My print studio is located at:
2615 Minna Avenue, Oakland, CA 94619.

See a MAP for directions

Call 510 536-5889


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

FILE TYPEs:        The best file formats are TIFF, PSD, JPG, PDF, EPS.  Sometimes BMP works well. [NOTE: Mac formatted USB drives and external hard drives may NOT work on my Windows system. Bring files with you but also send them to me first via wetransfer.com]

MODE:                  RGB is better than CMYK.  CMYK may create color shifts. The printer prints in 8 bit. 16 bit images can be printed as well but will be transformed to 8 bit by the printer software. If you send me images in CMYK mode I will print them for you as CMYK if you wish.

RESOLUTION (DPI):         Your images, as a very general rule of thumb, are best at about 300 dpi (dots per inch) at the actual size you want to print them.  Other higher or even lower resolutions may print very well, depending upon your image.  If you send me your image(s) I can look at them on the computer screen at their actual print size and see if the image looks printable for you. (Please note that by 300 dpi I mean that the image is 'truly' 300 dpi, and has not merely been assigned that resolution afterwards. Arbitrarily assigning an image a certain dpi does not make it that resolution, if the image is 'truly' lower than that. If you have any doubts it is best just to leave your image at the actual resolution it is and allow me to adjust the size.)

BORDERS:      Important: Think about what kind of blank borders you would like added around your print and what size they should be.

READY TO PRINT vs. EDITING:      "Ready to print" means your image needs no adjustment.  "Editing" means we have to make adjustments to the size, borders, color, sharpness, cropping or other adjustments necessary to make your file print the way you would like.  Editing is not expensive, and is pro-rated to the actual time I spend making the changes necessary.  15 minutes for example costs only $10.00 for this one-time only editing, and the results are saved to your file in my computer thus permanently memorializing the improvements for all future printing. [PLEASE NOTE: Fof images that have or are predominantly BLACK I WILL ADD 10% to each print.]

TURN AROUND TIME:              If I have your OK to print and the media on hand I can often print the same day. Sometimes while you wait.  Some tasks require more time, depending on what they are, especially scanning and color correction.  Color adjustments can take some time, longer than you may wish to sit waiting. Printing and stretching canvases usually takes 3 days or so. If you need prints turned around in 24 hours or less there may be a 20% rush fee, depending on the amount of work needed on the image prior to printing.

TESTS / PROOFS:        I highly recommend inexpensive printed test strips of your images prior to final printing, unless you are reasonably certain they are not needed.  I can even mail you test strips for your review, saving you time traveling to my studio.  Tests generally are about $2-3 each , depending on the size, number of tests and media.  They can be extremely helpful in making the print the most accurate possible.

PAPERS / CANVASES / MEDIA USED and PRICES. On hand I mostly carry:
Epson Enhanced Matte Paper at $7.00/sf, (smooth white paper, 190 gsm and archival to 75+ years).
Epson Ultrasmooth (or Hot Press Natural) at $9.50/sf, (smooth slightly warm paper, 250 gsm, archival to 100+ years).
Epson Cold Press Bright at $9.50/sf, (textured watercolor type paper, 310 gsm, archival to 100+ years).
Epson Legacy Etching (replaced Canson Etching Rag) at $9.75/sf, (fine medium textured white paper, 310 gsm, archival to 100+ years).
Epson Enhanced Matte Posterboard at $11.50/sf, (1.2 mm thick smooth white paper on board, archival to 75+ years).
Vinyl scrim at $975/sf.
Epson canvas at $10.75/sf and (archival to 75+ years).
Fredrix canvas at $9.75/sf.  (NOTE: that is just 6.7 cents / square inch or less!)
The printer can also print on other media such as silk, gold, transparent and backlight media.

I also excellently varnish and stretch canvases over wooden stretcher bars and those tasks costs vary depending mostly the size of the work you want printed.  I can send you very detailed quotes broken down by task and cost. My stretching canvases is almost always much less than having to frame your canvas print. Note: if you want to stretch canvas prints they should be varnished first, before stretching, not after, to protect them!

PRINTER / PRINT SIZES / INK TYPE:         The printer is a 44" wide Epson 9900 which uses 10 Epson Ultrachrome HDR pigmented inks. These are archival inks. I print using “Matte Black” ink which means I print on matte media, or switch to "Photo Black" ink for glossy or resin coated prints.  The printer prints up to 44” wide by much longer in the other dimension, and every size inbetween, to very small, as you like.

HOW TO GET YOUR IMAGES TO ME:       You may bring your images on a CD, DVD or USB (jump/flash/thumb) drive.  Or you can email them to me, or if too large to email, use very easy FREE online FTP services such as wetransfer.com, which lets you send very large files, or use another free FTP or file archiving site. [NOTE: Mac formatted USB drives and external hard drives may NOT work on my Windows system. Bring files with you but also send them to me first via wetransfer.com]

HOW TO HAVE YOUR ARTWORK DIGITIZED:           I can scan your original flat artwork up to about 48x48", using a wide format Epson 11000 xl scanner (about 12x17”); works can be scanned in 2 or more pieces if necessary and perfectly joined in Photoshop at high resolution for between just $12 - $55 each work, depending on the size of your original. We can scan up to 1200 dpi or higher. Most images are scanned at 600 dpi or more or less which allows for enlargement of several magnitudes without any degradation of the printed image. If your artwork is larger than 48x48", I work with the Oakland-based photographer Dana Davis who can photograph your work very professionally.

SHIPPING:           I can ship your work to you, or drop ship your work to a third party if you like.  Usually I ship in very sturdy tubes. If you are not in a hurry, domestic shipping via the Post Office's "Media Mail" can be a lot less than Priority Mail for smaller or tubed prints.

DISCOUNTS:       If we print 4 - 20 of any single image at one time, you have a discount of 10%.  15% off for printing 21-40 of a single image.  20% off for 41 - 60.  25% off for 61 - or more. Discounts do not apply to images smaller than 8x10" because of the relatively large amount of handling of smaller images.

PAYMENT METHODS:                    Cash, or personal check made out to John Sheridan, Zelle (very easy all you need is my phone number of email address to set it up instantly), Paypal (use johnsheridanart@sbcglobal as my Paypal account name.).  If using Paypal may I request we split their fees 50-50 and add that to the total, usually 1.5% for each of us. If using Venmo, please us John-Sheridan-46 and the last fourdigits of my cell: 2814.

Please feel free to contact me ANY TIME with ANY QUESTIONS you may have. I'll be glad to answer you.

 

-- John Sheridan
johnsheridanart@sbcglobal.net

(510) 536-5889

Back to my DIGITAL PRINTING page.