Located in scenic, Oregon coastal town, RD Imaging is a digital
printmaking studio and training center that can reproduce art onto
almost any type of substrate an artist would like to use. For example,
RD Imaging used their Encad NovaJet 880 inkjet printer to reproduce one
of Juergen Eckstein's painting onto plywood veneer panels that the
artist used to decorate the white-closet doors in his Japanese-motif
bedroom.
RD Imaging's managing director James Armer describes himself as
“A gentleman with a passion for fashion and beauty who takes things
beyond the ordinary.” He bought his first 36-in. Encad NovaJet Pro
wide-format inkjet printer about 11 years ago, and proudly points out
that it's still running, even though he does things that aren't
really supposed to be done with inkjet printers. Long before mainstream
media manufacturers started selling inkjet-receptive coated canvas and
art papers, Armer had discovered he could achieve acceptable image
quality by applying hairspray to canvas, then allowing it to dry before
running it through the printer. He used the same hairspray technique to
make other substrates inkjet-printable, including watercolor papers and
leather.
Over the past year, Armer's creativity has surged with the
acquisition of an eight-color NovaJet 880 that can image to either
rolled or rigid materials. He's currently working on a 10- x 119-ft
round mural for the Coyote Bluff restaurant in the Spirit Mountain
Casino in Grande Ronde, OR. The mural includes images of coyotes which
are being output onto a silver metallic material that will help the
images come alive as they reflect the casino's pink and blue
fluorescent neon lights. Silver and gold metallics are just two of the
special media used at RD Imaging. The company has also reproduced
artwork on various types of wood and is currently doing some prototyping
work on a lightweight concrete material for a European furniture maker.
The company's stress-free location has helped Armer attract a
troupe of similarly creative professionals, including experts in digital
photography, Photoshop, Web design, trade-show graphics, fine-art
printmaking, color-management, marketing and 3-D modeling and
visualization.
To enable others to share their passion for creatively applying
digital imaging technology, RD is currently establishing itself as Image
Consultants utilizing Encad, Kodak, and Onyx Graphics solutions. Armer
says RD Imaging's small-group, three-day sessions will allow plenty
of one-on-one interaction and enable attendees to walk out feeling good
about their abilities to convert their creative visions into sellable
art. “There are a lot of people who are afraid to get into this
because it can be so expensive,” says Armer. “They don't
know where to start. But we do. And we can teach them.”
Armer promotes RD Imaging as a place “where vision and purpose
combine in exciting creations” and “imagination becomes
reality.” He's happy that RD Imaging is able to prosper
primarily through creative networking and word-of-mouth referrals. The
company is attracting clients from as far away as Portland and San
Francisco, because as Armer says, “Our work speaks for itself.”
RD Imaging: 541-265-9166; www.rdimaging.com.