I've gotta speak up for service bureaus here....
The company I work for/manage would never try such a thing, and I doubt
most others around here would either. We would, possibly, charge you for
RIP time. If you gang your image on the film, you are likely (though not
necessarily) creating a more complex file to RIP. We allow six minutes to
RIP a file, and have the most powerful, fastest RIP now available. If you
exceed that, you are holding up other jobs, and that will cost extra. Have
you tried just complaining to the bureau? In our case, prices are
surprisingly flexible. And special arrangements are made all the time....
>Actually, the file is setup by me, there's no labor on the
>bureau's end. They only send the file to the recorder and
>have no way of viewing (until processed) the actual
>film/file. The cost is the same for one image or any number
>of images...as long as they are held in one computer file.
Uhh, I trust you mean as long as they image on one sheet of film. Again, if
it ties up a machine due to file size or complexity...it is fair to charge
accordingly. Incidentally, most high end RIP's will now preview your file
before it is ripped, much less processed.
>To charge more for this service, under these conditions,
>wouldn't just be dirty...it would be stupid as they wouldn't
>get more business from me or any of my students.
As a sometime digital and photo imaging instructor,former attitude-laden
art school student, freelancer, and a full-time service bureau manager, I
can say without a doubt that few schools teach proper file set-up for
service bureau imaging. I cannot tell you how many times Ive had good
artists bring me hopeless files for output. You're teaching may well be an
exception, but the number of times Ive heard students tell me its "the
service bureaus fault" and refuse to accept responsibility for their own
mistakes is pathetic. To be fair, its often their instructors who pass down
such ignorance.
I once had a fairly well known artist working in large format digital
imaging (and teaching) ask me what a RIP is....Their work was lovely, when
it could be successfully imaged.
I try to take artists and students on a tour of a bureau, explain what the
job is like (hellish, sometimes) and recommend users TALK to their bureau.
That dialogue, and relationship, is the key. Sometimes it even leads to
free output!
A sample here,etc. you know.....!
Jim Justen