HOW DO I ORDER?
MY PICTURE IS RECTANGLE – I WANT A SQUARE PRINT.
I TRIED PRINTING MYSELF, AND THE PRINT IS DULL AND STREAKED.
WILL
THE COLORS BE JUST LIKE WHAT I SEND?
DOES IT MATTER
IF I HAVE A PC OR A MAC IN SAVING THE FILE?
I DON’T HAVE A DIGITAL IMAGE FILE, JUST A PHOTOGRAPH.
WHAT IS ‘PIGMENT’?
DOES THE PRINTED FABRIC ‘FEEL’ DIFFERENT?
WHAT ARE THE COST DIFFERENCES IN PRINTING MYSELF OR YOU DOING IT?
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN BUSINESS?
THE FABRIC SHEETS I BOUGHT AT THE FABRIC STORE SAYS THEY ARE PERMANENT
WITH 'ANY INK JET PRINTER'.
HOW CAN THE PRINTER WORK WITH 'FLOPPY' FABRICS?
WILL THE COLORS ON THE FABRIC BE EXACTLY LIKE ON MY COMPUTER MONITOR,
OR ON MY CAMERA VIEWER?
HOW
DO I SEND A COMPUTER FILE TO YOU?
DO YOU OFFER HEMMED SCARVES?
OCCASIONALLY INQUIRIES COME REGARDING LARGE COMMERCIAL ORDERS Our specialty is limited edition prints and one-of-a-kind artist prints (often called giclees). There are times when larger orders can be accommodated in a time frame and price range acceptable to all parties. Frequently however the need is for a different process of printing which requires chemical treatment to complete the printing. We do not use any chemical pre-or post-treatment of the prints. Each of our prints is done one at a time and raw edges hand hemmed after printing unless requested otherwise. |
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HOW TO ORDER: All we need is a copy of your image ready to print. Print-ready means if you want a square print, such as 16” x 16”, the picture you send must either be square or directions included where you want the picture cropped to fit the square. You may send a .jpg file by email, or any format such as TIFF on a CD.
MY PICTURE IS RECTANGLE – I WANT A SQUARE PRINT: One re-sizing is included in the price. This means if you want a scarf that is 30 inches square, the image you send does not have to be that large in inches. A quarter of the final size (8" x 8" at 300 dpi) is just fine. Whatever, we won't stretch an image from a rectangle to a square, but can 'crop' it for you if you like. The 'resolution' is important for a good print in a large size. Most digital cameras take photos that are 120 or 300 dpi. This is the resolution which means how many little dots in each inch. Images on websites like this are typically 72 dpi. 72 dpi in a small image in inches as well means the resulting print may appear 'pixelated' or fuzzy. An 8" x 8" in 72 dpi won't scale well to a 30" x 30" scarf, but a 300 dpi one will be okay. If you have questions, feel free to email to see if your picture is big enough in resolution or inches to print well large. Any color corrections or “boo boos” can be done for an additional 75 cents/ minute. You will be notified in advance of any extra charges. Please give an email address to expedite your order.
I TRIED PRINTING MYSELF, AND THE PRINT IS DULL AND STREAKED: This is due to either the wrong settings in the print menu or your printer needs cleaning. For dull prints be sure to use the printer settings recommended by the manufacturer of the fabric. This is often 'plain paper'. I find from my own experimenting that this gives a darker, duller print than if you use 'inkjet paper' option. It all depends on the printer, and the paper -or fabric in this case - how the print turns out. The printer manufacturer has made a multitude of tests while it was being designed and will let you know how to get best results. It just happens to be that printing on fabric is a new thing and perhaps tests haven't been done yet by the printer companies. If you are getting stripes in the print, it is usually because of the setting.
For streaked, or missed spots, or color is way off, try cleaning the printer. There is a utility somewhere in the printer settings or options that allow you to clean the nozzles.
.WILL THE COLORS BE JUST LIKE WHAT I SEND? The colors on your final print will match the colors on the file you send. Your print will be as vibrant and beautiful as your file you send us. There is a chance that your monitor and ours are not seeing the same colors. Not that the color is actually different, just that the monitor calibrations are different. Then the viewer assumes the color is, say - magenta, when the color is actually more reddish. If it has been awhile since you have calibrated your monitor (directions come with new monitors how to do this), then do so before attempting images which are important that the colors are correct. If you are concerned, send a little photograph with your CD in the mail that has the correct colors.
If your own printer gives you the colors you see on your monitor, then all should be just fine.
When it is critical that the colors match because you are trying to match fabric you will be using with the print you get from us, we suggest you send a tiny swatch of the fabric or a small print from your printer that is exactly the color you want. And, in that case, send a large image file on a CD (which will be returned) when color is really important to match something. See more....
One small disclaimer: due to the nature of silk fabric, the color does not always appear as vibrant as when printed on cotton or satin fabrics. Silk is softer and the surface is just different enough that the image may be a tad softer as well. We do match the color and details of the submitted file as best as humanly possible.
DOES IT MATTER IF I HAVE A PC OR A MAC IN SAVING THE FILE? Not at all. A PC will open MAC files, and visa versa. As long as you use a universal file extension (.jpg or .tif) we can open it. Be sure you have a large enough file in inches regardless of anything else. Don't send a 2 inch x 1 inch file if you want us to enlarge it to 10 inches by 12 inches. There just are not enough pixels in a tiny file to do that. If your computer can send the file, ours can receive it. Again, jpg files go on the internet just fine - even large ones.
I DON’T HAVE A DIGITAL IMAGE FILE, JUST A PHOTOGRAPH: No problem. You may also send a good photo which we will scan to print for a slight extra charge of $2.50. All materials will be returned with your order.
WHAT IS ‘PIGMENT’? Pigment is the stuff that is in paint, like oil paint or acrylic paint, that make it the color. In paint the pigment is mixed with a binder to hold it together and a liquid like water that lets it spread around the canvas or paper. In our printer, the pigment is sprayed on the fabric in a similar way ink is sprayed on in your inkjet printer. Pigment has the advantage of being permanent (won’t wash off) and much more fade resistant than regular inkjet ink. It has been tested in labs to archive for well over 150 years if kept from direct sunlight, yet it holds up as well in ordinary wear as your fabrics purchased at the fabric store.
THE FABRIC SHEETS I BOUGHT AT THE FABRIC STORE SAYS THEY ARE PERMANENT WITH 'ANY INK JET PRINTER': That's what they say all right. We bought some to try. We followed directions carefully and then tested to see if they washed well, or faded in the sunlight. All of us who have made clothing or crafts of fabric know some colors will fade quicker than others, and some will bleed in the first washings. The cotton 8 1/2" by 11" sheets of treated fabric printed okay (but not very vibrant color using the 'plain paper' setting they recommend), and they washed okay (but details of faces and such blurred a tad). But put into the direct sunlight a couple days changed some of the colors appreciably. And, keep in mind the costs to you are about the same when you consider the cost of ink as well as the fabric - and you can get larger sizes from us, including custom sizes. You currently can find silk sheets in some stores, and new things come out at any given moment it seems.
DOES THE PRINTED FABRIC ‘FEEL’ DIFFERENT? There is no difference at all in the feel of the material with our process than any other like fabric purchased on bolts at the fabric store. Our Habotai has a wonderful sheen, and the cotton has a high thread count for the best wear. There are some print kits out there that you iron on the garment or quilt square after printing. Most are unacceptable in that they feel very stiff, change color when you iron them on, and will begin to crack and yellow after a couple washings.
WHAT ARE THE COST DIFFERENCES IN PRINTING MYSELF OR YOU DOING IT? For an 8” square, your printer's inkjet costs are about $3.00 for fabric from packs at the fabric store or other sources, plus another $1.50 or $2.00 for ink, (totalling about what our duplicates are.) Plus we offer larger sizes.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN BUSINESS? Printing on fabric like this is a new technology. At last the 'industry' has developed a product (pigments that print like ink) and hardware (wonderful printers) that make Computer Art as durable and archival as traditional methods such as screen printing, watercolor and acrylic painting.
This service of printing for quilters and other textile artists is relatively new, but the parent company, Raldon Enterprises is in its 56th year of business. Raldon began as a commercial art and sign company in early 1955. Still family-owned, the company's purpose is providing services to individuals and businesses in the form of graphic design, web design and, recently, book publishing.
HOW CAN THE PRINTER WORK WITH 'FLOPPY' FABRICS? Our fabrics have been specially treated to "accept" ink or pigment so the colors remain true to the original image file. They also have been backed with paper, similar to the contact paper one finds in rolls at the hardware or home do-it-yourself departments. We can ship to you with the paper still on the fabric but unless you ask differently, we remove the paper before shipping. It can be ironed with silk setting if there are wrinkles in transit.
WILL THE COLORS ON THE FABRIC BE EXACTLY LIKE ON MY COMPUTER MONITOR, OR ON MY CAMERA VIEWER? Some information was given above. There are several variables in this color issue. The print will match the file you send us as best as possible. Color is a funny thing - it appears different on various physical materials even though actually the same. This is because of the way that material reflects or absorbs light. A shiny metal surface and a soft fabric and a rough textured wall may all be the exact same color but look slightly different in your room. You can see that in most any room decor - a painted surface, a curtain, a fluffy pillow may be exactly the same color but look a tad different in 'real life'. All computer monitors are not alike. Some brands make the image appear slightly different than others - check this out in any computer store or even in a store with televisions for sale. When the demos are all running you will see many color variations. The age of the monitor makes a difference, and especially how you have set your monitor's color and appearance. Every color has a specific number based on how much of each primary color it contains, and we do our best to match that number, no matter what the monitor appears to be. The last variable is the fabric itself. Cotton and silk absorb ink and pigment in a different way. Cotton and linen are plant based, silk and wool are animal based and take on different characteristics as a result. For anyone needing a specific color to be absolutely true (as in matching another fabric in your quilt or garment) send along a small swatch of the color you want us to match. We will do so if at all possible.
HOW DO I SEND A COMPUTER FILE TO YOU? You can, of course put any file on a CD and send it in the mail, along with the order form. We will return it. The easiest way perhaps, and certainly faster, is to send it through your email as an attachment. The important thing is to be sure it is a GOOD copy of what you want. JPG files are typically small files, saved at 72 dpi as resolution, and whatever size in inches you have made it. It would be a good idea to send the inch measurements at about a quarter or half of the full size. This should be small enough to travel well in email. Larger files, such as PSD (Photoshop) or TIFF (from your camera) may be too large and your email host may not allow it to go through. Please don't send a tiny file like 1" x 2", as no details will be there to print well at all.
Be sure to name the file - and be sure the file extension is on the name so we can open it here. This would look something like nameofpicture.jpg, not just nameof picture.
DO YOU OFFER HEMMED SCARVES? You can always hem the prints yourself if you want to wear your art as a scarf. We do offer the service of hemming a scarf for you. Pre-hemmed scarf 'blanks' can be purchased but a hemmed piece of fabric won't go through the printer. As well any fabric or paper has to have a coating on it that allows the print to be the correct color. The page of prices also includes the cost of our hemming a scarf for you. We hem by hand, not by machine.
Any further questions, be sure to email us. If
several people ask the same things we will post those here on FAQ as well.