Sihl Digital Imaging – Latest news
9
November 2007
The new Sihl Inkjet-Canvas:
Particularly suitable
for photographic
reproductions and
portraits
Products
Lead article
Information
The new
X-Inkjet
Photo Book Set
Photo art
with Sihl’s new
inkjet canvas
Surface composition of different
photo media
Page 4
Page 6
Page 8
Digital Imaging
New inkjet photo
Hello
again,
…takes Great Britain by storm!
This issue of Sprint brings a
Edinburgh-based Trevor Yerbury, who is referred to as Scotland’s “king of
successful year to an end.
romantic photography”, is one of the first photographers in Great Britain
The new p3 product range –
to test Sihl’s brand new p3 Professional Photo Inkjet Paper.
Professional Photo Inkjet – has
Perfectionist Yerbury has received
numerous awards and accolades for
his work. Together with his wife
Faye, he photographs weddings and
portraits. He also organises seminars
and workshops: see
accompanied us throughout the
year, not just in Sprint but also in
the media. The p3 range of
professional inkjet photo media is
rounded off by a third collection
www.yerburyseminars.com
entitled Museum. To find out
more about our cover story,
turn to pages 6-7.
Sprint features its first ever article
by an external contributor:
The independent test laboratory
Image Engineering has set up a
website and this issue features a
report about it. The title of the
article ”The «Mass» of Pixels or
the «Mess» of Pixels?”
Find out more on pages 10-11.
As I am about to begin maternity/parental leave, I would like to take
this opportunity to thank our
many loyal readers for the interest
they have shown in our newsletters. My successor looks forward
to introducing herself in the next
edition of Sprint.
I hope you will find these articles
both informative and interesting.
Kind regards,
In his work, Yerbury attaches importance to a constantly high quality –
from the moment he takes the picture to the printout of the photo.
Trevor Yerbury, winner of 14 Kodak
“Gold-Awards” and elected “portrait photographer of the year” in
England, made national headlines
when he revealed that he only
agreed to photograph weddings if
he found the couple sufficiently
attractive. Another Yerbury idiosyncrasy was that he often told the
bride and groom not to smile.
Yerbury: “We usually work to the
highest possible standard and we
make no compromises when it
comes to the quality of the digital
print media we use. We had heard
of Sihl's reputation as the leading
European supplier in the large-format sector so were keen to try out
these new types of paper which are
geared specifically towards professional photographers like ourselves.
We are very impressed by the results
of the test and our conclusion is that
this paper is something very special.
Melanie Adam
Communication Manager
2
Digital Imaging
We performed various tests on the
newly launched p3 and are more
than satisfied with the outcome. The
photo paper has an appealing 3D
look, excellent colour saturation and
outstanding black and white reproduction. Optimum weight, the special feel of the surface and the option
that both sides can be printed on are
further advantages.”
The Yerburys wanted to find out in
the test whether pictures show
through on the reverse side, whether they turn bronze or show signs
of metamerism.
Trevor Yerbury
talking with his wife
NEWS
paper…
p3 Professional
Photo Inkjet – Studio
4800
Professional Photo Paper
PE 330 high glossy
4802
Professional Photo Paper
PE 300 silky
4803
Professional Photo Paper
PE 330 DS silky
For further information:
www.sihlgroup.com
professional
photo inkjet
C O M M U N I C AT I O N
A n e w f i l e…
full of media solutions!
Clearly arranged – easy and convenient to use
The Inkjet Media Booklet enables
you to test the texture, opacity and
colour of our latest media. The
accompanying product information
describes product characteristics,
availability, ink compatibility and
recommended applications.
To make sure you enjoy the benefits
of the Booklet on a long-term basis,
separating paper and product data
sheets are made of our tear-resistant
EnDURO Premium 370N.
The established colour codes for
application areas combined with
page numbers enable you to find
the product
you are
looking for
quickly
and easily.
To make the Booklet even more clearly structured, we have concentrated
on graphic art media and taken out
the following areas of application
■ CAD / GIS media
■ PrePress media
For these two areas, we have now
prepared separate sales documents
in the form of sample folders and
leaflets.
The new Inkjet Media Booklet will
be available from the end of
January 2008.
Order a copy from your regional Sihl
contact now!
These effects are most obvious in
areas of the picture with low area
coverage and difficult light conditions.
Yerbury concludes: “p3 passed with
flying colours. And considering the
fact that p3 products keep for 125
years, these red boxes will undoubtedly take the British market by
storm.”
SlimGuide –
Sample brochures now available!
In addition to the sample brochure ”SlimGuide Solvent Media” intro-
If you have further questions,
please contact
our product management:
stefan.bruch@sihl.de
duced in the summer, we now offer two new brochures.
The areas of application ”Inkjet
Artistic Specialities” and ”CAD/GIS
Media” are introduced and explained in a clear and transparent way.
3
The brochure contains product samples so that it is possible to compare
them.
Order a copy from your regional
Sihl contact now!
Digital Imaging
The own photo book:
…make it yourself quickly and easily
Branded “X-Inkjet”, Sihl offers a practical, high-quality solution for creating
the perfect photo book. Never before has it been so easy, quick and inexpensive to produce your own personal photos in book form – and you can
do so conveniently at home or in the office. Forget the problems of uploading huge image files, long delivery times and annoying delivery costs.
Sihl X-Inkjet Photo Book Set
black or white
Sihl X-Inkjet Photo Book Set consists
of an elegant, professional-looking
hardcover in A4 landscape format,
2 transparent cover sheets and 10
sheets of Premium Photo paper
which is printable on both sides,
with a satin-finished surface and
2
325 g / m grammage.
The X-Inkjet Photo Book Set enables
users to adapt and accurately control all stages of production. You
don’t have to use a pre-formatted
product that might not correspond
to your personal requirements. Your
own personal photo album is ready
after just a few simple steps: print
pictures on the Premium Photo
Paper, place the pile between the
transparent cover sheets and staple
together. These sheets are then
inserted into the spine of the book.
Thanks to an adhesive strip, the
photo album can be bound together
accurately and durably in a matter
of seconds.
Never as easy!
Sticking photos into albums has
always been a tedious and not very
effective or creative task. Now this is
a thing of the past!
Thanks to the software that comes
with inkjet printers (also downloadable for free from the internet) and
the versatility of inkjet printing, a
whole new range of options is possible. If you want to design your pictures, photos, charts and texts without
restriction and give your creativity
free reign, take advantage of this
perfect and inexpensive solution: the
Sihl Inkjet Photo Book Set.
This innovation on the German print
media market even outshines the
few alternatives available in the
internet.
■ The tedious task of sticking
■
■
■
■
■
■
■
Sihl’s X-Inkjet Photo Book Set is
available from December 2007 in the
hardcover colours black or white.
4
The advantages
are obvious:
photos into albums is a thing of
the past.
Your creativity knows no bounds.
Professional hardcover book.
Highest-quality design in black
and white.
No additional purchases
necessary.
Easy to use.
Durable.
Quick availability.
Everybody who owns a PC and inkjet
printer can take advantage of the
unlimited possibilities of state-ofthe-art technology for their own
personal requirements at last.
Digital Imaging
PRODUCTS
Combined with high maximum densities, these properties produce
prints with a vivid, almost threedimensional look. Pictures are also
characterised by an exact grey balance, natural skin colour reproduction
and good detail rendition in light
and shade.
When it comes to opacity, a measure
of the light transmission of paper, Sihl
Premium Photo Paper also receives
top marks. This means that prints do
not show through onto the reverse
sides, an important property when
photo albums are being produced.
Thanks to its robust quality, it is ideal
for everyday use. Superfluous water
and other components are drained
off the surface via specially produced, microscopically small channels.
A wedding album can look as perfect
as a book produced by a professional
printer, birthday albums full of precious memories make an ideal gift.
Family photo albums capture all
those comical moments and the travel album is also a must.
Collectors can present the best examples from their collections in album
form, just as architects document
their building projects, painters their
works of art or photographers and
designers their latest creations.
Alongside the many different uses in
the commercial sector, recipe books
or illustrated children’s books can
also be created. The list of applications is endless – we guarantee the
outstanding effect of presentations.
The coating
makes the difference
For Sihl’s Premium Photo Paper,
which is printable on both sides, a
specially developed single-layer technology (SuperDry coating) is used.
This coating consists of microscopically small particles which are combined with bonding agents developed
by Sihl to form an even matrix. Ink
absorption is optimally controlled by
this homogeneous coating. The dyes
adhere more effectively to the surface, guaranteeing high colour saturation. Excellent whiteness and deep
blacks also make for a wide contrast
range.
5
The surface of the paper therefore
dries instantly. Even when maximum
quantities of ink are used, Sihl Photo
Paper DS remains stable and absolutely wrinkle free thanks to the base
paper.
If you have further questions,
please contact
our product management:
dieter.meyer@sihl.de
or your regional Sihl contact!
Digital Imaging
PRODUCTS
Sihl is extending its p3 range of professional inkjet paper with
t h e a d d i t i o n o f a c a n v a s q u a l i t y.
Photo art on canvas
… w i t h S i h l ’s n e w i n k j e t c a n v a s
Sihl is extending its p3 range of professional inkjet paper with the addition
of a canvas quality. Sihl’s Professional Photo Canvas 320, which has a gram2
mage of 320 g/ m , is particularly suitable for photographic reproductions
and portraits. It is matt-coated on one side and is based on a particularly
finely woven polyester-cotton mix. This homogeneous, almost closed 1:1
structure guarantees a failure-free representation of skin tones and coloured surfaces. For a special picture effect, the surface has a visibly linen texture with excellent stretch and fixing properties. This ensures that the new
Sihl’s Professional Photo Canvas 320
is the first product in the new
museum collection which forms part
of Sihl’s p3 media range. There is
also the Studio range with three PEbased types of photo paper in the
versions satin-finished 300 g / m2,
high-gloss 330 g / m2 and satin-finished and printable on both sides
325 g/m2, as well as the Gallery range
featuring a baryta paper with a
grammage of von 290 g / m2.
canvas material remains stretched after framing over a long period of time.
Another characteristic
of the new Sihl Inkjet Canvas is its
porous inkjet coating which allows a
high level of colour saturation, a
wide range of contrasts and high
maximum densities. Photos and portraits printed on Sihl’s Canvas material are therefore characterised by
excellent black/white reproduction
and high colour saturation.
The product also has advantages is
terms of handling:
the water-resistant inkjet coating
guarantees a short drying time and
optimum ink fixation.
In combination with pigment inks,
long-lasting picture results can be
achieved. Prints can be additionally
protected with a protection spray or
varnish for improved scratch and
light resistance.
Sihl’s Professional Photo
Canvas 320 is available now
from select specialist retailers
in the formats A4 and A3+ and
on 17", 24" and 44" reels.
Inkjet
Canvas
6
Digital Imaging
Lead article
If you have any further
questions, please contact
stefan.bruch@sihl.de
professional
photo inkjet
7
Digital Imaging
Surface composition…
… o f d i ff e re n t p h o t o m e d i a f ro m S i h l ’s p ro d u c t r a n g e
As we all know, photo paper is available in a variety of gloss levels. These are referred to as high gloss, semi-gloss,
satin, semi-matt, matt, pearl, silky finished, etc.. Degrees of gloss are undoubtedly a matter of definition and the
type that is chosen depends to a large extent on personal taste. These degrees of gloss are measured using a
special system which shines light onto the surface, measures the reflection at a certain angle and indicates a
percentage.
1mm
1mm
1mm
glossy
semiglossy
satin
As this illustration clearly indicates,
this is a very smooth, well-closed and
even surface structure which reflects
the beams of light in a certain direction.
The little bumps in evidence on the
surface create a partial light scatter
and therefore a refraction of the
gloss. This is why in this case, we
speak of a semi-gloss surface.
Our satin products feature many,
very fine bumps as a result of
delustering which make the surface
uneven and therefore produce an
effective, even light scatter.
Thanks to the intact surface, all ink
carriers are visible even in dye-based
inks without light scatter which
allows maximum colour space when
combined with this type of ink. In
the case of pigment inks, the gloss
level may differ in printed and nonprinted areas depending on pigment
type and surface composition.
The reflective behaviour is reduced
without the imaging performance of
the surface being significantly influenced.
Furthermore, when pigment inks are
used, the printed and non-printed
areas produce equal gloss levels.
Typical degrees of gloss are > 60% at
a measuring angle of 85°.
Typical gloss levels at a measuring
angle of 85° are values of > 80%
8
Digital Imaging
Typical degrees of gloss range between 25 - 30% at a measuring angle
of 60°.
I N F O R M AT I O N
1mm
1mm
1mm
pearl
silky
Baryta satin
Our pearl finish, such as that of Imola
or Ganymed, has a much stronger
structure and therefore achieves a
strong light scatter.
Even more strongly structured than
pearl is our silky-finished surface.
Our Baryta surface is more strongly
structured than any other photo
paper surface. This is particularly
apparent in the illustration.
This kind of surface appears to the
contemplator to be much glossier
although the “dips and bumps” are
significantly more pronounced.
Typical degrees of gloss at a 60° measuring angle > 30%.
The “dips and bumps” on the surface are more evenly distributed which
produces the special crystal effect.
Even this type of coating also looks
very glossy despite the strong structure.
Typical degrees of gloss range between 15 – 25% at a 60° measuring
angle.
This strong embossed finish creates
the desired appearance of an airdried traditional photo baryta paper.
The typical degree of gloss is 15% at
a measuring angle of 60°.
If you have any further questions
please contact our expert
stefan.bruch@sihl.de
9
Digital Imaging
The «Mass» of Pixels
… or the «Mess» of Pixels!
It has been known for a couple of years now that increasing the number of
pixels in digital cameras does not lead to better images. Therefore Image
Engineering, an independent test lab, has set up a website which demonstrates and describes the problems caused by high pixel counts.
The test lab hopes for wide support
in the media in informing customers
and utilizing a change in customer
behaviour in order to persuade
manufacturers to produce better
cameras instead of those with a higher pixel count.
“As an independent test lab for digital cameras, we have been observing
a decline in image quality for about
3 years,” says Dietmar Wüller, owner
of Image Engineering. “It's hard to
believe that new digital cameras are
of an increasingly poor quality, but
10
this is true and the reason is obvious.” In the past, consumers were
told that the more pixels a digital
camera had, the better the camera.
In the early days of digital photography, when compact cameras still had
VGA “resolution” (640 x 480 pixel),
this was true because the pixel count
reflected the quality of the picture:
the more pixels, the better the picture. When compact cameras exceeded the 6 million pixel mark in 2004,
however, this was definitely no longer the case. Nevertheless, users are
Digital Imaging
continuing to buy cameras with a
maximum number of pixels, which
in turn is encouraging manufacturers to design cameras with more
and more pixels but without increasing the size of sensors.
The result is a decrease in camera
sensitivity and an increase in noise.
Detail reproduction is usually not
improved because the lenses do not
produce a good enough picture.
This is why we have to break the
vicious circle and explain to users
that more pixels, or more precisely
smaller pixels, produce poorer
image quality. To illustrate this,
Image Engineering has taken the
initiative and designed a website
containing explanations and examples.
Visit:
www.6mpixel.org
PLUS-INFO
The more pixels,
the poorer the image!
But why? Well, compact cameras are
supposed to be small and reasonably
priced. Therefore small image sensors, e.g. format 7.5 x 9.4 mm or 5.4
x 6.8 mm, are built into the cameras.
To increase the pixel count, the sensor has to be divided into smaller
and smaller pixels.
digital SLRs
compact cameras
35mm (24 x 36 mm)
2/3” (8,8 x 6,6 mm)
APS-C (22 x 15 mm)
1/1,8” (7,2 x 5,3 mm)
4/3” (18 x 13,5 mm)
1/2,5” (5,8 x 4,3 mm)
Number of pixels calculated for a 3µm pixel size
The result is a decrease in sensitivity
of the camera and an increase in
noise because the amount of light
collected by a single pixel is smaller.
At the same time, increasing the
number of pixels is supposed to lead
to more details (resolution), but in
order to achieve that, better lenses
with high resolution and a lower
lateral chromatic aberration are
needed. However, better lenses are
bigger and they no longer fulfil the
requirements of “small” cameras.
In the meantime, the pixels have
become so small that the physical
phenomenon of diffraction causes a
loss of details with smaller apertures
(with pixels below 2 microns already
from f-stop 3.5). In addition, the
data sizes of uncompressed images
from cameras with 12 megapixels
are approx. 36 MB/ picture.
6 Megapixel
6 megapixels- the best compromise
between number of pixels and
image noise. As shown here: the
increase of details with more pixels
and the increase of errors if the
pixels become too small.
Sensor size
Number of pixels
[megapixels]
Sensor size
Number of pixels
[megapixels]
35 mm
APS-C
4/3”
96 MP
37 MP
27 MP
2/3”
1/1,8”
1/2,5”
6 MP
4 MP
2,7 MP
This data flood results in long editing times and requires huge storage capacities. So actually, what is critical for the listed problems isn’t the
number of pixels but their size. But
in order to make pixels bigger, the
sensor must be enlarged and along
with that the camera with the lens
gets bigger. That defeats the point
of how big a ‘compact’ camera
should be for consumers.
Digital SLRs with many pixels
are okay.
Digital single lens reflection cameras
(SLRs) basically show the same behaviour, but the sensor of these cameras and the single pixel are much
bigger. Therefore, the cameras have
higher sensitivities and show less
noise. The high-quality lenses provide the necessary resolution and the
cameras are designed for high pixel
counts.
11
The best compromise for a compact
camera is a sensor with 6 million
pixels or better the size of a pixel
with >3µm .
Above you can find a comparison of
sensor sizes. We calculated how
many pixels have space to be in a
sensor if one pixel has a size of 3 µm
which we believe to be a minimum
size for good image quality at higher sensitivity levels (>ISO 400).
IE
A contribution from
Image Engineering Dietmar Wüller
www.image-engineering.de
Digital Imaging
Impressum
Publisher : Sihl Digital Imaging
Editorial office: Melanie Adam
melanie.adam@sihl.de
Sihl GmbH
Kreuzauer Str. 33 · D-52355 Düren · GERMANY
www.sihlgroup.com
Layout : Hagen Mannhardt GmbH, Köln
Print: Pecks-Druck, Düren
Sihl Digital Imaging
4.0 C20
2 3. – 2 7. J a n u a r y 2 0 0 8
…the short-course trade fair!
Paperworld in Frankfurt, the world's leading fair for this sector of industry,
will be “more clearly structured” this coming year. The organisers have
taken advantage of vacant exhibition space to plan a “short-course fair”.
UNICEF –
Sihl committed!
Sihl Digital Imaging campaigns for
UNICEF.
Printed Sihl media was given away at
this year's trade shows Paperworld,
Fespa, viscom and Druck + Form in
return for a voluntary donation.
The appeal raised over 1000 EUR.
Sihl doubled the amount and
contributed the funds to UNICEF’s
campaign “The survival package”.
For more details about this and
other campaigns visit
www.unicef.com
Also on behalf of UNICEF, we would
like to take this opportunity to
thank all our customers and guests
for participating in the appeal.
12
After expanding physically for so
many years, the forthcoming
Paperworld will occupy fewer hall
levels. Hall 1, where Imaging World
exhibitors presented their products
over two levels in previous years, is
being completely omitted. In 2008,
Imaging World will become the focal
point of the show.
Together with the Diatec Group, Sihl
Digital Imaging will present office
media – a key theme of the trade fair
participation – in the entrance area
of Hall 4.0 at Stand C20.
In 2008, large-format media will be
presented. Instead of live demonstrations, possible applications will
be shown to visitors in the form of
posters, etc.
Pay us a visit
Hall 4.0 · Stand C20
Digital Imaging
messe frankfurt
3.1
Writing and drawing utensils
4.0
Paperworld Imaging
Software and printer accessories, paper, films, labels
Competence centre original manufacturers
4.1
Office supplies
4.2
Paperworld Creative
5.1
Gifts, albums, stationery sets, diaries
5.1
Greeting cards, picture calendars, licences
6.0
Gift-wrapping paper, packaging, serviettes
6.1
Paperworld Scriptum
6.1
Trendshow Paperworld
Further changes for visitors and
exhibitors in 2009.
After much speculation we now confirm that from 2009, Paperworld will
be held over a four-day period on
the “old” days of Saturday to Tuesday.
Declining numbers of visitors and
exhibitors and a general dissatisfaction with the change in days introduced only two years ago made it
necessary for the organisers to take
these measures.