Wide Format Online publisher Andy McCourt has been in the industry for longer than he cares to recall and in his archive is this gem from 1987 - the first known reproduction of a digital photograph in print in Australia.
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| Andy McCourt, 1987, in what is believed to be the first reproduction of a digital photograph in print in Australia |
"There was no internet in those days," says McCourt, "just satellite and ISDN. It was taken at the American Newspaper Association conference in Las Vegas, printed directly to a Sony thermal colour printer and I flew back with it for scanning and repro. I was there for Australasian Printer with Paul Callaghan, pictured with the Canon. He's an old mate and still publishes Print Innovations Asia out of Singapore."
Today, we send image files around without a second thought, even from smart phones but in 1987, this was bleeding-edge, with Sony and Canon, later Fuji leading the charge. A lot of people still don't appreciate the need for 300dpi files for print reproduction, though!"
The two young Aussie roosters must have cut quite a dash in 'Vegas '87 but, as they say, what plays in 'Vegas, stays in 'Vegas. "Good thing too," says McCourt.
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| The article in Australasian Printer, July 1987 |
