Ignotus Editions provides high-resolution digital printing for fine art digital art and photography. We aim to provide the sort of careful collaboration that master printmakers have traditionally offered to artists.
Our studio is equipped with an Epson Stylus Pro 9900 ten-color printer. At the moment, the studio is set up for printing on paper and canvas surfaces prepared for digital printing, but the printer is capable of handling more exotic substrates, including transfer films and a wide gamut of non-digital art papers. The studio is equipped for creating spectroscopic profiles of printing substrates, and offers a complete calibrated color workflow, from monitor to printer to viewing booth. Since most artwork will not be exhibited in viewing booths, the studio also affords a variety of natural lighting situations.
Printmaker Paul Hertz has taught digital printmaking at the School of the Art Institute and Columbia College in Chicago. He studied color workflow at Cone Editions, one of the premiere digital printing shops in the world. He has devoted time to researching digital printmaking, including co-curating a museum exhibition showcasing the history of digital art through the medium of the digital print (Imaging by Numbers, shown at the Block Museum, Northwestern University, in 2008, and hailed by the Chicago Tribune as one of the ten best shows of the year). His own prints have been shown internationally.
The printer- The Epson 9900 can print widths from 8 to 44 inches, up to 90 inches long. At 2880 x 1440 pixels
per inch, ink dots are invisible and effectively provide continuous tone. With ten different inks, the
9900's color gamut offers a dazzling array of colors, actually exceeding the Adobe RGB color space
in some areas.
Studio color workflow- A calibrated monitor, a viewing stand with color-balanced lighting (5000K or 6500K), and
color-balanced overhead lighting in the studio provide an environment where
color on the monitor and color in the digital print can be precisely evaluated. The image on the
monitor, the original artwork, and the reproduction all match. Note that
it is impossible to show this in a digital photo because of the way digital cameras respond to
monitor (transmissive) lighting and viewing booth (reflective) lighting differently. (Image scan courtesy of
Northwestern University)
Calibration technology- A spectrophotometer and calibration software are used to calibrate the monitor, taking into
account ambient light, and to create printer profiles for each paper or printing substrate used. Custom
profiles can be created in about half an hour. If you have a calibrated monitor, you can
request our color profiles to soft proof your art. Use our contact form.
Other lighting and viewing conditions- Prints are rarely exhibited in calibrated lighting, so it is essential to view them in other sources of
illumination, including combinations of natural and artificial lighting such as may be found in a home
or gallery space. Even lighting and a neutral background are essential to evaluating color prints.
Contact- Please use our contact form for inquiries.