Graded films make finer art

London Contemporary Art required a stencil system that would give excellent definition, resolution and a low ink build.

To enable the development of a unique fine art printing process, London Contemporary Art required a stencil system that would give excellent definition, resolution and a low ink build.

Now, the solution has been found in Autotype's new low-profile stencil system -CP Capillex.

"It's about trying to square the circle," explained production manager Mike Robinson.

The company's migration from traditional inks to UV has taken Robinson nearly three years.

"Perfecting what is a unique process has taken some time, but we are now there," he added.

London Contemporary Art is the largest fine-art publisher in Europe and produces work for more than 100 artists, much of which ends up on the traditional English gallery circuit or is exported to the USA where it is displayed on luxury cruise ships.

Robinson said that some of the artists' work represents challenges not usually associated with mass-print production.

Prints take up to eight months to produce and sell for upwards of $3,000.

"It is more like painting than printing.

The operators in the pressroom are artisans, real print makers.

They must have a good eye and a lot of experience because in any given area, 10 or 15 overlays may be used," said Robinson.

His responsibilities at the Chelsea-based Company include ensuring that its renowned print standards are maintained.

"It is about producing high-quality prints in the most efficient way.

CP Capillex is very beneficial in this process, as it has extremely low ink build, which is particularly important when you're using up to 140 colours," he commented.

Robinson has dedicated many hours to perfecting what he believes is a unique printing process that produces high-resolution prints with no additional varnishes.

He said the company's adoption of UV would have been impossible without CP Capillex, which offers superb resolution and minimised skipping.

London Contemporary Art has been operating as a beta site for CP Capillex for about a year.

"It's a very useful medium for us, because it gives us excellent resolution and we can print the finest of information in a practical way.

It also gives us a relatively low ink build which is important because, we use numerous colour layers and we must ensure each one is accurately reproduced.

He explained that the company's movement away from more traditional forms of printing was instigated by the limitations in print quality.

"With direct emulsions, you cannot achieve the required resolution or detail.

With CP Capillex and UV we are able to get the high print qualities and the low build that are so important to our business.

London Contemporary Art has now used CP Capillex on a number of fine-art jobs, which, Robinson said, have managed to capture the tonal depth of the original paintings.

He has also noticed falling costs thanks to CP Capillex' low-build characteristics.

"Although UV is a very free-flowing ink, we use less of it because CP Capillex has a lower build attribute, therefore less ink is used and the process is more economical," he concluded.

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