Frequently asked questions

Questions

1. What do you mean by archival?
2. How do I display my restored picture?
3. How do I store my picture if I don't want to display it?
4. Can I do this on my computer?
5. Are your “black-and-white” prints always toned (tinted), or can you make real black-and-white prints?
6. Can I send you a computer file of a picture, to save shipping the original?
7. Why did my original picture deteriorate?
8. I have an old picture, but I don't want to have it restored right now. How can I keep it from getting worse?

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Answers

1. What do you mean by archival?
   • In photography, the word "archival" refers to photos that remain intact and do not fade significantly for a long, though unspecified, length of time. That usually means longer than the lifespan of a conventionally-processed photographic print or transparency. All prints produced by Legacy Studio are made using a special process developed by Epson America, Inc. The printer is a high-resolution EPSON Stylus® Photo R2400 ink-jet printer using EPSON's proprietary Archival Media and waterproof Archival Inks. The inks used in this system are pigment-based, not dye-based. Light-exposure tests have shown that under ideal circumstances, the prints can last for 100+ years. This result has been corroborated by the independent lab at Wilhelm Imaging Research, Inc. If you have seen the term "giclée" used, referring to high-quality art prints, you might not know that giclée is nothing more than the French word for ink-jet (loose translation).
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2. How do I display my restored picture?
   • The print that I make for you can last for many generations, if you follow a few simple rules:
     1. Never touch the printed surface. Acids and oils in your skin will leave permanent stains that may not become apparent for a long time. Handle by lifting from the edges or back, or wear clean cotton or other soft fabric gloves.
     2. Frame the print under glass, using an acid-free, archival mat to prevent contact with the glass.
     3. Display the framed print away from direct sunlight. The preferred location would be on a wall with no windows on the opposite side. Artificial lighting should be no brighter than you would use for general room lighting. A direct light, such as from a ceiling spot, should be subdued, as one might find in an art museum.
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3. How do I store my picture if I don't want to display it?
   • Every print from Legacy Studio is presented to you in an acid-free, archival plastic sleeve. To store, simply leave the picture in the sleeve and keep it in a dark storage container, or transfer it to an acid-free photo album or box.
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4. Can I do this on my computer?
   • Possibly, depending on your abilities and experience. Also, of course, you would need to have some sort of "image editing" software. There are many such programs with which you can do very creditable work that retail for under $100.00. Some I would suggest you look at would be Jasc" Paint Shop Pro®, Adobe® Photoshop® Elements, Roxio PhotoSuite®, and Corel Photo-Paint®. You can learn the basics of photo restoration by reading your program's help files, and you can go to any of several Web sites for more information. Just run a search for "photo restoration tutorials."
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5. Are your “black-and-white” prints always toned (tinted), or can you make real black-and-white prints?
   • Toning is an option that looks especially good with old pictures, which often were toned by using various chemicals in the darkroom. Toning was a way to give pictures a more appealing coloration than stark black-and-white, and the color was much more stable than full-color photo paper, when that eventually became available. Today, we have many options that were not available until just a few short years ago. Although printing is done on a full-color printer, black-and-white simulation has reached a high level of acceptability, and is indistinguishable from a true monochrome black-and-white print.
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6. Can I send you a computer file of a picture, to save shipping the original?
   • Due to the nature of most restorations, I generally require the original picture. That is because I may have to run several scans. Faded or stained areas, for example, may benefit from different exposure and other settings from the main portion of the picture. In some instances, I may be able to work from your scan, but there are a few requirements. The scan must be in RGB "tiff" format (do not convert to black-and-white), preferably 16 bits per pixel. All color correction should be turned off in the scanner, and the scan resolution must be either 360 or 720dpi resolution. I normally work with large, uncompressed image files of anywhere from 20MB to over 100MB. Files of that size can take a very long time to transfer, so sending a scanned file on a CD-ROM is a sensible option. And, since file compression causes data loss, which degrades image quality, I prefer not to use the common JPEG file format, even at its highest quality. If you have a picture that is too large or too valuable too ship or to scan, you can have a professional 35mm or 4x5" copy negative made by a lab or studio, and send that.
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7. Why did my original picture deteriorate?
   • Nothing lasts forever, including photographs. Properly processed monochrome (black-and-white) prints can last seemingly indefinitely, due to the image being made up of metallic "salts" embedded in the paper. In theory, the image will never fade. But the paper may be another story. Acid in the paper can cause yellowing of the paper itself, as well as fading of the image, and loss of contrast. Papers also can simply get torn, creased, or marked upon.
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   • Color images consist of different dye layers in the paper, and dyes fade fairly quickly if exposed to light, especially sunlight. They also fade if kept in total darkness, but not nearly as fast. And the different dye colors fade at different rates, so you may have a color photo that lost more blue than red or yellow, and it could have an orange cast. This can be corrected somewhat by a photo lab, but they will only make another color print that is subject to the same fading as the original.
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8. I have an old picture, but I don't want to have it restored right now. How can I keep it from getting worse?
   • There are a few things you can do. First, if the picture is framed, remove it from the frame. If it is stuck to the glass, leave it. Second, if the picture is not in a frame, carefully clean the picture, using a soft cotton cloth and clear water. (Don't attempt this if there are any cracked or peeling areas on the picture's surface.) Dampen the cloth, wring it out very well, and rub it over the surface of the picture, turning the cloth often (test at a corner, first). Third, get an acid-free plastic storage sleeve from a camera shop or a business that specializes in scrapbook supplies. Your picture won't be restored, but it will be protected from further rapid deterioration and will last a lot longer. And lastly, if you do want the picture framed, have it professionally matted and framed with modern acid-free materials, and especially don't use a wood frame or backing.
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