This concept will provide the visual arts community low-cost access to high-end professional lab and frame shop environments.
The rental studios will offer the ability to work on scanning, large-scale color-sensitive printing projects, retouching, and framing affordably, using state-of-the-art digital equipment and materials.
In addition to the existing printing and framing services, the new facility will consist of:
- A Digital Studio to scan, retouch, layout and print your work with
- a private scanning room
- a (real) drum scanner
- a high-resolution flatbed scanner
- state-of-the-art printers to print up to 44″ wide (any length)
- Mac retouching/output stations with calibrated monitors
- a large selection of papers and canvas custom-calibrated to the printers
- A Framing Studio to frame, dry-mount, or face-mount your prints and paintings with
- a 60″ mat cutter
- a 44″x68″ vacuum heat press
- a selection of over 700 frame mouldings and mat board
- glass and plexi, including UV and museum-grade materials
- all the gear, archival materials and knick-knacks necessary to finish your frames
- face-mounting to plexiglass
- mounting materials, including foam core, gatorboard, sintra, and aluminum.
Staff will be on hand to help out with quick questions or to handle technical issues as they arise. Periodic workshops and in-house tutoring will be offered to train participants on the use of the software and the equipment.
We are working on putting it all together with tentative ETAs of mid-July for the digital studio, August for the framing studio, and September for technical workshops.
The studios will be your space and now’s the time to share with us what else you would like to see there. If you wish to do so, send us an email describing how we can best serve your needs.
Thanks for listening, more soon.
Charles Mégnin
The Darkroom