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Send your lab-related questions to Patrick Jagger.
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Readers Letter
How great it was to open up an e-mail and see that Bay Photo is "Lab of the Month" in Digital Photo Pro advertisement. So I thought I would definitely put my two cents in and say, Bay Photo, I love ya guys.
First let's talk about the customer service there. I cannot say enough how Justin, Mat, Josh, Brandon, Yohan (sorry for the spelling), Jennifer and Donald are all so very helpful. Every time I am in a crisis, I call Bay, and someone is always there to help me—problem solved! These people at Bay are so helpful and knowledgeable, it's unbelievable.
Now for the service. Oh boy, so many times have I put in a order, whether large or small, and do you know, most times, that order is delivered the very next day! Russell and I are completely shocked by this! How wonderful is that? Talk about service. Bay Photo is the only lab we use, and will continue to be the only lab we use! I cannot for see going anywhere else, with service like this. Larry whatever it is your doing? Don't Stop! Bay is the Bomb!!! Hats off to all of you.
Sincerely,
Carmen Cruz, Office Manager
Russell Foote Photography
Q&A with Patrick Jagger
Q: Patrick, Yesterday I found myself following some famous company's suggested printer profile settings, and now my prints are off by a huge margin. I can only tell you that I cannot seem to get back to normal, and I have stopped printing. What a waste of paper. The steps outlined weren't all the same, so I should have stopped, but now I'm confused. Is there a source of settings unique to my Epson R320 printer, and how Photoshop 7 accepts or overrides them in order to get a really accurate print? Also, if it matters, my monitor is a Sony SDM-HX73 DVI Digital LCD.
Thanks,
Rich
Hi Rich, If you calibrate your monitor and then, using your original files, simply use sRGB or Adobe RGB 1998 as your working space, you should be in good shape. In our Bay ROES Economy No Color Correction Version, you are allowed five free Evaluation prints to test your settings. When you get those back, evaluate the results and get back to us. Thanks.
Q: I shoot with a Canon 5D, which makes 13.6MP images. When expanded to psd, the file size is around 76 MB (16 bit). I want to make 24x36 prints. Can I do this and get a good-quality print from my camera? Do I have to use Genuine Fractals?
Thank you for your help. Also, what is shipping to Santa Fe, N.M., for two 24x36 prints?
Judith
Hi Judith, That should make a fine 24x36 print. No need to resize your file, just save a JPEG at the highest quality, and the file should be ready to go. Shipping is about $5.00.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can I upload images from my digital camera?
Your digital camera is supplied with software and connection cables that allow you to transfer the photos from the camera to your computer. Refer to your camera's manual for instructions on how to download images to your computer.
2. Can I print scanned images?
A scanner can be an excellent way to digitize your images. The only thing you should keep in mind is to scan with enough resolution to yield a good-quality print. You should be careful, however, not to send in a scan with too much resolution. A file that is too large will take too much time to upload. A good rule of thumb is to try to scan a file with a resolution between 800 x 600 and 1024 x 768 for standard-size prints. This will give you a better trade-off between quality, disk space and modem transmission time. Select JPEG as the file format to save the scanned image as.
3. Are GIF files good enough to be printed?
Due to its limited color palette and good image compression, the GIF file format is widely used for certain types of graphics on the Web. The main limitation for images that will be printed onto photo paper, however, is that GIF images are limited to a maximum of 256 colors. This makes them unsuitable for the subtle tones and gradations that are found in continuous-tone photographic images.
4. What is an image histogram?
A histogram is a powerful measuring tool that graphically represents the data within an image file. Having an understanding of a histogram will enhance your camera's exposure, which determines the pixel values of your image. Having properly exposed images is the #1 thing to improve color management.
5. What should I do to prepare images for printing?
The main thing is that images you upload should have a sufficient number of pixels and color depth. The number of pixels in a digital image is the primary factor that determines the final quality once it is printed.
7. What is lustre coating?
Water-based lustre coating is an environmentally friendly, non flammable coating that protects against UV light, fingerprints and dust.
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