About prints by Windy Hill Editions:

Windy Hill Editions is an in-house, artisan controlled, fine arts print making enterprise created by myself and my husband and business partner Mahlon Craft to gain greater control over print quality and production. The prints created by Windy Hill Editions are distinctly different from those made by outside fine-arts printing specialists. As good as they may be, we believe they are not a substitute for a process more intimately controlled by the artist. We print on Epson’s newest wide-format printer, an Stylus Pro 7800, through RIP software from ImagePrint. It assures perfect color matching between every print in each edition. This state-of-the-art printer is the same as used in many commercial fine arts printing houses. Their new "UltraChrome K3™ pigmented inks are rated light fast for almost 100 years on Epson papers. We also use 100% acid free, archival papers from other companies like the German paper maker Hahnemuhle, who has produced fine papers for artists since 1584, for their superior light fast qualities and beautiful finish and feel. In 2005, (the) Hahnemuhle Digital FineArt collection, encompassing 22 types of paper, received the famous and sought after TIPA Award, as "The best paper for FineArt ink jet printing". This assures the prints we produce are both beautiful to look at and will still be that way many years from now when properly cared for and displayed.

What does it take to create a flawless giclée print? The print making process involves many critical steps to ensure high quality output that's faithful to the original work of art. First, the art is scanned directly from the original painting or from an 8” X 10” color accurate Ektachrome transparency on our tabloid size Epson Expression 10000 XL Graphic Arts Edition scanner using LaserSoft Imaging's excellent "SilverFast" scanning software. Careful adjustments to neutralize color shifts in highlights, mid tones and shadows are done before the scan is even begun. The next step involves adjusting the colors of the scanned image to reproduce correctly on the paper stock or canvas chosen for the reproduction. Highly complex data files with many separate color and tonal adjustments are required. Extensive retouching to remove imperfections such as dust nits and light glints is routinely done on all image scans. The process is a critical, highly time consuming one; usually involving as many as 8 proofing steps. Often two days of work are required to reach a satisfactory result.

The eye of the artisan-print maker is the most critical part of the print making process. It is this person, more than anyone else, who lends the most to the final quality of the print for color balance, detail and artistic quality. So who actually makes the prints? That would be Mahlon. He is a graduate of the Art Academy of Cincinnati. Like me, he also studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where we met in 1964 as graduate students. He has a penchant for perfection and attention to detail for everything he does, whether it's graphic design, writing, photography or digital work on the computer. He has over ten years of experience in Adobe Photoshop, during which he mastered all of the techniques required for image scanning, correction and manipulation. His eye for color and sensitivity as an artist in his own right give him the ideal qualities required to make the digital files from which all prints produced by Windy Hill Editions are created. We consult frequently during the print making process, especially during the critical proofing stage. The end result gives me the ultimate in control over each print.

You can be assured that every print produced by Windy Hill Editions meets the exacting standards of the giclée printing industry. It also carries my signature, which guarantees each meets my approval in every way and that it will maintain the qualities of longevity associated with high quality collectible prints well into the future.

Yours sincerely,
Kinuko Y. Craft