I started taking pictures and printing them, black and white, in my home darkroom when I entered high school.

I later became the photo editor of my high school newspaper and yearbook. In college, my educational path took me to computers and how to generate and display images. I attained a BA in Engineering and a MS in Computer Science with a thesis in Computer Graphics.

Over the last decade my focus has been to transform to printed media the “keepers” from the many thousands of digital pictures I have taken over the years. I wanted to match the image on my monitor from Photoshop and Lightroom, with what I could print. I also felt that the breathtaking landscapes like Bryce Canyon or Monument Valley, would look a lot more impressive on prints 6 feet long rather than as an 8"x10" print from my All-in-One printer. Not to mention the impact portraits make when printed on canvas.

My first printing attempts were with remote processing labs. I found that rarely did the colors and tones match what I spent hours creating in Photoshop. After taking a few professional printing courses, I realized that a gallery quality print was a combination of a good photograph, technical knowledge and the best equipment. I then decided to create Canvas Worthy, a company focused on gallery class printing services using large format printers, archival pigment inks and museum grade papers. This is the same technology used to make Giclée (pronounced zhee-clay) Fine-Art Prints. I work with professional photographers and "prosumers" who want a high quality printed image that consistently matches what they create on their monitor.

However, I further realized while many photographers and artists desire the same thing, they want to do it themselves. Therefore, I began teaching courses on digital printing at such institutions as the Pacific Art League in Palo Alto, CA. At the conclusion of these courses, in order to further develop their printing skills and to generate large prints, students asked me to continue instructing them with more individual attention while they use my professional equipment.

I am very happy to bring the training, equipment and personal services to Aperture Academy's photographer clientele, so they can create gallery class prints like the images shown in the Aperture Academy Gallery.

Jan Carl Silverman
Canvas Worthy Master Printer
www.canvasworthy.com