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The LightJet® is a digital enlarger. It takes a digital file and uses laser light to expose traditional photographic paper for normal processing. Theoretically, any photographic paper could be used and the LightJet could be programmed for it. The first prints I saw from a LightJet were on Ilfochrome Classic and were very impressive. However, most labs using these machines use Fuji Crystal Archive paper for printing. This a color negative printing paper processed in normal RA-4 chemistry and as such, is easier to control and work with than Ilfochrome. It's imaging characteristics are similar to Ilfochrome in some respects. It has very high color saturation which, with the added control afforded by digital imaging techniques, can produce prints equal to or greater than those produced from exposing film through traditional enlargers, whatever the papers involved.
The material is available in three surfaces-matte, glossy and super glossy. The matte surface, while not truly "flat", is similar to the Ilfochrome Pearl surface. The regular glossy surface is typical of the glossy surfaces on other color printing material and the super glossy is virtually identical in appearance to Ilfochrome material used for printing directly from slides. The super glossy surface is slightly more expensive and, like Ilfochrome more easily scratched. Turnaround time on SuperGlossy prints is usually a day or two longer than for the other two surfaces.
Giclée prints have a lushness due in part to the wonderful papers they can be made on. They have a tonal and textural quality unmatched in photographic papers. Photographic papers, however, have a degree of saturation and a look to them that watercolor papers can't match. Lucky you-you can choose one or the other, or both, as the occasion merits! For the more traditional photographic look, choose a print on Fuji Crystal Archive. Remember, the same Master Image file you have prepared for the LightJet output can later made into a giclée print, and vice versa.
The Master Image
For the best results, your film must first be scanned and prepared as a Master Image File before printing on the LightJet. The one-time charge for this service is $75 per image. After the work is done, we archive the file for future printing and can provide you with a copy at the time the work is done, if you wish, for no extra cost. Copies of the archived file can be had at any later time for a small fee. Submit ten or more images for Master Image Files and the cost drops to $55 each.
For the Master Image we will produce a 16 bit scan at the maximum resolution of our scanner (the actual dpi varies with film format-see Scanning for more details.) This will be spotted of all dust and scratches and overall contrast and color/exposure adjustments will be made. Then, like in a traditional darkroom print, we will evaluate what we see on the screen for the additional work that will bring it out of the realm of "machine print". It is here that the nuances of a program like Adobe Photoshop really shine. By working on small areas of the image and adjusting the exposure of each indvidually we can bring out the best in your image.
This is exacting work but it is what makes the Master Image what it is-the best we can do to put your vision, captured by film, onto paper.
Many photographers making the transition to digital cameras are aware that shooting in the RAW format produces files with far more information in them than either JPEG or TIFF pictures. To utilize all of this picture information, you must be willing to roll up your sleeves and work with Photoshop and RAW programs such as Adobe's Camera Raw or Abobe Lightroom (no relation!) It is from these RAW files that you can develop pictures that make fullest use of digital technology. If you do so, we can print the resulting files for you. If you are not up to speed in working with RAW files but still want the best print you can get, our Master Image service is still available at the reduced rate of $40 per image, since we don't need to scan any film.
The table at the end of this section and on our Prices page shows the prices for LightJet prints on Fuji Crystal Archive paper, of traditional photographic print sizes up to 30x40 iches. The LightJet can print up to 50x120 inches. Please call us for prices and other considerations for prints larger than 30x40 or prints of any non-standard size. These prices are for either Master Image prints, or the Custom prints described below.
The Custom LightJet print
As good as the Master Image is, there are times when the prints needed do not justify the extra expense, yet something more than a machine print is called for. For these images, we offer the Custom print, meant to be comparable in quality to, or better than, what we used to do in darkroom printing, but without the added cost of a high resolution scan and the level of work we do for our Master Image services mentioned above. We do a medium resolution scan, suitable for up to 16x20 prints, possible larger. Minor adjustments of color and exposure produce a print that usually looks better than what could be done in the darkroom. Since there is no additional cost for the digital work, we don't keep a copy of the file and you will need to submit the slide again for future prints. You can buy a copy of the scan for the same price we would charge to do a medium resolution raw scan, $15. You can re-submit that in the future and be assured the file will print the same as the first time. You can also print it yourself on typical home inkjet printers or use it for any other use you could put to a digital file-web sites, post cards, etc.
Printing your own prepared files
We can make prints from your own scans or digital photographs, too.
For customers not interested in doing their own digital preparation, we suggest simply sending your digital pictures on a CD or uploading them via our FTP site. Then send an email describing what size prints you need and any other information. We'll take care of the rest. Include a daytime phone number so we can call if we have any questions.
If you do your own image prep, here's how to set the files up in Photoshop. Adjust the image to the printed size and resample to 300 dpi. if you need additional borders around the printed image, adjust the Canvas Size (in the Image menu) to reflect these borders. They can be white or any color you choose.
For example, a 35mm slide printed full frame on a sheet of 8x10 incorporating quarter inch borders would be set like this: quarter inch borders require an image 9.5 inches long so set the width to that in the Image Size window. The image height will adjust accordingly, to approximately 6.5 inches. Resample the image to 300 dpi when doing this. Then, go to Canvas Size and adjust the new dimensions from 6.5x9.5 inches to 8x10. For sizes other than traditional photographic paper sizes, call for pricing. Keep in mind that if you gang up images for a larger print, you will save money because you are doing the assembly and trimming. For example, if you gang four 8x10s onto one 16x20 page, you pay the 16x20 price, $65, instead of four times the 8x10 price of $25, or $100 total. You do the work, you save $35!
Leave your images in whatever color space profile you normally use in Photoshop. We will do the final conversion to our printing profiles here. Flatten any layers and be sure there are no additional alpha channels in the picture.Then save the picture as an 8 bit RGB file in TIFF format (Mac or PC) and choose LZW compression if you want a smaller file size. You can send images to us on CD OR DVD, or upload them directly to our FTP site by following the directions there. If you upload pictures to us, either call or email specifics of the printing job-size, quantities, shipping info and credit card info for billing.