RPS Imaging Science Group

So which one is it? Surprised me to find it is a European unit, situated on the island of La Palma in the Canaries. It is the Spanish Gran Telescopio Canarias (see http://www.gtc.iac.es/en/ ) and it has a 10.4m aperture made of 36 hexagonal units.
It was officially opened only recently and has a visible wavelength CCD camera at present called OSIRIS. This camera has two 8MPixel CCD units with 15 µm pixels.
A second detector is planned, this time in the mid IR operating from 7 to 20µm (see http://www.gtc.iac.es/en/pages/instrumentation/canaricam.php ). The sensitivity is limited at the low end by the absorption of water vapour in the atmosphere and at the high end by the characteristics of the detector, made of arsenic-doped silicon. It is a Raytheon 320 x 240 pixel array with a pixel size is 50 µm. Normally detectors of this type are cooled using expensive liquid helium. In this case a closed cycle cryogenic unit will cool the detector down to 8K.
So neither camera has what some photographers would call serious megapixels. But take a look at some of the images!

The Security and Forensic Printing session took place in NIP Track 3 between 2 and 3:30pm on Monday. We averaged around 80 attendees who listened to 4 high quality papers. See http://www.imaging.org/ist/conferences/nip/NIP25%20DF2009%20Preliminary%20Program.pdf for details.
Two of these papers this year came from HP Labs and dealt with issues around 2D barcodes. The first, presented by Steve Simske showed that commonly held assumptions around error correction codes and the use of colour in these systems are not necessarily valid. Whilst alternatives were suggested the work suggests the need for some further basic imaging science research in this area. The second paper, presented by Marie Vans looked at the effect of dot gain in the print – scan cycle. The work showed the effect of structural pre-compensation and supports the use of this tool for 2D barcodes.
A paper from Perdue University examined information embedding in EP documents and was given by Maria Ortiz Segovia. The work examined the use of an embedded signal in the frame or border of a security document and took a communications systems perspective on this. The proposed system makes the embedded signal imperceptible but readily recoverable.
A paper from Reconnaissance International took a broad overview of the opportunities and threats provided by digital print technology in security printing. Delivered by Glenn Wood, this paper provided an interesting perspective of the offerings of the key players from outside our industry.

Just arrived in Kentucky for the NIP conference. Checking out some stuff on the IS&T web site I came across a new page of online resource for colour and image science. Check out http://www.imaging.org/ist/resources/onlineresources.cfm for some neat stuff!

Now in the US ready for the NIP 25 conference. I am delivering my “Industrial Inkjet Technology for Printing and Fabrication” short course again this year. Once again there is a strong short course programme – check out http://www.imaging.org/ist/conferences/nip/index.cfm . I have taken the “Papermaking, Coating Fundamentals, and Media for Digital Printing”, “An Introduction to Digital Fabrication: Methods, Materials, and Applications”, “Fabrication Materials and Processes of Ink Jet Printheads” and “Desktop Ink Jet Products Performance Study” in past years and these are really good. Hope you can join us again this year!

One of the purposes of professional institutions is to encourage students to enter our profession. There are few organisations attempting to bring in the next generation of Imaging Scientists. One of these is the IS&T and they are making available grants for photography and Imaging Science students – see http://www.imaging.org/ist/pdfs/davisapp.pdf . If you are a student in this field, or know someone who is then check this out!

Just arrived in the US in time for the NIP conference. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to take in the Print 09 show currently running in Chicago. However, I hear that HP have made another announcement about their HP Web Press, now renamed the HP T300 Color Inkjet Web Press. This monster uses their Scalable Print Head technology (and lots of it) to make a printer capable of 30-inch wide, 400-feet-per-minute output. They are now working with partners such as Pitney Bowes to move this into Transactional Printing. I hope to find out more about this technology at NIP.

Just got notice from Martin Jürgens, a Photo Conservator from Germany that his new book “The Digital Print: Identification and Preservation” is available – see http://www.thamesandhudson.com/en/1/9780500514986.mxs?5200244afa6aedd51bdddf1c3000fd26&0&0&0 . 
Martin is an interesting guy. I met him first at one of the Institute of Physics Preservation and Conservation meetings – see http://www.iop.org/activity/groups/subject/pgs/pgs_calendar/index.html for the next in the series. I look forward to taking a look at his book!

Had word of another interesting photo exhibition, this time at the Pump House Gallery in Battersea Park, London.
They are on the lookout for interesting Polaroid prints and artefacts. Check it out when it opens next month. Details can be found under http://www.pumphousegallery.org.uk/exhibitions/upcomingexhibition