Wide Format Imaging

When providing output to customers and clients, some applications are more demanding than others. So when Andy Wood opened Squirt Printing (www.squirtprinting.com) early in 2005, he wanted to have the best solution current technology could offer for his long list of fine art customers. Wood wanted to bring no hassle art reproduction to artists looking to sell limited edition prints in quantity.

"The first time I was asked to design and install a high-quality high-volume Giclee printing process, HP seemed to be a good starting point," says Wood, president of the Sunnyvale, CA-based company. "I went to the FLAAR.org website and saw how they had all brands of printers but they used the HP because it always ran, it was reliable. The more I investigated I also learned that the HP always produced the same color gamut if run properly, it was repeatable. These are two key factors when assembling a manufacturing process: reliability and repeatability."

Squirt offers fine art printing services including capture, printing, and finishing?including coating, sheeting, and stretching and has some of the quickest turnaround times in the industry?three to five business days. "We offer a behind-the-scenes service that lets related businesses or smaller printing shops appear to have larger scale capability and broaden their order taking ability," continues Wood. "We have a wide range of customers from the average artist and publisher to other printing shops who have reached their capital limit and do not want to invest in the next level of production. They simply source the overflow to us and we act as their back room printing shop."

By using the most cutting edge technology available, it frees up Squirt to focus on volume not proofing. "We are able to print color accurate prints day after day by process steps not proofing. Systematic color management is the key to our color accuracy and color consistency," says Wood. "We have invested thousands of engineering hours with HP to help in the development of the Giclee printing system we utilize. It is assembled in a way so the art is left to the artist. We simply reproduce what the artist made in the format they need in any volume they need."

According to Wood, HP's commitment to the fine art field was very apparent. From custom media profiles to meet the artist needs to specifically designed systems "they were willing to bend over backwards to make sure the artist was satisfied with the print. HP listened to the field and designed systems, not just portions, but the entire system that met the need." The system that HP designed reduces the time it takes to match an image and increases the quality of the capture.

Squirt utilizes a BetterLight scan back camera system running proprietary HP software to enhance the automation of the color matching process. The software was developed with the artist in mind and is able to bring the life of an image out in the reproduction.

"Printing high quality Giclees is more than just buying a printer and plugging it in. People need to realize that it is a high end capture system coupled to a highly tuned printing system finished by a coating system. All three of these steps can be capital intensive and Squirt applauds HP for making it clear that it takes more than just a good printer," says Wood.