Apple Print Products Info - DPChallenge Forums

03/05/2009 01:08:33 PM · #1

I have a selection of images intended for print. In order to do this successfully, it appears there are a number of issues not so obviously addressed during the ordering process. I would like to share this information for those in the same boat. I would welcome any further feedback you might have as well.

Most of my images have a 3:2 aspect ratio (which corresponds to the native camera sensor size). Apple/Kodak, like most labs however, prints at a 4:5 ratio. I do not want to crop, because I'd loose vital information, even with content-aware scaling and other cheats. While I still haven't decided on how to fit the prints to mats and frames (or how to purchase ready-made), I'm inclined to accommodate these proportions by having them printed on oversized paper, with each image surrounded by an unequally sided but generous white border and then worry about how to mat and frame afterwards. When I consulted Apple Print Services, the agent assured me that no cropping would result and the prints would come out as intended.

My second question concerned paper quality and longevity. Here's what I found, quote:

Your photos are printed on high-quality Kodak paper, which is a resin-coated, silver-halide color paper optimized for digital printers. A light source inside our digital printers exposes the photographic paper pixel by pixel. This process mimics traditional photography, in which light from the subject exposes photographic film inside of a camera. Apple Photo Services provides archival prints of our digital photos, which should last as long, if not longer, than the prints you would receive from a traditional professional photo-processing laboratory.

I take it, that means a longevity of 60-70 years?

scalvert

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

03/05/2009 01:11:57 PM · #2

Something like that, yes. Basically, longer than you'll ever have to worry about.

As for the ratio, most lab prints are at 4:5 ratio because that's what the VAST majority of users submit (from P&S cameras).

03/05/2009 01:18:25 PM · #3

Originally posted by scalvert:

Something like that, yes. Basically, longer than you'll ever have to worry about...

Paper quality/longevity, I believe, is important, since it appears to concern potential buyers and, consequently, effects cost, particularly with limited edition prints.

scalvert

Canon EOS-5D Mark III

03/05/2009 01:37:12 PM · #4

Originally posted by zeuszen:

Paper quality/longevity, I believe, is important, since it appears to concern potential buyers and, consequently, effects cost, particularly with limited edition prints.

As they say, it's a photographic print process... literally no different than a darkroom print except that exposure is accomplished with lasers rather than an enlarger. The paper is pretty much the same stuff a traditional film photographer would use, with similar performance expectations.

03/05/2009 01:41:24 PM · #5

Originally posted by scalvert:

...As they say, it's a photographic print process... literally no different than a darkroom print except that exposure is accomplished with lasers rather than an enlarger. The paper is pretty much the same stuff a traditional film photographer would use, with similar performance expectations.

Yes.