Several years ago, we realized that in the process of improving existing technologies and in developing new ways of printing, the interests of consumers with impaired vision or in general deprived of them are undeservedly missed. This situation did not seem to be entirely correct, and we decided to eliminate this gap. Thus, the idea of creating a seal with its own volume and texture appeared.
Technology features
The technology of “texture printing” was handled by the Océ division. For this, the company's previous achievements in the field of UV printing were used. Setting the goal of creating something medium between traditional printing and 3D printing, we took the existing principles of layer-by-layer image drawing as a basis.
The choice of UV printing was not accidental. This technology has a number of features well suited for creating volumetric images:
- The ink does not contain solvents that should evaporate during the printing process. Due to this, the printed base does not undergo cyclical wetting / drying stages and retains its original geometry throughout the entire printing process.
- Volume control on the print. This is a continuation of the dignity of inkless ink. A drop ejected from the nozzle of the print head retains its volume after fixing on the carrier, and does not decrease, as in solvent inks.
- Fast ink cure without temperature rise. At the same time, each layer is applied under the same conditions, ensuring uniformity of the structure over the entire depth of printing. With solvent inks such conditions are very difficult to provide. After applying one layer, the carrier is heated to evaporate the solvent. The subsequent layer is applied to the already heated surface, and the ink dries faster without ensuring compliance with the process. If the drying temperature is lowered, then the probability of incomplete drying of the inner layers is high, which will lead to “smearing” of the print.
- High print speed. Instant curing of ink under the influence of UV irradiation allows you to apply layer by layer at the highest speed, forming a three-dimensional image.
To some extent, “texture printing” is similar to intaglio printing, but the height of the ink layer on the media is not determined by the depth of the cell of the printed mark, but by the number of applied layers.
Reproductions as originals
The new technology made it possible to take a fresh look at the printing products and their application areas. The first results were appreciated by the museums for which we completed orders for copying masterpieces. A unique project was the reproduction of the interior decoration of the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Seti I for the Museum of Antiquity in the Swiss city of Basel. On our Océ printing equipment, we printed the tomb facing panels and sarcophagus trim.
The process took place in several stages. First, the original was scanned from different angles, and then the resulting images were converted to high-resolution 3D files and then printed. The finished panels had a height of relief up to 15 mm. This provided accurate color reproduction and texture, repeating the original.
Our new technology of volume printing caused great interest among art museums and art galleries. She made a real revolution in the manufacture of reproductions. If earlier reproductions copied only the image of the picture, now you can get a copy that conveys the texture of its surface. At the same time, not only the volume of the artist’s strokes, but even cracks in the paint are transmitted with high precision. Thanks to this, the viewer can literally touch the masterpieces of painting.
One of our latest projects is the creation of a copy of one of the greatest masterpieces of Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring. The reproduction was done at the request of the Mauritshuis Museum in The Hague. It was planned to take a picture for analytics, but the administration decided that it was unfair to deprive visitors of the opportunity to see the museum’s gem just because maintenance work was being done with it. Therefore, a reproduction took the place of the original for two weeks. It was made using the latest patented technology of bulk UV printing.
Jan Vermeer, Girl with a pearl earring. OK. 1665, Mauritshuis, The HagueIn the process of printing in combination with the ink used composition, giving the volume of the image. Layering allows you to accurately transfer the microfracture of the surface. As a final layer, a coating is applied that adds shine to the picture and protects it from external influences. Such a seal opens up new facets of reproductions. After all, often the perception of a picture is emphasized not so much on the plot itself as on the technique of execution. Traditional flat printing is not able to convey a combination of individual strokes that make up the complete picture. In addition, the relief of the strokes may have an artistic component.
More opportunities for the blind and visually impaired
Production of reproductions and relief images of monuments of antiquity is only one of the fields of application of the new technology. No less significant is the use of bulk printing for the production of printed products for the blind and people with poor eyesight. We can say that we have become pioneers in the use of UV printing for this consumer segment. Traditionally, embossed braille characters are embossed. Now information for the blind can simply print. So the first tactile signs have already appeared in Australia and America. Following their example, a whole network of information points was established in the Dutch city of Grave on the Meuse River, giving information about street names, local historical sites and QR codes to help determine the current location. Small plates with Braille symbols were attached to poles and traffic lights located along tourist routes, in stores and directly at sites of historical interest.
Visually familiarize yourself with the volume print and its dignity can be assessed in Paris, where until January 6, 2019 in the museum on the Quai Branly will be presented the exhibition "Pictures from Afar". Visitors will be able to see the interpretations of the three paintings printed in bulk and the explanations to which are given in Braille. These are works by Western artists representing the perception of Asian, African and oceanic peoples by Western society during the colonial era. Visitors are presented with: a portrait of Savorgnan de Brazza by the work of Alphonse Monshablon, “Fighting antelopes” by Jean Dunant and “The Mourners in Cairo” by Emily Bernard. With the help of our three-dimensional printing, these masterpieces of painting are adapted specifically for perception by people who are blind. It is conditionally possible to say that the flat image is executed in the form of a bas-relief with the transfer of all the smallest details.
Other applications of bulk printing appear on the basis of its unique properties. This is how full-color elements are created for interior design with a given texture. Embossed wear-resistant printing of small forms for the decorative decoration of electronic gadgets and much more. We believe that our new technology has great prospects in various fields of application. It is possible that some principles of relief printing will form the basis of other technologies not related to printing.
In the meantime, you can familiarize yourself with the possibilities of three-dimensional printing at the museum in Paris, which we wrote about above, as well as at the next traditional exhibition FESPA 2018. For the first time in Europe, we will show our new solution - Océ Arizona for “texture printing” of interior trim elements, prototypes packaging and signage. The exhibition will be held from May 15 to 18 at the Messe Berlin exhibition complex. We are waiting for all those interested in pavilion 3.2 at our stand A40 / B40.