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Art Reproduction Basics: Reproducing Colors Accurately

February 6, 2023 by Andrea

Making good color reproductions of artwork takes excellent equipment, the appropriate software, skill and a knowledge of how color is rendered in each step of the digitization process. This post will help you understand why certain colors and/or elements of artwork reproduce well or poorly using the best available methods of professional digital technology and Inkjet/giclée printing. Make sure you read all the way to the bottom where there are several useful FAQs.

What is my color gamut?

First an understanding of color space or COLOR GAMUT is necessary. Think of color gamut as the palette of paints that you have available to create your artwork. For example, if you paint with oils you might paint with a limited palette: Cadmium Yellow, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue and Titanium White. These colors when mixed can create every color including greens, purples, oranges, etc., giving you all colors but perhaps not the range or intensity you desire. If you add paint colors to expand your palette such as Viridian Green and Dioxazine Purple you expand the greens, purples and other colors you can mix, giving you more greens and purples to work with. So to continue this metaphor you have expanded your color gamut, your palette, to include a wider and more varied choice of color options. Simply stated, a color gamut is the variety and range of colors available.

In digitizing artwork the goal is to create a reproduction that gives the best representation of the original. The goal is to create a reproduction where all the color relationships are precise and the overall effect is color accurate. To do this each step in the digitization and printing process must capture the maximum amount of information and correctly translate that information. In an ideal world everything falls within the same color gamut.

Color Gamut by Device
Color Gamut by Device

It is important to understand that everything in the reproduction process has its own color gamut, the digitization camera/scanner, the computer monitor, the software, and the printer. For example, the camera in your phone utilizes a much smaller color gamut to capture an image than does a professional digital camera. So if you photograph your artwork with your phone you start with a small color gamut, that lost color information cannot be added back accurately later in the process. Also software like simple image preview software, and browsers like Chrome also use a much smaller color gamut than Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom. The images you take with your phone and upload to Instagram may look good in the uniformly limited color gamut of the internet, but they are not an accurate record of your artwork or ideal for accurate print reproduction.

A large color gamut is important because If a color in your piece of artwork falls outside the color gamut of either the digitization device (camera/scanner), or printer, that color will reproduce as the closest color in the gamut. That is why you want every device in the process to capture or reproduce the largest color gamut possible. At Digital Silver Imaging our inkjet/giclée printers use 11 pigment inks plus a chroma optimizer to print an extensive color gamut rendering the most accurate color possible. The average office or home printer typically uses 4 inks for a very small gamut.

Making the best reproduction of your art

So color reproduction is not as simple as clicking a button. The entire reproduction process must be designed and operated for color accuracy. Can you make color accurate reproductions in your own studio or home? Of course, but it takes the equipment and technical knowledge to make it all work.

Original painting and printed reproduction
Original painting and printed reproduction

We digitize your work using an ultra-high resolution Phase One camera, or full frame DSLR for large format work, and flat field lenses designed specifically for reproduction. We use Digital Heritage Capture One software, calibrated monitors, color accurate light sources, and Calibrite Color Checkers. Every step in our process has been designed to reproduce the most accurate color possible. The final step involves our expert staff that examines and makes those subtle changes that no software can.

FAQs

Can I choose the paper my reproduction is printed on?

Absolutely! We offer a wide variety of papers in many different surfaces. From ultra gloss to flat matte, to watercolor, and canvas. The paper you choose is an important part of the process. We offer papers from Canson, Hahnemühle, and Ilford.

Can I do my own digital capture and have you print it?

Yes. To get the best results please use a high quality digital camera, preferably one that has the ability to capture images in RAW format. Use a calibrated computer monitor to make any adjustments to your digital file and work in AdobeRGB color space. 

Can you print from images I made with my iPhone/Smart Phone?

We can but because of the internal software in your phone, and the color space (gamut) used by phones it is difficult at times to make an accurate color reproduction. We ask that you don’t expect perfect color from a photo made with a phone.

Will the print paper I choose affect the color of my reproduction?

Yes. Different papers have slightly different base colors. In the world of paper different base colors are referred to as cool base, neutral or bright, and warm base (off-white to cream). Your base color slightly impacts all the color and white space in your print.

Can digital capture or Inkjet/giclée prints reproduce fluorescent or metallic paints and pigments?  

Fluorescent or metallic paints use UV light and reflection to create more brilliance. In these situations some additional post production time maybe required to produce an image with increased saturation to approximate the feel of a fluorescent color. Metallics present the challenge of reflections, which are difficult to approximate. See our staff for specifics on your artwork.

What to you charge for your services?

Art reproduction

Value Prints

Custom Prints

Filed Under: DSI Product Information, DSI-News Tagged With: art reprodution, color gumut, digitization

Instant Image Archive Compared to Drum Scan

June 22, 2021 by Andrea

The Instant Image Archive Service produces drum scan quality at a fraction of the price and in a fraction of the time. We can make this claim because we ran a test. The examples in this post show the same black & white negative reproduced by drum scan and by the Instant Image Capture System. These are straight reproductions, just as they would be delivered with only the image inversion performed. 

From these samples it is obvious that there is no qualitative difference between the two. This is amazing in that the Instant Image Capture is 1/5 to 1/10 the price of most drum scans and it takes only 1/60 of a second, allowing for 100s of high resolution captures in a day.

If you have 500+ negatives, transparencies, or prints up to 20×24” you’d like us to scan we can bring our system to you! Our On-site Instant Image Preservation Service™ brings our system to your location in a custom built van. Now you don’t need to worry about moving or shipping your valuable archive. This service is available anywhere in the contiguous USA. Contact us for more details or for a quote.

b&w image of a hose coiled over a fence
Instant Image Capture – full frame
b&w image of hose coiled on a fence
Drum Scan – Full Frame
detail of hose coiled on a fence
Instant Image Capture – Detail
detail of drum scan
Drum Scan – Detail

 

Filed Under: DSI Product Information Tagged With: drum scan, instant image capture

Webinars & Video Tutorials

November 3, 2020 by Andrea

Visit and subscribe to our Youtube Channel to see all our videos.

Optimize Your Image for Print with Capture One – Capture One expert Scott Nidermaier walks you through the process of preparing your image for print. Capture One is powerful software that has the best inversion (negative to positive) capabilities in the business. Join us for this informative 30 minute presentation followed by an audience Q&A session.

 

Instant Image Capture, Better Than Scanning – Come along for a tour of our Instant Image Archiving Service and the hardware and software that make it all possible. Our new service digitally captures your film, print or artwork at a uniform 150 megapixels in a fraction of a second. We can make digital files of your work as quickly as we can safely prepare them for capture – transparencies/slides, negatives, prints and flat artwork can all be reproduced with the highest standards of accuracy. This webinar ends with an extensive Q&A.

 

The Art of Underwater Photography with Jake Stout – A deep dive with photographer and scuba diver Jake Stout – Jake began his SCUBA journey in 2017 and never looked back. A year later, he was the recipient of the Boston Sea Rover’s internship in which he traveled around the world doing underwater photography with marine scientists, BBC and National Geographic photographers and filmmakers. In 2019 Jake had the honor of presenting his work at the Boston Sea Rovers Film Festival, the longest continually running dive show in the world, and was inducted as a full active roster member in 2020.

 

Using Photography to Elevate Your Design – A beautifully finished and well crafted photograph can be the defining element of an interior space. As a designer or architect, you are confronted with questions like, what are the best photographic printing processes? How can I finish a photograph to best complement my design aesthetic? What should my photography budget look like? How do I work with a gallery or photographer? These questions and more will all are answered in a this Zoom panel discussion. The panel will consist of fine art photo lab owners Eric Luden and Andrea Zocchi, architect Tim Techler and art consultant Lynne Kortenhaus who has helped numerous clients acquire images and design interior spaces with photographic installations.

 

Converting Your Image to B&W with Joe Brady – How you execute your black and white conversion can make-or-break your image and your print. Simply selecting “grey scale’ results in soulless black & white conversions. Photoshop® and Lightroom® expert Joe Brady will share how he converts his images from color to black & white. Joe steps you through the process in clear easy to follow steps. Also included is a howto on the Nik Silver Efex Pro plug in. Joe and the team from Digital Silver Imaging will answer your questions live in this informative and interactive webinar. Included in the webinar: Starting your edit in color for the best black & white Using the graduated filter function to even exposure How to properly spot your image Using color channels to make amazing black & white conversions Using the brush tool to make black & white images that pop Best practices for exporting your image for print.

 

Photographing in India and Nepal: An Insider’s Guide – Join us with Roro La Velle and Craig Semetko as we take you on a journey through India and Nepal. Both of these Roro and Craig have experience as photographers, travelers, and tour leaders in these fascinating and photo friendly countries. Roro La Velle is the founder of Two Wheeled Expeditions, a company that takes participants via Royal Enfield motorcycles on tours of India and Nepal. Craig Semetko is a Leica professional and author of the book “India Unposed.”

 

Creating a Successful Kickstarter Campaign with Barry Schneier and Lou Jones – We speak with photographers Barry Schneier and Lou Jones about their successful Kickstarter projects. Barry’s book project on Bruce Springsteen was the second most popular photography book on Kickstarter in 2018. Lou has had 2 successful campaigns on this crowdfunding platform. We will discuss what made their campaigns successful and some important tips and suggestions. We end with Q&A from the attendees.

 

Online Printing Made Easy – We will walk you through the steps to using our new online Value Print Service for uploading your files for beautiful high quality prints and reasonable prices. An easy way to become acquainted with our online Value Print application. Includes a Q&A session with webinar participants.

Filed Under: Case Studies, DSI Product Information, DSI-News, General News Tagged With: tutorials, video tutorial, webinars, youtube

Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Metallic

October 30, 2018 by Andrea

Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Metallic is a FineArt inkjet paper with a shimmering surface and a specially formulated inkjet coating for FineArt use. Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Metallic’s high-gloss premium inkjet coating with a unique metallic surface guarantees deep dark blacks, bold colors, and a metallic silver look. A great choice for images with metallic elements, reflections, ice and glass, architecture and landscape shots. Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Metallic meets the most exacting standards of age resistance and is acid and lignin-free, making it an ideal choice for museums and collectors. Consider Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Metallic as a distinctive choice in papers or as an alternative to prints on metal or prints on acrylic.

  • 340 gsm, 100% cotton
  • Natural white, without optical brighteners
  • Sophisticated surface texture
  • High-gloss premium inkjet coating for outstanding printing results with a unique, silvery-shimmering metallic effect
  • Acid and lignin-free
  • ISO9706 compliant / museum quality for a high age resistance
  • Compatible with pigment and dye inkjet systems
  • Contains no optical brighteners

Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Metallic is available through our Custom Pigment Printing services and our Value Printing service.

Filed Under: DSI Product Information, General News Tagged With: Hahnemühle Photo Rag® Metallic

Aspect Ratio Versus Print Size

July 17, 2018 by Andrea

Aspect ration versus print size is an important issue to understand when printing your photographs. When digital cameras appeared on the scene they were designed to mimic the look and operation of analog cameras. Even today’s DSLR cameras have sensor sizes based on traditional analog film formats.

Why does aspect ratio matter when printing?

It matters because aspect ratio, the proportion of your camera’s sensor length vs. width, determines how your image fits on a piece of printing paper. If you choose a print size that does not match the aspect ratio of your camera image, then you will need to crop your image to fit on the print. Use the chart below to give you an Idea of the print size that matches your camera’s sensor or film size.

 

 

Filed Under: DSI Product Information, General News

B&H Photo Profiles our Switch to Canon Prograf Printers

April 10, 2017 by Digital Silver Imaging

Canon Prograf 1000 Printer
Digital Silver Imaging’s Canon Prograf 1000 printer at work

B&H Photo & Video profiles our switch to Canon Prograf Printers from Epson printers. B&H’s Jill Waterman interviewed our own Eric Luden about the advantages of the Canon Prograf 1000 and Canon Prograf 4000 printers. Jill did a great job in providing B&H readers with real life reasons why the new Canon printers outperform their Epson counterparts.

If you want to know more about why Digital Silver Imaging switched to Canon Prograf printers or are thinking of switching yourself Jill Waterman’s interview is great source material.

Follow this link to the B&H article.

Filed Under: DSI Product Information, General News, News Tagged With: b&h|Canon|Jill Waterman|Prograf Printers

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Digital Silver Imaging

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Belmont, MA 02478
617-489-0035
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Digital Silver Imaging

9 Brighton Street
Belmont, MA 02478
617-489-0035
email us
map and directions
shipping info
Hours: 9–5:30 Monday–Friday

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