Posted by Patrick Fager on September 14, 2008 at 5:58 PM
I will be printing some of my images to sell soon, and some of them are slides. I am going to have them scanned at a photo lab and I hope to print some 11x14s. Not having any experience with this, has anyone had this done? How were the results? And is there a particular resolution for the scans that I should look for? Thank you.
Are you planning to print them yourself, or have a service bureau do it?
In any event, I suggest you have the slides drum scanned. This will give you the best quality for a fine print. A scan at 4000 ppi (pixels per inch) should give you a large enough file from which to print. Note that drum scans are not inexpensive.
An alternative to drum scanning is to have the lab scan them with a quality film scanner such as an Imacon or Nikon LS 5000. The scan will be less expensive, but will still give good quality.
If you are going to make the prints yourself, I'd suggest printing them at your printer's optimal dpi. For my Epson, the value is 360 dpi. So, when you have the slides scanned, be sure to tell the vendor your print resolution and the maximum size at which you'll print. They will determine the ppi for the scan using those values.
If you are not going to print them yourself, my recommendation is to check out West Coast Imaging (WCI) in California. They can do the scans and make the prints for you. They are not inexpensive, but the quality of their prints and their customer service is outstanding.
WCI has some really nice FAQs on their site that are worth reading for a first-time customer. If, after taking a look-see, you have more questions, please let us know.
-P
Posted by Dan Borzynski on September 16, 2008 at 8:49 PM
If you go the drum scan route, I'd look at Danny Burk's drum scanning service. Good prices, great scans and a good guy to deal with. I've seen a lot of his LF prints as well and you can't get that quality without having a good scan to start with. Here's a link:
If you can get a good scan from the one of the Nikon scanners, that would be a close second. Ask around, especially at local camera clubs.
My experience with local processors (in Columbus, Ohio) doing the scanning led me to buy the NIkon Coolscan 4000. I figured it wasn't going to be any worse
"If you go the drum scan route, I'd look at Danny Burk's drum scanning service."
Doh! How could I forget? --must be that CRS rearing its ugly head again. Yes, Danny does excellent scans! He did some 6x4.5 MF scans for me a couple of years ago and they were excellent. Highly recommended!
-P
Posted by Mel Ladewig on September 18, 2008 at 5:18 PM
I scan my film for 4X5 currently on an Epson 4990, but have had a drum scan done too.
Here's the issue. If you scan them yourself, you'll have to learn how to be a good scan operator (I freely admit that I'm still learning these skills). If you send them to a lab, you have to rely on the lab having a good scan operator (that may not be the case). If you go with a shop known for quality scanning, you'll probably get the best file. WCI is well regarded, but their scanner isn't well suited to color negative film. Danny Burke is known for good C-41 scans.
For 11X14 prints, I'm guessing that you're enlarging from 35mm. To get the absolute best prints, drum scanners will provide a significant edge over most flatbeds, but you'll pay out the nose from such a scan.
I've scanned a bit of 35mm film on my 4990. That particular scanner seems to top out in real resolution at 2400ppi (the scanner quotes 4800ppi, but I haven't gotten more detail above 2400). That scan resolution yields a file in the 8MP equivalent range from the 35mm film. That will print a decent 11X14. The two biggest problems with these scanners are holding the film flat and getting good detail from shadows. The claimed dmax of 4.0 is wildly overstated. Holding the film flat can be helped with a wet mount holder.
Finally if you're shooting 35mm here are some target numbers for you.
If printing an 11X14 to an epson printer (360ppi native res) with no resize, you'll want a 4000 ppi or higher scan.
If printing an 11X14 on a lightjet or similar RA-4 lab printer (most print at 300 ppi native resolution) you'll need a 3300 ppi scan, but may as well go for the 4000ppi scan and the resample down.
And as for scanned film prints, they look great in my opinion.
I agree with Mel regarding 'scan it yourself''. One has to learn their specific machine and the software associated with it to be able to get the highest quality scan. Scanning really is an art in itself.
Mel, I just wandered over to the WCI site. They have a Creo Flatbed for use for color negs and other media...
Primary Applications for Creo iSmart 3:
Color negatives
Glass plate negatives and positives
Nitrate negatives
Dry mounted prints and other mounted original art
Large Photo Collections
B&W Negatives
Discussion
5 repliesAre you planning to print them yourself, or have a service bureau do it?
In any event, I suggest you have the slides drum scanned. This will give you the best quality for a fine print. A scan at 4000 ppi (pixels per inch) should give you a large enough file from which to print. Note that drum scans are not inexpensive.
An alternative to drum scanning is to have the lab scan them with a quality film scanner such as an Imacon or Nikon LS 5000. The scan will be less expensive, but will still give good quality.
If you are going to make the prints yourself, I'd suggest printing them at your printer's optimal dpi. For my Epson, the value is 360 dpi. So, when you have the slides scanned, be sure to tell the vendor your print resolution and the maximum size at which you'll print. They will determine the ppi for the scan using those values.
If you are not going to print them yourself, my recommendation is to check out West Coast Imaging (WCI) in California. They can do the scans and make the prints for you. They are not inexpensive, but the quality of their prints and their customer service is outstanding.
WCI has some really nice FAQs on their site that are worth reading for a first-time customer. If, after taking a look-see, you have more questions, please let us know.
-P
http://www.dannyburk.com/drum_scanning.htm
If you can get a good scan from the one of the Nikon scanners, that would be a close second. Ask around, especially at local camera clubs.
My experience with local processors (in Columbus, Ohio) doing the scanning led me to buy the NIkon Coolscan 4000. I figured it wasn't going to be any worse
Doh! How could I forget? --must be that CRS rearing its ugly head again.
-P
Here's the issue. If you scan them yourself, you'll have to learn how to be a good scan operator (I freely admit that I'm still learning these skills). If you send them to a lab, you have to rely on the lab having a good scan operator (that may not be the case). If you go with a shop known for quality scanning, you'll probably get the best file. WCI is well regarded, but their scanner isn't well suited to color negative film. Danny Burke is known for good C-41 scans.
For 11X14 prints, I'm guessing that you're enlarging from 35mm. To get the absolute best prints, drum scanners will provide a significant edge over most flatbeds, but you'll pay out the nose from such a scan.
I've scanned a bit of 35mm film on my 4990. That particular scanner seems to top out in real resolution at 2400ppi (the scanner quotes 4800ppi, but I haven't gotten more detail above 2400). That scan resolution yields a file in the 8MP equivalent range from the 35mm film. That will print a decent 11X14. The two biggest problems with these scanners are holding the film flat and getting good detail from shadows. The claimed dmax of 4.0 is wildly overstated. Holding the film flat can be helped with a wet mount holder.
Finally if you're shooting 35mm here are some target numbers for you.
If printing an 11X14 to an epson printer (360ppi native res) with no resize, you'll want a 4000 ppi or higher scan.
If printing an 11X14 on a lightjet or similar RA-4 lab printer (most print at 300 ppi native resolution) you'll need a 3300 ppi scan, but may as well go for the 4000ppi scan and the resample down.
And as for scanned film prints, they look great in my opinion.
Mel, I just wandered over to the WCI site. They have a Creo Flatbed for use for color negs and other media...
Primary Applications for Creo iSmart 3:
Color negatives
Glass plate negatives and positives
Nitrate negatives
Dry mounted prints and other mounted original art
Large Photo Collections
B&W Negatives
More info, here...
WCI Creo Flatbed Scans
Cheers,
-P