From: Michael Kirkland
London Borough of Hackney Archives Department
020 7241 2886
We have a digital image system in the search-room (with low reolution images on it) and replaced our photgrapher over two years ago with a digital service (using high resolution images). I ahve spent a lot of time looking into most of these issues, although copyright/repro protection is an ongoing issue. Hope this is useful:
On the dpi front, it depends on the size of the original and the size of the intended print. You will find that small originals will soon pixelate (and break up) at a large print size at 150 dpi. People seem to approach this in different ways, I tend to look at file size myself eg A5 print = 5 - 10 megabyte file, A4 = 10 - 15 mg, A3 = 15 - 20 mg, A2 = 25 -35mg. I set the dpi to what ever will get that file size (scanning image at 100% - best not to adjust that setting to make bigger or smaller). Some designers/photgraphers/IT people will contest this - too big, too small etc. But this works! We have provided a range a prints over the past two years and customer satisfaction is 100% I studied photgraphy myself years ago and have continued into the digital age and am confident about this.
On the charges front, we have cheap prints from the system ie the low res. images: they are printed approx A5 size on a sheet of A4 that has the ref nos, caption, copyright/repro warning all on it. These cost 50p for bw and £1 for colour.
The high res. stuff is split between digital prints and photographs. Digital prints are printed by us from the high res image on an HP/Epson photo printer on their papers. The photographs are printed by a lab on Kodak paper from the file which we send electronically.
The charges are £10 to make the high res image (inc handling original and professional enhancement of image) print charges are on top, ie in-house digital print £2.50 - £4.50 (depending on bw/colour or plain/glossy/photo paper) for A4. Photos £10 for A4, so a new A4 photograph costs the customer £20 all together.
Customers can also buy the digital image on floppy/CDROM/attached to email for an extra £5, so a new image on floppy is £15 all together.
Your charges may be to cheap for what they are getting; our low res print outs are not fantastic quality, so we make them pay for something that is. You might be getting lots of requests because of this, so you should put your prices up! Our customers come out with the whole range of opinions - £1 is too expensive for any print out and they want a photocopy (!) to £20 is very reasonable, cheap even.
On the digital file issue, I agree with the comment that there is no difference between a floppy disk and a print. I have realised that a great many customers are buying the print in order to scan it themselves or send to an agency. I now they shouldn't, but they do - they even scan our low res print-outs!! (which must look terrible) and use them in their work/genealogy programs. So they might as well have the file; it saves me generating a print, it maintains quality and establishes more of a flexible relationship - they are more likely to come back/make requests/pay repro fees. They have to answer questions/sign forms and the disks are covered with our stickers, but in the end, its all down to the integrity of the customer, as it always was in the days before scanners.
They all pay for image reproduction, if they are students, family hisorians or local not for profit organisations then we will waive repro fees, but the charges are the same. Publishers/authors/property developers/TV&media/exhibitors all pay repro fees and we have scales depending on what it is.
So far I have been talking about images owned by LB Hackney. We always protect copyright and refer the customer to the holder of the original.
Hope this is useful. sorry about the long email. Please give me a call if you want more info/leaflets etc. I would be interested to know what you decide to do
Michael Kirkland
020 7241 2886
>>> <[log in to unmask]> 12/19 10:37 pm >>>
From: Alison Drew
*** Resending note of 19/12/00 12:03
To: I0032955--INTERNET RESOLUTION
From: Alison Drew
Subject: Scanned images
We have recently purchased an A4 flatbed scanner for use in the Searchroom. At
the moment the resolution is set at 150dpi and the quality of the images print
ed out is excellent. At the moment we are charging 2.00 for a b&w and 2.50 f
or a colour but a number of issues have arisen in the last week;
1) Should we be offering images of this quality - customers have to sign a copy
right form but is this a good enough safeguard?
2) Requests for copies have rocketed in the last two weeks. At present there i
s no handling charge. Do any record offices have a sliding scale of charges dep
ending on the number of copies requested?
A customer last week asked if we could save an image to his floppy disk. We sa
id no but I know some offices allow this - what safeguards are in place?
Finally, do any offices charge people for taking a photograph or digital image
even if the image will not be used in a publication?
I have looked at previous messages on the list for inspiration but could not fi
nd exactly what I was looking for. My apologies however if this has been raise
d in the past.
Happy Christmas,
Alison Drew
Portsmouth
|