Behind the Scenes at a Fine Art Photo Printing Lab
Behind the scenes at a Fine Art Photo Printing Lab in San Francisco
Ever wonder what it’s like to visit a photo lab?
From helping people create art to editing photos, scanning film, chatting about a print, and catching a whiff of darkroom chemistry, there’s always something new going on.
Now, go behind the scenes and explore daily life at Dickerman Prints – a modern photo lab in San Francisco.
We are moving!
After 10 wonderful years at our Howard Street location, Dickerman Prints will be moving at the end of December.
If you are in the San Francisco Bay area, please swing by for one last hurrah before we relocate.
Pop your favorite photos onto a thumb drive and use our carefully calibrated monitors to send your photos directly to our world-class photographic C printer.
Sip an organic espresso or tea while looking at your prints on our perfectly lit viewing tables.
Find inspiration by working in the same space as industry veterans, fine art photographers, hobbyists, phone shutterbugs, and more.
You have until December 23 to order DIY or Custom ‘C’ Prints.
Our long-loved Polielettronica Laserlab (the Polie) will not be moving with us.
That means you only have a few days left to create museum-quality ‘C’ Prints using our DIY or Custom printing services.
The good news is that we will be providing the same Print on Demand and DIY services that you are accustomed to, on our archival pigment printers. This service will now have the advantage of having a wide range of beautiful archival papers for you to choose from.
Key dates:
- The last day to get DIY or Custom Photographic ‘C’ Prints from our Polie is December 23.
- The Howard Street lab is closed to the public as of December 23.
- We will be open for pickups by appointment only from Tuesday, December 27, through Thursday, December 29.
- We will be hosting a moving sale by appointment from Dec 27-29.
- Our new location will officially open on January 3, 2023. More details on that to come
Dickerman Prints is Moving
Dear Friends,
After 10 years on Howard Street, Dickerman Prints is once again on the move! Our new home is in a considerably more peaceful location near Mission Dolores Park.
Much of our service will remain as it has always been, though there will be a few notable changes.
Our long-loved Polielettronica Laserlab (the Polie) will not be moving with us.
That amazing machine is 17 years old now (that’s 89 in printer-years) and is ready for a well-deserved retirement. We have always loved our type ‘C’ prints, and we will be sorry to see them go!
The good news is that we love our archival pigment prints as well (even more, actually), and will be providing the same Print on Demand and DIY services that you are accustomed to, on our archival pigment printers. This service will now have the advantage of having a wide range of beautiful archival papers for you to choose from.
More details will follow regarding the transition from type ‘c’ printing to archival pigment.
We will offer papers that render prints that look like our current ‘c’ prints, or like traditional fiber-based B&W prints. We will also offer a variety of more matte-surfaced fine art papers, with varying degrees of texture and “tooth”, with both natural and bright options.
The Polie will retire on December 23, 2022.
If you want to stock up on c-prints please do your printing before then!
We will still process and scan film … but …
We will still process and scan your film, but the actual processing will be done by Underdog Film Lab in Oakland. These film-loving industry veterans use Refrema dip-and-dunk machines, which are the gold standard in processors. You can still drop your film with us, and when the film is returned to us, we can scan it, proof it, or print it as you wish.
Thank you, Gabriel!
The final, and most deeply felt change is that the one and only Gabriel Aguilar will not be making the move. Garnell and I will do our best to fill his shoes, but he will be greatly missed! We are tremendously grateful for his 12 years at Dickerman Prints and wish him the very best.
We will continue to provide the highest level of service and quality, as we have since 1996.
We love making our customers’ work look its very best, and look forward to serving you in our new location for years to come.
Moving Sale Info
We will be having a sale in late December of whatever furniture, gear, and supplies that we will not be moving.
Seth’s photographs that are hung at the lab at present will be available as well, at Moving Sale prices.
Screen Resolution, PPI, DPI, and File Size Explained
A client recently asked me to provide a file at the “size” of 6000 x 4000 pixels for display on a large array of screens.
I wanted to know the resolution of the screen array for which it was intended. My question was “6000 x 4000 pixels at what PPI?” I was somewhat surprised to find that this information, the screen resolution, was not in fact readily available, and even more surprised to find how difficult I found it to explain exactly why I needed it!
How I would explain it now, after further reflection, is that a specification like 6000 x 4000 pixels by itself does not tell us the size or resolution of the file, because it doesn’t tell us the size of the pixels themselves.
Pixel size is not fixed – it is a variable.
The size of the pixel is determined by how many of them fit in an inch of screen (pixels per inch, or PPI). This may be more easily understood if we think for a moment in terms of print, in which we use dots (of ink) instead of pixels (dots of light).
We are familiar with printed images being made up of dots, and have all seen that that big dots mean low resolution, less detail, and that when we print smaller dots, more dots per inch (DPI), that we can achieve higher resolution, more detail, and finer gradations.
Screen resolution, or pixel density, works the same way. This is why PPI and DPI are interchangeable terms.
The pixel density of screens varies, just as the resolution of printers and prints do.
It used to be that pretty much all screens were made for 72 DPI. But screen resolutions have gotten considerably higher, and will continue to do so.
If I supply that 6000x4000 pixel file at a resolution of 72 DPI, and my client’s screen array resolves at 72 DPI, the image would appear to be approximately 83” wide (found by dividing 6000 by 72).
But if my client has a high-res screen, like a 4K, with a pixel density of 184 PPI, that same file would only appear to be 32” wide. If the screen resolution were to double again, to 368 PPI, the image would be 16” wide instead.
I suspect that most of us have observed this phenomenon when changing our computer resolution (often by mistake), and seen our desktop (alarmingly) either shrink or enlarge. A higher definition monitor, therefore, requires a bigger file.
The larger the screen - the greater the viewing distance.
What works in our favor, in terms of keeping file sizes reasonable for screens, is that generally the larger the screen, the greater the viewing distance. And greater viewing distance is more forgiving of lower resolution.
For a print example, consider a billboard, which uses a big dot pattern, because at a distance the dots blend together. It’s not until you get up close that you can see the dots. Likewise a Jumbotron screen at the ballpark is of a low resolution, because it too is seen only from a great distance.
This low resolution screen is also advantageous in terms of file size, because it can take relatively small files and render them very large.
The Best Medicine Show
In January, 2020, we sent out a call for photography:
We need to laugh now, more than ever, so Dickerman Prints is announcing a call for humorous entries that will lift our spirits and tickle our funny bones.
Who knew that just a few short months later, our need to laugh would be so amplified. To help celebrate humor in the midst of challenge, we present the selected entries from The Best Medicine Show.
“Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.”
~ Mark Twain
“Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.”
~ Lord Byron
Photograph by Jock McDonald
Awards
- Best of Show – Gary Beeber
- Honorable mentions – Erica Martin, Marky Kauffman, Ken Walton, Ellen Rosenthal
Jurors
- Ann Jastrab, executive director of the Center for Photographic Art, Carmel
- Stuart Kogod, owner and founder of Rayko Photo Center
- Seth Dickerman, owner and founder of Dickerman Prints
“Keep laughing. As long as you’re laughing you still have hope.”
~ Moe Howard
Some parting laughs
Our Mission Dolores Park location is open by appointment only
Our friendly staff loves to share their expertise and experience. Come in, load up your photos on a Mac workstation, sip on an organic espresso or tea, and let us help you create the perfect print.
We’re always here to help
(415) 252-1300
info@dickermanprints.com
Monday: 10 – 6
Tuesday: 10 -7
Wednesday: 10 – 6
Ask us anything
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Save 50% on POD + Other Coronavirus Updates
Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Clients,
We at Dickerman Prints send our best wishes to all of you in this unprecedented and challenging period!
With more time on our hands, art can be a welcome refuge. You may find this to be a good time for photography and photo editing, and we would like to help in any way that we can. Here's an update of how Dickerman Prints is addressing the Shelter in Place ordinance - and keeping our clients safe.
We are open for online orders only
To comply with the Shelter in Place ordinance, we will be offering limited services via phone consultation, online ordering, and delivery only. Please email or phone with any questions or concerns. We will be happy to be of any assistance that we can!
- We are maintaining our equipment in operating condition, and are able to do a lot for you remotely.
- We will be offering online tutorials. Reach out to learn more.
- You can send us print orders through our website, and film and other materials by mail or other delivery services.
Save 50% on Print on Demand Services
Our Print on Demand service is particularly appropriate for working from home, so as a means of encouragement we are offering it at half price during this period. Your prints will be mailed to you within 2 business days (depending on the availability of postal services). Here's how to get this special offer:
Click here to upload your files
Select "DIY C-Print" as your service type
Enter POD50 at checkout.
The Best Medicine Show to Debut Online
The Best Medicine Show, our juried show of photographs to help make you laugh will go on to open as scheduled, on Friday, April 1st. Yes, that’s April Fool’s Day!
Until the lab reopens to the public this will take place in an online gallery. Please stay tuned for details!
To those whose work has been accepted in The Best Medicine Show: we will still honor our offer to make your prints for you (8x10” or larger, depending on file size and show layout). Please send us the largest file that you have (without up-rezzing) both for printing and for online purposes.
Prize winners will be announced at the (online) opening. We hope that you can join us – that we can have some laughs together, even as we are apart!
We wish you health, happiness, and creativity!
~ Dickerman Prints
Printing Dorothea Lange
Dorothea Lange has come to Dickerman Prints
Dorothea Lange (May 26, 1895 – October 11, 1965) was an American documentary photographer and photojournalist, best known for her Depression-era work for the Farm Security Administration (FSA). Lange's photographs influenced the development of documentary photography and humanized the consequences of the Great Depression.[1]
The Oakland Museum of California recently commissioned us to create new prints for their permanent Dorothea Lange collection. As a starting point, the museum sent us high-resolution scans of the original negatives. The rest was up to Seth Dickerman: Master Printer and lab founder.
When I edit these, I imagine that Dorothea Lange is my client. My goal is to use her vision to create something entirely new. ... something that she would approve of.
~ Seth Dickerman
The Best Medicine Show
The Best Medicine Show
A Juried Exhibition of Funny Photographs
Opening Reception:
April 1 (April Fool’s Day), 6-8pm
Photograph by Jock McDonald
CALL FOR ENTRIES
We need to laugh now, more than ever, so Dickerman Prints is announcing a call for humorous entries that will lift our spirits and tickle our funny bones.
All genres and styles of photography are welcome, but remember: photographs will be judged primarily on how funny they are!
Photograph by Jock McDonald
Prizes
- Best of Show will receive a $500 gift certificate to Dickerman Prints.
- 4 honorable mention prizes of $150 gift certificates to Dickerman prints will also be awarded.
- Winning pictures will be exhibited at Dickerman Prints in the SOMA Arts District of San Francisco.
- Selections from the show will be featured in a special article in All-About-Photo.com
Jurors
- Ann Jastrab, executive director of the Center for Photographic Art, Carmel
- Stuart Kogod, owner and founder of Rayko Photo Center
- Seth Dickerman, owner and founder of Dickerman Prints
“Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.”
~ Lord Byron
Photograph by Jock McDonald
Entry Guidelines
The Best Medicine Show is open to all living photographers, worldwide, over the age of 18, working in all still photographic media. Works must be original.
- Deadline for submissions: March 8, 2020
- Entry Fee (non-refundable): $30/up to 3 images. $5/additional image up to 10 images.
- Limit 10 images per person:
- All entries must be jpegs or tiffs, not bigger than 2MB, longest side 1280 pixels
- Save files with artist’s last name, first name and title of image (Example: Marx-Groucho-Animal Crackers-1930.jpeg)
- For those submitting by mail or hand-delivering to Dickerman Prints, please download our submission form.
Photograph by Jock McDonald
Submission of Accepted Work
Accepted artists will be invited to send or deliver actual work. Artists may also choose to have Dickerman Prints, San Francisco’s premier photo lab, print your images.
For $20 per print, Dickerman Prints will make beautiful prints of your photographs that you will get to keep after the exhibition. 8×10″ or 8.5×11″ paper.
All works will be hung unframed.
“Keep laughing. As long as you’re laughing you still have hope.”
~ Moe Howard
Photograph by Jock McDonald
Delivery & Return Schedule
- March 8, 2020 – Deadline for submissions. Late submissions will not be reviewed.
- March 10, 2020 – Notification sent by
- March 14, 2020 – Deadline for receipt of digital files if Dickerman Prints is printing your image(s) for the show
- March 25, 2020 – Deadline for receipt of works (late submissions or substitute images will not be hung)
- April 1 – June 1 – Exhibition on view
- April 1, 2020 – Opening reception at Dickerman Prints, 5:30-7:30pm (yes, April Fool’s Day!)
- June 10, 2020 – Pick-up hand-delivered work
- July 1, 2020 – Works shipped by
Enter Now
Artists will be notified by email on March 8, 2020
Our Mission Dolores Park location is open by appointment only
Our friendly staff loves to share their expertise and experience. Come in, load up your photos on a Mac workstation, sip on an organic espresso or tea, and let us help you create the perfect print.
We’re always here to help
(415) 252-1300
info@dickermanprints.com
Monday: 10 – 6
Tuesday: 10 -7
Wednesday: 10 – 6