2004 Passages dimensional flatbed printing

Printing on dimensional materials with uv flat-bed printers from Vutek, Durst and Mimaki

The images in the series Reflective Visions and Passages were printed on recycled roofing copper,
lead, aluminum, Dibond, Plexiglas, wood and paper using flat-bed printers with varying head clearance.

“Amber” was based on a photograph of the Amber Palace in Jaipur, India. It is one of 12 images in the series, “Reflective Visions”. All of the images are printed on 24” x 24” brushed silver Dibond with the Vutek PressVu UV 200 flatbed printer. Six of the images are shown on the bed of the Vutek printer.

To print “Studs”, a sheet of old patinaed copper was nailed to a 24” square plywood panel. Several of the surfaces are shown on the Durst Rho160W flat-bed printer ready to be printed. On the computer screen below, the Rho software shows a pink “mask” where white spot-color and gradations will be printed. Little or no ink will be printed where no color appears in the software image. In the final print, the copper is clearly visible where ink was minimal and, in some areas, the copper is completely covered by the highly pigmented color and white UV ink. Actual nails enhanced with black wax and silver pigment were nailed into the plywood/ copper surface of the print.

“Nailed” was printed on a sheet of clear Plexiglas 22″ x 20″ on a Mimaki UJF605X flat-bed printer. The reverse side of the Plexiglas was printed with white ink which was sanded to match the grain of the old wood doors. Silver leaf was applied to some of the abraded surface. The print was then adhered to a 24” x 24” sheet of aluminum which was painted with encaustic to create texture and shadows on the reflective surface.