Physical and virtual attributes of quality for
consideration by the master printer

Olen, Melissa

Abstract

For centuries the title of master printer has implied a deep technical understanding of processes
and tools. Printers tend to form a very intimate relationship with their equipment, often resulting
in declarations that the press has become an extension of their own hand. There are nuances
of running a press with fine attention to detail that only come from hours spent laboring in the
process. Beyond that, there is the knowledge of ink and paper and their compatibilities. It is the
accumulation of knowledge of each individual aspect of the printing process that makes a
printer elevate himself from the role of tradesman to that of a master printer.
In order to be respected as a master printer in the digital realm one must not only hold the
technical skills relevant from past mechanical processes, but also obtain the knowledge of the
virtual attributes that come with the computing and electronic aspects of digital printing. Color
palettes have not only increased beyond the standard CMYK, but the color mixing of these inks
has become substantially more refined and requires a different understanding of application.
The substitution of a digital printer for a press brings different considerations for process, such
as the characteristics of the image file, the printer and ink system, and the substrate used for
output. Yet it is still the ability to make the equipment an extension of the self, by obtaining the
knowledge of the processes, consumables, and developing technologies in order to produce
prints of a high quality, that makes the digital master printer akin to his traditional
contemporaries.
This paper introduces the physical and virtual aspects of digital printmaking that must be
considered in order to obtain the level of quality expected from a master printer working with the
digital technologies of the twenty-first century.

• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2013
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 397-399
• Book Title: Intersections and Counterpoints: Proceedings of Impact 7, and International Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking Conference
• ISBN: 9781921867569
• Keywords: image file, master printer, optimal quality, digital capture, digital print
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/939760
• Publisher URL: http://publishing.monash.edu/books/ic-9781921867569.html
• Related Public URLs: http://www.uwe.ac.uk/sca/research/cfpr/dissemination/conferences/impact.html