New methods and materials for photomechanical printing in the 21st Century

Parraman, Carinna

Abstract

Researchers and printmakers of the 21st century can access and explore photomechanical print archives and reflect on the countless iterations and the rich technological and material developments from the 19th century. Over the century, more efficient solutions were developed; thus, many of these extraordinary and complicated processes fell into disuse. However, for many print issues in our times, the answers have derived from the past. With the advent of digital technologies, many of the problems experienced in inkjet printing, halftoning, colour fading, the fidelity of colour, and image resolution, were explored and resolved in the 19th century by photographers who were experimenting with pigments, plates and printing presses. When Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) stated in 1936 that an original image could not exist without the knowledge of a reproduction, he could not have imagined the impact of the 21st-century image on the audience of the future. His worldview was framed by the technology of his time. Reinvention and innovation were borne out of a drive for commercial expediency with the need to create multiple reproductions and facsimiles. With the impact of digital printing technologies, the printed photographic image is now so highly ubiquitous, placing it on every street corner and any printed item.
Imaging and photographic history have shown synchronous advancement through chemical, technical and industrial innovation. Images are now printed using inks that are highly coloured, extending the traditional gamut far beyond normal colours - by adding extra dimensions including fluorescent, metallics and special effects. This paper and presentation will fast forward from the 19th century into the 21st century by exploring new chemical, technical and industrial innovations. In particular, I will discuss a range of inks that present new ways of printing. RGB printing is a new method that transforms everything we know about CMYK subtractive printing. Printing onto black paper combines additive print methods and SpectravalTM pearlescent pigments that can radically change the appearance of a printed image. However, as these pigments inhabit a radically reduced colour gamut, the outcome of the printed image is challenging to predict. These pigments cause light to hit the surface of the mico plates to diffract and interfere, thus sending light in all directions, dramatically changing depending on the viewing angle.
Using and applying digital printing technologies, I will discuss novel methods for photomechanical printing to predict the final image more precisely. The paper will demonstrate a step-by-step generation of colour charts, colour separation, halftoning and printing the RGB pigments, measuring the colour charts, how they can be used to soft-preview the final printed colour, and how to determine specific colours based on the colour gamut. So-called red, green and blue pigments are mixed with mica. They can be used to create alternative images that mimic the appearance of different materials and colours, such as beetles, butterflies, and artificial colours. Although currently used for decorative effects for printing on packaging, these may be a challenge to traditional subtractive printing methods.

• Presentation Conference Type: Presentation / Talk
• Conference Name: Photomechanical Prints: History, Technology, Aesthetics, and Use
• Start Date: Oct 31, 2023
• End Date: Nov 2, 2023
• Acceptance Date: Mar 31, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jul 29, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 30, 2024
• Peer Reviewed: Not Peer Reviewed
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/12715026
• Related Public URLs: https://learning.culturalheritage.org/products/photomechanical-prints-history-technology-aesthetics-and-use