Comment ça marche

GIGANTOS :

An application of the TECVISION TM Process.

The company was created for the purpose of developing the World Wide Mass Market (WWMM) concept for HYPERSELLING of the LIVEPOSTCARD mobile postcard production and selling units managed by the proprietary proven software GOSPLAN and the GIGANTOS numerical photographic printing process for higher quality very large images that is illustrated by this film.

Foundation Deriaz has succeeded to Editions Deriaz that has been founded as early as 1860 by Alphonse Deriaz photographer in Morges. Edition Deriaz was specialized in postcards manufacturing. Foundation Deriaz possesses an immense collection of more than 100’000 photographic plates and films staring from 1860 and of about 5 million postcards.

GIGANTOS production unit that GIT SA produce and sell, is the result of a joint KODAK-TECVISON technology process designed by Professor Ravussin. This joint process produces very high quality large-scale images starting from originals such as professional negatives, slides, or photographic pictures of suitable sizes and quality. Kodak developed special paper and inks, which allow the photographic-like prints of the picture in brillant and natural colours, but in very large sizes.

The TECVISION process was developed as a result of the study on how to conserve old or new photographic plates or films that degrade inexorably with time. This process quantifies the data in the original photography, extracts all the picture information and stores it in a digital format on a stable medium. The chosen CD-ROMs have a 100-year lifetime. Since the information is transformed and stored to a digital medium, there is no further deterioration of picture quality. It could be readily reproduced at any time with current or future technology. The heart of the Tecvision process is an especially developped computer that is able to handle quickly the very large picture numerical file, up to 650MB or more without loss of quality.

TECVISION process allows a huge enlargement of a photograhic picture, retaining the high quality of image, in sizes unattainable with standard processes. Wide enlargement of old plates shows details unseen up till now like details of dresses, architecture, etc. An enlargement of factor of 100 is possible with high quality 20cm x 25cm slides meaning that a 20m x 25 m picture can be printed without loss of sharpness.

The first GIGANTOS production was of 30 high-quality black and white prints (sizes of 4,5m x 2,4m) from pictures dating back as early as 1860. These were produced in late December 1997 and were exhibited at “Visages de Morgiens”, an exhibition set-up for the 150^th anniversary of the Swiss Federal State. Kodak announced this World Premiere in a press release in February 1998.

GIGANTOS can be enlarged to unlimited sizes using many produced strips of 1,5m x 30m. The limitation on the size of the strips is only the result of present commercially available medium and printing hardware. Text or drawings can be incrusted or mixed with the picture with standard desktop publishing softwares, but with the need of a Tecvision super-computer.

GIT SA is setting up a computer center that publicists can reach and use through Internet for the design of publicity with GIGANTOS photographies.

GIT SA, with the above know-how and process, can produce a range of GIGANTOS products for inside and outside. Outside GIGANTOS protected with a special lamination film that cut off 100% of the UV, will not fade at all, and when printed on a suitable support will last five years or more

With the combination of products and mediums, GIT SA can address a variety of applications with a high degree of flexibility and speed compared to existing players in the market while delivery a much higher quality product, unattainable by current suppliers.

Industries involved are publicity and printing (graphic arts), especially with regards to the GIGANTOS market. The vertical integration of this industry, which use to be quite fragmented and local, takes place rapidly at least concerning the tools and interfaces used between end customer, creative agency or printing department. In additon everybody, in particular the luxury industry and the multinatiuonmal brand names, are using very high quality pictures for advertising in various forms, sizes and on many different supports for indoors or outdoor purposes. Big size posters and billboards are producted today but are limited in resolutions, which impairs the image quality.

It is thought that the focus of GIGANTOS is in Advertising market. Therefore our market would be defined as the high-end imaging used by upper-scale and luxury products manufacturers to be displayed in high-traffic and high-visibility locations. Some of these customers & locations would be similar to the watch industry or computer advertisements posted in airports, metro or bus stations. This market has enjoyed a steady growth and is experiencing a current renaissance in light of the consolidation that has taken place in the local and regional markets and the intensification of bright colorful media used by manufacturers. An other market is creative agencies, which handle the global accounts of large multinational companies for advertising and trade exhibitions

Other markets have emerged during the exhibition “Visions d’Yverdon-les-Bains, cent ans de cartes postales”, 30/11/1998 – 15/4/1999 .

One of them is the decoration of public establishments like restaurant, townhalls, etc.. Owners are seduced by the possibility to have relatively large (1m50 x 2m) photography-like pictures protected with an Acrylic glass at a reasonable price.

The second is the market of private persons who want to have large picture of old photography. The pictures are generally smaller (1m x 0,5m) but the potential market is much wider.

A third one is Art photographers which wants to exhibit large size pictures. The combination of the Kodak large format printer photographic paper and dye inks produce photographic prints similar in quality to the best chemical prints, with very deep black and brillant colors, but at a very large size and competitive price. An other important market are Museum and Foundations that holds large collection of photographic plates or films. The TECVISION technology shall be used to set up inventory and transfer the entire picture content of the original plates to CD-ROM from where it can be reproduced at much lower cost that the actual chemical process.

The current in the market of advertising is witnessing a larger spending on outdoor and indoor large scale billboard advertising. Higher quality advertising mediums with higher flexibility such as customizing of every produced add are being required by manufacturers. This trend is a combined result of global branding with local customized offers accommodating complex and diverse local custom distribution and retail of the multinational company offering. The trend in the printing industry is to produce document “on demand” in small quantities. This not possible at a reasonable price with the actual cumbersome traditional printing units.

GIT SA with its unique process is able to accommodate all these needs while producing these type of unique adds at the competitive market price and in a shorter lead-time than present suppliers in the marketplace. These adds are currently produced and exhibited in Swiss markets.

GIGANTOS is a quantum leap in quality. Comparison between traditional advertising and the one produced with GIGANTOS in back-lighted bill boards is striking. Publicists will not stand with the old technology.