , the 9900.

The Epson 9900 prints in ten colours, using the Ultrachrome HDR (High Dynamic Range) pigmented inkset. This ink-set extends the colour gamut with the new Vivid Magenta inks and the addition of green and orange . Accurate colour and tonality from deep shadows to the lightest highlights affords a clarity that is rarely obtained from service bureaux or colour laboratories.

Monochrome ("black and white") images are very neutral. These are printed with special profiles. Standard colour profiles do not produce optimum results.

The size of the smallest ink droplets has been reduced to 3.5 picoliters. This is the finest of any large format printer, resulting in extremely fine detail. sharpness and smoothness. To date only Epson printers produce a perfectly circular dot.

With the Epson 9900 we can print up to 44" (approx. 110cm) wide by (in theory) any length. We have printed over 6m in length.

This printer opens opportunities for artists to produce very large prints, and has enabled designers of museum, gallery, library and exhibition displays to utilize ultra fine printmaking for images that need to remain on display for many years without fading.

For the production of artist's books we can print text onto a number of fine papers that have not been coated for inkjet printing. The results are sharp , with a gamut the includes most desired text colours. These papers include Canson Rag Photographique Duo (France), Museo II (USA), Schut etching papers (Holland) , St Cuthbert's Waterford and Somerset White Book (England), ) , Lana Aquerelle (France), Fabriano and Magnani (Italy).

Master Printer
The Master Printer at Pharos Editions is Dr. Brian Gilkes.
Dr. Gilkes graduated in Applied Chemistry, Photographic Science and Arts Photography, and underwent intensive graphic arts and quality control training in Antwerp (Belgium), Munich and Cologne (Germany). He set up laboratory control procedures and workflows for photography and cine laboratories and for graphic arts printing firms all over Australia. He then managed one of Australia's foremost professional photographic laboratories, where he introduced services in fine monochrome and  colour printing as well as advanced audio visual production. Headhunted to assist in designing and teaching the diploma to degree conversion course at RMIT (now RMIT University), he developed the first course integrating fine printing, quality control and psychophysics of perception. Then, as a freelance commercial and documentary photographer, he continued research into perception and fine printing methods including Silver Gelatin, Dye Transfer, Carbon and Platinum printing.

He founded Pharos Editions in 2004 when he saw the new technologies of the 21st century exceeding the precision of traditional fine print methods.

All Pharos Editions prints are printed under his control and must pass his close inspection, often together with the artist, to justify the embossed Pharos Editions "chop".

"This form of printmaking is often very intense and very rewarding. Initially, it is the artist that speaks, introducing the work, but as the printing progresses it is the images themselves that suggest what they need to optimize their story . Making the final edits that control local luminosity, acuity, contrast and colour is much more an art than a science . Ultimately, the challenge is to make the print come alive, to appear as if it could step into the room ".

Dr. Gilkes works also on his own photography and painting and his research on cross cultural communication, creativity and perception.

He completed his PhD research in 2009.

His doctoral research investigated visual communication across cultural interfaces in encounter situations. His research was presented as a two volume Artist's Book and an associated exegesis. He found visual perception is informed by individual and group identity to which notions of myth-historical pasts contribute. His thesis suggested that interaction of cosmological constructs can strengthen cultural dynamism, thus if differences in visual perceptions are understood then human co-operation might be facilitated. This research has implications for art practice, art criticism and teaching.

Colour Gamut and Density Range

The Epson 9900 produces a colour range considerably in excess of standard four colour offset printing, or the three dyes used for wet process photographic prints, now generally known as "C" prints e.g. Pegasus, Lambda and Chromega.

In order that some colours are not "clipped" or compressed by the standard colour spaces , which are usually intended for web (eg sRGB) or  four colour offset printing (eg Adobe RGB 1998 or Colormatch RGB), we use special colour spaces that have a wider gamut that more closely matches  the capabilities of the new generation pigment inks. In addition they have a tonal separation that closely represents the luminosity response of human vision. In this they are superior to old wide gamut spaces such as ProPhoto RGB which distorts some colours and compresses shadow separation. Use of these new colour spaces enables prints to look more "real" and more three dimensional than possible with earlier spaces.

Using these new colour spaces, Pharos Editions can create colours closer to how they are perceived , with much higher clarity and purity than possible with standard spaces.

Artists intending to work with us should check with us first, so we can assist to optimize their RAW conversions and colour assignments. We would note that recent software such as Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Camera RAW , despite offering numerous workflow advantages, do not as yet support these new colour spaces .

The profiles we use match the inks to the special papers we print on. The result is a quality of luminosity , richness and shadow tone separation that is unsurpassed.

Research and Development

Pharos Editions currently offers the finest range of fine art papers available from any digital printmaking studio in the world.

Each new paper  is tested against exacting criteria before it is accepted or rejected. This enables clients access to some extraordinarily beautiful papers , many of which are unavailable elsewhere. We are continuing the testing of ultra-fine Japanese hand made "washi" papers from Takushima Prefecture , where fine papers have been made for 1300 years. Some of these papers are unique, with random fibres and four true (not machine made or torn), deckles. They are much stronger and finer than cotton. They may be the finest papers ever made. Bizan Pure White and Kozo White are truly extraordinary papers.

With colour images we are working on extending acuity (perceived sharpness), colour range, local contrast, luminosity , depth and richness .

In a similar fashion we are working on improving greyscale rendering, to push it well beyond the limits established in purely analogue printing systems. This is being done with special software and complex workflows. By combining digital printing, utilizing multiple black carbon pigments, with modified analogue processes such as platinum/ palladium printing and intaglio, new artistic possibilities may be realized.

For instance, two or more images may be combined by overprinting a greyscale process over a colour image.

In practice we find the quality of pigmented inks and the new papers give results that challenge the most exotic traditional processes. For instance we can produce a carbon pigment print with small amounts of coloured pigments and a custom curve that is almost impossible to visually distinguish from a platinum print. It will last almost as long too.

We have modified our Photoshop work flows with software, that separates colour and tonal relationships . This is impossible with standard Adobe Photoshop. This greatly increases the accuracy of our edits,  offering much more efficient editing of tone and colour.

We are working with advanced colour spaces that have superior gamut and gamma to the Adobe RGB (1998)and ProPhoto RGB industry standards , as well new RAW conversion software , luminosity editing techniques , interpolation (upsizing), sharpening and noise reduction algorithms.

For instance sharpening usually relies on local contrast enhancement , with use of unsharp mask or high pass filters. We also use wavefront reconstruction algorithms.

Derived from NASA space research, these sharpening methods  actually sharpen out of focus images by analysing and re-focussing out of focus wavefronts. There is a limit !

This software is primarily used , not to sharpen fuzzy images, but to enable much larger images to apear sharp than previously possible. In practice we can edit a 30 MP file so it prints similarly to a 120 MP file. To achieve this we need the unmanipulated RAW file.

These new approaches enable Pharos Editions to offer fine printing services to artists that are not available elsewhere.

Independent testing by Joseph Holmes suggests a black on Museo Silver Rag paper, that is significantly greater than Cibachrome (Ilfochrome), or laser exposed chromogenic (Type C) prints such as Pegasus, Lambda or Chromira.

In the past dyes were necessary when a wide gamut was required, but this is no longer the case. Epson now claims it's pigmented inks have a wider gamut than dyes and that it is no longer conducting research into dye inks. Our Epson printers exclusively use pigment inks.

Blacks are somewhat less on the art matte papers because the matte surface diffuses light , spreading soft reflections over the surface. All inks on all matte papers do this. A very rich black can usually be obtained on matte papers by using a special matte black ink and paper coatings that ensure ink is held on the surface so that the white cannot "bleed" through. Maximum densities vary with the paper in use , but a DMax of around 1.50 to 1.65 is usually achievable .

Lustre papers, like Museo Silver Rag, Canson Baryta Photographique and Harman Gloss reach about 2.25.

Some studios try to increase black by increasing ink volume. This can be counterproductive, as not only can this approach actually reduce the appearance of blackness, but shadow detail and subtle tonality can be lost. In the worst scenario pooling can result. We advise regarding the optimum strategy for each individual print image.

Archival Properties

Pharos Edition prints will last 3-4 times as long as the best offset or photographic prints. This includes Lightjet (Chromira, Frontier or Pegasus) and Cibachrome (Ilfochrome) prints. They are also superior to most watercolours and many paints used in traditional media.

Longevity is aided by the use of acid free papers and canvasses which do not contain wood. Wood contains lignins that can reduce life of inks.

We avoid papers containing optical brightening agents (OBAs). OBAs effectively fluoresce. They absorb ultraviolet light and emit it in the visible spectrum, making whites very bright (especially in daylight) and increasing colour intensity. These attributes are of dubious value. Most prints are displayed under tungsten or halogen lamps that contain little ultraviolet. The effect is then not apparent.

Under fluorescent lights or in daylight whites can appear a disagreeable and distracting bluish. The prints appear to change colour under different light sources. Most seriously the OBAs fade after a time revealing the natural shade of the paper. As manufacturers save money by not refining these papers as much they do with papers not containing OBAs , this results in a pronounced yellowing of the prints. In the worst situation this can result in mottling, an effect known as "liver spots".

Papers from Museo, Canson , Magnani , Fabriano and Awagami do not contain OBAs.

Most Epson, Innova , Kodak, and Ilford papers do. It should be said here that many of these latter papers are excellent for presentation, photo albums and short term display where very bright colours are required. We believe though, that they are not suited for fine art purposes.

The Wilhelm Institute in the USA, claims a display life for pigmented inks on acid free paper of 75 to over 120 years, depending on the paper, under standard conditions, before any colour change is apparent to the human eye. These conditions include average indoor illumination on prints framed behind glass, with normal sealing from atmospheric pollutants. (For exact testing condition refer to the Wilhelm site.)

With black and white images, estimates indicate no change should be observable for over 200 to 300 years. Note that Wilhelm's figures are comparative and depend on standardised viewing conditions approximating indirectly lit domestic or  gallery conditions. Any print or painting, displayed in direct sunlight will fade much faster than the Wilhelm figures.

We also offer spraying prints with UV and protective coatings that can add 60 to 100 years to print life . These sprays are invisible and do not alter the appearance of the print surface.

Colour Fidelity and Luminosity

Colour fidelity is optimized by the use of custom profiles that ensure our scanners, monitors and printers fall within the narrow limits imposed by the International Colour Consortium (ICC).
This is identical to methods used by major art galleries world wide, including Australian National & State Galleries. Custom profiles produce a more accurate result than the standard printer drivers alone, and are essential with the fine art papers that artists have access to at Pharos Editions.

The editing, or fine tuning, of profiles is in itself an art as well as a science.

This is a process that can take days . The result is a profile that not only technically accurate but renders colours with brightness values that correspond to the way humans respond to colours and tonal values in the real world. This is the property of luminosity, which can give prints a visual "life". We utilise up to 8 profiles for each paper  printer combination to be able to choose that one which gives the optimum visual result for a particular image. This approach is not available elsewhere.

Detail & Smoothness

The size of the droplets of pigmented dyes is much smaller than the unaided human eye can detect. The effective resolution of the printers is 1440 to 2880 dots per inch (dpi).
Placed on the paper with extreme precision and with very sophisticated dithering algorithms, the smoothness of tone and clarity of detail is unsurpassed by other processes. With the new Epson 9900, we print exclusively at 2880 dpi. This also increases the amount of ink delivered resulting in richer prints that are produced using the lower resolution that is standard practice in the inkjet printing industry.

For fine art prints there are no compromises.

Substrates

Our printers allows us to print on a wide range of fine papers.
Fine digital inkjet printing has stimulated the worlds few ultra fine art paper mills to develop coatings for very special papers once reserved for etching, watercolour, ink brush and other manual processes.

This has resulted in a range of surface textures, tints and thicknesses of great tactile and visual beauty. Pharos Editions continually researches the world for the very best substrates.
No trees are used in their manufacture. Papers made of wood pulp (alpha cellulose) usually contain random impurities such as lignins that are very difficult to remove. Most of our papers are 100% pure cotton; some are made of hemp and /or very rare fibers such as asi, kozo and gampi. A number of these are mould made with natural deckle edges. There are only a few studios in the world that offer these papers. None that we know of offer this range.
Papers currently available include Museo Portfolio Rag and Museo Silver Rag from USA, Canson (including Arches, BFK Rives and Montval) , Lanajet from France, Saunders' Waterford from St Cuthbert's Mill in England and a range from Awagami in Japan and Hahnemuhle in Germany.

We also offer new technology papers with a baryta (calcium sulphate) layer over the paper and nano technology ink receiving coatings. The baryta enables high white without optical brighteners and high depth previously only available on the finest silver halide art papers. The ink receptive layers promise sharpness improvement 100 times that of current papers.

We now have custom profiles for papers including premium art stocks from Italy's Cartiere Magnani mill in Tuscany, for Awagami Kozo and Bizan, Museo Silver Rag , Museo Portfolio, Harman Gloss (Baryta base), Somerset Book White, Fredrix, Museo and Canson canvasses and Schut Dutch Etching Paper.

For Limited Edition Artist's Books we have a select range of fine double coated papers, and for text, heavily sized etching and watercolour papers including Canson Rag Photographique Duo, Schut (Holland), Lana (France) , Awagami Inbe and St. Cuthberts (England).

Please enquire if you are interested in these products

Fees - Fine Printmaking and Ancillary Services

Standard fine art papers includes Museo Silver Rag, Museo Portfolio, Harman Gloss, Canson Baryta Photographique and Rag Photographique, Arches Velin Museum Rag and Aquarelle , Awagami Bizan and Kozo.

The Awagami hand-made papers are costed by the sheet and must be ordered at least 3 months in advance.

Note: Some substrates may not be available in some sizes. Check with us.

The following are wholesale prices to artists . Please add 10% GST if your work is for sale in Australia.

Postage or couriers at cost .

Delivery to Melbourne galleries and framers $15 plus GST.

We can receive emailed files from anywhere in the world via our high speed broadband system and ship prints to clients at cost. Most clients send files by YouSendIt, which is free up to 100MB.
Fees for workshops will be announced at the same time as the workshops.

Contact us for quotes for folio reviews, research projects and educational services.