Hello again. Got a graphics question...

Some of my orders are drop-shipped for me. I email the order and the manufacturer prints my order and ships it. Something new we are beginning is for me to include my company logo along with a gift card message at the bottom of the email order that is then cut off and included in the shipment.

I am having trouble getting the logo graphic right. It needs to be emailed, but then printed. The JPEG file works better in the email, but the (tif?) prints better on the other end. Any suggestions on the way I should save this file so that it is optimal for emailing and printing off an email?

Renee:

You should be able to print JPEG files easier than TIFF files. I own a photo lab, and our website is devoted to printing announcements - so, I hope I know what I'm talking about !

As long as you have no plans to edit the file over and over again, a TIFF file is a complete waste of disk space, and as you have noticed, is much too large for email. (We only use PSD files for our artwork, and then JPEG's for final print versions.) All you need is a JPEG file, that is the final dimensions you want, at 300dpi. In other words, a 2.5x2.5 inch image, at 300dpi.

In your case however, you are wanting the file to work well for both email and printing. This is tricky, as the resolution requirements are totally different. You can print the low resolution file, which will email fast - but it will be pixelated. On the other hand, you can email the high resolution "printable" file, but the email will take much longer. So, it is simply a choice between which takes the higher priority - time, or image clarity.

Great point! On top of that, you have the option within almost all software programs that support JPEG to identify at what compression scheme you wish to save the file. When I've had to balance between quality and size, I always erred on the side of quality when I worked in the print industry.

What software are you using to edit your graphics?

Chris

Renee, would it be possible to set up some kind of "stationary" with the drop shipper? If I'm reading your first post correctly, it sounds like the logo and message are simply added to the bottom of the order sheet, and the drop shipper cuts that off and tucks it into the package.

For the "stationary" idea, how about having your logo printed up on stickers, then sending a supply of those to the drop shipper? You could simply leave enough space between the end of the order and the gift card message, and the drop shipper could place your logo sticker there.

I tend to disagree with printing JPEGs. It may work OK for the instant photo kiosks and other quick print jobs, but a high-quality print job with the best possible output is achieved through a 4-color TIF, not an RGB JPEG. However, I design catalogs, so I have many pages of information that HAVE to look good, so JPEGS are simply not an option for me. For you, though, a simple logo above a gift card message in JPEG format would be fine. As others have said, you'll have to decide between quality and faster e-mail when it comes to JPEG size and resolution.

If you do use the sticker suggestion, definitely use a 300 DPI, 4-color TIF of your logo.

This is beyond the scope of this topic, but.... just to clarify.... I believe you are referring to the CMYK printing process.

RGB photographic laser printers (i.e. the Fuji Frontier) do not print using a "4-color" process - rather they are "continuous tone" images, which is different than preparing CMYK images for catalog printing. In the case of photographic printing, there is absolutely no difference between printing the highest quality JPEG file and a TIFF file. If there is any difference at all in the file, it certainly won't be noticable in print. This is also the case with all consumer ink-jet printers, and many large-format ink-jet printers - hence my recommendation above. (We even print ink-jet posters up to 40x60 from JPEG files - although, they are converted to PSD's prior to sending them to the raster processor, simply to speed up the processing time.)

I offer this "clarification," because I can't tell you how many times it has happened that a graphic artist (or a relative of a graphic artist) thinks they are doing things "right" when they bring us TIFF files to print their 4x6 vacation pictures! (or even professional photographic images for that matter) They are coming from a CMYK world... which is not remotely the same - in fact, it is the polar opposite. Additionally, if they want a photograph, by saving their images in 4-color CMYK, they are actually reducing the quality of the final print - there is a good chance that there will be missing colors, as the printing gamut is entirely different. Actually, most labs won't print photographs from CMYK images - without charging for the conversion anyway.

The vast majority of photographic images prepared for photographic output, both amateur and professional, are printed using RGB JPEGs. I will add, that they are also automatically converted to raw data before printing on printers such as the Frontier. If you submit a CMYK image for photographic printing, you will definitely not be pleased! Additionally, you will be met with all sorts of frowns and irritated lab employees in most mass-merchant labs. Of course, we are a custom lab... so we'll simply politely repeat our mantra to ... "save as the highest-quality RGB JPEG, at 300dpi" and be done. (Also, saving images as "grayscale," is a definite no, no for photographs.)

In any event, When working with photographs or basic ink-jet prints as the final output, TIFF's are not necessary, unless you are doing tons of editing over an extended period of time (in other words, where you are repeatedly opening and closing the image). And in that case, working with PSD files is much more efficient.

Yep, I was referring to 4-color printing process -- I live in a world of large-format 4- and 6-color printers. I've never had much luck with the photo printing kiosks, and I've brought in my photos in both RGB JPG and CMYK or RGB TIF format to see what I was doing wrong, but I never get quite the image quality I want, even with high-res images. I've come to the conclusion that these machines have been programmed to make all the decisions for the consumer with OK, but not spectacular, results -- I've always had better luck with the at-home photo printers, where I can tweak my file to get the color balance right if I need to.


P.S. I, too, prefer to print native PSD files when I'm working on photo projects ...

If a jpg is opened and saved over and over it gets degraded. A tiff file does not.

An image embedded in an email (not attached but you see it when you open the email) will be at 72 resolution. A printable jpg should at minumum be at 166.

Yes.... there are two types of kiosk machines in labs. One is an "instant print" kiosk that will start printing your images immediately. STAY CLEAR OF THESE MACHINES! Anything that prints while you are standing there, is not a real photograph. It is a complete waste of money - and in this case, you are more likely getting better results with a properly set ink-jet printer, especially if you are using ICC profiles.

The other type of kiosk (namely those that are Fuji branded and connect to a big printer via a network) are simply ordering stations, that then feed your images via network into the lab's main image server (or PIC). It is on this workstation that image "corrections" and sharpening (if any) is applied.

However, if you are doing this on your own, in an RGB color environment, you need to work in, convert to, and save in the standard sRGB profile. (It is best to not only "convert" to, but also embed the sRGB profile, just for simplicity.) Doing this will preserve your color and density corrections for printing. With that said however, if you are dealing with a more "knowledgable" lab, you need to tell them to turn off the "Image Intelligence" software for your order. (This is software that automatically "corrects" images, but is NOT intended for professional images.) Our lab does not have this turned on by default - we must manually tell it to apply it to a "consumer" order, since most of our high dollar work is professional in nature. Mass merchant labs however, have this turned on by default, and most likely, cannot turn it off.... even if they know what you are talking about.

If that weren't enough, most mass-merchant our drugstore labs do not calibrate or otherwise balance their paper regularly. This causes most of the color shift issues.

It is for these reasons above, that many people now-a-days think that professional ink-jet printers are better than real photographs - which isn't the case. The reason this belief is so prevalent, is because of their experiences with non-experienced lab employees, and printers that are in horrible condition.

Owning two Frontiers, along with an Epson 4800 and 7800, I have the luxury of comparing results whenever I choose. I can say without a doubt, that properly printed photographic paper renders richer and more realistic tones. Not to mention of course - there are no issues with odd reflections, curling paper, and no archiving issues.

Anyway, if you have experienced bizarre and inconsistent results, I'd bet it has something to do with my third paragraph.