Photographic Printing Meets the Web 2.0 Revolution -- theprintspace Launches an Online Photographic Printing Studio for Professionals

London, England (PRWEB) July 9, 2008 -- theprintspace has extended their groundbreaking 'DIY' photographic printing process to the web. theprintspace.com will be the first online service to incorporate an easy to use professional colour management process. The result - enabling accurate soft proofing of images by clients on their own systems using bespoke print profiles, meaning prints that are as accurate as possible - first time! The process is explained in easy-to-follow video tutorials filmed exclusively by theprintspace, making theprintspace.com the first specialist professional photographic printing lab to utilise the web 2.0 spirit of innovation to its full potential.

theprintspace originated as Europe's first walk-in DIY professional photographic printing lab. Launched in October 2007 and based in Shoreditch, theprintspace occupies two floors of a 4000sq foot area comprising of exhibition space, for-hire retouching and scanning booths, and large format printers. Since its opening, theprintspace has enjoyed acclaim from both industry professionals and clients alike.

Theprintspace philosophy is to equip the customer with the knowledge and resources necessary to get creative with high-spec professional imaging equipment (http://www.theprintspace.com/help/Studio.aspx) - which would usually only be accessible by the staff of a pro-lab. Until now, it has been impossible for photographers to have such unbridled control over their images, with a full range of professional print types, from digital C-Type archival prints to Epson Giclees and CYMK proofs. No website has ever made color management so accurate, so professional and yet so accessible and easy to use. In presenting a web interface for its famous creative print process, theprintspace.com acts like a professional standard, fully colour-managed print studio on your desktop.

At theprintspace guidance is available at every stage; from online articles to face-to-face consultations from in-house colour management and print technicians. A key feature of the website is the colour management and profiling tutorials (http://www.theprintspace.com/Content/colourmanagement.aspx), which are available to stream (http://www.youtube.com/theprintspace) or download from the website. Offering step-by-step instructions on subjects ranging from monitor calibration to building colour profiles and soft-proofing at home, theprintspace.com will enable users at any level to learn more about colour management.

As well as Epson Giclee (inkjet) prints, theprintspace offer affordable digital C-Type prints (http://www.theprintspace.com/Content/printtypes.aspx), which are genuine wet lab prints exposed by a real photographic process. theprintspace's digital C-type professional photographic prints are produced on a Chromira, which is a professional quality, colour-managed, high resolution print device producing exhibition quality archival prints suitable for the professional art market on Fuji Crystal Archive & Kodak Professional paper. The machine prints up to 30' wide, and up to 50 metres long. Alternatively, Epson (inkjet) prints are from the recently released 880 range using Epson's new Vivid Magenta inkset, exclusive to the range. These 'Giclee' prints are printed on professional art papers, such as Hanhemuhle Photorag, Pearl, and Epson Gloss and Semi-gloss. The Epson prints up to 60' wide by 30 meters long.

A straightforward web ordering process allows clients to send disks to the lab or to upload digital files directly via a built-in secure file transfer system. Once received, print turnover is unparalleled. Instead of waiting days for digital prints, files can be transferred, printed, and returned within 72 hours. Theprintspace also offer an in-house mounting service, to exhibition standard on a choice of materials.

The team behind theprintspace.com are no strangers to the demands of the photographic industry, having run retouching and 'prolab' printing businesses in London for the past three years. In creating theprintspace, MD Stuart Waplington says, "We wanted to do something different, something that would empower photographers & creatives - really give them tools they need."

As Dominic Apa, Public Relations Officer explains:

"theprintspace.com is very much a response for what we saw as a need for a democratisation of the top-level of digital printing. With more and more people becoming familiar with Photoshop and an increasing number of photographers even retouching their own work, people simply needed the ability to access the resources which until now had only been avaiable to a very select few. Just as we have made our colour profiles available for download, we have attempted with theprintspace.com to open up our systems to become platforms for user innovation. theprintspace is about enabling our clients to have full creative control over every aspect of their work, from start to finish, while providing guidance and assistance when it is appropriate."

Notes:

For more information or to request updates on theprintspace's news and events, contact dom @ theprintspace.com or telephone +4477391060. Further documentation and images are available upon request.

theprintspace is located at 74 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, London, E2 8DL.

theprintspace was established in October 2007.

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