PUBLICATION CENTER

The challenge for Lizza Studios was two-fold. Turn around almost a dozen large 60 in. x 60 in. prints on canvas in one day for a gallery exhibition in Milan, Italy, and translate Maki Kawakita’s masterful photographic blend of light and shadow into true reproductions of her vision.

Lizza Studios succeeded masterfully on both counts, with a little help from their friends and the sheer genius of the studio’s owner and staff.

Owner Bob Lizza says this was one of the most difficult projects they’ve worked on since most of the images featured both very dark and very light images on a dark background. Plus, the unbelievable turnaround time put extra pressure on the project.

“Maki found out that the prints were rejected from the first printer that Wednesday. The show was the next week, and we had to get the images printed, finished, and shipped the next day,” explains Lizza. “If we didn’t get the canvas in on time, we would not have been able to get the job. But we got the canvas the next day, and everything went well. It was unique job with a tight deadline, and LexJet pulled through for us.”

Lizza used two Epson 11880 printers working in tandem to get the job printed quickly. Lizza says that without the benefit of two printers running simultaneously, the job would not have been completed on time. Plus, Lizza says the 11880 has provided the studio with a dramatic boost in color gamut, overall quality, speed, and color consistency.

“When someone rejects prints from a reputable printer, it brings up some red flags. The problem was actually an issue with the coating on the canvas they used. Fortunately, we used LexJet’s Sunset canvas, which has always been perfectly consistent for us,” says Lizza. “Her use of color and light is very dramatic, and it was very important to reproduce the shadow details. Matte black on a matte canvas can be difficult when it comes to dark areas, so we coated them in our spray booth with an HPLV gun. A matte finish would have killed this project, so using a very light mist we can bring out the color and yet it still falls under the realm of a semi-gloss finish.”

“LexJet’s canvas products are very unique and I use them exclusively. There is no other canvas product on the market that can match them. We get great color out of them, and they’re very durable,” adds Lizza.

According to Maki, the exhibition was a big success and the prints made it intact and on time. Thanks to triumphs like this, and Maki’s unique vision of the world, her work continues to make waves in Europe, Asia, and America.

“I knew it would be challenging to make the prints. Additionally, the images were mostly on a black background with white figures, which made it difficult to show the details. When I first saw the prints, it gave me such a relief. I saw all the details and separation of the black areas. I can’t express how much I appreciate the job Lizza Studios did. It made my difficult printing job possible and beautiful,” says Maki.