The Studio.

Pharos Editions Services to Artists -

Summary.

To sell art prints in todays economic environment necessitates the highest possible quality.

We achieve this for artists by providing a highly personalised service using the worlds most advanced technology together with a customised strategy of printmaking techniques based on extensive and ongoing research . This includes not only advanced file optimisation (well beyond, but including, Adobe Photoshop), but application of perceptual edits that mimic the way the brain interprets reality. This means the prints appear three dimensional, with depth, tonal seperation and increased luminosity.

The way in which the red, green and blue numbers in a digital file are interpreted is highly variable. We interpret them with finely tuned adjustments called profiles. Everyone uses profiles, but we use up to 8 per paper /ink/printer combination.

Each one is derived from meticulously crafted data read from over a thousand individually designed colour patches, which is interpreted , not just technically , but with the knowledge of how visual information is processed by the brain.

As far as we  know this is not approached by any other art service in the world.

We are out of town and are not paying rent, so can keep the costs for this type of service close to that of colour labs where none of this exists .

The problem for artists is not a financial one but one of time.

We cannot offer 2 day turn around.

Current demand necessitates you booking up to 2 months in advance.

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.

Pharos Edition prints have been exhibited in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, USA, Korea, China 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.

Now for some additional information

Services

Artists working with digital files now have access to a dedicated collaborative high technology print studio . Situated in Australia, Pharos Editions works 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. These include  the best substrate from an ecological viewpoint such as bamboo, hemp and mulberry. We are currently experimenting with steel and acrylic sheet.
• Print sizes to 1.1m (44")x any length to about 6 metres. Some very specialist art papers, eg Awagami Handmade , may only be available in certain sheet sizes . Many art papers are only available to 44" or 50". Prints to 1.6m w (64") can be provided in July 2008.
• Scanning film- 35mm and larger format , up to 4800dpi.  We can also scan glass plates.
• Scanning documents, art works and photographs up to A3 to 4800 dpi. For larger than A3 , 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.
• Portrait photography and photography of exhibitions and installations.

• Workshops in seeing, the creative process, digital print file preparation, integrated printmaking techniques, monochrome printing and for photographers moving from film to digital.
• Folio reviews by established artists , photographers and master printmakers.  Students aiming for tertiary entrance or for Masters or Doctoral enrolment can also be advised.
• Consulting services , particularly for tertiary courses in photography and visual communications who are moving from analogue into digital technologies . We also consult to individual artists, galleries and commercial organisations.
• Media for sale: Papers from Crane (Museo Silver Rag, Museo II , Museo Max, Museo Portfolio and Maestro Canvas , Lana (Edition D'Art Digital), St Cuthbert's Mill (Somerset Velvet ), Hahnemuhle (full range, including the new Bamboo, eco friendly paper) and Harman Baryta based papers.
• We can also supply Premier Art Print Shield , a spray coating to protect inkjet prints againsy UV lightlight, 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.

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 being 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 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 . Colour papers were only available in one contrast . Local masking was very tedious . The computer has now provided new tools , that with skilled use and knowledge of how humans perceive qualities like volume , depth and luminosity. These edits can provide high degrees of realism.

These techniques are not limited to the printing of photography based images.

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.

Most upsizing and sharpening is done in the Adobe Photoshop application. Photoshop is a very comprehensive program that is extremely useful for commercial purposes. There are limitations in using it for fine art.

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 no other studio or laboratory in the world offering commercial services to artists uses these techniques .

It is the workflows , individually designed to meet the needs of each artist, of strategies base on extensive research that make Pharos Editions unique.  

New Services

64" (1.6m) available July 2008 on extended gamut printers.

Trimming to Size

We have always cut prints to size in prints on roll paper. Now accuracy has been improved to around 0.25 mm.  This service is of great help to many artists and is free.

Print Wrapping

All prints are now wrapped or covered with the highest quality acid free archival tissue at no charge .

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 now also 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 .

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 has been highly enthusiastic.

In October 2005, we installed a wide format Epson 9800 printer.

The Epson 9800 prints in eight colours, using the Ultrachrome K3 pigmented inkset. These inks are far more neutral than previous inks. 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.

Prints on gloss and near gloss material often exhibited a surface effect known as "bronzing". This can be now be eliminated on most papers, with a combination of the new inks , custom software and special surface coatings.

The size of the smallest ink droplets has been reduced from 4 to 3.5 picoliters. This is the finest of any large format printer, resulting in extremely fine detail. sharpness and smoothness.

With the Epson 9800 we can print up to 44" (approx. 110cm) wide by (in theory) any length. We have printed over 6m in length.

The larger printer will not only opened opportunities for artists to produce very large prints, but has enabled designers of museum, gallery, library and exhibition displays to utilize ultra fine printmaking for images that need to remain on display for 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 Schut etching papers (Holland) , St Cuthbert's Waterford and Somerset White Book (England), Crane Museo II (USA) , Lanaquerelle (France), Fabriano and Magnani (Italy).

This year, 2008 we will add the capacity of 64" (1.6m) wide capacity with even wider gamut  with a Roland SJ 600 printer. As soon as available , around October 2008, we will add the new Epson 9900, which will have an extended gamut with new magenta, green and red inks. This new printer changes matte to photo black inks on the fly, enabling a faster service .

Master Printer
The Master Printer at Pharos Editions is Brian Gilkes.
Brian Gilkes graduated in 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 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 chroma is much more an art than a science . Ultimately, the challenge is to make the print come alive, to appear three dimensional ".

Brian works also on his own photography and his post graduate research on cross cultural communication, creativity and perception. For details go to his website -.(http://www.briangilkes.com)

Colour Gamut and Density Range

The Epson 9800 printers use eight pigmented inks simultaneously to produce 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. 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 as they are perceived , with much higher clarity and purity than possible with standard spaces.

Photographers 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 4, 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. 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. The new Bizan Pure White is a truly extraordinary paper.

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.

Recently we have modified our Photoshop work flows with new software, in order that colour and tonal relationships are absolutely separated, a situation 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 10 MP file so it prints similarly to a 40 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.

The range of colours is about 16% more than earlier inksets (eg Epson Ultrachrome used on earlier 600 series printers). We expect a further 8-12% with new inks later in 2008  .This particularly improves warm colours, like saturated reds, and facilitates separation of greens. Better reds, made possible with the new magenta ink , has noticeably improved skin tones. We have also observed that yellows are much purer than obtainable on photographic papers such as used by lightjet printers which often often appear reddish. Dark saturated colours are also improved.

The third black enables very fine highlight gradation, especially in monochrome images,

Independent testing by Joseph Holmes suggests a black on Crane 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.

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 1.60 is usually achievable . The new Hahnemuhle Bamboo reaches 1.65.

Lustre papers, like Crane Museo Silver Rag 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

By using pigments instead of dyes, 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 lights 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 Crane, Arches, Magnani , Lana, 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.

We also use Hahemuhle Photo Rag for it's wide colour gamut on a matte art paper. This paper has small amounts of OBAs, but our tests indicate they are acceptably stable . We recommend this paper for domestic applications where there is mixed lighting ie some fluorescent or daylight. For gallery applications non-OBA paper normally produce superior results.

The world's foremost testing laboratory for inkjet archival permanence, 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 .

We also offer spraying prints with UV and protective coatings that can add 60 to100 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 printer is 1440 to 2880 dots per inch.
Placed on the paper with extreme precision by"white beam" guided nozzles and with very sophisticated dithering algorithms, the smoothness of tone and clarity of detail is unsurpassed by other processes.

Substrates

The Epson  9800 printer 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 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 Crane's Museo, Museo II (double sided), Museo Max, Museo Portfolio Rag and Museo Silver Rag from USA, Lanajet from France, Saunders' Waterford from St Cuthbert's Mill in England and a range from Awagami in Japan and Hahnemuhle in Germany.

Shortly we will be offering 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 promse 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 Inbi, Kitikata and Bizan, Crane Museo Silver Rag , Museo Max, Museo Portfolio, Harman Gloss (Baryta base), Somerset Book White, Fredrix Canvas 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 Schut (Holland), Lana (France) , Awagami Inbe and St. Cuthberts (England).

Please enquire if you are interested in these products

Price List - Fine Printmaking and Ancillary Services

Standard fine art papers includes Crane's Museo Silver Rag, Museo Max,Museo Portfolio, Harman Gloss, Lanajet and Hahnemuhle Photo Rag.

The Awagami hand made papers are costed by the sheet and must be ordered at least 3 months in advance. As a guide, an A1 sheet of handmade paper could cost between $150 and $200 per sheet .

This is in addition to the printing costs.

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

As we do not have to pay high city rents ,we can offer prices for our printmaking that is often lower than service printing by laboratories and bureaux, none of whom offer

our unique services. 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.

We can receive emailed files from anywhere in the world via our two way satellite system and ship prints to clients at cost.
Fees for workshops will be announced at the same time as the workshops.

Contact us for quotes for folio reviews and and educational services.