Wide Format Imaging

Over the past several years, there has been a shift within the fine art and photography market toward digital—digital cameras, digital media, digital printing and reproduction. Lines that once were clear and distinct between fine art, photography, and signage have blurred leaving a lot of grey areas behind.

Nowadays, you can find photographers creating limited-edition prints for artists, and a fine-art reproducer doing enlargements for photographers. And if you move into the graphic arts market, you can find print-for-pay shops creating both fine art and photographic images for gallery shows or as part of a corporate branding campaign.

But what has enabled this kind of shift? Digital technologies. And this is just the start.

According to estimates by InfoTrends, a worldwide market research and strategic consulting firm for the digital imaging and document solutions industry, the digital fine art market is growing at 10.4 percent per year. "Our calculations show the market is valued at more than $450 million in 2008 and is expected to grow to more than $630 million in 2012," said Tim Greene, director, Wide Format & Jetting Technologies, InfoTrends.

This growth is driven by the innovation and inspiration of its end users—the artists and photographers—as well as the continuous development of new printing systems, inks, and media by the various manufacturers.