The following
file/print size chart should be used as a guide for producing
optimal quality prints on our Lightjet digital enlarger
and Fuji Frontiers (file sizes shown are minimums). We can
often generate prints from smaller file sizes, but you may
experience some degradation in image quality. If you need
to produce a digital file from your film, A&I drum scans
are a great way to get the resolution you need for a large
print size. We usually recommend that film be scanned at
300 dpi in order to provide some leeway for cropping.
Scan sizes are listed for RGB tiff files only. Calculations
are based on Adobe Photoshop.
High-Resolution
Drum Scans
These are the highest quality scans in the industry. Available
for negatives, transparencies or prints up to 11.5x12 at 8,000dpi.
Provides a fully color corrected and cleaned scan at the size
you request. Drum scans use an oil-mount process. Suitable For: Large format printing.
Scitex
Flatbed Scans
Available for prints up to 11.5x16.5 at 4,000dpi. Provides
a fully color corrected and cleaned scan at the size you request. Suitable For: Small or large format printing.
Noritsu
Scans A&I's Durst Sigma scanner
has been replaced with the new Noritsu 1700SA. This new-to-market
technology is superior to the Sigma in many ways. The Noritsu
maintains excellent detail in highlights and shadows and offers
much more sensitive image correction options. This service
is available for transparency, color negative or black and
white film, for 135, panoramic, and 120 formats up to 6x9,
in low, medium, high and ultra high resolutions.
All scans are color corrected. Suitable For: Small or large format printing.
Frontier
Scans This service available
for transparency, color negative or black and white film,
for 135 and 120 formats, in low (4-6 mb) and medium (19-25 mb) resolutions. Suitable For: Small format printing.
A&I offers slides from digital
files (135 format only).
The submission specs are:
Uncompressed RGB TIFF
8 Bit
No alpha channels
Horizontal orientation (Vertical files should be rotated
to horizontal)
300 dpi @ 9 inches wide x 6 inches high
Please leave 1/8" border for mounting (images WITH borders
should be 9"x6")
Note: Images that do not have a 9"x6" aspect ratio will
need to be canvased out or cropped. When canvasing out,
it is recommended to use black as a background color.
One of the most common questions
we receive relates to full-frame printing and how best to
achieve it. True full-frame means that every part of a negative
is visible on a print.
Many photographers compose
critically within their viewfinder then wonder why the image
on their 4x6 proof prints isn't exactly as they saw it. The
reason for this is that the masks used in most print machines
(e.g., Fuji Frontiers, Noritsus, etc.) do not make true full-frame
prints. Rather, they very slightly crop into an image.
The best way to get a true
full-frame print is to get a custom enlargement with a true
sloppy border or a keyline border. Even a white border on
a custom print will crop into your image just a tiny bit.
Only true sloppy borders and keyline borders include the black
frame around an individual negative, thus ensuring that the
entire image is visible. Most machines simply will not be
able to print an entire image. This is why contact sheets
are so popular with professional photographers, and why photographers
who want their entire image to be visible opt for custom (non-machine-made)
prints.
A&I has customized its
print machinery to show more of an individual image than the
out-of-box standard calibrations permit. If you compare our
prints with those generated by another lab, it is likely that
you will see more of your image. However, you will always
find a little more of your image on the negative.
A quick reference
for 4x6 proof prints:
White border and bleed (no borders) prints crop an image
by approximately one millimeter all the way around.
Machine-generated sloppy borders (which are digitally
printed rather than true sloppy borders) crop an image
a little bit more.
A&I has long enjoyed a reputation
for generating some of the highest quality and most innovative
B&W prints in the nation. A&I’s team of master
printers helps photographers at all levels realize their artistic
vision by helping them understand what’s possible, then
delivering prints that often surpass what they originally
imagined.
Our B&W team holds to a simple
creed: To be a good printer, you have to be a good listener.
We work with photographers to understand what they are hoping
to accomplish, then follow through on their intentions and
vision. All our B&W fine art print services are available
by mail. What types of photographers do you work
with?
We work with students on up to the biggest names in the business.
We love working with new photographers - amateurs and professionals
alike.
What is
the difference between Presentation, Exhibition and Museum
prints? All three types of black and white prints
are on double-weight fiber-based paper, then washed archivally,
air-dried, flattened and spotted.
Presentation Print
– Our fiber Presentation Prints are simple archival
work prints with minimal cropping, dodging and burning.
We offer this service in 5x7, 8x10 and 11x14 sizes only,
and there are no re-dos.
Exhibition Print -
An Exhibition Print is a custom print which includes burning,
dodging and any toning deemed suitable for the image.
A&I’s customer service experts are specific
in communication to ensure that the end result meets with
a photographer’s expectations.
Museum Print –
This option is for photographers who are open to creative
interpretation. The end result is a print that a photographer
often did not realize was possible from their negative.
Museum Prints are often extremely technically challenging
or require extensive darkroom manipulation. When crafting
Museum Prints, our master printers may use unconventional
papers and chemistry combinations, add layers of wax and
color pigments or apply unusual toning combinations to
create the best print possible.
What does your print price actually
include? Many labs offer a base print price
that includes one B&W print and then a range of “add-ons.”
A fiber print is one price, a certain toning is another
price, a more subtle variation of the same toning adds more,
and so on. We’ve eliminated all “extra”
charges. Our prices cover the creation of a beautiful print.
I want
a huge B&W print. Can you handle that?
The largest B&W fiber-based paper size we offer is 20x24.
However, when our customers need a larger B&W print, our
B&W and Digital Services teams work together to fulfill
a photographer’s vision. Certain things cannot be achieved
digitally, and other things cannot be achieved by hand. Often,
it takes a combination of the two art forms to create the
desired end result. Both teams work together on a daily basis
to ensure our customers get exactly what they want.
What
kinds of papers and chemistry do you use?
For hand-printed B&W, we use a variety of available papers
and chemistry, from regular Ilford Multigrade to esoteric
papers ordered straight from Paris. In all Exhibition Print
and Museum Print services, we pair the image with the paper
that best supports the photographer’s desired end vision.
We work with photographers to understand their vision then
match appropriate printing processes, chemicals and papers
to create the desired end result.
Do you
work with clients by mail?
We serve numerous clients via mail. Just send us your negatives
with an explanatory note and a daytime phone number. We are
happy to contact you to discuss your print order in detail.
The important thing to remember is the distinction between assigning a profile and converting to a profile. Normally assigning a profile is applied to an untagged file (a file just scanned). Assigning a profile tells a monitor how to view the colors. It does not change the numbers behind a color. Imagine you are standing outside looking at a red car. Now imagine that you are looking at the car through different sunglasses. The red of the car stays the same but it appears differently depending upon which sunglasses you are looking through. Assigning a profile does the same thing, it tells the monitor how to look at a certain file without changing the numbers behind each color. Now imagine again that you are looking at a red car through a pair of sunglasses, only this time you are talking to someone who cannot see the car but would like to paint the car. You tell him that the car is red, so he paints with red. Only now you look at the red he has just painted and realize that it is not the same red of the car. You tell him to change the red by adding more yellow to his red paint. You change the components of the red, in photoshop terms you change the numbers behind the red so it prints differently. This is analogous to converting to a profile.
You convert to a printer profile to change the numbers behind the file, you change the numbers so the red on the monitor matches the red from the printer. Like a painter, each printer responds to color differently, in doing so adjustments are made in the conversion process to accommodate such differences so color on the monitor matches color on the printer.
B
&W Film Processing, Contact Sheets & Proof Prints
A&I has long held a reputation
for serving some of the world’s best B&W photographers.
It is our goal to consistently provide the same high-quality
B&W services and superior print output to all photographers,
whether they are student, amateur or professional. All of
our B&W services are available by mail.
What
machines, developers, processing times and temperatures do
you use to develop B&W film?
A&I uses a custom dip and dunk Refrema processor. Our
machine was custom-designed to render precise and accurate
processing for normally exposed, pushed or pulled B&W
films. We use Kodak Xtol developer that has been painstakingly
tested through careful sensitometry. Though close in description
to D76, Xtol runs cleaner and produces a sharper grain than
most other developers of its caliber. A&I has performed
extensive testing of each film type / format to produce specific
processing times. Our state-of-the-art machinery is also equipped
with a stop-bath cycle that most other labs do not offer.
Our custom machinery, finely tuned chemistry and expert staff
enables A&I to set a new industry standard for processing
of B&W film. Though many customers inquire about what
chemistry we use, it is important to note that the high-quality
output we are able to obtain is the result of a proprietary
combination of expertise, chemistry, machinery, temperature
and timing. These results cannot necessarily be achieved in
home labs.
What
B&W films do you process?
We process nearly every B&W film available. However, we
do not offer specialty hand-line services. We also do not
process Kodak Technical Pan film or Orthochromatic 25 film
(ORT 25) for normal results. We can process these films for
strange effects, e.g., if a photographer is looking for super
high contrast or litho-quality output. We also do not process
Agfa Scala (B&W transparency film). We refer our clients
to Main
Photo & Imaging Service for Scala processing
What
paper surfaces do you offer for your B&W contact sheets?
We offer both glossy and pearl surfaces. We also offer a choice
of paper tonality, from neutral to our specialty – warm
tone.
What’s
the best way to ensure an accurate push / pull with variable
speed film?
With variable speed films, such as B&W infrared or 3200-speed
films, we encourage our customers to tell us what ASA/ISO
they shot the film at. This helps us ensure that 3200 speed
film shot at 1600 gets processed correctly, etc.
Do you
process B&W infrared film?
Yes. Infrared film is very sensitive to light and as such
should be loaded and unloaded in total darkness, then kept
in the film canister that is taped shut and labeled “DO
NOT OPEN - B&W INFRARED.” As B&W infrared film
is variable speed, the film does not include a DX code or
have a “normal” ASA/ISO. Thus, photographers who
shoot this film must let us know how they shot it (ASA/ISO
and filter combination) so we know how to process it. Shooting
B&W infrared film “normal” (100 ASA) usually
requires use of a red or orange filter. Most photographers
experiment until they find the ASA/ISO and filter combination
that results in the desired effect.
No matter where you live,
A&I brings quality photographic and digital services right
to your door. A&I is proud to offer all its services via
mail, making it easier than ever to work with one of the most
reputable labs in the country.
To
request any reprint or enlargement service by mail,
send us a letter that includes:
• The negatives or transparencies
to be printed
• Detailed processing instructions (e.g., print finish
[glossy, matte, etc.], type of print(s) [machine, custom,
etc.], type of borders, size of print(s), quantity, etc.)
• Preferences (if any) for finishing services (e.g.,
mounting, laminating, etc.)
• Your credit card number (including type of card and
expiration date)
• Your ship-back address and desired method of shipping
(FedEx or U.S. Postal Service)
• Your phone number
To
request any digital output or scanning service by mail,
send us a letter that includes:
• A disc with appropriate
files for the requested output or negatives / transparencies
to be scanned
• Specific processing instructions (e.g., Lightjet prints,
Giclée prints, print finish, borders, size of print(s),
quantity, type of scans, etc.)
• Your credit card number (including type of card and
expiration date)
• Your ship-back address and desired method of shipping
(FedEx or U.S. Postal Service)
• Your phone number
To
request any film processing service by mail (without the use
of A&I’s prepaid mailers), send us a
letter that includes:
• Your unprocessed film
• Detailed processing instructions (e.g., any push/pull
requirements, requests for cross-processing, etc.)
• For Transparency Film: Preferences on mounting vs.
sleeving transparencies
• For Negative Film: Preferences on cutting/paging vs.
leaving negatives uncut
• Your credit card number (including type of card and
expiration date)
• Your ship-back address and desired method of shipping
(FedEx or U.S. Postal Service)
• Your phone number
Send all service requests
to:
A&I
Attention: Mail Order Services
933 N. Highland Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90038
(323) 856-5255
Once your order is completed,
we’ll bill your credit card and ship your finished order
back to you. Working with A&I has never been easier! We
can even send film back with your finished order. Questions?
Call us!
To ensure the safety of film
sent through the U.S. Postal Service, we recommend that our
customers find a way to attach a tracking number to their
package or individual mailer. Though A&I meticulously
tracks incoming and outgoing prepaid mailers, as well as orders
for standard services by mail, we have no way of locating
packages that never arrive.
If sending a quantity of mailers,
we recommend FedEx. However, the U.S. Postal Service offers
many cost-effective ways to secure tracking numbers on packages
sent through the mail.
• Delivery Status Through the Internet - $0.75 cents at time of mailing
• Return Receipt Requested / Confirmation of Delivery - $2.15 at time of mailing
• Signature Confirmation - $2.10
• Certified Mail - $2.65
• Priority Mail - $4.60 (packages under 1 lb., delivery within 1-3 days)
• Registered Mail - $8.50
