Kim's Corner
Page 10 of 18

The internal system keeps track of the remaining paper and ink as the print queue progresses. The print queue can even be entered and the machine left unattended to print through the night if need be. It can even store information on print media that has been removed by creating and printing a bar code with the specs of the roll - it then reads the code and enters the information into the system. As each print is finished on the art paper printer, the machine cuts the margin - the canvas printer can also cut the margins but the media is so durable that the blade - which rides on the print head carriage - needs to be replaced after about five cuts.

Each order is fed from the touch-screen kiosk through main register to the system in the print room and onto the master print queue, which feeds the orders to the two on-line printers - one for art paper and one printing canvas.
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The print heads are one-inch wide and it takes two passes to create a single line on the print - the smallest line these printers can produce is nearly invisible at 0.003-inch. It’s this color layering and the 6-ink cartridge design that allows for continuous color tones and smooth transitions from color to color with the software supporting the incorporation of automatic Pantone calibration. The printers use an integrated ink system with pigment-based UV inks - in 680-cc ink cartridges, which cost $250 each - to add to the longevity and durability of the final image. This concludes the geeky portion of the column.

Care for these prints as you would any other gicleé-like image - no direct sunlight, no dramatic temperature or humidity changes, no handling with bare hands - the same kind of reasonable care you would take with any framed work of art. Each canvas print that leaves the Disneyland Gallery will also include care instructions, which suggest that the print be sealed with a proprietary sealant like Bull Dog Ultra Coating before the print is handled or stretched and framed. A company in Anaheim Hills is recommended and the art group care e-mail address is also included.

The gallery offers two surfaces - fine art paper and canvas - for the images. Peter explained, "Very specially developed inkjet canvas. And the reason that it’s so specially developed is that the most sensitive part of these machines are the print heads. And the print heads come over, very, very close to the media… this canvas has to be free of the little nodules and knots that you get on regular canvas… when that happens you have no other choice but to replace the print heads which is part and parcel of the process." It’s an amazing process.

This is only the first collaboration of PoD technology on the Disneyland Resort, ideas for a smaller system, which will create smaller animation-based images to be placed in Off the Page at DCA, are in the works. And there is another show in the works that will replace the 100 Mickeys in September. Think Haunted Mansion.