Scanning & Archiving

A giclée print is only as good as the digital file from which it is made – the more information contained in the file, the more accurate the print will be to the original in color, detail, tone and texture. This is why the whole issue of digital capture or scanning is of such paramount importance and why a “first-generation” scan taken directly from an original is always preferable to a “second-generation” scan taken from an intermediary such as a slide, transparency, negative or print.

There are a number of different scanning options depending on the purpose of the scan.  For archiving or marketing (business cards, postcards, web site, or e-mail), digital capture via a high-resolution single-shot digital camera, which typically yields a 35-50MB file, is more than adequate and will produce pleasing prints in smaller sizes (to 11”x14” approx).  For printing – giclée, offset or catalog – an uninterpolated high resolution scan via a digital scanning back camera or flat bed scanner is required.  This typically yields a 100-150MB file and captures every fine detail, every subtle color shift, even the tone and underlying texture of an original.  With this amount of information, accurate and stunning print reproductions can be made at sizes even larger than the original. 

At our studio we offer both services.  For high resolution scans we use a Betterlight digital scanning back camera.  With its dynamic range of more than 11 f-stops and remarkable color balance, brightness and contrast controls, the Betterlight camera offers an unparalleled degree of precision and produces unparalleled scans.  It is widely acknowledged to be the finest system available for scanning fine art and is used by many world-renowned museums and fine art institutes to archive their permanent collections.

Whether you choose high-resolution scan or digital capture, your image will be saved to CD or DVD (your choice) in two standard formats – hi-resolution master file in tif format and low-resolution file in jpeg format. We also convert and save in other formats on request (e.g. CMYK, ZAPP). All CDs are packaged in a jewel case for safe and convenient storage and have a thumbnail print on the cover for easy reference. As a long-term storage medium, CDs and DVDs are stable, compact, and inexpensive – and they have the added bonus of being easy to copy with no loss of detail from one generation to the next.

Where an original is no longer available, we are able to create a digital file from other sources such as slides, transparencies, negatives or photographic prints. As all of these are subject to degeneration over time, we recommend that any of your key images currently saved in these media be converted to digital files for long-term archiving.