and whats that supposed to mean? Is that where your "crew" hangs out?

From what I've seen of releases by Pejac, his decisions appear considered and informed.

It would not surprise me if he had consulted at length with one or more printers in relation to A Forest. First, to decide upon the printing technique. Second, to select the specific ink and paper most suited for:

(i) the chosen technique; and
(ii) achieving the visual effects and overall result desired.

I suspect the artist may have experimented as well with a few different inks and papers before reaching a final decision.



Regarding choice of paper, the gist of this post repeats what has already been stated by god’s ultimate noise. However, I'll elaborate further for the benefit of anyone unfamiliar with the technical basics. In the interest of reader-friendliness, the explanations below may at times be oversimplified, but hopefully not misleading.

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Let's divide the printmaking processes according to traditional categories. These are distinguished by the level at which the ink sits, before printing, in relation to the non-inked parts of the matrix used to produce an image:

1.  Intaglio: The image is incised into a plate surface. After ink is applied, the surface is wiped clean, leaving only the incised lines and other recessed areas to hold the ink. Intaglio techniques include photopolymer intaglio, etching, engraving and drypoint.

2.  Relief: The image is on the raised surface. Ink is applied to the surface, but not to any recessed areas. Relief techniques include woodcut, linocut and letterpress.

3.  Planography: Ink sits on the same flat surface, at the same plane as the non-inked areas. Planographic techniques include lithography, offset lithography and screenprinting — although screenprinting is sometimes given its own category.

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Since A Forest is a photopolymer (previously discussed here), we can focus on the intaglio process.

Prior to printing, the ink sits below the matrix / plate surface. And so, paper (sometimes dampened) must be forced with a press into the recessed areas to pick up the ink.

Think about the physics involved — of paper having to penetrate incised lines of a plate. It should become apparent that the types of stock appropriate for intaglio are fewer than what can be used for lithography, screenprinting, or other techniques where printing is done from a flat surface.



Separately, look at the image itself of A Forest. Consider how fine some of the incised areas of the plate had to be to achieve such level of detail. This aspect narrowed down even further the suitable paper options.






Characteristics required of the paper therefore included compressibility, suppleness and elasticity. That generally means using stock which is light in weight. The paper also needed to have a fine grain and soft, smooth surface.

Velin 270gsm satisfied all of these requirements.

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The above information might help to address any post along the lines of:

"My Retna lithograph and Harland Miller screenprint are both on 400gsm. Why couldn't Pejac print his photopolymer on quality stock like that, instead of cheap 270gsm? 400 is better than 270. SIMPLES.

And for that matter, with the release price being €1,280.00, Suben could easily have afforded to splash out on 1000gsm paper."



Comments like these highlight the danger with certain personality types, when they acquire knowledge that is no more than superficial.

For most people, education is quite a humbling experience because it increases their awareness of how little they actually know. But with others, the effect is opposite (something I find uncomfortable to witness): They end up with a false sense of confidence about their expertise in a subject.

Alexander Pope will have had the latter in mind when he wrote, "A little learning is a dang'rous thing".

Actually, for exactly these reasons heavier stock is used for this type of printing.
It needs to be dampened, pressure applied, and have a soft surface to take the ink but not damage or warp the paper.

BUT... Maybe Pejac did try a few weights and settled on this one. We can only hope so.

(I'm only playing devils advocate, as I've not seen the prints! )

There's no right or wrong really. You can print on what you like, and none of us were at the proofing process to see what happened.

The issue was just whether the paper warps when being framed.. I can imagine it might, because it is quite light weight for a big print.
But whether the print image is better on this paper may be a different discussion.

Also, maybe it was more of an environmental decision, to use less paper... considering the theme of his work

I agree, but sadly, as it's quite a large piece, I could not get it placed optimally to bring out the full effect. It's in a somewhat narrow location, and the placement makes it awkward to photograph.

Got my A Forest back from Mr FrameMan who did a fantastic job. Still in the wrapping as need to do a bit of decorating in the room it will go in!

Really cool!

Obviously a talent both on the streets and in the studio but his prints are so depressing.

Yeah I totally get it but I want to smile when I look at art inside my home.

Buy a Keef - makes me smile

My wife finds A Forest very depressing, but appreciates the pictures as its so well executed and is also a stark reminder of what we have done / doing to the planet. positioning on hanging this will be key for me when the room is decorated. I have enough happy art in the house to compensate for this!

You should send them an email again.
They were sending them out few weeks ago.

thanks very muchly kind sir