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Don Bowen wrote:

> I have been trying to get HIGH QUALITY glossy, bordered 8x10 color prints
> published for years with minimal success.

There are two reasons for this:
1. Flatbed scanning (technology issue), and  2. Handling/filing the prints.
 

Note: 35mm film is scanned in film scanners, not flatbed scanners - large
transparencies can be exceptions - and drum scans are great, but like
everything else, you are at the mercy of the machine operator.

1. Reflective surface (flatbed scans):
It is much easier to get a good (tonal range) B&W flatbed scan from a print
in 256 shades of gray or even 8 bits per RGB channel, than it is to get a
good color flatbed scan unless you have a high end machine scanning at 12
bits per channel with a good optical density of at least 3.4 (and you need
to scan at least at 1.8x to 2x the line screen to be printed at on paper -
which takes enough out of an image with dot gain and other variables).  And
simply, color flatbed (reflective) scans don't look as vibrant and sharp as
a scan of the actual film, because you are in effect making a copy from a
non transparent print.  Don't copy a copy when you can scan the original. 
You will get more information in your file to work with.  Sure you can get
shots published from prints, but this simply isn't the industry norm
because it's not quite the same.  If the (lack of) quality of your actual
paper or publication printing process cancels out any benefit to the best
possible scans, then you can get away with less file information (flatbed
scans).  Railfan publications are not printed at a high enough line screen
(like expensive books usually are) to benefit from some of the best scan
qualities.  

2. Storing prints is also a problem.  Publications that do not devote file
space to your print submission don't return your prints for a convenience
feature: they throw them away, assuming that they were submitted as copies.

Dave Cohen
Photographer, Member ASMP
Action Photographic Webmaster
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/home/

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