Reproducing the old masters: A study in replicating dark colours with inkjet printing

Olen, Melissa; Padfield, Joseph

Abstract

This paper presents work carried out to extend the available range of printable dark colours by incorporating the use of alternative direct channel and multiple pass printing techniques not usually employed within current inkjet printing workflows. These methods aim to improve the colour match between the colours measured within printed reproductions and those measured within paintings in the collection of the National Gallery, London. For this study, a number of colour measurements were taken from the dark paint passages of one particular National Gallery painting, The Supper at Emmaus, by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Reproductions of the painted colours were printed using the alternative printing techniques, along with traditional inkjet print reproduction workflows. The colour of various printed reproductions were then measured and compared with the original measurements taken from the painting. The results of this comparison show that the proposed alternative direct channel and multiple pass printing techniques are capable of producing a range of dark colours which more closely matched the original paint passages.

Citation

Olen, M., & Padfield, J. (2015, May). Reproducing the old masters: A study in replicating dark colours with inkjet printing. Paper presented at AIC2015 Tokyo

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: AIC2015 Tokyo
• Start Date: May 19, 2015
• End Date: May 22, 2015
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2015
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Keywords: digital inkjet print, printable dark colours, alternative direct channel and multiple pass printing techniques, colour measurement
• Publisher URL: http://aic2015.org/
• Additional Information: Title of Conference or Conference Proceedings : AIC2015