Week 2: Claudia E. Zapata Reading

Though Rupert Garcia was dedicated his life to hand printing, he abruptly transferred to solely digital printing. Why would artists, like Garcia, commit such a change?

Initially, Garcia was hesitant to dive into the digital arts for fear of corrupting his fine art. However, digital printmaking offered a more efficient process for Garcia to create his prints whereas hand printing was time-consuming to create stencils for multiple images. Other reasons for why this mode of printmaking was preferable was that it allowed artists not highly skilled with drawing to find an alternative method they could create artwork with. Digital printing also provided faster distribution of prints to the community especially if it was to support a cause, as many Chicanx artists used printmaking to raise awareness around social justice issues. The amount of resources needed for digital printing versus hand printing varied drastically, with digital processes requiring fewer materials as opposed to the countless sheets of paper, paints, and cutting tools needed for handmade work. During the rise of digital printing was also the innovation of inkjet printers which offered a wider variety of color and higher print quality, something that would have been harder to achieve by creating the work by hand.