PrePress Express Blog

Ilford ULF HP5

2010-09-07T16:01:00.000-04:00

Hi Guys,

We have a few extra boxes of Ilford HP5 in 12x20 and 20x24 in stock from this years Ilford ULF order and a few from last years.

For pricing and ordering, please contact us anytime.

September Holiday Schedule

2010-09-07T15:54:00.000-04:00

Hi Guys,
We will be closed on the following days in September.
9-10
23-24
29-30

If you have any questions, please contact us anytime.

September 2010 Specials

2010-09-01T16:13:00.000-04:00

Hi Guys,
We have some great specials this month for new clients.
To take advantage of these offers, you must mention the offer when placing your order.

1. 10% off Drum Scans for an order of $150 or more*
2. 15% off LVT Film Output prints (8x10 only) on orders of $150 or more*
3. 5% off Inkjet Prints for an order of $100 or more*
4. $10 off ImageNest nesting software*
5. 5% off on all ColorBurst RIP products*
6. 5% off on ICC Targets from Kodak and HutchColor*

* Limit 1 per customer, may only be used once. May not be combined with any other offer.
Discounts will not be applied to shipping.

Please contact us anytime for more information or to place an order.

Have a great September!!
Ian
PrePress Express

2010 Photo Plus Expo!!

2010-09-01T16:11:00.000-04:00

Its BACK!! Its BACK!! Our favorite time of the year!! Yippeeeeeee!!!!
The 27th annual Photo Plus Expo is back in NYC on October 28-30 at the Jacob K. Javits Center.
Photo Plus is the premiere event for all things photographic and we will be attending!
If you are planning to attend the expo on the 28th or the 29th, we would love to meet you.

We will have a handful of discount coupons for many of our services and products.
Coupons must be picked up at the expo and will expire December 31st 2010.

1. 25% off Drum Scans for an order of $100 or more*
2. 25% off LVT Film Output prints (8x10 only)*
3. 15% off Inkjet Prints for an order of $100 or more*
4. $10 off ImageNest nesting software*
5. 5% off on all ColorBurst RIP products*
6. 5% off on ICC Targets from Kodak and HutchColor*

* Limit 1 per customer, may only be used once.

Call Ian Mazursky at 914-450-7144 before or during the event to schedule a time and place.

LaserSoft Imaging SilverFast® Scanning Software

2010-06-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

June 15th 2010

PrePress Express is proud to announce that we are now resellers for LaserSoft Imaging SilverFast® line of products.
We will be offering fantastic pricing on SilverFast® Archive Suite, SilverFast Ai IT8 Studio, SilverFast HDR Studio and the full line of IT8 Reflective and Transmissive targets.

Within the next few weeks, we will be adding the SilverFast® line to our webstore. To place an order, please contact us anytime.

LaserSoft Imaging® presents a unique solution for fast and easy archiving of slides, negatives and reflective originals.
With the new SilverFast Archive Suite you get a bundle of two programs: SilverFast Ai IT8 Studio and SilverFast HDR Studio.
Since both programs are equipped with optimum functions, you will enjoy maximum processing speed as well as an efficient workflow.
An integrated color management system that meets professional standards completes the convincing package.

The 2010 Ilford ULF film order is OPEN!!!!

2010-04-22T12:33:00.000-04:00

Dear fellow ULF photographers and aspiring ULF photographers,

This year, we are again taking part in the 2010 Ultra Large format (ULF) order.
Ilford is offering FP4 and HP5 in all of the most popular sizes up to 20x24.

We will be offering significant discounts on all of the special order Ilford film products.
The new price list for Ilford ULF products has all of the details.

The fine print.....All order are final once placed. No returns on any special order items.
The film may be dropped shipped from the distribution center or from our warehouse.
The cost for shipping will be charged separately to your credit card before shipment.
All order must be placed and paid for by June 11th 2010.

PrePress Express is a reseller for all Ilford / Harman products.

If you have any questions, please contact us anytime.

Inside our Howtek 7500

2010-03-28T21:36:00.000-04:00

Some of our clients have wanted to see the inside of our drum scanners.
We try to only open the scanner for maintenance so i decided to snap some pics when we did.
Its very interesting inside. These are images of the front of our Howtek 7500 Drum Scanner during routine maintenance.

1. 2. 3.
1. Left side: Rotation Motor on top and Encoder on the bottom. 2. Clockwork mechanism that drives the FOTI arm.
3. Right side of the scanner with the case removed and Clockwork mechanism closed.

4. 5. 6.
4. FOTI arm Extended (used with the large drum) to the FORI arm. 5. Top of the FOTI arm and right side clamp.
6. View of the front of scanner with the door opened.

In the next few weeks, i will try to snap some pics of the card cage, optics bay and lamp assembly.
If you have any questions, please contact us anytime.

Holiday Schedule

2010-03-09T17:06:00.000-05:00

PrePress Express will be closed for the observance of Passover on March 30th & 31st, and on April 5th & 6th.
We will be open on April 1st & 2nd and back full time from April 7th.

If you have any questions, please contact us anytime.

Become our fan on Facebook!

2010-03-05T00:14:00.000-05:00

PrePress Express is now on FaceBook! Click here to become a fan.
We will soon be offering FaceBook only specials to our fans.
For more information, please contact us anytime.

ImageNest V2.1 New Pricing!

2010-03-01T03:54:00.000-05:00

BlueCubit software has released the long awaited version 2.1 upgrade to ImageNest.
The ImageNest version 2.1 demo can be downloaded here (OSX DMG).

New Pricing for ImageNest located here.

Please contact us anytime for more information.

Company News 2010 Q1

2010-01-27T12:22:00.000-05:00

February 28 2010
PrePress Express is now on FaceBook! Come and visit us!

February 24 2010
Updated the Drum Scanning Quick Reference Card

February 14 2010
Updates to our Equipment list
Updates to the LVT pricing schedule

February 8 2010
We have taken delivery of a new Epson Perfection v700 Photo Flatbed scanner w/ SilverFast software.
We will now be offering smaller web scans from prints and film up to 8x10" and 10-80mb's.

January 28 2010
Update to the Scan Size Calculator to include multiple measurement units, added additional resolutions.
Fixed the Print Ratio Calculator error that prevented it from displaying the calculation.

January 12 2010
New 2010 Price List (PDF) available
January 08 2010
Remapped the Services pages and moved Film Output up one level.
Added the LVT Rhino+ information and pricing pages.
Updated the Client List, Equipment List, Specials and Holiday Schedule for 2010.
We also named some of our equipment, see the blog post.

New 2010 Price List

2010-01-12T13:21:00.000-05:00

January 12th 2010:
We have released our new 2010 Retail Price List, effective January 11th 2010.
The price list contains many new pages including Film Output, LightJet, Products...

Equipment names ; - )

2010-01-08T03:37:00.000-05:00

During the new years break, we spent a lot of time working to install the LVT film recorder.
It was a lot of late nights and we started thinking hard about the different personalities of the equipment we own have.
We then realized they needed names! I know it a little strange but its a long standing tradition in the pre press industry to name printers, scanners and imagesetters.
So here they are!
Howtek 7500 Drum Scanner is now known as Sarah
Aztek Premier Drum Scanner is now known as Hara
Durst LVT Rhino+ Film Recorder is now know as Kara

Some pictures of the happy family ; - )
We couldn't resist adding pin striping to them!

Howtek 7500 aka Sarah Aztek Premier aka Hara

Durst LVT Rhino+ aka Hara

We still need a few good names for our Epson 9880 and HP DesignJet 5500 printers. Send us an email if you have any ideas!

Thanks for a great year!!!

2009-12-31T04:09:00.000-05:00

As the end of 2009 fast approaches (20 or so hours and counting), we would like to thank our wonderful clients for making this another fantastic year!!
2009 has seen a number of big expansions and improvements at PrePress Express.
We added a new drum scanner to our scanner department. The Aztek Premier® drum scanner with DPL®.
In our printing department, we recently installed a Durst LVT Rhino+ Film Recorder. With the LVT Rhino+, we can now image reproduction quality C-41, E-6 and B&W films up to 8x10".
In our pre press department we have upgraded many of our computers, servers, backup facilities and network.

Our websites have gone through numerous updates and changes. We have added a large selection of InkJet papers from the major manufacturers in the industry.
The latest is the full line of papers from InkPress papers. InkPress is a newcomer to the industry but they offer the best papers at extremely competitive prices.
We are very excited to add them to our catalog!!

We know that 2010 will be even better!! Plans include new Mac's, new servers, Jobo ATL processor and more manufacturers added to our growing catalog!

We wish you all a happy, healthy, fun, safe, interesting and prosperous new year!!!!
Your friends at PrePress Express

New Printer Durst LVT Rhino+

2009-12-22T10:32:00.000-05:00

Breaking news!!
New to the PrePress Express printer/film recorder lineup...We have just installed a new Durst LVT Rhino+ Film Recorder!
The Rhino can image C-41, E-6 and B&W films up to 8x10" at Res 80.
LVT's are an amazing piece of technology. They have the ability to take a digital file, image it to 4x5 or 8x10 film and allow you to traditionally print very large murals.
The file is imaged pixel for pixel using pulsed LED's, film mounted on a rotating drum all with extremely tight tolerances.
The results are truly amazing!!

We will be offering a limited number of at film cost LVT's for qualified customers.
For more information, please contact us.

LVT Pricing page is now online

~~Please note: The LVT pricing page will be online in the 1st quarter of 2010~~

ImageNest V2 is out!

2009-11-24T19:49:00.000-05:00

BlueCubit software has released the long awaited version 2 upgrade to ImageNest.
Version 2.0 includes over 15 new features including:
Meta Data Annotations, Soft Proofing
Layout to PDF, Image Frames
Improved "Best Fit" image layout, Batch Sizing
Improved Color Management, Updated PostScript Level III support
64 bit processing, Support for OSX 10.6

The ImageNest version 2 demo can be downloaded here (OSX DMG).

We are offering a $10 off any version of ImageNest (limit 1 per customer, may only be used once) until December 31st 2009.
Please contact us anytime for more information.

December 2009 Specials

2009-11-24T19:47:00.001-05:00

Good through November 31st 2009
Please Contact Us to place an order or for more information.

We have 1 ColorMunki Photo in stock at a special price. List Price $499 Special Price $429.99.
ColorMunki Photo
ColorMunki Photo is the innovative new way to bring your photos from screen to print – with color perfection. Designed for the wedding, social, portrait photographers,
this color control solution delivers new technological features for display, projector and RGB/CMYK printer profiling.
All-in-One spectrophotometer means no separate devices needed to profile your displays and printers. The white calibration tile is integrated, so nothing to lose or match up to your device.
Includes a protective bag which doubles as an integrated monitor holder – no cumbersome accessories needed. It truly is your do everything go everywhere solution!

We have 3 i1Display 2's in stock at a special price. List Price $259 Special Price $229.99.
i1Display 2
Designed for calibrating and profiling all types of monitors LCD and CRT
Includes: 1Display measurement device (emission only colorimeter) with ambient measurement head
1Match software for monitors, 1Share software for creating, evaluating and communicating color, Interactive Training Modules, Digital Pantone Library
i1Display 2 Includes a $200 upgrade certificate good towards any i1 Professional package

We have 5 Wi-Ex zBoost YX510 in stock at a special price. List Price $399 Special Price $329.99.

zBoost YX510 Dual Band boost both signal for both 800 and 1900 MHz phones
The package includes everything you need: amplifier base unit, power supply, base unit antenna, low-loss SATV coaxial cable (RG6), signal antenna and mounting hardware.
The omni-directional signal antenna receives signals from multiple cell towers.
Benefits include:
• Increases your indoor signal coverage – up to 2500 sq feet (More coverage with optional upgrades)
• Decreases dropped or missed calls
• Easy to set up – comes complete with everything needed• No cradle or connections to your phone
• Extends phone battery life (uses less power when signal is stronger)
• Works with all phones and wireless data cards (except Nextel)
• Works with all US carriers
• Protects the carrier network using patent-pending technology

Cool Projects at PrePress Express Oct 2009 Edition

2009-10-23T16:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to our cool projects blog post, October 2009 edition.
While we cant mention the names of our clients, here are some details of the interesting projects.

1. In a funny twist, we received a call from one client in the morning to scan a 16x20 B&W fiber print.
Then in the afternoon, we received another call from a different client for another scan of a 16x20 B&W fiber print.
The scans came out great and it was a lot of fun to mount them on the Howtek 7500.
Our Howtek 7500 can mount film or prints up to 16.5x21". We can even pull a little more information out of the print then can be seen with the naked eye.

2. Earlier in the month we scanned an 11x14 Kodak 400NC-3 color negative.
It was amazing to see one that big. While i do shoot 12x20, its b&w (Ilford HP5), a color neg that size is a sight to behold!
We scanned it to a file size approximately 2.75gb!!!! It was so much fun to scan that. You can keep zooming in further and further, the scan just holds up.
You could see writing on tiny things over a mile away. No digital camera anywhere (except spy satellites) can even come close.

November 2009 Specials

2009-10-23T13:00:00.000-04:00

Good through November 30th 2009
Please Contact Us to place an order or for more information.

We have 1 ColorMunki Photo in stock at a special price. List Price $499 Special Price $429.99.
ColorMunki Photo
ColorMunki Photo is the innovative new way to bring your photos from screen to print – with color perfection. Designed for the wedding, social, portrait photographers,
this color control solution delivers new technological features for display, projector and RGB/CMYK printer profiling.
All-in-One spectrophotometer means no separate devices needed to profile your displays and printers. The white calibration tile is integrated, so nothing to lose or match up to your device.
Includes a protective bag which doubles as an integrated monitor holder – no cumbersome accessories needed. It truly is your do everything go everywhere solution!
LCD & Laptop Calibration
With both easy and advanced mode, you’ll master the color jungle in a snap. “Easy” mode has predetermined selections, so you don’t need to be a color expert. For those looking for more control
over whitepoint or ambient measurements, choose the “Advanced” mode. Our DDC auto detect control will quickly determine if your monitor is compliant and if so, perform one button display profiling.
Projector Profiling
Tired of making excuses for your projected images? Your display is right, but your audience sees something different? Utilizing the same profiling technology for your display,
your ColorMunki will give you fast and accurate projector profiles so you can project your images to your client, family or friends with color confidence!
Printer Profiling
Complete color control and optimized printer profiling make sure the color you see is the color you get.
New RGB and CMYK printer profiling technology delivers outstanding printer profile quality. You simply scan one test chart of 50 patches, and ColorMunki calculates an interim profile and learns how your
printer behaves for these colors. It then produces a second chart that perfects your profile once you scan it. It even has the ability to optimize for specific colors, black & white, and flesh tones from individual image types.

We have 4 i1Display 2 in stock at a special price. List Price $259 Special Price $229.99.
i1Display 2
Designed for calibrating and profiling all types of monitors LCD and CRT
Includes: 1Display measurement device (emission only colorimeter) with ambient measurement head
1Match software for monitors, 1Share software for creating, evaluating and communicating color, Interactive Training Modules, Digital Pantone Library
i1Display 2 Includes a $200 upgrade certificate good towards any i1 Professional package

We have 3 Wi-Ex zBoost YX510 in stock at a special price. List Price $399 Special Price $329.99.

News from PhotoPlus 09

2009-10-22T18:00:00.000-04:00

The 2009 PhotoPlus Expo is coming to a close. This year the expo was hit hard by the economic downturn.
It was at least 20-25% smaller then last years and a fair amount of the major exhibitors from last year did not show at all.

Those sad parts aside, we did meet with a number of great people and great companies.
Ilford and Kodak had good sized booths and a commitment to film and digital products that should be commended.
Innova Art, Canson Infinity, MagicGiclee and Moab by Legion all had excellent booths and some new fantastic products that we will soon be stocking.

Our hope is that next years expo is a much larger one with a greater selection of companies exhibiting.

The special Expo pricing was a big hit and we gave out all of the coupons we had.
We will be extending those offers to those who didn't meet us at the expo but did attend.
Mention code PPEXPO09 when placing your order. Coupons will expire December 31st 2009.
~~1. 25% off Drum Scans for an order of $100 or more (limit 1 per customer, may only be used once).~~
2. 15% off Inkjet Prints for an order of $100 or more (limit 1 per customer, may only be used once).
~~3. 25% off Film Output prints on an order of $50 or more (limit 1 per customer, may only be used once).~~
4. $10 off ImageNest nesting software (limit 1 per customer, may only be used once).
5. 5% off on all ColorBurst RIP products (limit 1 per customer, may only be used once).
6. 3% off on ICC Targets from Kodak and HutchColor (limit 1 per customer, may only be used once).

2009 Photo Plus Expo!!

2009-10-10T14:18:00.000-04:00

Its back!! Its BACK!! Our favorite time of the year!!
The 26th annual Photo Plus Expo is back in NYC on October 22-24 at the Jacob K. Javits Center.
Photo Plus is the premiere event for all things photography and we will be attending!
If you are planning to attend the expo on the 22nd or 23rd, we would love to meet you.

We will have a handful of discount coupons for many of our services and products.
Coupons must be picked up at the expo and they will expire December 31st 2009.
1. 25% off Drum Scans for an order of $100 or more (limit 1 per customer, may only be used once).
2. 15% off Inkjet Prints for an order of $100 or more (limit 1 per customer, may only be used once).
3. 25% off Film Output prints on an order of $50 or more (limit 1 per customer, may only be used once).
4. $10 off ImageNest nesting software (limit 1 per customer, may only be used once).
5. 5% off on all ColorBurst RIP products (limit 1 per customer, may only be used once).
6. 3% off on ICC Targets from Kodak and HutchColor (limit 1 per customer, may only be used once).

Call Ian Mazursky at 914-450-7144 before or during the event to schedule a time and place.

Drum Scanning Primer

2009-10-05T14:47:00.000-04:00

Over the years we have had many question on how a drum scanner works.
These are great questions and i thought that it was time to write a post about it.

Drum scanners are amazing pieces of technology designed by true geniuses!
Think of a hollow acrylic cylinder, then a piece of film. Wrap the film around the cylinder and you have the basics of a drum scanner.
Its a very cool big and heavy machine. The halogen lamp light is passed through a fiber optic bundle on the inside of the drum.
Then through the film onto the capture lens. It passes through an precision laser cut aperture wheel and into the optics bench.
The light is split into 3 parts (RGB) through various mirrors and optical filters.

At the end of the optics path are 3 PMT's (Photo Multiplier Tubes). A truly remarkable invention.
The light is now multiplied by the tubes and the current generated by the PMT's passes into the A/D converter, scanner hardware and finally the computer controlling the scanner.

Below is a Drum Scanning primer designed by Aztek, Inc.
Aztek is the designer and manufacturer of our 2 drum scanner, the Howtek 7500 and Aztek Premier.

Company News 2009 Q4

2009-09-13T23:17:00.000-04:00

December 22 2009
Its been a busy December!
Installation of our new Durst LVT Rhino+ Film Recorder and Xrite 811 densitometer.
Installation of a new MacBook Pro 2.8ghz
We are now a reseller for InkPress Papers
September 14 2009
We are now accepting orders for all Kami scanner fluids and tape.
Please contact us for a price list.
September 20 2009
Launch of our new site www.prepressarts.com. This new site will offer information on pre press, drum scanning, retouching, photography and film.
In the next few months, we will start to flesh out the site.
October 14 2009
New Short Dated Film & Paper page added with images.
October 18 2009
Updates to the Drum Scanner FAQ
October 02 2009
Added a FAQ to our Film Output page
Minor design changes
Added Kami SMF to the Scanner FAQ
Educational discount terms added to the Specials page

Company News 2009 Q3

2009-07-02T12:30:00.000-04:00

July 2 2009
Changes to our Payment & Shipping Policies.
We have made significant changes to our terms on Net accounts, Deposits, First orders, Credit Card, Return/Refund and Shipping policies.
Added our Open Account Application PDF & Credit Card Authorization Form PDF to our Downloads page.

July 15 2009
Small price increases on Drum Scanning and Epson 9880 InkJet Prints.

July 24 2009
Updated Payment & Shipping Policies
LIMIT OF LIABILITY: Submitting any film, print, slide, negative, digital file or original to our company for scanning, processing, printing, storage, transmission or other handling constitutes an AGREEMENT by you that any damage or loss by our company, subsidiaries, or agents, even if caused by negligence or other fault, will only entitle you to replacement with a like amount of unexposed film and processing. Except for such replacement, the acceptance by our company, subsidiary and/or agents of the film, print, slide, negative, file or original is without other warranty or liability, and recovery for any incidental or consequential damages is excluded.
WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ORIGINALS AND WORK LEFT OVER 30 DAYS
By placing an order with us, you hereby agree to all of the terms and policies outlined.

August 1 2009
We have upgraded our scanning room to include a new 40" Air Ionizer.
New price lists available for retail and wholesale clients. The new pricing is effective August 1st 2009.
Retail Price List PDF PrePress Express Retail Price List August 1st 2009.
Wholesale Price List PDF PrePress Express Wholesale Price List August 1st 2009.
The pricing contained in this PDF are only available to qualified wholesale customers. Please contact us to confirm your eligibility.

Please call us with any questions.

August 25 2009
Installation of our new Dicomed Field Pro 4x5 digital scanning back.

What are those BLUE lines?

2009-06-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

So what are those BLUE lines in drum scans?
Well long story short they are scratches through the first layer of the emulsion (Color Negative only).
When the scratches are really deep, ie. through all of the layers, you will see the various color dye layers (RGB).

Image shows BLUE scratches in emulsion, 8x10 Kodak Portra Color Neg

We see this often in large format films (4x5+) but it can be helped. Check your dark slide for bowing or spurs. On medium format cameras, check your backs for rough edges or spurs.
Be careful with your film and dont shake the box before processing. When loading your holders in a changing bag, be careful of dust that might live in the bag.
In sandy areas or dusty areas, make sure you are careful not to get dust inside the changing bag.

Film can be delicate but it can take some abuse and still be usable. Have fun with it and remember to avoid the BLUE lines.