Submitting Files
Q: What kind of files
do you accept?
A: Jpegs or flattened
uncompressed tiff with no additional channels or paths. Files should
be 8-bit RGB color. Use sRGB as color space. If you submitt PSD,
layered TIF, BMP, EPS, PDF, GIF, PCT or PPT files, you will incurr
additional charges for conversion.
Q: Do I need to resize
my digital camera files?
A: For standard print
orders, it is not necessary to resize your images. If your prints
are over 11x14, you can resize your file to the finished size at
200 PPI and on prints larger than 20x24 use 100 PPI. If you are
ordering Gallery Proof Books, please size your images down to 1000
pixels on the long side
Q: Do I need to crop
my files?
A: Yes. Uncropped
files will be centered and printed. If you want prints of different
proportions, crop for the larger and the smaller proportion will
be cropped in equally from the short side same as is the case with
carded negatives. You can also use PCL
West ROES if you want to avoid all that time in Photoshop.
Color
Q: I adjusted the
color on my files, why are my prints coming back with such bad color?
A: Is your monitor
calibrated? Have you compared it to our reference print? We would
prefer that you NOT ADJUST your files in Photoshop. Retouch all
you like, but when you adjust the levels, curves and color balance,
you can destroy the file making it impossible to get a good print.
Q: Does PCL use Photoshop
to color correct files?
A: Photoshop is a
great creative tool, but for production, we use Kodak software.
Image files are not manipulated, but a thumbnail of each image is
viewed and a color correction is made and stored in the database.
Whenever that image is printed, the software applies the stored
correction when it sends it to the printer. It is at this time that
the printer profile is applied so it is not necessary for the photographer
to apply profiles to their image file.
Q: Since Adobe RGB
is a larger color space, wouldn't it be better to use that instead
of sRGB?
A: sRGB is a color
space that is closer to the gamut of photographic paper. By using
sRGB we won't have to shove the color around to fit inside the smaller
gamut. There is an excellent article, "Painless
Color Management", on ShootSmarter.com.
Q: How can I get
better results with my digital camera?
A: There are two things
you have to remember with digital cameras. The first is the fact
that shooting digital is like shooting slide film; your exposure
has to be right on. Over-expose by more than 3/10 of a spot and
you're going to blow out your highlights. Under-expose by more than
5/10 and you'll never see the details in your shadows, so break
out that light meter and make sure it's calibrated properly. The
second factor is Color Balance. Videographers have been doing it
for years, setting a white balance everytime they change lighting
conditions. Sure, you have an auto white balance, but if you want
better results, learn how to use the custom white balance.
Other factors to consider are your lighting ratio, consistent color
tempurature of your light source, quality of your lights and the
light to subject distance.
Guidelines
In order to provide you with the best service possible, we ask
that you follow the guidelines listed below. Not following
these rules, may incur additional charges and a delay in the completion
of your order.
- Always fill out your job bag completely. Please be specific
when sending special instructions with your order. Give as much
detail as possible
- If you are submitting a large volume of digital images always
include a Run List.
- Your Run List should be in the same order as your files appear.
Names should match EXACTLY.
- Submit only those files that need to be printed.
- If you are a MAC user, burn CD's in ISO 9660 format.
- When submitting B&W files, specify if you want them printed
as a B&W or Sepia.
- Always backup your media and never send your originals.
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