Nested Acrylic Prints
Introducing Nested Red Wing Digital Acrylic Prints
One of the products we have been working on is a 'nested' Red Wing Digital Acrylic Print.
Over the past two years, we discovered that a naked Acrylic Print seemed too contemporary for most Midwestern tastes. So we modified it by 'nesting' it in a framed box. It still has striking high gloss effects, but the more traditional framing design makes the product more attractive to a broader audience.
Next month, we are taking the Boxed Acrylic Prints on a West Coast road show to drum up some interest from our client base.
Wish us luck!
The Physics of the Acrylic Print
Understanding the Unique Optical Properties of Acrylic Prints
Acrylic Prints have unique optical properties due to the physics of visible light traveling through the acrylic layer.
Visible light, or white light, bends slightly as it passes from one medium (air) to another medium (e.g., water). This bending is called light refraction.
Light refraction affects the observed image in two ways:
Magnification: The bent light causes the observed object to appear slightly magnified, enhancing the image's clarity. This principle underlies optical lens technology used in cameras and microscopes.
Color Vibrancy: The bent light also experiences a slight shift in the visible light spectrum, adding vibrancy to the observed colors.
A simplified example of this phenomenon can be seen with the Acrylic Print:
Incident light (ambient light all around us) bends slightly as it enters the acrylic layer.
The altered and shortened light path travels until the opaque barrier on the backside reflects the light back through the acrylic layer.
The light bends again and travels to the observer's eye.
This shorter travel distance creates a minuscule magnification, enhancing the image's clarity. This is why pencils in water appear slightly larger.
This slight magnification provides enhanced clarity, perceptible subconsciously to the human eye. In essence, the acrylic layer acts like a lens.
The opaque barrier's importance is highlighted here. If light leaks out through the back of the print, the clarity impact is lost because the light isn't reflected back to the eye.
A profile view of the Acrylic Print shows how its construction traps light within the acrylic layer and reflects it back to the observer.
Additionally, bending light causes a slight shift in the visible color spectrum. Each time light bends, the ultraviolet (UV) portion of the spectrum becomes more dominant, and the infrared (IR) portion less so. UV light has more energy and a shorter wavelength than IR light, making it more impactful.
Human eyes are particularly sensitive to UV light, making colors under a UV-dominant spectrum appear especially vibrant. This principle is why diamonds have luster—the light bends multiple times within the diamond, exaggerating the spectrum shift each time.
The result of these principles is an Acrylic Print image with exceptional clarity and luminance. It's truly striking to see firsthand.
The Acrylic Print
Introducing Our New Acrylic Prints
For the past six months, we've been quietly and diligently working on a new family of products called the Acrylic Print.
Our goal was to create a premium product line that complements our Panel Prints.
After several iterations, we are thrilled to introduce the Acrylic Print. We are excited about the sharp and vivid details this presentation package offers.
For more details, visit Red Wing Digital.
Catch-up/ketchup
Reinventing and Expanding Our Horizons
We've been very busy reinventing ourselves here at the shop. To start, we've been focused on unveiling Red Wing Digital. This print-on-demand product offers unique large-format presentation options, including the Panel Print and the Acrylic Print. While the Acrylic Print has taken longer to get ready for production, we're excited about its potential.
Additionally, we have a new business partner, Fine Art Prints on Demand, a UK-based company. We've been quietly working and growing this side of the business (printing and framing fulfillment) for several years. FAPoD is our third customer in this area.
These developments have driven our third initiative: moving our production to a larger facility. We've narrowed down our options and expect to make some final decisions soon.
On the topic of work, road trips & writer's block
Back After a Six-Month Hiatus
It has been almost six months to the day since this blog was last updated. This is inexcusable, so here are the excuses:
Busy Shop: The crush began in August (the last blog posting) and has been unrelenting ever since. The simple solution would have been to hire additional help to manage the workload, and to some extent, that was the solution. But as a business survivor of 2008 (remember Lehman Brothers?), you learn not to trust short-term business trends. So, you suck it up, put in long hours, and satisfy each and every customer.
RedWingDigital.com Success: Contributing to this work crush has been the success of new products at RedWingDigital.com. This new business model takes time to hammer out a smooth workflow. But if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Look for new products soon.
Vacation: January is supposed to be quiet, so we closed the shop for ten days and took a long road trip to the most remote part of the United States we could find. However, this January was the busiest January ever, even with ten days removed from the calendar. It's not fair to have a customer wait for my vacation, so it meant even longer days once we returned.
Writer's Block: This stuff doesn't write itself, especially when you're tired and have convinced yourself you have writer's block.
That being said, I promise not to allow such a break in the blog pattern to ever occur again.
Red Wing Digital is officially launched!
Red Wing Digital Launches Today!
It took longer than hoped and cost more than expected, but Red Wing Digital was finally launched today.
Red Wing Digital is a targeted business providing products for fine-art and passionate photographers. The initial product is the Panel Print, with more products to follow. What makes this website unique is its point-and-click selection of products and the print-on-demand nature of the interface.
The most exciting part of the website will be the guest contributors. These guests will provide inside tips for their specific photography niches, making the website a portal for photographers who are always striving to advance their skills. So far, contributors will include:
Stacy Bengs (Stacy Bengs Photographer) discussing sports photography and photojournalism
Barbara O'Brien (Barbara O'Brien Photography), a talented animal photographer
Clare Polencheck (Off the Cuff Photography), an especially skilled portrait photographer
It is a privilege to work with such talented and creative individuals, and this will be a lot of fun.
The above Panel Print is 'Red Wing Boathouses' by Dr. Jack Alexander and is on display at Red Wing Fairview Hospital.
Visit the new site at RedWingDigital.com.
Please keep arms and legs in the vehicle
Looking Forward: Lessons and Excitement for 2011
Back in July of this year, there was a blog posting that discussed the first half of the year and what the second half of the year looked like (1st Cutting...).
Now, at the end of the year, it seems overwhelming to look back. That being said, the point of this entry will be all about looking forward.
If there's one lesson learned in this business, it's to trust your gut. If it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. And if it does feel right, it probably is. 2011 feels very right.
The new website is close (and late) to being rolled out. Products are being refined, and some new projects are already in the queue. It will be very busy and a lot of work.
But it is still a labor of love, and that is what really matters.
Thank you for your support. We are very grateful for our customers.