What photographic printers or digital enlargers do we use?
Proofs and standard enlargements are printed on a Noritsu digital minilab.
All other photographic services are imaged on a Polielettronica LaserLab and a Durst Lambda 130. The
Polielettronica LaserLab prints up to 20x30 and the Durst Lambda 130 prints up to 50" wide
by any length. These best-of-class machines use
pure color red, green and blue laser beams to expose light sensitive photographic paper
for superior prints. They represent an investment of over $600,000 and are key components in our quality-efficiency equations.
What photo
paper surfaces do we offer?
We offer Endura Semi-matte, Luster, Gloss, Metallic
and Crystal Archive SuperGloss media.
Each name is a good description of the paper surface. Crystal Archive
Supergloss is exactly what the name implies...super glossy!
Frequently you find that the shape (proportions) of the film you have does not
match the shape (proportions) of the print size you would like. To fit the image
to the paper, we have two choices: 1.) print the entire image and have different
borders on two sides of the print, or 2.) crop off part of the image to make
it's shape match the shape of the paper size you've chosen.
Printing the entire image is called "full frame printing" because the
image itself is printed without cropping.
What size do we
scan for Custom Prints? Can I get a copy of the scan?
Scans for Custom Prints are sized to the print
dimensions you ordered at the printer' s resolution; the scan is discarded after use. Optionally, we
will save it to CDR for you for $12.50 per disk and put as many images on the
disk as possible, depending on your order.
What size
do we scan for Gallery Prints?
Gallery print scans are sized for the print
size you order and the final image file is archived in our system for future
printing.
We won't need your original again. For future prints at larger sizes please see Archive Scans.
What is an Archive Scan?
If you're ordering a Gallery Print and you expect
to make future prints at larger sizes , we recommend
purchasing an Archive Scan. Instead of scanning only for the print size you've
ordered, we will scan, optimize and archive your image to a file large enough to
print up to a 40x60.
You have the security of having a high quality
digital copy of your image stored in our system and future prints, even larger
ones, can be ordered at Lambda Direct prices.
What is Endura Archival Paper?
 ENDURA
is Kodak's newest archival color photographic paper, tested to be fade-free
for over 120 years in normal indoor display conditions; i.e., without
direct sun or strong fluorescent light and for 200 years in dark storage.
What is Crystal Archive SuperGloss Paper?
 Supergloss is
a polyester-base media from Fuji's Crystal Archive family of
color photographic papers. It's tested to be fade-free for 80-100 years in normal indoor display conditions; i.e., without
direct sun or strong fluorescent light. Supergloss provides much of the the brilliance of a slide or transparency because
of it's polyester base and glass-like surface.
Can we
print Black & White images on these color papers?
Yes. To a digital
imaging system, a black & white image is simply an image that is
all gray (monochrome). Even gray has a subtle color-tone, though, that may be neutral,
warm or cold gray.
Preparing
files for Lambda-Direct self-service printing
Files
for Lambda-Direct prints are imaged "as
received" with no adjustments. We accept tiff and JPEG files.
For
predictable results, you must be using full color-management with Photoshop 6, 7
or CS and an accurately profiled monitor using one of our printer profiles for
soft-proofing. These are basic tools required for preparing files for this service and we cannot be responsible for poor results if your
system is not fully compliant. Sources of good information on monitor profiling
and colorimeters are
X-Rite , Colorvision
and Dry Creek Photo.
Files
should be saved at 254 ppi at the final image size you need, saved in
a standard color space, like Adobe1998 RGB, ColorMatch RGB, sRGB, ProPhoto RGB or CMYK (swop2)
and tagged accordingly.
Do not
convert your files to our printer profiles and do not tag your files with our
printer profiles. Use our printer profiles only for soft-proofing, then
save your file in one of the standard color spaces.
Our laser-bright digital enlargers are extremely consistent day-to-day so you can fine-tune your color adjustments based on their output. Good
color management does requires patience and experience to set-up and learn but
the benefit is very predictable, high-quality and economical prints.
What is X-rite Certification?
 Certification
by X-rite is further confirmation, by X-rite Monaco Systems, that Chromatics
uses the most complete color management tools available. If you handle color
management correctly, you will get predictable printed results.
More information from X-rite...
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