Large-Format Inkjet

WPI utilitzes high-resolution wide-format printers for it's Giclée inkjet output. Depending of the output material and the subject matter, we will print on either a Mimaki JV2-130 7-color piezo head printer capable of output to 1440 dpi on widths to 50", or our new Epson Stylus Pro 9800 8-color piezo head printer capable of output to 2880 dpi on widths to 44". We use Symphonic Archival Pigment Inks on the JV2 and Epson UltraChrome K3 inks on the 9800. Output is onto Artist Canvases, Artist Papers, Photograde Papers, Vinyls, Tyvek, and Backlit materials. We also utilize an Epson Stylus Photo 2200 7-color piezo head printer capable of output to 2880 on widths to 13", using Symphonic Archival Pigment Inks.

Depending on the material, it may be either laminated or coated to protect the surface and provide extended UV filtering capability. Although short-term usage does not require laminating or coating (the inks are also very water resistant), it is our recommendation that all output which may be subjected to extensive handling or exposure be treated. Our own tests have shown the inks to withstand the elements of direct unprotected exposure outdoors of over 10 months of abuse on an uncoated, unlaminated Tyvek banner facing due South. Laminated output has been tested under the same conditions to over 18 months without any fading.

For inexpensive signs and banners we output on a 600 dpi HP 2000CP printer which has a maximum material width of 36". The dye inks used in this printer are water-soluble, so unless the print is expected to have a very short life usage it is recommended that prints made be laminated to increase longevity. These dyes are also prone to fading if the print is displayed in direct sunlight or strong UV ambient light for any length of time. Prints may be made on either gloss or matte surfaces.

Prints can be made directly by scanning from your slides, transparencies, negatives or reflective art.
(See scanning prices under Scanning)

We are profiled around ColorMatch RGB as our primary color space. However, for a "punchier" color and contrast, you can also use the Adobe RGB (1998) color space.

VERY IMPORTANT: WPI has gone to great lengths and expense to provide an accurately color-managed workflow. This involves the profiling of all monitors to a 5000K color temperature, and the profiling of all input and output devices. What we see on our monitors is what we get on our output. If you do not have a profiled monitor (one done with a colorimeter) that is accurate then we will not be looking at your file under the same basic conditions. Should you have any questions about your monitor and its color temperature, we strongly recommend that you contact us prior to submitting any work to us. We can supply you with a file for viewing on your monitor to help judge the monitor's accuracy on a visual basis. This file is NOT a substitute for an accurately profiled monitor. Any remakes required due to inaccuracies of non-profiled customer monitors are chargeable.

Pricing is based on your file being ready for output, in either ColorMatch RGB or Adobe RGB (1998). While we do our best to match your reference for color and density through the use of global adjustments, we cannot guarantee that all colors and densities will match your reference should you provide one. This is especially true if the reference you provide us has been "tweaked" to get the colors, density, etc. that you want when printed on your own printer, etc.

Please bear in mind that all inks have different characteristics in densities and gamut, and that even should you be printing with the same inks on the same printer as we, it is unlikely that the results will be identical. Should your needs require matching as closely as possible to your reference, wherein we must go beyond global adjustments, you will be charged on an hourly basis for computer time. We can't stress enough the importance of having a profiled workflow: monitor, scanner, and output devices. If you're not accurately profiled, you're just spinning your wheels with color management. And, more than likely, you (or your client) will end up spending money unnecessarily on color management issues that could have been averted at the beginning.

The age-old expression of "you can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear" holds true in digital imaging as well. In other words, if the resolution (ppi) of your original image is not high enough for the degree of magnification you wish to take it to, you will end up with pixilation on the output. You can't take a low-res file (ppi) and expect to make it look beautiful just by printing on a high quality printer with lots of resolution dots (dpi). Res-ing up a low res file to make it a high-res file won't do you any good. The low-res pixilation will still be there and will be obvious in the final output, especially with outputs of large magnifications.

We go by the rule of thumb of a MINIMUM resolution of 200 ppi at final output size for the file we are working on. However, we regularly work on our own files at 300 ppi at final output size. We feel we would rather have too much information, than not enough. The chart below reflects native file sizes at 200 ppi and 300ppi, and will give you an idea of the MINIMUM file sizes desired for output at various final print sizes as it applies to bitmap images in the .TIF file format.

	RGB Files Sizes
Output Size	@200 ppi	@300 ppi
8 x 10"	9.2 MB	20.6 MB
11 x 14"	17.6 MB	39.7 MB
16 x 20"	36.6 MB	82.4 MB
20 x 30"	68.7 MB	154.5 MB
24 x 36"	98.9 MB	222.5 MB
30 x 40"	137.3 MB	309.0 MB
40 x 40"	183.1 MB	412.0 MB
40 x 50"	228.9 MB	515.0 MB
40 x 60"	274.7 MB	618.0 MB
44 x 55"	283.2 MB	623.1 MB