FAQ – Find Answers

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Do you also offer borderless (full bleed) printing?

No.

And with good reason: full bleed printing means that for technical reasons, a little ink is also printed beyond the edge into the collecting felt. This can cause the next print to possibly be soiled on the back. However, we also want to offer every artist a perfect backside.

Information on the maximum print areas or margins to be applied can be found here.

My print files already correspond to the file specifications of Digital Darkroom Berlin, I have read the price list and I know on which paper I want to print. What is the next step?

Print order

You know exactly what you want to print? Then please send us your files by Wetransfer or Dropbox (Please do not use Google Drive!) and your request via e-mail (mail@digital-darkroom.de). You will then receive an offer from us and subsequently an invoice. You can pay the invoice by bank transfer in advance or by PayPal. Afterwards, we start with the printing. Pick-up is usually 24 h to 36 h after printing. We will arrange an appointment with you.

Minimum order quantities

Please note our minimum order value of 150 EUR net per order. May not apply to existing customers and repeat orders.

File Specifications

Delivered files must correspond to the file specifications with regard to their technical properties (profile, resolution, dimensions, trimming etc.). Digital Darkroom Berlin assumes no liability for faulty prints due to incorrect file properties (e.g. size, resolution, margins, inadequate retouching).

Should we have any questions regarding the order, we will contact you in any case.

How can I send my files to Digital Darkroom Berlin?

You can send your data by Wetransfer or Dropbox to mail@digital-darkroom.de. Please do not use Google Drive

Which paper fits best to my image? Do you offer paper advice?

You will find a first orientation regarding paper selection here.

If you have any further questions, please call. We will be happy to advise you on the selection of the appropriate paper.

I would like to order a larger number of prints – is there a discount?

We will be happy to make you an individual offer. You can find the regular prices on our price list.

I have other questions about the printing process – can you help me?

Please send an e-mail to mail@digital-darkroom.de or call us.

Which file format should my print file have?

Best results are achieved with TIFF files at 300 dpi resolution in the Adobe RGB 1998 color profile. Should the resolution not be sufficient, the same final print size can be printed with only 180 dpi with no visible quality reductions. High quality prints can also be made from JPGs (qualities 10 to 12).

Which color space should I choose for the print file?

The color spaces can be selected either as Adobe RGB 1998 (professional cameras) or sRGB (compact cameras, mobile phones).

Please note: You cannot create an Adobe RGB 1998 color space from an image photographed in the smaller sRGB color space, since data cannot be added by interpolation.

Which file format should my print file have for B&W prints?

Create your file as TIFF or JPG with 300 dpi in the profile Adobe RGB 1998. Please include a B&W layer in the final file. You can leave this as it is or reduce it to the background layer. Alternatively, you can also create the TIFF file in the Gray Gamma 2.2 profile.

Tip: Proceed as suggested above if you are not sure whether the scan is really only B&W. Many times, the scans of B&W films are delivered as B&W in the format RGB, but they still contain some smallest colour information (scanner lamp). These are then visible in the print as color fringes.

For A4, A3+ or A2, should I put the white border in the image?

No. We print your file centered on the sheet. Please do notplace the white border in your file, only the print area. The white border results.

Example: Print area (delivered file is e.g. a landscape format) is 30.0 cm x 45.0 cm. Printed on an A3+ sheet (paper size 32.9 cm x 48.3 cm), the theoretical margin is 1.45 cm top/bottom and 1.65 cm left/right. In fact, however, there is a technically determined size and parallelism tolerance of up to 2 mm measured to the paper edge for the margins.

Why A3+ paper format instead of DIN A3?

Papers available as sheet paper are traded in DIN format. We have replaced the DIN format A3 by the special format A3+. Why? DIN A3 has a size of 29.7 cm x 42.0 cm. The new special format A3+ has the larger dimensions 32.9 cm x 48.3 cm. Only on this paper format, the popular 30.0 cm x 45.0 cm image size can be printed centered.
A3+ is also the better option for other print formats. A larger white border can be left, so the image looks generously presented even without a passe-partout.

Should you for special reasons absolutely need prints in DIN A3, we can order this paper for you. Minimum order quantity 10 prints.

Can I also have single prints made at Digital Darkroom Berlin?

Yes, if the total order amount is at least EUR 150 net. We ask for your understanding, as on the one hand, we spend a lot of time offering the highest quality, but on the other hand, we also have to work economically.

Is even a very large print exactly the same size as it was created in the file?

Yes, albeit with some tolerances. White margins in the printing direction can have a size or parallelism tolerance of up to 3 mm, measured to the paper edge, depending on the print length. Image lengths can have tolerances of up to 0.3 % in the print direction. We continuously correct our print profiles to keep these tolerances as small as possible.

How do I create my file if I want to trim it later?

All lengths in the file should be 2.0 mm longer than the final size (example: for a final size of 70.0 cm x 100.0 cm, the file should be 70.2 cm x 100.2 cm). Possibly existing white borders included. Trim marks are set by us. The cuts are made with a padded metal ruler and a Japanese knife or specially prepared slitters. We guarantee not to leave any marks on the paper with rulers or pressure bars.

When trimming roll paper, tolerances of up to 2 mm are possible. Usually, we achieve very high accuracies.

If the print is to be mounted, please follow these guidelines instead.

Is the trimming of the paper part of the printing process?

No. A pure print job does not automatically include trimming. Trimming can be carried out additionally and for an extra charge. For sheet paper, the print area is set centered on the sheet, resulting in a white border. With roll paper, a white margin of approx. 1 cm to 6 cm remains around the print area. For technical reasons, this margin may differ in size on the four sides of the print (details).

How much white border is necessary for a presentation in a passe-partout?

When framing in a passe-partout, an all-round white border of at least 15 mm is recommended.

Do you also offer mounting?

Yes, from an order volume of EUR 300 net, we will also organize the lamination of your prints and advise you in advance.

For small quantities, we are happy to recommend a laminating workshop we trust.

How big is the bleed for a later mounting?

For subsequent mounting, it is recommended to add in the file at least 5 mm per each side in addition to the final size (bleed). For very large formats, 8 mm bleed is recommended.

Example: If the final image size will be 40.0 cm x 60.0 cm (e.g. size of the Alu-Dibond plate) the print file must be at least 40.5 cm x 60.5 cm (print area). When framing in a passe-partout, an all-round white border of at least 15 mm is recommended.

Do you also offer image editing or post production?

We have years of expertise in professional post-production. We process your image files according to your wishes and, on request, in your presence. We do not provide a rental workstation. Editing costs: 110 EUR net/h, billing to the nearest 5 minutes.

Analogue vs. digital: Which is better, an analogue print or a digital fine art print on baryt paper?

You have analogue picture material on film and you would like to create fine art prints from it and consider whether you would like to have these produced as classic prints in the chemical development process or as fine art prints printed by us?

A perfectly executed fine art print from a pre-processed scan of a negative is superior to an analogue print from a negative in many ways. Everything else is a myth. We have been in the analogue darkroom business for over 20 years and have the expertise to put it so clearly.

In a calibrated digital workflow, in contrast to the analogue process, all image parameters such as brightness, contrast, details in the shadows and highlights etc. are precisely defined in advance. The final result on a specific paper can be simulated on the monitor (soft proof). Random deviations are thus excluded; test strips are no longer necessary.

Analogue problems such as blurring in the image corners, as caused by enlarging lenses, or contrast deviations within individual prints of an edition due to changes in developer condition, room temperature, etc. are not present. The analog trial-and-error procedure is finally behind us. The two-part digital procedure – targeted post-production of the scan in Lightroom and Photoshop and the subsequent Fine Art Print – is the far more precise method of producing prints.

Each print can be reproduced in exactly the same way, e.g. for the production of editions, at any time. Only with the digital workflow can the result be achieved in a way that was once desired in the old darkroom, the elimination of chance. And yet the final print retains the characteristics, the charm of the film, the grain and the analogue look.

We are the experts for such prints.

Photography – Taking pictures: Analogue (on film) or digital?

The fascination of the analogue 35 mm camera with its mechanical wheels and scales in an often silver-black metal bodies is unbroken. In Berlin, young people with analogue cameras around their necks are now an integral part of the street scene. Dealers in analogue photographic supplies are recording significantly higher sales of film than just a few years ago, and prices for a used Nikon, Leica or Hasselblad are rising again.

The fascination with analogue photography is particularly evident in the case of B&W films: The appearance of the analogue grain is unique, the film has much less shadow detail and, depending on the film chosen, already has its own aesthetic. These are all basic elements for later works of art, completely without digital filters. This special look and feel is often difficult to achieve digitally, even with Photoshop plug-ins.

If you like this kind of photography, you should use film. From the developed film, scans are made carefully and in sufficient resolution. If you wish, we can take over the post-production of the scans and then print your motifs on the finest baryta paper. We cannot recommend an analogue print (see our FAQ “Analogue vs. digital print”).

Technically it may be noted that in case of a highly overexposed film, details in the highlights of the picture can still be achieved. A highly overexposed digital image has only white there. In the shadows it is the other way round: Where a digital camera still offers information in the case of underexposure, there is often no sensitization on the film. And where nothing has been exposed, nothing can be conjured up in post-production; the positive remains black in the shadows.

Can I have digital prints made from analogue films?

Do you have old photos on film but no prints? No problem. We can produce high-resolution scans of your film material. Details can be found here.

We are also happy to take care of post-production and printing. With many years of experience and a practiced eye, it goes without saying that, for example, a scan of a negative from the 1970s can be processed in such a way that the subsequent print credibly looks like an original print from the respective period; over-correcting and creating a modern photo is out of question here.

I have a large painting – can I print small-format editions of it?

Yes. We are most familiar with reproductions.

Many of our clients are outstanding artists. A painting or collage is unique, but also has its price. Moreover, it is available for only one person. In order to make their art accessible to more than one buyer, visual artists like to have high-quality reproductions of their originals made by us. In the post-production phase, we adjust these in detail with the original on a calibrated monitor under standard light D50 (5,000 K). The resulting file is then printed on the finest artist’s paper, usually in small-format limited editions.

Editions are not an invention of our time. Already in the 15th century, paintings (uniques) were copied by using copper engraving, at that time an inexpensive reproduction technique. Thus pictures as editions found a rapid and multiple distribution and increased the degree of fame of the respective creator. Today, more and more artists sell their works also through Instagram – with limited editions of unique pieces they offer potential buyers the ideal and affordable entry into collecting art.

Please see Scans & Reproductions for details.

Which works can I have reproduced?

You can have the following work reproduced by us:

  • Paintings, watercolors, oil paintings, collages, photographs and graphics
  • Very large works of art, up to 150 cm x 250 cm
  • Non-planar works, such as collages
  • Working with fragile surfaces that must not be pressed / touched (e.g. pastel painting)
  • Working with a varnished surface
  • Thin, unstable, non-flat workpieces that must be brought into flat position using a suction wall
  • Work with damage that is to be restored later
  • Permanently framed works
  • Negatives, glass negatives, slides in the sizes 35 mm (KB/35 mm), 6×6, 6×9, 6×12, 4×5″, 13×18/5×7″, 8×10″ and special formats
  • Special orders

Details can be found under Scans & Reproductions.

I would like to order reproductions. What do I have to do?

Please first find out about suitable scanning methods under Scans & Reproduction.

Please send us an e-mail with the following information:

  • Desired scanning method
  • Type of work (e.g. oil on canvas)
  • Number of works
  • Size of each of the specific work
  • Purpose of reproduction (e.g. printing an edition in A3+)

Details can be found under Scans & Reproductions.

Is my reproduction still being processed by you?
  • A scan/reproduction produced by us is compared with the supplied original in such a way that it comes as close as possible to the original in terms of color and appearance. Depending on the process, this is done, for example, by measurement or KODAK color chart (KODAK Color Patches and KODAK Gray Scale).
  • Further post-production, which intervenes in individual details or includes retouching or partial restoration, can be carried out additionally and by arrangement.
  • The reproduction file is compared with the original under D50 standard light (5,000 K) on a calibrated monitor.
  • Coordination for printing: We simulate the paper to be printed on later on a calibrated monitor (soft proof). The file is adjusted using the paper profile so that the maximum possible match is achieved in terms of color, contrast and detail reproduction.
  • The aim is to create the illusion for viewers of the printed image that they are standing in front of the original.

Details can be found under Scans & Reproductions.

What print size does the reproduction file allow?

This depends on the selected scanning process and the condition of the original.
As a rule, we can print up to 100 cm x 180 cm.

Details can be found under Scans & Reproductions.

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