TURNING TORONTO’S ARCHITECTURE INTO ART WITH TR TRADES ACRYLIC PRINTING

Jorge Posada travelled from Toronto to have his acrylic printing reproduced at TR Trades Reproduction in Vancouver.

For more than five decades, TR Trades Reproduction Ltd. has been a trusted partner for Western Canada’s architects, designers, and builders. Founded in 1969 in Vancouver, the company began as a small reprographic shop dedicated to blueprinting for the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) community. Over time, their deep understanding of printing for architects’ very picky requirements, transformed them into a place clients seek when they are wanting high quality or quick turn around printing.

Today, TR Trades is recognized as one of the region’s most sophisticated reprographics company. Offering everything from architectural drawings and presentation boards to large-format digital printing and fine art reproductions, including acrylic printing. Their journey from plotting floor plans to printing museum-quality art has been shaped by its core company values. Investment in new technology, Quality, and Superior Service. Their large space and vast range of departments and specialists make them a one stop shop. Business clients looking to deal with one business for all services.

LARGE FORMAT UV ACRYLIC PRINTING

TR Trades purchased a SwissQprint Nyala 4, a large-format UV flatbed printer capable of printing extraordinary DPI direct to any substrate up to 2” thick – 126”x 80”. The Nyala 4 allows artists, interior designers, and architects to produce top quality prints on a variety of substrates, from acrylic and metal, to wood and fabric — with phenomenal resolution (1350dpi / 7 picolitre droplet size).

“Architects trust us to get the colours correct, and to advise on the best way to print their projects on the materials that will give them the highest quality while working within their budget.’ says Carla Duncan, President of TR Trades. ‘That same applies to our fine-art clients. When someone wants art reproduced, something that carries priceless value, they come to us knowing we’ll deliver as close to perfection as possible.”

Over the years, TR Trades has developed a niche for working on one off projects for clients with very difficult requirements and expectations. These projects require a team of highly skilled and creative thinkers. “When working on a one-off project, we need to have a team of our staff involved. We must figure out how we can create what the client is visioning. We are powerful when we put our minds together.” Their team of highly qualified technicians and print specialists run only high-end colour printing equipment with advanced colour management software to maximize colour gamut. That combination of human skill and advanced technology is exactly what drew artist Jorge Posada to them.

TR TRADES ACRYLIC PRINTING OUTSHINES DURATRANS PROCESS

JORGE POSADA

Colombian-Canadian fine art photographer Jorge Posada came to TR Trades with a vision — to preserve and honor one of Toronto’s most iconic buildings, the “Filmores Hotel”, a 4-story rental tower. Previous print materials and processes he used were no longer available – Kodak’s Duratrans. Jorge was looking for a printing solution that could produce the same quality printing for his largescale, light box installations.

DURATRANS

Duratrans material is a transparent film that uses a silver halide photographic process, made specifically for light boxes. Once printed and exposed to light, the crystals create an image that has exceptional detail, rich colour, and deep contrast. TR Trades acrylic printing came out a higher quality than the Duratrans samples. The ink was stronger and would fade less over time. With TR Trades clean room and advanced processes, TR Trades print to acrylic was faster and a more efficient process than the previous methods used for Duratrans prints.

“I had previously worked with a Duratrans from Kodak and Fujitrans from Fuji, but it had been discontinued. Art is my life, and I couldn’t stop creating because the medium was no longer available,’ explains Posada. ‘Then I found TR Trades. I met with Carla and Ryan. I explained what I needed and about a month later, my acrylic print came to life on their machine. The resulting piece is a stunning 54”x90” print on 6mm Acrylic. The 2nd edition of 5 medium prints for light boxes”. Jorge is looking forward to printing a 72”x120” piece with TR Trades next.

“Other companies have the same machine, but what TR Trades offers goes beyond that. They have a clean room, which was essential for a piece of this scale and value — even a single speck of dust could have ruined the art piece. They also had the colour management software, the technical expertise, and the file editing capabilities that many others simply don’t invest in. It’s clear they’ve put serious resources into both their technology and their team — and that’s what made this project possible.”

A CITY FILLED WITH MEMORY

The “Filmores Hotel”, located in downtown Toronto’s Garden District, is a 110-year-old Edwardian building famous for its red-brick façade and glowing neon sign. Once a high-end residence, it evolved into an affordable hotel with a gentleman’s club below and at one time, even a lesbian bar. Now standing on the cusp of redevelopment, the “Filmores Hotel” is set to give way to a 42-storey condominium tower. For Posada, the “Filmores Hotel” was a story too rich to disappear quietly. “The Filmores Hotel has many stories to tell. Not all of them happy or pretty, but genuine and human,” he says. The piece isn’t a mural or installation, but a large-format fine art photograph composition showcasing the architectural soul of a neighbourhood in transition.

THE FILMORES

Supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, Posada embarked on a four-year journey to document the Filmores, Through photographs, interviews, and community research. The resulting piece is a stunning 50” x 90” lightbox print on 6mm acrylic.

“I like to tell the story of the building and remember the corner — the corner of a community, which is pure human inspiration,’ he shares. ‘there is nostalgia in my work. I want these buildings to be remembered. I want to create art that educates, starts conversations, and maintains culture, identity, and history.”

ACRYLIC PRINTING: THE TR TRADES DIFFERENCE

It’s TR Trades’ dedication to perfection that made this partnership possible. “This was a high-value project,” says President, Carla Duncan. “And we approached it with the care it deserved.” For Posada, the experience was transformative. “I connect with art buyers and investors who understand the value of history and story-telling in art. The collaboration with TR Trades helped bring the work to where it needed to be.”

COLLABORATION WITH TR TRADES

Working closely with President, Carla Duncan and Production Manager, Ryan Young, Posada and TR Trades spent days fine-tuning every element of the file for acrylic printing. With over 20 test prints produced on acrylic, together the team made very fine adjustments to the file and the colour profile until every inch of the art was printing as Jorge intended. Each sample was viewed over a light box to inspect colour, depth, coverage, and tonal transitions.

“The process with Ryan and Carla was amazing,” says Posada. “We fine-tuned the process, working tirelessly together reach unbelievable quality. The team treated this project like it was as close to them as it was to me, and I’m so grateful for that.” The acrylic printing substrate was selected for its rigidity, transparency, and even light transmission. “The acrylic adds a kind of architectural integrity,” says Ryan. “It’s strong, reflective, and transparent. It becomes more than a print — it becomes a light-driven object.”

THE LEGACY

“Good architecture, good spaces, and creating conceptual pieces that ensure my art tells a story and continues to be talked about for years,” Jorge reflects. Through partnerships like this, TR Trades continues to bridge fine art into narrative objects that connect the past and present. Posada’s “Filmores Hotel” stands as both a tribute to a building and a love letter to the stories it sheltered. In the luminous glow of acrylic and light, Jorge Posada’s art doesn’t simply depict the “Filmores Hotel” — it keeps its spirit alive.

See more of Jorge Posada:

Instagram @jorgeplalinde @talentosaproductions

www.talentosaproductions.com/jorgeposada

For Large Format Acrylic Printing Inquires

Call Carla / Ryan at 604 736 4571 x 2 or Email: digital@trtrades.com

Visit us at:

1744 W 4th Avenue, Vancouver BC

www.trtrades.com