A&I prepaid mailers provide
photographers with discounted rates on certain A&I film
services, including E6, C41 and B&W processing. Mailers
are designed to provide processing and proof prints for negative
film, and processing and mounting/sleeving for transparency
film. Certain additional options are available for a small
additional charge. Custom services are available via mail
- but not via A&I prepaid mailers - at full price.
Film formats that can be processed
via mailers include 135, 120 and 220. The list below provides
answers to a variety of frequently asked questions. For your
convenience, questions and answers are grouped into categories.
Follow the links below to learn more:
Does
the quality of the service I receive using mailers differ
from that available to walk-in customers? No. A&I recognizes that all film
is important. We give the same attention to each and every
roll of film we process, no matter how it comes in.
What
is the turnaround time for film submitted in an A&I mailer?
A&I does not guarantee turnaround time for film submitted
via use of A&I mailers. However, we usually turn film
around within 24-48 hours M-F.
If
I order prepaid mailers, how long will it take until I receive
them?
Orders for mailers are usually processed within 24 hours of
receipt M-F. If you submit an order online Tuesday night,
we will process your order and ship your mailers Wednesday.
From there, it’s up to the U.S. Postal Service (generally
1-4 days).
Do
I have to order mailers and wait for them to arrive to send
in my film?
A&I is able to offer discounted pricing on its services
through use of set minimum purchase requirements. To enjoy
the pricing discount, you have to purchase the set minimum.
If you do not already have A&I mailers and want to submit
rolls of film to be processed at mailer prices, we ask that
you order five or more additional mailers at that time. If
you do not wish to order additional mailers, then you will
have to pay our standard list prices.
Can
I check the status of my order online?
A&I does not currently have the ability to let its customers
check the status of their order online. We encourage our customers
to wait a reasonable amount of time (e.g., 24-48 hours for
processing, then however long it might take the U.S. Postal
Service to deliver a package from California to your home),
then call us at 323-855-5255 and select “2” for
Mail Order Services.
Do
mailers expire? If I buy 100 now, how long do I have to use
them?
Most A&I mailers do not expire. We will be discontinuing
Kodachrome service March 1, 2004. For more information, please
see the “Kodachrome” section elsewhere in this
FAQ.
If
I buy mailers, can I deliver them to A&I in person?
No. We ask that all customers who use mailers submit them
either by U.S. Postal Service or overnight shipping service.
I
live out of state and use A&I mailers. I’m going
to be in the area and want to visit A&I, and drop off
some film in mailers. Is that O.K.?
We encourage visiting photographers to stop by A&I. If
you are in town for a visit, you can drop your film off in
prepaid mailers. We make this in-person-mailer-drop-off exception
for photographers who live out of the area. As such, your
ship-back address cannot be local. If an order is submitted
in a mailer, it cannot be picked up; it must be shipped back.
Do
I need more than one mailer to submit a roll of 220 film?
Yes. Customers who shoot 220 must include two mailers for
every single roll of 220 film.
If
I am submitting 10 rolls of film and I want to run them all
the same, do I have to fill out individual mailers for each
roll of film? Or can I just fill out one and include the correct
number of mailers when I submit my film?
If you are submitting multiple rolls of film that you want
processed the same way, just fill out one mailer and leave
the rest blank. Your submission will need to include the correct
number of mailers (e.g., 10 mailers to process 10 rolls),
but you don’t need to fill them all out individually.
You can also just write us a letter and enclose the mailers.
Can I request special processing with my mailers ?
You can request cross-processing (E6 to C41) for no additional charge or a snip test for $5. You may also request a push or pull service for an additional $1 up to 1 stop and an additional $2 over 1 stop.
What
is the difference between “true” B&W film
and C41 B&W film?
True B&W film uses a variety of traditional B&W chemistry
combinations for processing. C41 B&W film can only be
processed in standard color chemistry.
True B&W film includes films
such as Kodak Plus-X, Tri-X and TMAX films; Ilford Delta films;
and Fuji Neopan films. C41 B&W film includes Kodak T400CN,
Ilford XP2, Kodak Portra B&W, etc. C41 B&W film features
clear labeling indicating that it should be run in C41 chemistry.
Just check the film canister.
Can
I process B&W film using A&I mailers?
Yes. Customers should use our B&W mailers for all true
B&W film. True B&W film is printed on true B&W
paper for contact sheet only. B&W film for prints is printed on color paper.
What
about C41 B&W film?
A&I also processes C41 B&W film via mailers. Customers
should use our C41 mailers for all C41 B&W film. C41 film
is printed on Fuji Frontier machines using Fuji Crystal Archive
(color) paper.
Can
I push my B&W film with mailers?
Yes. Simply write your required push or pull in the “Special
Instructions” window on the mailer or if sending multiple
rolls, simply include a note indicating your processing preferences.
Pushes or pulls -1/2 to +1 are $1 each (plus tax if in California).
Pushes or pulls outside of this range are $2 each.
In
addition to processing my film via mailers, I am interested
in getting scans of my film at the time of processing. Can
I just include a check for the additional amount? How much
does it cost?
A&I offers customers the ability to scan an entire roll of film into JPEG (default) or TIFF (by request for an additional $5/roll) at the time of processing. You can include check or credit card number (along with card type, name on card and expiration date) for the additional amount. For 135 film, the additional price is $5 per roll for negative or transparency film. The additional price is $5 per roll for any format of 120, and $20 for any format of 220.
I
don’t want prints. I just want you to process my film
and get the scans back on CD. Can I do that with mailers?
Yes. If you have a prepaid C41 mailer and you don't want prints
- but you do want 6 MB JPEG (default) or TIFF (by request
only) scans of each image - we can provide you with Regular
Frontier Scans at no additional cost. Simply include a note
with your mailer saying you want scans instead of prints,
and we will send you back a disc with 6 MB files. This size
is suitable for web display, small format printing and 4x6
prints. These scans cannot be used to make larger prints.
Higher res scans are available at our standard prices by mail,
but not by mailer.
What
is a Frontier scan?
Frontier Regular Scans can be made from negative or transparency
film. We provide 6 MB JPEG (default) or TIFF (by request only)
files for each image, along with a thumbnail. This size is
suitable for web display, small format printing and 4x6 prints.
These scans cannot be used to make larger prints. Higher res
scans are available at our standard prices by mail, but not
by mailer.
Film
Services Not Available Through A&I Prepaid Mailers
Though A&I offers all of
its services by mail, not all services are available by mailer.
For more information about how to work with us by mail, please
see the “By Mail” section of this web site.
A&I mailers cannot be used
to order the following:
1. Contact sheets
2. Custom handling or services
3. Machine or custom reprints
4. Sheet film processing
5. Scala processing (B&W slide film)
If you need to request any of
these services by mail, standard list prices apply. Just send
your film along with processing / printing / scanning instructions,
your ship-back address, desired method of ship-back (e.g.,
FedEx or USPS), and a credit card number with expiration date
to:
A&I Mail Order Services
2220 W. Magnolia Blvd Burbank
CA 91506
Phone: 888-666-5199
Can
I submit infrared film via A&I mailers?
Yes. There are two common types of infrared film: Color transparency
(EIR) and B&W negative (HIE / HIS). Film canisters should
be clearly labeled with film type, as the chemistry for one
will ruin the other. Infrared film is highly sensitive to
light. Film canisters should thus be taped shut and labeled
“DO NOT OPEN - COLOR INFRARED” or “DO NOT
OPEN - B&W INFRARED.” A&I requires its walk-in
clients to sign a waiver absolving A&I of any liability
resulting from processing this highly unpredictable film.
While we do not require our mailer customers to sign this
form, we do ask that our customers understand that this film
can yield varying results. For B&W infrared, we ask our
customers to let us know how they shot the film (ASA/ISO and
filter combination) so we now how to process it.
The most common infrared films
are:
1. Kodak Ektachrome Professional Infrared EIR Film
EIR is a color transparency film that is processed in E6 chemistry.
2. Kodak High-Speed Infrared (HIS and HIE)
HIE / HIS is a variable speed B&W negative film. Photographers
must let us know what speed they shot the film at.
Does
mailer cost include postage to A&I?
No. You must put postage on the mailer(s) or it/they won’t
get to us when you send them. If sending in a large amount
of film, you can also pay for overnight shipping via FedEx
or another overnight service. We cover ship-back costs.
Does
mailer cost include ship-back costs? How do you ship my film
back to me?
Yes. When you pay for a mailer, you are also paying your ship-back costs. For orders of 9 rolls or less, A&I ships back via the U.S. Postal Service. For orders of 10 or more rolls, A&I ships back via FedEx Ground, signature required. Note: These FedEx services are not available to customers in Hawaii; all processed film is shipped to Hawaii via U.S. Postal Service unless our customer wishes to pay overnight shipping charges.
I
live outside the U.S. and want to use A&I mailers to process
several types of film. Does the mailer price include international
shipping charges?
No. Our international client base is scattered throughout
the world, making it difficult to build all-encompassing international
ship-back pricing into our mailers. We ask our international
customers to enclose a note with their credit card number
(along with card type and expiration date) and ship-back preferences
(e.g., U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, etc.). When an order is
finished, we simply bill your credit card for the appropriate
shipping costs.
How
should I send in my film and my mailers?
A&I recommends that photographers entrust their unprocessed
film to FedEx or another overnight carrier. If you do choose
to use the U.S. Postal Service, we recommend that you send
your film “return receipt requested.” A&I’s
web site features a number of bulletins on film safety, as
well as information on film tracking methods available through
the US Postal Service.
If
I submit one roll early in the week and one roll late in the
week, will you send them back together or separately?
If submitted separately, your orders will usually be returned
separately.
If
I submit fewer than 10-15 rolls of film, but still want my
film shipped back via FedEx, how do I pay for this?
Many of our customers ask that we send their film back via
FedEx. As we don’t know how much a given order will
weigh until it’s finished, we ask that customers desiring
overnight shipping include a note indicating their preferred
mode of shipment along with their credit card number and expiration
date. We will then bill their card accordingly. For more information,
please see the “Faster Shipping Options” in the
“Downloads” section of our web site.
How
do I let A&I know what my print preferences are? Can I
get either matte or glossy prints? What about special borders?
The “Special Instructions” portion of the mailer
enables clients to write specific print instructions (e.g.,
bright skin, neutral colors, saturated colors, print surface
type, border type, etc.). You can also download any of our
“Mailer Options” forms and submit it with your
order. Forms are available for E6, C41 and B&W; each offers
a range of options and related pricing, as well as space to
write special instructions. Forms can be found in the “Downloads”
section of our web site. A&I mailers also have check-boxes
on them so customers can select “matte or glossy”
and “white borders or no borders.”
What
types of print border options are available to me? Can I get
sloppy borders with mailers?
We do provide an option for sloppy borders for a small additional
charge. Customers desiring sloppy borders should simply write
"Sloppy Borders" in the "Special Instructions" window on the
mailer; customers can also download a copy of any of our “Mailer
Options” forms and submit it with the order. You can
include either a check or credit card number (with expiration
date) for the additional charge (which is $4 per roll).
I
often push my E6 transparency film. How do I let you know
what my push or pull preferences are? Is there any additional
cost?
We encourage our customers to write push / pull requirements
in the “Special Instructions” portion of the mailer.
You can also download a copy of the “Mailer Options:
Color Transparency” form and submit it with your order.
Pushes or pulls of -1/2 to +1 are $1 each. Pushes or pulls
outside this range are $2 each.
I
often push / pull my color negative film. How do I let you
know what my push or pull preferences are? Is there any additional
cost?
As stated in the previous answer, we encourage our customers
to write push / pull requirements in the “Special Instructions”
portion of the mailer. You can also download a copy of the
“Mailer Options: Color Negative” form and submit
it with your order. Pushes or pulls of -1/2 to +1 are $1 each.
Pushes or pulls outside this range are $2 each.
What
“finishing” options do I have for my transparency
film? Customers who use mailers to process their transparency film have a number of “film finishing” options available. These options are listed on the “Mailer Options: Color Transparency” form located in the “Downloads” section of our website.
In general:
• Most 135 E6 (color transparency) can be mounted or sleeved. The default is “mounted.”
• 135 color infrared transparency film (EIR) is returned sleeved.
• 120 / 220 color transparency film is always returned sleeved.
• Slide mounts can be imprinted and/or put in slide pockets for an additional charge.
