David Coons - Scanning and Computer Graphics - Digital Printing

Digital Printing

David Coons was also a pioneer in the art of digital printing reproduction of scanned and computer generated artwork, specifically adapting the large format IRIS printer, a machine designed to work solely with proprietary prepress computer systems, to this task. In the late 1980s Coons developed software to use an IRIS 3024 at The Walt Disney Company to print images from Disney’s new computer 3D animation system. He also wrote software to print works created on desktop computers such as Sally Larsen 1989 Transformer series and a 1990 photography exhibition for Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. The work he did for Nash had to do with re-creating images for prints and negatives had been lost by scanning the remaining contact prints at high resolution, and printing them in extremely large format.

Coons's went on to became a business partner with Nash, helping found the Manhattan Beach, California company Nash Editions, a fine art digital reproduction company based on a $126,000 IRIS printer Nash had purchased. There Coons worked on the many technical problems with scanning and adapting the IRIS printer to fine art printing, including modifying the machines to take heavy paper stock and dealing with the poor fade resistant (fugitive) nature of the inks.

In the mid-1990s, Coons split off from Nash Editions to concentrate on scanning, while Nash's team continued to work on fine art printing. The two companies still share a close relationship, and refer clients to one another.