Thanks to over 25 years of research and development covering a wide range of photomechanical, printing and assembly techniques, Testimonio has revolutionised the concept of facsimile publication. The result is a series of unique copies, virtual forgeries, reproductions which can barely be distinguished from their originals when viewed side by side. This is not a chance result: it is the outcome of the perfect synchronisation of many processes.

Testimonio co-ordinates these processes, from manufacture of the support material through to the finishing of the binding, in its own specialised workshops; every step reflects our philosophy of striving for perfection through painstaking and patient craftsmanship.

We offer here a brief description of some of the steps involved and of how we move from one step to another, until the moment comes when we hold in our hands something which is unique and without equal, convincing enough for us to believe that what we are holding is the original.

The first illustrations demonstrate the difference between the 200 line per inch screen used in normal high quality reproductions, with a fixed angle and large point size (right hand picture) and the stochastic screen used in our workshops (left hand picture) with variable angle and much smaller point size: 15 micrometres, a quarter of the thickness of a human hair, which gives some idea of the degree of detail reproduced. But all these advances depend on the application of extremely rigorous quality control throughout the whole process – photomechanics, development of the plates and printing – so that the advantages of the fine point size are not lost.

It is only by checking an endless number of parameters at all stages that we obtain the amazing results seen in our facsimiles, where precise colorimetric measurements and very high scanning resolutions is the norm on each and every page.

The second set of illustrations shows, on the right-hand side, the product of conventional 4-colour printing; the reproduction is poor, dull, lacking in contrast and not true to the colours of the original, a common result where a non-standard support material is used (coated paper, offset etc.) to imitate that of the original paper or parchment.

But we have managed to solve this problem; the left-hand picture shows how we use not only the 4 colours used ordinarily in printing but also an additional 10 colours where extra precision is needed. These colours are the result of experimentation using complex computer techniques which use special contrast settings and colorimetric measurements obtained directly from the originals.

The end product is an offset print which is so close in colour density, contrast and internal measurements to the original as to be barely distinguishable from it.