How a Nyala helps photographic works to become sculptural.

In 2018 the company took the decision to take high quality photographic printing to the next level when it invested in a swissQprint Nyala LED UV flatbed printer. Its aim was to provide large format fine art photographic printing service on a greater range of substrates, at a larger size. This was to enhance already introduced direct to media UV printing services and complement established C-type, Giclée fine art and ChromaLuxe services.

Genesis Imaging was established as a traditional photographic lab back in 1997, and cut its teeth in digital printing in 2001; providing C-type and Giclée fine art prints to their growing client base. In 2013, the company acquired its first UV flatbed printer to expand its print offerings – providing a direct to media service onto a range of substrates for the very first time.

According to Genesis Imaging’s co-founder and CEO Ken Sethi, digital printing opened new avenues of working with creative artists. “We were leaders in our field when it came to experimental fine art reproduction, but our original equipment was never going to be good enough for us to start working with world leading photographers.” They simply could not achieve the level of detail required to break into this market. Then Ken Sethi met with a friendly competitor in America who invited him to see what they were doing with fine art photography with their swissQprint machine. “The results were stunning,” Ken Sethi remembers, “they were printing at considerably higher resolution than we could achieve with our flatbed printer.” Therefore, it was evident that if Genesis Imaging wanted to take the business to the next level and break into this market, they were going to need a swissQprint machine of their own.

In 2018, after visiting the manufacturing headquarters of swissQprint in Switzerland, the company took the step to invest in a swissQprint Nyala UV flatbed printer. Genesis Imaging is respected as a hub for discerning photographers and artists with a comprehensive range of printing and finishing services, and this upgrading of equipment only enhanced its offerings.

Their working process begins with the initial consultations and edits through to printing, framing and even installation. “We pride ourselves on the collaborative way that we work,” Ken Sethi says. “This is how we started working with photographers such as David Yarrow.”

David Yarrow’s photography of life on earth is most distinctive and it has earned him an ever growing following among art collectors. Yarrow is now represented by some of the top contemporary fine art galleries around the world and in recent years, three of Yarrow’s works have sold for over $100,000 each at Sotheby’s auctions in London and New York, raising funds for deserving charities.

“We never rush anything,” says Mr Sethi. “We like to take our time and will often spend hours in pre-press to perfect the artist’s print file.” When the work goes over to the printer, there are no margins for error. Everything is run carefully to obtain the optimum result. This is why the prints, mounts and frames Genesis Imaging produces have graced the walls of leading museums and galleries from London’s Tate Modern to The Museum of Modern Art in New York.

“We’re very optimistic about the future”, says Mr Sethi in conclusion. “The swissQprint UV printer means that photographic works can now become much more sculptural.” They are now producing artwork for clients up to 3×2m on materials ranging from glass, wood, right through to rubber and concrete. They are continually experimenting with new substrates and developing new printing techniques. “Our motto is if we haven’t printed on something before, it certainly doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t want to, and we’d be more than happy to give it a try.”

In conclusion, Ken Sethi explains: “Our focus now is to grow the business, and our swissQprint machine is central to that goal. When it comes to precision quality manufacturing, swissQprint machines are second to none.”

Images from top:
1&2: Levon Biss 'Microsculpture' at Xposure Int'l Photography Festival, UAE. Image © Levon Biss
3: Rui Xu, 'From Xuan To Blindress' at The Royal College of Art, UK © Genesis
4: Ken Sethi © swissQprint
5: The V&A Museum of Childhood, UK © Genesis