Digital Printing Guidelines

Here at the Icon we have several different ways of printing your digital files, ranging from Epson Inkjet Prints, through low cost Fuji Frontier Machine prints and Light Jet digital C-prints.

We make every effort to ensure an accurate, color-managed workflow so that the prints we deliver are an accurate representation of the files you give us but there are several potential pitfalls. So, in order to help all of our clients attain the final output quality they expect, we have different levels of service for digital printing (similar to the different levels of service in traditional printing). With traditional prints you can order a Machine-Print, a Custom Print, or a Repro Print - in digital we have Direct-To-Print, Custom Prints, and Gallery Prints.

Gallery Prints are similar to Repro-Prints, but with some differences. With a Gallery Print you will receive a personalized service that results in a finished product which has been manipulated to attain the color, contrast, and saturation that you are looking for. This is attained through a series of test prints that are individually matched to samples you provide and incorporating your feedback. This service also includes localized adjustments to specific areas of your files. This service is designed to bridge the gap between digital printing and retouching – helping you to get digital prints with the ability to dodge and burn, make localized tone, contrast and color to attain the color, contrast, and saturation that you are looking for.

A Gallery Print order includes up to 3 rounds of proofs. At the end of each round you will be presented with a test print for comments. For the final round you will get 3 prints to choose from, printed at 20% of the final print size. The selected print will then be printed at the final size. Gallery service does not include retouching, sharpening, or compositing.

A special note about reference (or sample) prints: If you have a traditional photographic print that you want matched, we can achieve a 95% match with a Gallery Print. Some clients have begun offering inkjet prints as color references - this creates a difficult situation.

The colors and densities of inkjet prints are very different than those of the Lightjet printer, so we will do our best to match the sample but there may be noticeable differences. Also, depending on how the inkjet printer is set-up, it is possible to create color shifts that have no photographic equivalent (kind of like trying to make a standard negative look like cross processing!) If your inkjet sample has these color shifts the work needed to re-create the peculiarities of your inkjet printer requires retouching rather than color correcting. It is best to discuss your particular situation with a customer service representative who can help you understand what is possible and at what cost.

Custom Prints are similar to traditional custom prints. You provide us with specific instructions about the color and contrast of the image (or provide us with a sample) and we give you a print that matches as closely as possible through changes to the whole image. There is no dodging and burning, or localized correction to your files.

No matter what type of print you are purchasing be sure to let us know if you want copies of the files that were used to make the print. This will allow you to order additional prints (of the same type) in the future and attain nearly identical results every time. Remember, most of our digital prints are done with photo chemistry. This means that, from day to day, there will be slight variations in prints made from the same file.

The only additional charge for copies of these files is a small fee for burning the CD.

Our direct-to-print service is similar to a traditional machine print in that the prints are made without human intervention. We simply take the files you give us and send them directly to our printers. This works very well if your files are prepared correctly, but can result in unexpected results if the files are not quite “right”.

In order to get the best results from direct-to-print orders you must set up your files as follows:

• Images must be “to size” (eg: if you want a 4”X6” print you must give us a 4”X6” file)
• Images must have a resolution of 300 ppi (pixels per inch) and be in RGB color mode.
• Files must be Tiff or Jpeg, 8 bits per channel with no alpha channels.
• Any cropping or borders must be in the file – additional charges will apply if we need to crop or add borders to your images.
• There must one of the following, valid, color profiles included in the file (sRGB, Adobe 1998 or Colormatch).
• For certain types of print you must have an exact file size – for example, the Frontier printer can only accept 4X6, 5X7, 8X10, 10X12, and 10X15 inch files.

In addition to having your files properly prepared, you will get predictable color from your prints ONLY if a properly calibrated and profiled monitor was used when adjusting your images. If you do not have a hardware device for calibrating your monitor, then the colors of your prints could vary significantly from what you see on your screen. You will never get an exact match between prints and any monitor, but the images will look very similar if you have properly color managed your documents.

We are happy to help you with all these issues and can provide you with the use of a calibrated monitor to check your files before submission. If you have any doubts about the set-up of your files we can review them with you.

We also offer a print-set-up service (for $5) where we will ensure that your files are cropped, resized, and borders added to spec.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of direct-to-print technology, we can not be responsible for any problems that occur with a direct-to-print order due to problems with your files. Once a directto- print order has been placed you will be billed for the order regardless of the quality of the final output or our ability to output your images. Prints which need to be re-done due to poor file set-up will be billed at full price.

Color problems of any kind, not caused by a technical malfunction of our equipment, or any mismatch between your monitor and the final prints are not the responsibility of the Icon.

* File set up fees will be charged if The Icon must correct, modify, resize or reformat any file that is submitted for a “Direct-To-Print” order.