Digital Imaging Lab at Hexagram

The new large format cameras have arrived in the Digital Imaging lab and will be available through the OBR soon. Accreditation is required for each camera and prior large format experience is necessary.

The Toyo 45Aâ…¡ is a 4X5 field camera that is ideal for travel or working outside the studio. It is small and compact and the kit comes with wide and normal lenses and everything necessary for working with the camera, minus the film. A carbon fibre Manfrotto tripod is available for booking with the field camera kit.

The Toyo 810Mâ…¡ is an 8X10 field camera. It is significantly heavier than the 4X5 field camera, but still suitable for working in the field as well as a studio. The 8X10 kit contains all needed accessories and a heavy duty Gitzo tripod is available for this kit. We will also be offering 8X10 film for users to purchase by the sheet.

Demo dates have been added to the workshop schedules page and an additional batch of initial workshops have been scheduled for the third week of may:

The 8X10 workshop will also include a demonstration of the Creo iQsmart flatbed scanner.

To sign up for a workshop (or if you have any questions) e-mail scott@scottchandler.ca. The demos will be held in room 10.715 and will be limited to 3 participants each. Future workshops will be held monthly for the time being.

A few new paper types are now available for the Epson 11880, Matt Cotton Smooth (in 44″ and 60″ rolls) by Harman and a Tyvek paper by DuPont & HP (42″ and 60″ rolls). The Matt Cotton Smooth is a 100% cotton rag paper with a bright white coating, and the tyvek is a synthetic, highly resistant material made by DuPont with an inkjet coating applied by HP. The Media prices page has been updated with the new papers.

There are a few ways to reduce your printing costs while using the Epson 11880 inkjet printer:

When printing nozzle check patterns, use a page of letter or legal sized paper (found in the top drawer under the viewing booth) instead of your (more costly) roll paper. Remember to create a separate usage entry in the log book with the paper type as “own” so you won’t be billed for the paper usage.

If that nozzle check pattern shows gaps in one or two colours, the 11880 now has an option to do single colour head cleanings. To access this in the printer control panel, select Menu > Maintenance > Clean Each Color. A single colour cleaning uses approximately a third of the ink of a regular cleaning, so only use this if you have gaps in one or two colours.

If you have your own tips for saving printing costs, post them in the comments below.

This past fall the lab updated our workstations to new LaCie 24″ displays. The new displays have a bug causing profiles to deactivate, giving the screen a washed out and blue look. This seems to happen particularly when switching display sources and occasionally when powering on. Our temporary fix is to reactivate the profile through the Blue Eye Pro PE software.

After opening the software, click the “Select profile” option:

Make sure the most recent profile is selected, then click activate:

The process takes about 30 seconds. Please note, after activating a profile it will take a minute or two for the display to settle into a neutral look again.

This site (di.hexagram.ca) is now officially launched. It replaces the old hexdi.tumblr.com site and has some useful new pages, such as a workshop demos page: di.hexagram.ca/demos, a list of printing media prices: di.hexagram.ca/prices, equipment manuals for downloads: di.hexagram.ca/manuals, and links to the software used in the lab: di.hexagram.ca/software.

Visitors can post comments for each news item, but if you have a question for Thomas or I it is best to use the contact info on the right.

If you have a problem viewing the site or notice a mistake/bug in your browser, please e-mail scott@scottchandler.ca.

Adhesive vinyl paper is now available for the Epson 11880 in 42″ and 60″ rolls, at a cost of $7.50 & $9.00 per linear foot. The paper has a smooth matt finish and is re-positionalble making it easier to install.

Meadow#18 by Jessica Auer

A test print is on the wall in the lab if users would like to see a sample installation.

The Epson Stylus Pro 11880 has replaced our old 9880. The major improvements include a larger printing surface (64″ over 44″), both matte and photo black inks, a new light light black cartridge for better black & white prints, and fewer nozzle blocks.

Users previously accredited on the Epson will not need a new workshop, while new users should e-mail scott@scottchandler.ca for accreditation.

The Hasselblad upgrades are now available, replacing our tired but well-loved H1 kits with new H4D-60s. Each identical kit includes a Hasselblad H4D, a 60 megapixel digital back, one 80mm lens, one 50mm lens, two batteries, one charger, three memory cards, and some other accessories. Overall the new kits are a huge upgrade in image quality and ease of use.

In addition to the new cameras, we now have a number of new Hasselblad accessories: one 120mm Macro lens, one tilt-shift adapter, two waist-level finders, and a Sekonic light meter. The 35mm lenses in the kit have been replaced by 50mm lenses, but they are now available to be booked separately.

Existing Hasselblad users must undertake a quick demo to update themselves on the new equipment, and new users will need a full demonstration. Please contact me (scott@scottchandler.ca) to arrange accreditation on the new cameras.

We have put the price lists for all printing media & supplies online, available here.

We have reorganized the online selection of workstation and portable equipment manuals, available here. Please let us know if we’re missing something!