The Imacon will give you the best quality and sharpness (being an 8000 dpi scanner) however for the cost the bulk loaded CCD is adequate for most library needs. The max size with the CCD’s is 55mb where as the Imacon can go up to 400mb +. Also for larger format 35mm+ the Imacon puts the original under slight tension whilst the scan is taking place ensuring perfect focus over the entire surface of the film. In a nutshell the Imacon creates pinsharp scans on all scans and really comes into a class of it’s own on > 35mm + scans.

Why are the Imacon scans more expensive?

Simply because the scanner is a lot more expensive than others. Also the cost of maintenance and training is significantly more.

How will I receive the scans?

All your images will have Adobe 1998 colour space embedded – this appears to be the industry standard with the widest gamut.

Most photo libraries request the images to be supplied as 55mb + Tiffs though more and more are accepting high quality jpegs ( ie at Quality 12).

Jpegs compress the data resulting in smaller files but do cause some image deterioration. Check with your library or DTP house on how they need the scans.

We can send your pictures back to you via a variety of media. CD’s tend to be the preferred method however DVD’s are becoming more common since more can be stored an a DVD (88 images on DVD as opposed to 10 on CD )
We also offer an FTP and web site service P.O.A

Can you do colour correction for me?

All your scans will be delivered to you with no colour correction. Though we work with precisely calibrated screens and workflow we have found that others don’t, so any changes made by us may look radically different to someone with a poorly or un-calibrated screen.

If you request colour correction we can of course do it provided that your screen is calibrated and that you are working in the same colour space ’ Adobe RGB 1998 ‘ – the industry standard.
We charge operator work out at £20/hr …this works out at appx. £10 per 20 images colour corrected.

….and retouching?

Retouching is a service we provide at a cost of £20 /hr .

How soon can I get my work and scans back?

Depending on the quantity of work being scanned – it’s generally 36- 48 hours of receipt of our originals.

Postage or courier?

Due to bad post office experiences in the past we insist on special delivery return of originals and scans. . We would advise that you send your material to us the same way.

We also use Business Post and have an account with them, though the post office provides a better insurance system.

What are 12 & 16 bit scans as opposed to 8 bit and which one do I need?

A 12 bit or 16 bit scan contains more information than 8 bit. This is particularly noticeable in black and white scans. In 8 bit you have 256 shades of grey, while in 16 bit you have 65,280, consequently you have more control over the image. However Photoshop can only work in raw image in 16 bit and it’s layer functions can’t deal with 16 bit images and added to this the file size goes up significantly. We charge and additional 20% for 12 & 16 bit scans. For most purposes there’s no need to use 12/16 bit unless the original is very badly exposed.