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:
Printing
on a flatbed printer
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In
June of 2002, Bonny Lhotka and I had an opportunity to print for
two days with Larry Loser at Applied
Visual Concepts.
His 84” flatbed printer was the first of it’s kind in
the United States. It prints on virtually any substrate up to 1.58”
thick with inks which are UV cured. In two days we each printed
approximately 20 images, some on both the back and front of transparent
media. Larry and the printer, (which prints at up to 140 square
foot per hour and an apparent 720 dpi), spent most of their time
waiting for us to prepare files, choose substrates and exclaim over
the quality of the prints. |
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I
was working on a series called “Body + Soul”. For the
first image, we initially intended to print on a 24” square
embossed tin ceiling tile which I had spray painted white. The images
above show Larry straightening the tile, the tile nailed to plywood
passing through the back of the printer and the print emerging from
the front of the printer. Because the printer can print on glass
and plexiglas as well as metal and wood, I decided to print the
image a second time on 3/4” polycarbonate and place it in front
of the embossed tile. The photograph below doesn’t do justice
to the rich blacks, glowing colors and sense of mystery created
by the pattern of the tile seen through the lighter portions of
the image. |
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The next piece was also printed on 3/4” polycarbonate. To give
the impression of being seen through a window, I turned the print
over and reprinted the cross bars and outer edges on the opposite
side. That side, with texture showing, became the front. Behind
this two-sided print I glued a plexiglas mirror which reflects the
printed image, the ambient surroundings and the viewer. It gives
the appearance of being an antique mercury mirror with a distressed
backing. |
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The
final group of images were printed on sheets of galvinized steel
and on wrinkled sheets of tin and lead nailed to plywood which extended
beyond the metal. (See detail left.) The printer creates a smooth
transition across varied materials. |
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Because
the ink sits on the surface of the substrate it has a tactile quality
resembling a serigraph. This physicality, coupled with the ability
to print on virtually any surface with inks that are impervious
to damage are major breakthroughs in technology for fine artists.
Although this printer is not affordable for individuals, having
an artist-friendly printer who can print individual pieces or provide
a day or two of intensive printing is a wonderful advantage in putting
together a complex body of work quickly. |
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