World Class Printing at The Vivid Solutions DC Print Lab in Anacostia

| ARTIST RESOURCES |

Located in the heart of historic Anacostia, just a short stroll from the Metro green line, Vivid Solutions DC doubles both as a gallery focusing on photography and digital imaging as well as a high end digital print lab.  While Vivid Solutions offers standard commercial and archival quality prints, it is the only lab in the United States that is certified to produce original Digigraphie pigment prints.

Launched by Epson in November of 2003, Digigraphie originated in France.  Like its predecessor the Giclee, Digigraphie standardizes the reproduction of artworks in digital format.  Two common concerns often raised by collectors when purchasing a digital image are first, what is the print's archival properties and second how many prints are in a series? Digigraphie overcomes these concerns by guaranteeing the archival quality of the print for 80-100 years and by limiting the number of images that can be printed to thirty (30).  Limiting prints in a series ensures that collectors can expect higher valuation and increased return on investment over time.

The labs at Vivid Solutions' largest printer is an Epson 11880 which can print as wide as 64 inches.  The largest print produced thus far in the lab is 40 inches by 70 inches.  Artists should feel confident that the behind the controls of the lab's printer and monitor is Andrea Hope, Director of Digital production. In addition to her credentials as master printer, Hope possesses an AA in digital and darkroom photography and printing, and has attended numerous workshops and seminars on the complex issues of monitor calibration, color management, Photoshop instruction and digital pigment printing.  She also attended a series of workshops in France to become Master Certified in Digigraphie printing.  Renee Woodward is a part time lab tech at Vivid, and she too is a Master Certified Digigraphie Printer.

Digigraphie has its own unique ICC profiles and can be printed on any number of fine art papers.  Weekly, quality control test strips are produced by the lab and monitored by Epson France to ensure that all systems function optimally, to include   environmental variables such as humidity and temperature.  Communicating with a master server in France, an initial pass/fail result is returned upon completion of the testing.  These rigourous standards generate consistent results and ensure the highest quality each time a Digigraphie is printed.  

A Digigraphie is embossed with a Vivid Solutions DC Print Lab embossing stamp , certified as a limited edition print and possesses a certificate of authenticity. As an added bonus, the artist's work, along with a link to their personal website, is listed on the Digigraphie's internationally viewed website.

Vivid solutions has a full viewing room adjacent to the lab.  This is where quality control takes place.  One can review printed materials under 6500 kelvin lighting which mimics the color temperature of daylight.  This ensures that a print is viewed under the most balanced lighting conditions, which allows for any flaws or color shifts in the print to easily be spotted and corrected.

In addition to providing Digigraphie, Vivid Solutions labs provides quality standard printing on a wide variety of papers both commercial and fine art.  The lab can also provide finishing touches to prints such as box mounting or float mounting boxes.  The director Andrea Hope provides complimentary consultations to go over any topic related to final production of the print from choosing the right paper to optimizing the use of one's camera.

The Vivid Solutions DC Print Lab is located at 2208 Martin Luther King Ave. SE  Washington, D.C. 20020.  Contact Andrea Hope, Director of Digital Production BY email AHOPE@ARCHDC.ORG or Phone: 202.758.0339