Harry Roberts composes all music, inspired by the space experience and solace of nature here on Earth. With the intention of complementing the content of this web-site, or providing a relaxing background to any activity at home, "Horizon" is a timeless piece of ambience

Space Story Photos are made from a copy of the original duplication made by NASA. Using a positive transparency, either 35mm or 40mm square as in Hasselblad cameras, a 100 megabyte scan is created using a Scitex Eversmart Supreme scanner and the printed Chromira or Ilfochrome

CLICKING on the picture and choosing 'save as' in the File Menu. All pictures available in Faces of Earth, Heavens and Humanity are low-resolution (72 DPI) JPG and contain the SSC Logo watermark
SSC sells both medium-resolution pictures scanned in 300 DPI, RGY, TIF Format or high-resolution pictures scanned in 1200 DPI, RGY, JPG Format. These digital files are unmarked, royalty-free, and best used for web-site development, magazine print, video or photographic prints

Digital printing, and Quality, can vary greatly depending on variables such as the software application, Printer, Resolution, and the composition of the Image, such as sharpness or amount of detail. Generally, the 300 DPI TIF can be printed with good quality at size 10 x 15 centimeters ( or 4 x 6 inches), and the 1200 DPI JPG printed at 28 x 35 centimeters ( or 11 x 14 inches). Please also consult the Software and Printer manuals to make the best determination of Print Size

SSC images are versatile, giving the user the option to decide on how to convert RGB to CYMK, considering parameters such as paper-stock, four-color film output device, layout software program, type of ink, and special effects

Many factors affect the quality of Print publication, we provide suggestions while recommending consulting the Printer & Software manuals or representative

1. Calibrate your Monitor, Desktop Color Printer and the Image-Setter according to the respective manufacturers. Calibrate the Image-Setter on every use, this device creates the film output used to create printing plates for the commercial printer

2. If convenient, print a proof of the image on a color Desktop Printer to check for general errors and observe colors. Although a commercial print can vary greatly, the Desktop Proof provides useful color information and also proofs the film separations. The Desktop print can be referenced with the commercial Print Company when ordering a Print from your digital image

3. Select a good Print Company as there is difference in Quality. Ask to see samples of four-color images separated and printed? Is the Image-Setter dedicated to film output? Which equipment is calibrated and how often? What size options are there for Prints?

4. Print companies specify the file requirements for the Printer Device of choice. Typically, a desktop publishing program such as Adobe, can be used to convert the image to a file compatible with the Printer in terms of file size, resolution and format such as TIF, JPG or PostScript

5. Before creating the new file format for print, make sure the image is properly linked to the page layout and double-check the separation settings. Print companies usually offer a FTP area over the Internet so that you can transfer the prepared image file directly to the Print Company

Follow the guidelines below to determine how best to produce four-color separation in Images

Determine Image Resolution
To produce high-quality color separation in an Image, there must be enough data to create the proper halftone dots. There are three factors to determine the quality of printed images:

(1) Image Resolution is measured in Pixels-Per-Inch (PPI). This represents the density of data stored within the image file, and higher resolutions create larger image files. Larger files can produce better results but require more time for the computer and image-setter to process

(2) Printer Resolution is measured in Dots-Per-Inch (DPI). This is the amount of detail that the printer or image-setter will produce, such as 1270 or 2450 DPI. With higher DPI, the Printer has more ability to create accurate halftone dots, or texture in the photograph

(3) Screen Frequency is measured in Lines-Per-Inch (LPI). This determines the visual quality of the final printed picture. As you increase the LPI, the picture will show more detail and appear sharper. Other factors to consider for appropriate LPI is type of press and paper stock

We recommend the image resolution, PPI, be set to twice the screen frequency, LPI, for color separation. For example, to print at 150 LPI, the image resolution should be set to 300 PPI

Resample Image to Higher Resolution

Many image-editing programs have the ability to resample an image to a higher resolution. Software programs are able to add data to your image by interpolating the colors of adjacent pixels in the image, although this can cause the image to appear out of focus. To compensate, you can apply a sharpening filter to the image to eliminate some of the blur. We recommend that you experiment with this technique to determine if the results are satisfactory to your needs

Use low PPI to LPI Ratio: 1.5 to 1
Recommending image resolution (PPI) equal to twice the screen frequency (LPI) ensures the highest quality, however, by using a ratio of 1.5 to 1, enlarges the image to 11.4" x 17.2" with minimal difference. Experiment with different ratios above a 1 to 1: PPI to LPI

Depending on how the image was saved, it may open at a screen resolution or 72 DPI. This does not necessarily mean you downloaded a low-resolution image by mistake. Check the dimensions and, if allowed, change the DPI of the image to 300 without re-sampling the image. If the dimensions come down to 5" x 7.5" (10MB image), 8.5" x 11" (28MB image), or 12" x 15" (48MB image) when you change the DPI to 300, then you know you have the correct image. Now, simply re-save the image at 300 DPI