Services

Printing

Today we mostly consume digital images on high-quality displays whether they be phone, laptop or desktop. These displays emit light making images appear bright and vibrant. As paper is not a source of light, prints depend on reflected light for their illumination. Papers typically have a smaller colour gamut too and less tonal range than displays. Therefore, most digital images require minor adjustments to achieve good-looking printed results. Adjustments usually include changes to one or more of brightness, saturation, contrast and sharpening depending on paper choice. The higher quality the digital image the better the print as printing, by itself, cannot magically restore already compromised images but it can also be surprising what can be achieved with a few ‘tweaks’ using modern professional image processing tools and a bespoke printing service.

I have been printing digital images since 2018 and am confident that printing is a skill in its own right and that achieving excelled prints is so, so much more than simply printing an image that looks good on a screen. It’s for this reason that I’m happy to print digital images made by others bringing my skill and experience to the process.

Perhaps you have a single digital image or several digital images for which you would like high-quality print(s)? Perhaps you have been disappointed with prints from a large commercial printing service? Perhaps you wish for a more tailored print with custom borders, a caption or overlay-text or just a bespoke print service? If so, please get in touch using the Contact form and we can discuss your ambitions.

All photographic prints are made using either a Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 or imagePROGRAF PRO-2100 inkjet printer with genuine Canon ink by myself here at Andy Gawthrope Photography. Once printed, each print is inspected for defects and left to dry for at least 3hrs. Prints despatched via post are carefully covered with soft tissue paper, rolled and placed inside a medium or large diameter cardboard postal tube to ensure they arrive in perfect condition.

Film and slide scanning

If, like me, you have boxes of 35mm slides or 35mm negatives that you no longer view, perhaps as you no longer have a slide-viewer, a projector or it’s just too much hassle, consider converting your most cherished ones to digital were you can view them on a phone, tablet, computer etc, or even as prints. Also consider that slides and negatives fade and/or undergo noticeable changes as they age. If they have been kept cool, dry and in dark conditions chances are they will still look pretty good, but if stored in less favourable conditions they may have significantly deteriorated. So what looked fresh four or five decades ago may now be in a poor condition.

Scanning is not a quick process and usually takes several minutes per slide or negative. It’s not therefore practical to scan hundreds. It is non-destructive to the slide / negative with the benefit that the resulting digital image won’t deteriorate through time.

After my father died I reviewed his collection. Some had faded to nothing but the majority were still pretty good; I identified those of personal value and scanned them. This was transformative as images of my childhood and early family life suddenly became accessible again, especially to my mother who now has several new photographs on her wall!

I use a dedicated Plustek OpticFilm film scanner to achieve high-resolution colour or black and white scans and can supply digital images in different formats such as JPEG or DNG . The latter is especially useful if you wish to edit the images in software such as Photoshop.

If you have a small quantity of 35mm slides or negatives that are of importance and that you wish to persist please either call or drop me a message using the Contact form. We can discuss the best way to proceed.

Self adhesive labels and stickers

Custom labels and stickers are an amazing thing! Almost any design can be printed including full-colour images on a semi-gloss or matt, sticky-backed paper and supplied in sheet form or as individually cut labels/stickers. They don’t need to be just rectangular or circular, of course they can be, but can also be cut to outline whatever is on the label/sticker! Mine are intended for indoor / dry environments and not outdoor usage.

I can print, cut and supply a low quantity if that’s your need or hundreds for those with larger needs. So, please get in touch with your design / requirement and we can discuss it further.

Vinyl signage

My vinyl signage is cut from rolls of single colour vinyl and is ideal for all sorts of basic signage and identification purposes. For example, directional signage such as arrows fixed to doors, windows, walls etc, or lettering /numbering applied to bins, doors etc.

I use a Graphtec CE7000 cutter that can cut entirely through vinyl or cut just its top layer leaving a design that can be pealed-away from its backing and thus retaining its spacial integrity with any other elements in an overall design. The latter is especially important for more complex designs involving several different compositional elements. Designs can be up to 60cm wide and several metres in length.

As self-adhesive vinyl is available in pretty much the full rainbow of colours it’s possible to create signage in the colour you desire; it’s also possible to mix elements created using different vinyl colours to achieve multi-coloured signage. Once attached to a bin, wall, window etc vinyl is strong and hard-wearing.

Please get in touch for more info and to discuss your requirement.