Service Bureaus

[creadick@mindspring.com (Nowell Creadick)]

Who what where is a service bureau that will provide the dye-sub prints you
refer to?     Thanks.

>>I am going to put in a digital darkroom.  I have a HP colorsmart 35mm
>>scanner and need some advice on a printer.  Can I use a good ink jet such
>>as the new Epson printers or will I have to have die sub to get excellent
>>results?
>
>It depends.  If you're looking for gallery quality prints, you're going
>to have to use a die sublimation printer.  I don't know if you have the
>resources to buy one for yourself, but their use is readily available
>through service bureaus.  The downside for those printers, despite their
>excellent quality, is their high cost per page.  Some of the
>higher-resolution inkjet printers such as the Epsons and the newer HPs
>turn out photo-quality result, but show minor speckling and do not have
>as high a quality as the die sub printers.  On the other hand, the cost
>per page is usually pennies, although to get the best quality possible
>you should invest in the special purpose inkjet photo paper, which is
>coated to prevent the ink dots from spreading (costs about 50 cents per
>page).
>
>>Also I have an old version of Aldus Photo Styler but should I up date to
>>new software?  If so what do you recommend?  Adobe Photoshop?  Is anyone
>>using PhotoImpact 3.0
>
>I use Photoshop for my work on a newspaper and feel this to be the
>definitive digital manipulation program.  It handles all popular file
>formats with great tools and a relatively easy to use interface given the
>complexity and power of the program.  I do not have experience with any
>of the other programs you mentioned, but I do know that in the industry
>all of the other software companies are playing catch up with Adobe on
>that one.