January 20, 2010
January News Briefs
PARTY RECAP
The APALA returned to the Highlands at Hollywood & Highland for their annual holiday party. The food was fantastic, the company was terrific, and despite a withering economy, giving was in high gear. Hundreds of toys were donated to the Children Affected by Aids organization, and one vendor that requested anonymity donated a check for $5,000 to that charity! All in all, it was a splendid way to celebrate the holidays, say goodbye to 2009, and look forward with optimism to 2010.
A silent auction was held, with many unique items including Star Wars production replicas, sporting event tickets, a custom portrait in oil paint, and a hotel stay at Waikoloa Beach in Hawaii, all generous donations from our vendors and business partners. More than $3,500 was raised, proving again that the APALA is a giving, supportive organization even in these tough financial times!
INDUSTRY NEWS
D’ANDREA GRAPHIC COMMUNICATIONS
WELCOMES SUE PEABODY, SENIOR ACCOUNT
EXECUTIVE TO THE TEAM.
Sue is a printing industry veteran who recently spent two years in radio and TV sales, including a stint with the legendary Rick Dees in the Morning. “I am so excited to be back doing what I love. My time in media sales was a great opportunity and I believe the aggregate of my experience and D’Andrea’s unique positioning in the market will bring added value to my clients.” Sue can be reached at 310-642-0260.
PRINTED HISTORY- THE 18TH CENTURY AND JACOB CHRISTOPH LE BLON
Invention of Color Printing, 1719
Jacob Christoph le Blon was a german-born painter who invented color printing, using metal plates and a color system similar to CMYK. Working in London, he secured a patent from King George I for a process he calls “printing paintings.”
Le Blon used the technique of mezzotint engraving to prepare three printing plates on copper. The metal sheet is uniformly roughened with a burring tool, and specific areas are then polished to control the amount of ink they will hold.
Le Blon found three transparent colored inks that could reproduce the original image. Sometimes he used a fourth black plate, which allowed the use of thinner layers of colored ink, reducing cost, and accelerating drying.
The First Color Mezzotint Published, 1721
In the same way that moveable type became a less expensive way to reproduce single-color text in the fifteenth century, Jacob Christoph Le Blon viewed his process of color printing as a less expensive way of producing or reproducing color paintings.
In London, Le Blon formed a company called “The Picture Office” to produce color prints. Ludwig Choulant stated that in 1721, Le Blon issued a separate print depicting the male sexual organs entitled “Préparation anatomique des parties de l’homme, servants a la generation, faites sur les decouvertes les plus modernes.” This print may be the first color-printed mezzotint ever published. (Choulant, History and Bibliography of Anatomic Illustration (1920) 265-66.)
First Published Description of Color Printing, 1725
After forming “The Picture Office” in 1721 to produce color prints by his trichromatic method of color printing, Jacob Christophe le Blon published a pamphlet called “Coloritto,” describing the process that he had invented. This was the first published description of color printing.