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| Supplying Your Photos |
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| Q |
How do I size my own images up? |
| A |
You don't need to - we'll size it up for you for FREE. Simply attach the image (under 5Mb) to an email and send to studio@bigprints.com.au with a request to see if it can be sized to the canvas print you are looking for on your wall. |
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| Q |
Which digital camera should I buy? |
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The best reviews by far on digital cameras can be found at http://www.dpreview.com |
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| Q |
Can I send you a picture from my digital camera |
| A |
Yes - we accept any jpeg, TIF, or RAW images from any brand of digital camera. Usually they make great canvases or big prints from a jpeg around 300k in size or bigger. We have successfully found a unique way to take very small 100k files and enlarge them up to over a metre wide! If in doubt just email your image to us at studio@bigprints.com.au and we'll let you know the optimum way of presenting it. |
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| Q |
What can I send you? |
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A digital file, or a 35mm negative, or a 35mm slide, or a photo print. We scan all the latter ones to a digital file and enlarge them using some very sophisticated technology that does it and keeps the image sharp. |
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| Q |
Can you do other creative things to my pictures? |
| A |
Yes. Basically anything can be superimposed, the colours changed and we even fix up faded pics and put nice old fashioned sepia tones on them with titles if required. Converting your photo to black and white or sepia is FREE of charge. |
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| Q |
How much do the extras cost? |
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Not much really. Have a look at the Production items under 'Send Us Yours' as you may need your image Scanned then Sized if you have a negative. |
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| Q |
Do I need to copyright my work? |
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No. Copyright protection is automatic; there is no system of registration in Australia. A work does not need to be
published, or have the copyright notice on it, to be protected. From the time it is first written down or recorded in some way it is protected, provided it has resulted from its creator’s skill and effort and is not simply copied from another work.
You do not need to register your work unless you want to sue someone for reproducing or selling your work without your permission. Visit the Australian Copyright Council for more information on copyright laws and protection http://www.copyright.org.au/. |
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| Q |
How do I sharpen an image? |
| A |
Your image should be sized to 220dpi at the size you're going to print it. Zoom the image to 100% so that you can see every pixel in an area of your image.
Convert your image to Lab color from the Image/Mode menu.
Select only the Lightness channel on the Channels tab.
Select Filter/Sharpen/Unsharpen Mask. Adjust the sharpness parameters without over-sharpening. Typical values are 100-150%, 1-2 pixel radius, and a 0 level threshold.
Convert the image back to RGB mode. |
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| Q |
I create my own digital files. How large should I make them? |
| A |
Create you image with about 200-300dpi at final output size and it will be more than sufficient to maintain sharpness and detail.
If you have an existing file, and you can't recreate your image at a high resolution, DO NOT simply resize and resample it with a photo editing program to achieve high resolution. For best results, you must create your image at a high dpi in the first place by choosing the 'FINE' setting or 'maximum resolution' on the camera preferences.
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| Q |
What special instructions does my photographer need to shoot my work? |
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If you are having a professional photographer shoot your work, be sure to get high resolution digital files on a CD or DVD.
Instruct your photographer to take extra care ensuring the piece is evenly lit.
If you work in oils, acrylics, or any other highly reflective medium, your photographer will need to polarize both the light source and lens.
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| Q |
What is digital image resolution? |
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Digital image resolution is the size of your image, measured in pixels ("picture elements"). A high-resolution image (such as 1600 x 1200 pixels) will result in a better printed photo than a low resolution image (such as 320 x 240 pixels), all other things being equal. If the resolution is too low for the size of the print chosen, the photograph will look fuzzy and indistinct. We recommend that you always use the high resolution setting on your camera to ensure the best prints.
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| About the Prints |
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| Q |
What are Acceptable Digital Files? |
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Preferably, send your digital file as a TIF file: RGB encoded (3 channels, 8 bits per channel) with LZW compression. This uses a lossless compression (unlike JPG compression) so there is no image degredation.
For crisp output, your original file should contain a minimum of 220 pixels per inch at final output size. Files with 100-200 dots per inch at final output may be acceptable, but will not have the sharpness and detail of larger files. A lower dpi leads to soft edges and loss of detail which may be acceptable for some images particularly on canvas.
The table below shows the file sizes for various output sizes at 200 and 300 dpi so you can get an idea of how big your file will be if you give it to us the correct size:
Output Size @200 dpi @ 300 dpi
11x14" 17 MB 38 MB
16x20" 36 MB 80 MB
28x20" 64 MB 144 MB
32x44" 160 MB 360 MB
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| Q |
How do you print the giclee prints? |
| A |
We print your picture on the latest in high resolution large format printers. A recent breakthrough in technology has allowed us to bring you long lasting, vibrant, photo quality images that are fade resistant for over 75 years.
We use archival inks that are pigment based rather than dye based. |
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| Q |
What is the difference between 'canvas only' and 'canvas wrapped'? |
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Canvas only means it is not stretched over a frame - we deliver it rolled and you arrange stretching with your local framer. "Canvas Wrapped" means we deliver it, ready to hang, stretched around a 4cm (2inch) thick wooden frame, strung and taped at the back so dust doesn't get in the crack between the canvas and the frame. Gives a nice chunky art gallery feel.
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| Q |
How Long do they last? |
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At this stage the inks have been lab tested to around 75 years lifespan, provided they are not subjected to direct ultra violet light. So you'll get a long, long life from the prints if they are kept out of direct sunlight. |
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| Q |
How are they mounted? |
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The canvas is stretched onto high quality 40mm wood frames.
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| Q |
How long does it take to get my picture back? |
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Our current turnaround on 'custom requests' is 10 days at our studio to print and wrap images from the Gallery. If you require 'unwrapped' canvas, then turnaound can be 5 work days.
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| Q |
What material do you print on? |
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After much research, we produce the finest giclée prints on 100% acid free medium matt cotton canvas. |
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| Q |
Do you fix scratches and marks on my original? |
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Oh yes - it doesn't take long and you won't see the patch up. First we have to make it into a digital file by scanning the film, photo or artwork - then we can remove stratches and blemishes. |
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| Q |
How often do you update the images/pictures? |
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We add to the image selection every week. Generally it is based on what we are requested to shoot and design - stay tuned for some great water lillies and many more frangipanis as well as something for 'the fellas'. |
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| Q |
What inks do you use? |
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We use pigmented inks which provide not only better display permanence than the dye-based inks you get in most inkjet printers, but also have better water-fastness and humidity-fastness and superior resistance to gas fading (not a misprint!). |
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| Q |
How do you care for your canvas (clean them)? |
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Just treat your canvas like any fine art piece. Simply run a duster over them once a month and that should take any dust off the front and top. If you have a mark from a moth or similar you can use a soft white cloth and water only to rub very gently over the area affected. This does remove light marks that have not embedded in the canvas fabric.
Please note , we give no warranties on this should you rub too hard and the pigment comes off or cracks. |
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| Prices |
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| Q |
How much is it to have my photo enlarged and printed? |
| A |
If you send us a digital file, we suggest a scan and sizing process to get your file in a 'digital ready' state.
If you send a photo, slide or negative, we will need to scan it in which costs $44 and includes basic enhancement (colour & contrast correction, interpolation and scratch & blemish removal).
Next we size it up to your chosen canvas size. The fee for this is $33 and next we print your picture on canvas. Please check our price list for indicitive pricing.
Packing and delivery will vary depending on the size of the print and its destination, you can always pick up your Big Print from us. |
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| Q |
Are your prices inclusive of GST? |
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Prices quoted include Australian Goods and Services Tax (GST) unless otherwise stated. |
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| Q |
Do you charge for delivery? |
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Yes - we can quote you freight charges at time of enquiry or you can collect from us. |
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| Q |
How much can I sell my giclee prints for? |
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No easy answer. Prices vary from $65 for small prints by unknown artists to thousands of dollars large canvases by well known artists. Many factors contribute to the price including the reputation of the artist, the size of the print, and if there is an edition count. The price of your original art is a relative indicator of what you will get for your prints. You can work on around 25-35% of the price of your original. |
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| Q |
How do I pay? Do I need to make a down payment? |
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We accept VISA, MaterCard, EFTPOS, and personal cheques.
You need to make a deposit with your order of around 50% of the order and the remainder is COD. Typically we will charge your credit card when we ship your job. |
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| Artists |
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| Q |
How should I prepare my digital files? |
| A |
Digital File : The most important element of giclée printing is the digital file. Without quality input, no printer can produce quality output – garbage in, garbage out. Make sure your digital file is prepared properly and contains no unwanted jpeg 'artifacts' before sending it to us.
Digital Color Space : Compose your color files in the Adobe 1998 RGB workspace.
File Types : Save your files as TIFs with LZW compression or flattened Photoshop PSDs. LZW is a lossless compression that does not degrade the image quality. To the contrary, JPG compression is a lossy compression. Avoid opening and resaving JPG files as this may destroy color fidelity and image sharpness.
File Sizes : Simply enlarging an image file with a graphics program, such as Photoshop, does nothing to enhance output quality. If your image has very fine detail and is to be printed on canvas, creating it at 220dpi will be more than sufficient to maintain the sharpness. The file should be initially created with the final output size as the determining factor for the file size. Use the table below as a guide.
Output Size | @200 dpi | @300 dpi
11"x14" 17 MB 38 MB
16"x20" 36 MB 80 MB
28"x20" 64 MB 144 MB
32"x44" 160 MB 360 MB
Guide Prints : If you have artist proofs or guide prints available and exact color is critical to you, send them to us to make sure we are accurate and consistent with your intent. Remember, monitor colors vary drastically. |
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| Q |
What does the artist/photographer make out of the sale? |
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PLease consult BigPrints directly
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| Q |
What must I send you? |
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Initially we will assess your work by sending us emailed jpegs of your work.
The next step is to send your image transparencies, original art, or digital files to Bigprints. If your work is accepted, you will need to send an artist bio and your images in high resolution. Image Details : For each image you will need to send -
» Title of the Work
» Short Description of the Work
» Your choice of IP (intellectual property) value per square metre of image sold (e.g. $300/sq.metre)
» Signed or Unsigned
» Edition Count or Open Edition
» Category for your Work |
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| Q |
Best way to market your work |
| A |
Via the internet: Your art can be displayed and sold in our Gallery. It is a valuable option and tool to give your work presence and accessibility. Traditional marketing is still the best though through galleries and art shows. However, our internet gallery is an excellent complement to these methods and is a great way for you to show and supply your work to your customers with ease.
Display & Sell : Displaying your work in our BigPrints Gallery provides a convenient portfolio for your clients to reference. Furthermore, when you join the BigPrints Gallery you get decades of digital printimaking expertise, collective marketing and internet exposure.
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| Q |
What proofing options do you offer? |
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Over the past few years the technology has become so good that you don't really need a proof if you adhere to our Colour Management request.
If you submit a normal digital camera image as a jpeg file it usually arrives in sRGB format. We print out of and use Adobe 1998 colour space in Photoshop so if you can emulate that, then what you see, will not vary by more than say 5% on what you get back from us.
BUT, and there always is one. You need to have a reasonable colour card in your computer with a decent colour screen. Don't let this put you off as we have had one issue with this in thousands of canvases printed since the turn of the century! |
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| Q |
What shall I allow for stretch in the borders? |
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Stretching : If you choose to stretch (or 'wrap')canvas prints, allow a minimum of 2 inch (5cm) borders on all sides of the print. Our 'Send us Yours' prices are for stretched canvas and you can toggle this off for 'unstretched' canvas prices. |
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| Q |
What do you do about reprinting my files? |
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Scan Once, Output Many : Your digital file is your digital asset. Once your file has been prepared and colour corrected, we will archive the file and all your color preferences. If you would like re-prints later, just let us know and we'll pull your file from the archive and print it - no recurring costs to you except for the printing.
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| Q |
How do you get my original painting ready for digital reproduction? |
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Digital File : The most important element of giclee printing is the digital file. We scan your original work using a high resloution digital camera to create this digital file.
Camera Scan : The digital camera directly captures the image creating a hi-resolution file. Traditionally, the image is captured on film and is then scanned. However, this latter process leads to a loss of color accuracy, detail and does introduce 'noise' from the emulsion on the film when enlarged.
Proof : Camera capture also facilitates the proofing process since color corrections can be made first hand. Even if you are not ready to do a run of prints, it is a good idea to scan and proof an original work that you may no longer have access to. The file can be used in lieu of a transparency for any output method as well as giclee prints. Scan once, and output many.
Film Scan : In some cases, the only archive available is transparency or film material. We use a professional drum scanner that will scan this material to create a digital file or a 35mm Nikkon scanner with digital 'Ice' to remove scratches and dust.
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