A
beautiful scan is the absolute key to making a great print.
That's why we focus intensely on making the best possible
scans for fine art printing, and why we use the legendary
Heidelberg Tango Drum Scanner. We give your photographs individualized
attention so we can make the best scanning decisions for
each unique photograph. And we do it with competitive pricing
that gives you the most value for your dollar.
Scanning
is both an art and a science. As a conductor must guide the
symphony, great scans are the result of an experienced Scan
Master who can get the peak performance from the hardware,
software, and ICC profiles that are needed to make a great
scan.
We
have intensely tested our hardware, software, and profiles
so that we can consistently achieve scans of the highest
fidelity. In fact, our Expert Printmakers test our scans
daily as they use them in our Custom
Exhibition prints and Custom
Files.
How
to Send Us an Order
About
Our Tango Drum Scans
-
How
we mount your film
We mount all film with KAMI fluid, NEVER oil. Film is cleaned
with PEC-12 archival film cleaner before and after scanning. Read a
step-by-step explanation of how we handle your film.
-
Our
Tango can scan images up to 18x22 in size
Prints, transparencies and negatives up to 18x22 can be scanned
on the Tango.
-
We
use custom ICC profiles to capture accurate color
Our
Tango scanners are carefully profiled ensure that each scan
captures the richness in your original film.
-
We
give individualized attention to each image we scan
Each scan we do is given individual attention by one of our
scan masters Jeff
Grandy and Ron
Iudice, our by one of our Expert Printmakers, who make
careful adjustments to black point, white point, color and
contrast, preserving all the information you need to make
a good print.
-
The
Tango delivers excellent D-max and Resolution
The Tango’s 4.2 DMax, excellent shadow detail, and
10,780 maximum resolution, allow you to make large prints
with detail that is unparalleled.
-
We
scan without unsharp masking
You have far more control over Unsharp Masking (USM) in Photoshop,
so USM is always turned off on our scanner.
-
We
can scan into any workingspace
We can save scans into any workingspace you choose, including
Adobe RGB, Ekta
Space PS 5, or any other space you want. Our default
is to save all color scans into Ekta
Space PS 5, created by Joseph
Holmes, which is the standard RGB space for fine art
photographers. We use it here at WCI for our Custom Exhibition
prints, as well as our personal work. After using it for
tens of thousands of prints and scans, we find that it has
a much better gamut that Adobe RGB, and responds to adjustments
like curves in a very photographic way.
-
We
can deliver your scans on CD or DVD for free--or if you
need them more quickly, we offer Online Delivery.
For no charge, we will save your scans to CD, DVD-R, or
your USB/firewire hard drive. Please indicate your preference
on your order form. If no preference is provided, we will
burn your scans to DVD. Need
your scans ASAP? For $15 per order, we can deliver your
scans to you as soon as they are finished via our web
delivery service.
-
Normal
turnaround times
We work on a first-come, first-served basis for Tango Scans.
Our reputation is based on giving each image our undivided
attention, and striving to make the best scan possible from
each image. We work to complete each order as quickly as
possible, without sacrificing quality. This said, turnaround
generally runs 72 hours in-house, though our workload may
dictate a longer turnaround. If you need your scans by a
specific date, please call us and we will do our best to
accommodate your needs. Orders that require us to fall outside
our first-come, first-served basis may incur a 100% rush
charge. 8-bit scans larger than 300mb, 16-bit scans larger
than 600mb, and scans of images larger than 4x5 may take
longer.
RUSH
SERVICES: We offer rush services with prior
approval, including same-day turnaround if we deliver
your scans via our web server. Read
more information on rush services and online Delivery.
16-bit
Scan Pricing |
RGB
(Color) |
Greyscale
(B&W) |
Price
|
| 100MB |
35MB |
$24.95 |
| 200MB |
70MB |
$39.95 |
| 400MB |
135MB |
$49.95 |
| 600MB |
200MB |
$79.95 |
| 800MB |
265MB |
$99.95 |
| 900MB |
300MB |
$109.95 |
| 1000MB |
335MB |
$119 |
| 1200MB |
400MB |
$139 |
| 1440MB |
480MB |
$225 |
| 1600MB |
535MB |
$275 |
|
8-bit
Scan Pricing |
RGB
(Color) |
Greyscale
(B&W) |
Price
|
| 50MB |
17MB |
$24.95 |
| 100MB |
34MB |
$39.95 |
| 200MB |
67MB |
$49.95 |
| 300MB |
100MB |
$79.95 |
| 400MB |
134MB |
$99.95 |
| 450MB |
150MB |
$109.95 |
| 500MB |
167MB |
$119 |
| 600MB |
200MB |
$139 |
| 720MB |
240MB |
$225 |
| 800MB |
267MB |
$275 |
|
| Quantity
Discounts* |
| 1-14 |
No
discount |
| 15-25 |
10%
off |
| 26-35 |
15%
off |
| 36-59 |
20%
off |
| 60-99 |
25%
off |
| 100+ |
Call |
Currency
Converter
This currency converter
is provided for your convenience, to help you estimate
your costs. When you place your order, you will
be billed in US Dollars. Actual currency conversion
will be handled by your credit card company when
we bill your invoice.
|
Deposit Required:
Due to the labor involved
with scanning, a 50% deposit is required at the time you
place your order, which we will bill to the credit card
number you supply. The remainder is due upon completion
of the job.
We
must use a significant amount of materials to scan 8x10 and
larger film. Therefore, we have a minimum scan charge of
$49.95 per image for 8x10 or larger film. This charge does
not apply to 6x17cm or 6x12cm panos. Please
contact us for custom pricing if you have a large quantity
of large film you need us to scan.
*Quantity
Discounts only apply to "scan-only" jobs. It does
not apply to Archive Scans and print orders. These discounts
apply to the total number of transparencies or negatives
included within ONE order. While we will work to complete
your order as promptly as possible, there is no guaranteed
turnaround time for scans with quantity discounts. If you
need your order by a specific date, discounted pricing will
not apply to your order. Quantity discounts may not be combined
with sales or with any other offers. Quantity discounts apply
to scans made from 35mm film, medium format film (645 to
6x17) and 4x5 images. 8x10 images do not qualify for quantity
discounts. The quantity scan discounts listed above only
apply to scans 100mb or larger - please contact
us if you would like to scan a large number of images
under 100mb. To qualify for quantity discounts, you
must write the words "Quantity Discount" in the
promotional code section of the order form. Orders without
these words will be billed at our regular pricing.
We're
proud to announce Version 5.0 of our famous RGB Tango Drum
Scans, now available in 16-bit at the same price
as our 8-bit scans!
What
are Drum Scans Version 5.0?
Since
1999,
we've used five distinct combinations of software and profiling
techniques. Each new combination was adopted because it gave
us a meaningful increase in scan quality. Drum Scans Version
5.0 uses new software and profiling techniques to give us
the most accurate scans from color transparencies that we've
ever seen, and it allows us to produce great scans in 16-bit
color. While the Tango's
superb hardware may make 16-bit overkill, it's increasingly
the choice of customers who want to make sure they are getting
every last bit of quality. By default, we scan every color
transparency as a 16-bit file.
The
Tango is an amazing scanner for B&W negatives, with unique
capabilities. It can record astounding detail from the lightest
and darkest areas of your film. Even severely under-exposed
and/or under-developed film often produces results that you
would swear came from a "perfect" negative. We've
even recorded detail that was invisible to the naked eye;
essentially "clear" film.
The
Tango has a dedicated greyscale mode that uses a neutral
density filter with its photo multiplier tubes. There is
no need to scan into RGB (as many photographers do with CCD
scanners) to capture a clean, noise-free scan with the most
detail.
We've
tested three different software packages for greyscale scanning,
and the one that produces the best results, by far, works
only in 8-bit. This is no big deal. Tango scans are so robust
that you can push and pull them to extremes before you'll
see any degradation. Museums don't hang histograms, and they
don't judge prints on "combing." What matters is
how the prints look, and you'll consistently make prints
that wow your audience with these scans.
To
give you what we think is the best scan possible from your
B&W film, our default is to scan in 8-bit. This said,
if you would rather have 16-bit greyscale scans, please
indicate this on your order form.
Color
negatives can be the most difficult film to scan. You'd think
it would be as simple as inverting the data and removing
the orange mask, but it's not. The orange mask is not simply
a 40cc orange; it varies in density at every point in the
photograph, depending on what is recorded on the film at
that point. Variations in processing and exposure mean that
the same settings for one negative rarely work for another,
even if they are on the same film. And while color negative
film is capable of recording great latitude, the highest
quality scans consistently come from film exposed in "chrome
light" and carefully processed.
Despite
these challenges, we consistently produce scans from color
negatives that are Museum Quality. We have three scanning
software packages to choose, and can pick and choose which
one works best for your film. It is not uncommon for us to
scan your film using two different software packages so that
we can choose which one produces the best results. Our
favorite software choice for color negatives makes 8-bit
scans. We'll use the software that we think works best for
your image. This said, if you would rather have 16-bit scans,
please indicate this on your order form.
What
size scan do you recommend for my images?
| |
35mm
film |
Larger
film formats |
| |
RGB |
Greyscale |
RGB |
Greyscale |
| 8-bit |
100MB |
35MB |
300MB |
100MB |
| 16-bit |
200MB |
70MB |
600MB |
200MB |
You
should scan your image large enough for the largest reasonable
possible use you anticipate. This eliminates the need for
rescanning and reworking at a later date.
A 100mb 8-bit scan and a 200mb 16-bit scan are scanned at the
same dpi, so they will resolve the same amount of detail. The
16-bit scan makes a file that is twice as large because it
uses twice as many bits to define each pixel. The same is true
for a 300mb 8-bit scan and 600mb 16-bit scan.
I
ordered a 200mb 16-bit greyscale scan. Why did I get a
100mb 8-bit scan at the same price?
To keep things simple, our scan pricing and ordering is
specified in 16-bit, but when we scan black and white and
color negatives, we get the best results with a software
package that only creates 8-bit files, so if you ordered
a 200mb 16-bit scan, what you'll actually get is a 100mb
8 bit scan. A 100mb 8-bit scan and a 200mb 16-bit scan
of the same film are made at the same dpi, so we're scanning
the same amount of resolution, but using 8-bit halves the
bit-depth of a 16-bit scan, hence it is creates a file
half the size. There is no price difference for 8 or 16-bit
scans. If you absolutely, positively want 16-bit greyscale
scans, please mark it your order form "16-bit only."
• Read
more Scanning FAQ
• Read
our step-by-step discussion of
how we prepare your images for scanning
• Our scanning
info sheet (PDF) provides more technical information
on our scans.
Download our Scanning
Order Form (PDF),
and fill it out.
Then, send your completed order form and your film
to the address below:
West Coast Imaging
40094 Highway 49
Oakhurst, CA 93644
Phone: 559-641-7338
FAX: 800-635-1640
