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Stan prefers to use a flatbed scanner in his personal work because he discovered that he can get amazing clarity of detail which is not as available with a digital SLR camera. One can use a DSLR camera to capture a 17Mb image whereas with a flatbed scanner one can scan the same object and get a 50Mb to 200Mb image, or even larger if needed. The larger the file size the greater will be the detail resolution.

Many people think that dpi is the measure of sharpness for an image. But in fact it is file size and not dpi that determines resolution. For example a 4"x5" image at 200 dpi is identically the same as an 8"x10" image at 100 dpi. They both have the exact same number of pixels. If one were to go by dpi alone one would think that the 4"x5" has better resolution as it has larger dpi when in actuality it is just the same. However the 4"x5" image at 200 dpi is 2.29 Mb in size and if the dpi or image size is doubled separately to get a larger file size, 9,16Mb, there are now more pixels and the details will be considerably sharper and crisper. However it should be mentioned that increasing file size after the fact in Photoshop does not improve detail but only creates more pixels. Imagine taking one pixel of an image and dividing it into 4 or 8 or 16 pixels. There are more pixels but it does not change the detail sharpness of the original one pixel.

If one wants the best possible detail one must begin with a larger file size image. But suppose the file size is fixed already. How can sharpness and clarity be maximized? An image then needs sharpening at the time that it is being prepared for printing in Photoshop. The are some excellent tools for sharpening in Photoshop and they can be employed either overall or selectively to maximize sharpness, if the image is one that demands sharpness. However there are also other 3rd party sharpening tools that will also increase the clarity of the image. Stan uses these as well as doing local sharpening of objects where needed. But sharpening in Photoshop can be tricky as if one over sharpens it can produce an unwanted graininess or unwanted noise in parts of the image. It is here that the skill of the person doing the sharpening comes into play.

Finally, and most important in the printing process, a superb image is made by a superb master print maker. One can have a superior high end wide format printer, great inks, and high quality print media but it is the person who knows how to use these that makes the difference. The person who makes the prints should be highly skilled and trained in the technology of the print machine and understand all it's foibles and how it best prints, understand how to squeeze the most out of it. This person should have an understanding of the papers and inks that are usable with the printer, which work best and which do not. Stan continues to try out new media as it appears, but he also continues to be very impressed with Hahnemuhle watercolor papers which seem to render the best prints as regards vibrancy, tonal gradations, and clarity of image.

Stan brings almost 10 years of experience to making Giclee prints and nearly fifty years as an artist. He is a thoroughgoing perfectionist and will not let a print leave his studio shop that is not first rate. When you ask Stan to make your prints you can be assured that you are getting the attention of a superb master print maker.

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