What happens when you place an order?
In most cases, your selected photograph will be printed by a professional photo lab and rush-shipped to me for inspection and signing. Because I personally verify the accuracy and quality of each and every print, you can rest assured that your order will be a perfect representation of my vision and your expectation. If requested, your print will then be professionally mounted, matted, and framed using only museum-grade archival materials. The artwork will be carefully packaged and shipped to you.*

The entire process should take less than 2 weeks for print orders**, and less than 3 weeks for framed orders. Rush delivery is available at an extra charge. [Please inquire]

*Note for Touchstone members: I can personally deliver most orders to Berkeley Ironworks at no charge. For framed pieces, I will refund any shipping charges that were added to your order during the check-out process. Just let me know if you prefer this form of delivery in the comments section of your order, or contact me [by e-mail].

**New! I can now make Epson Luster prints up to 16 x 20 inches on site using the identical Ultrachrome K3 ink printing technology as my photo lab. This means that for most orders, I can have your print to you within a few days rather than a few weeks.

Sizes
Prints can be made in any size preserving their ratio (for example, 4 x 6 or 4 x 5 inches) up to 30 x 45 inches, although for most images the sharpest prints will be 20 x 30 inches or smaller. For reference, many of the prints displayed in my exhibitions are 12 x 18 or 16 x 20 inches. These are the most popular sizes since they offer a good compromise between size and price. For breathtaking displays, I really like the larger sizes (eg., 16 X 24 and 20 X 30 inches), especially for landscape and macro subjects. The detail and sharpness of these larger prints is truly stunning. If you're interested in a size other than those listed in the galleries, just [let me know].

Limited Edition Prints, Numbering, and Signing
All prints 10 x 15 inches and larger are sold exclusively as Limited Edition Prints. This means that once I have printed the stated number of a particular size, no more copies of that size will ever be made. This ensures that your artwork will retain its value and makes your purchase an investment.

All prints are printed with a one- or two-inch white border and are signed in the lower right corner and numbered in the lower left corner. The title, date, and location are printed in the border at the bottom center. If you choose to have your print matted and framed, i can also sign, number, and/or title the mat as well, since the text on the print's border will not be visible when covered by the mat. Please let me know if you would like me to do this in the "special comments" section of your order.

Paper
Your print will be made on one of two fine-art papers: Epson Ultra Premium Luster or Fuji Crystal Archive Supergloss. Both papers are archival and will last many decades with no signs of fading when displayed under protective acrylic or glass. Epson Luster has the look and feel of a fine photographic print; its texture is somewhere between a matte and glossy finish. While it is an excellent and economical choice for color photographs, it is extraordinary for black and white prints. (For this reason, I only offer black and white prints on this paper.)

Fuji Supergloss is truly an amazing photographic paper for color prints. It has a glass-like surface that imparts a 3-dimensional appearance to the photograph. Supergloss paper has no apparent surface texture when viewed under any light or at any angle. Most importantly, prints on this paper explode with color and appear to glow from within when lit properly. Because the Supergloss material is a more expensive substrate, most prints on this paper cost me ~30% more to produce than the Epson Luster prints. One caveat to using this paper is that prints of all sizes should be place-mounted across their entire surface area prior to framing in order to prevent the appearance of wrinkles and bulges, features that arise naturally in all prints when they are exposed to environmental changes in temperature and humidity. See the next section for more information about mounting options for your print.

Mounting
Mounting is the process by which photographic prints are held in place so they can be displayed vertically (in a frame, for example). Most framers use an inexpensive "hinging" method to mount photographs, whereby the print is attached to a mat or mounting board by one or two short pieces of very thing tape along its top edge, forming "hinges."

A minimum number of attachment points is important, since prints inevitably expand and contract due to changes in the display environment such as humidity and temperature. This "cockling" effect can interfere with the viewing of a photograph, since these bevels and ripples cause internal shadows and reflections that distract the eye. Unfortunately, cockling occurs even on the best hinge-mounted prints and is most evident on papers that have extremely glossy surfaces, such as the Fuji Supergloss prints that I offer. Cockling also tends to occur more on larger prints, particularly sizes greater than 12 x 18 inches.

A second concern for larger prints and frames is sagging, which happens when a print "droops" away from its mounting board and sticks to the acrylic or glass surface, usually because of static charges within the frame. While this does not physically damage the print, it can be extremely distracting and effectively ruin an otherwise perfectly framed piece of art.

The best way to completely prevent cockling is to attach the print to a mounting substrate by applying a pressure-sensitive adhesive across its entire back surface, called "cold mounting." I outsource this process to a company that can use a variety of different materials for mouting substrates. The best surfaces are those that are the smoothest, since any bumps or imperfections in the mounting substrate will be amplified by glossy papers when they are attached to the board. The two most common ones I have used are a rigid foamcore board (called Gatorfoam) and polished aluminum sheets. Whereas Gatorfoam is fine for most paper types (including the Epson Ultra Premium Luster that I offer), aluminum is a better choice for prints with an extreme high-gloss surface, such as the Fuji Supergloss paper. Aluminum also has the added benefit of being completely archival, since it is chemically inert.

So what's the bottom line about mounting? If you want your larger framed prints to look amazing, have them cold-mounted. Generally, I would not suggest mounting for luster prints smaller than 12 x 18 inches. Supergloss prints in any size will benefit from cold-mounting, but you can probably overlook any minimal cockling that will occur on smaller sizes. I would strongly recommend any Supergloss print larger than 12 x 18 inches be cold-mounted, preferably on aluminum, to prevent sagging and cockling. If you 're not sure, just [contact me] and I will give you my best recommendation.

Note that all framed orders are hinge-mounted by default at no charge. Please keep in mind the added benefits of the cold-mounting process when selecting your artwork's size and paper.

Framing
If desired, I will frame your print (up to 20 x 30 inches) for a modest fee. All framing materials are archival quality and guaranteed to protect your artwork. Standard framing includes mounting on acid-free foamboard under a single 2- or 3-inch, 8-ply thick pure-white mat that provides a clean and stunning border for your artwork. Frames are identical to those used in my exhibitions: sleek, 3/4-inch wooden frames with a matte-black finish. If you have different framing requirements, I can recommend several excellent bay area framing shops. [Please inquire] if interested.

Your matted print will be covered with a thin sheet of acrylic plexiglass. This protective layer is essential for maximizing the lifetime of your photograph's color. I use plexiglass since it is as clear and colorless as regular glass, yet is much lighter and is unlikely to break if the frame is ever dropped.

One additional consideration for framed art is the position and type of light source you will use to illuminate the print. Subjects that have significant areas of dark tones are prone to distracting refelctions if lit imporperly. To avoid viweing problems, always place your photograph in a space that lacks harsh light sources positioned behind the viewing location. Instead, overhead halogen or incadescnet lights (preferrably angled toward the print) will ensure minimal reflections and also the greatest color saturation and brilliance. Avoid flourescent lights if possible, as they can severly alter the appearance of colors, particularly in Supergloss prints.

If you cannot provide an adequately lit display space for you print, one option to consider is a non-glare treatment of the plexiglass. This process eliminates most reflections by minimally dulling the outer surface of the plexiglass. This treatment causes a slight reduction in the apparent sharpness of detail in the print. However, this loss of sharpness is unnoticeable to most viewers and is an insignifcant disadvantage compared to distracting glare and reflections. If you would like the non-glare plexiglass, you'll need to inform me in the "special comments" section of your order. Additional charges may apply, usually $10-30 depending on the size of the frame.

Note: Most prints on display in my exhibitions are framed using non-glare acrylic due to the poor lighting conditions of many exhibition spaces. If you don't mind or didn't notice any lack of sharpness of the prints on display, then the non-glare plexiglass probably won't bother you.

Shipping/Handling
FEDEX Ground Shipping to anywhere in the US is included in the cost of your print. However, framed orders will incur additional charges for shipping. All orders delivered to California addresses will also be automatically charged a 8.75% sales tax. My current method of accepting payments (PayPal) does not allow for the calculation of shipping charges outside of the US, so if additional or unlisted charges are necessary, I will bill you for these in a separate transaction once your order has been placed. Should you have questions about shipping, [just ask].

100% Satisfaction Guarantee
After receiving your print, if you're not entirely satisfied, I'll do whatever I can to correct the problem or promptly refund your money. Period.