A Treehouse Grows in Brooklyn

Brooklyn residents were pleasantly surprised in May to find large format digitally printed photographs displayed on buildings, scaffolding and rooftops along their daily commute. The large scale images, from a series called "The Treehouse" by photographer Robert Holden, depict life in a utopian rainforest commune and were displayed for two weeks as part of the New York Photo Festival.

"The flexibility of digital printing in terms of color, print size and scaling is huge for us," said Sherman. "Our forte is customization and digital printing gives us a whole new range of possibilities. "

The entire series of 52 images was printed on a Roland SOLJET large-format color printer/cutter by Flavor Paper, a six-person Brooklyn shop specializing in hand-crafted screen- and digitally printed wall coverings. "Robert came to shoot our designs for Elle D_cor Britain and saw a print of a photograph coming off the Roland," said Flavor Paper owner Jon Sherman. "He was really impressed with the color and resolution, and he later asked us to work with him on this exhibit. "

Flavor Paper had purchased a SOLJET after scouting products at SGIA. "We chose Roland for its outstanding print quality," said Sherman. "Our clients live at very close range with our products, and the prints have to be perfect. " Sherman also values the machine's print/cut feature, which allows him to easily create layered designs.

For the Treehouse project, Sherman volunteered his labor, working with a large team including the photographer, architects, city officials, an installation crew and landlords in the area. Roland DGA donated a complete set of its ECO-SOL MAX inks, and Arlon Graphics donated several types of media.

Planning for the event went on for several months, but the prints themselves were produced in less than a week. "The Roland was running 24/7 for six days," said Sherman.

Reaction to the outdoor exhibition has been rewarding for Sherman. "The photographer was amazed at how clean and precise the prints were at such large scale," said Sherman.