Time Art Gallery expansion made possible using Epson technology

Fine Art publisher Time Art Gallery operates a number of UK outlets selling its high-quality artworks and photographs, all produced using Epson Stylus Pro large-format inkjet printers and Epson media.

Time Art Gallery is an artist-run Fine Art publisher established in 2006 by photographer Yannick Yanoff and artist Michael Kozlov. Yannick specialises in architectural photographs and abstracts while Michael’s passion for films has resulted in a series of movie and music legends paintings.
Representing the works of a number of talented, independent London-based artists such as Dan Avenell, Lewis Campbell, Steve Moss and Maria Luisa Azzini, Time Art Gallery produces the high-quality artworks using Epson Stylus Pro large-format inkjet printers.

Originally set up to sell artworks from an outlet in London’s Camden Lock Market, the company quickly expanded and has opened further outlets in Greenwich Market, Portobello Road Market and Covent Garden. It has also launched its first edition website www.timeart.co.uk which offers quality signed Limited Edition prints and original works of art to order online.

Yannick and Michael started selling their artworks at UK Summer festivals such as Glastonbury, V, and Big Chill and it was around this time that they came up with the concept of Art On The Street. The idea behind the initiative was to bring together artists from all over the world, enabling them to display and sell their artworks in major European cities via individually designed kiosks. The kiosks are portable, freestanding units which can be installed and removed from any location within a short period of time. They come in different forms and shapes and each one is a piece of art in its own right. The first project was a kiosk in the form of a fully restored 1975 VW camper van. Yannick says: “It took us just four months to rebuild and fully restore the van in Poland before setting off on our European tour with the first Art On The Street gallery.”

Recognising the consumer demand for high quality prints and artworks, Yannick and Michael trialled and opened independent franchise stores within UK shopping centres. Today they are represented in four shopping centre outlets: Bluewater, Kent; Bullring, Birmingham; Meadowhall, Sheffield; and Touchwood, Solihull, and more are planned.

The company currently owns six Epson printers: three 44-inch Epson Stylus Pro 9800 models and three 24-inch Epson Stylus Pro 7890s, all supplied by Epson distributor Colourbyte.

Each outlet has its own dedicated Epson printer which not only allows them to replenish stock levels but also enables them to print on-demand from their artwork collections in-store. They also offer a bespoke canvas print service so that customers can bring in their own digital images to be printed. There are two Epson printers based at the company’s office in London and these are used on a daily basis to produce canvasses and Limited Edition prints.

The artworks are printed onto a range of media including semi-matte proofing paper, glossy photo paper, and a range of synthetic canvasses which are hand stretched onto 4cm deep wooden frames and secured with transparent varnish. As artists Yannick and Michael are always pushing the boundaries and will often experiment with different media and finishes before placing the finished artworks in their stores or online.

The very first picture Yannick sold was printed on an Epson printer and he’s been using them ever since. “Our aim is to produce high-quality professional photographs and fine art prints with high colour accuracy,” says Yannick. “We use Epson printers because we know we can rely on them to create true-to-original prints that our artists and customers will be happy with. Epson has the best reputation for quality and reliability and the printers are very easy to install and use.”

With print speeds up to 40 sqm per hour the Stylus Pro range of printers offer an ideal combination of accurate colour reproduction with unbeatable productivity and have been designed to help professional photographers and the fine art market create true-to-life prints at high speed.

Using Epson’s 8-colour UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta inkset in combination with the TFP print head for enhanced dot quality and crisp, clear images, the printers offer lab-quality prints. They achieve one of the highest colour gamuts on the market with consistently smooth gradations and also offer a superior range of natural looking grey tones. Three densities of black, comprising a standard photo or matte black (selected automatically depending on the media) plus a light black and light light black, create neutral black and white prints with no colour cast and perfect tonal range.

The company has invested in another Epson Stylus Pro 7890, to be installed in the Arndale Centre, Manchester, and plans to invest in three more Epson printers before the end of 2013, as well as working on a project to bring Time Art Gallery to Westfield Stratford in London. Yannick has his artistic eye fixed firmly on the future: “I strongly believe that being visible on the high street and offering customers high-end quality printed products is the key to Time Art Gallery’s success. With Epson technology we are confident that we can continue to offer the highest quality artworks as well as introducing new products to our portfolio.”

Nick White, business manager, ProGraphics, at Epson UK says: "Time Art Gallery has tapped into a consumer market which wants quality artwork at affordable prices and the Epson Stylus Pro range of printers fits the bill perfectly. We look forward to working closely with Yannick and the team on their future projects."