• About IQ Imaging

• What is IQ Imaging? What do you do exactly?
• What kinds of files, besides PowerPoint, can you make into 35mm slides?
• Do you provide any services besides 35mm slide imaging, such as color prints or posters or custom design?
• Where are you located?
• What are your business hours?



• Prices and Schedules

• How much do you charge for making 35mm slides?
• Do you give volume discounts or discounts on multiple copies of 35mm slides?
• I followed your recommendations for JPG image resolution, but file sizes are still over your threshold. What am I doing wrong?



• Placing an Order

• How do I place an order for 35mm slides?
• What is previewing, and is it necessary?
• What does "Drop-ship" mean and why does that cost extra?



• Questions about Uploading

• You have so many ways to upload files. Which is best for me?
• Can I use another FTP program to upload my files, besides the ones you explicitly recommend, such as CuteFTP or Voyager?
• Why can't I find your "/incoming/slides" directory using my FTP program?
• I am having trouble uploading through your website using Internet Explorer. Instead of uploading, Internet Explorer opens my file. What's going on?
• I am using Internet Explorer 4.0 and I cannot find the settings you say I need to set correctly. What's up?
• I am using Internet Explorer on the Mac and I cannot seem to upload to your FTP page. What's up?
• How can I tell if my file(s) transferred properly?
• Can I send you my files as e-mail attachments?



• Slide Appearance

• What resolution should my JPG images be to get good quality 35mm slides?
• How can I use PhotoShop to change the resolution of my JPG files to the resolution recommended for 35mm slides?
• What JPG compression setting should I use when saving my JPG files for 35mm slides?
• What print size should I make JPG's and other digital images so they fill the 35mm slide?
• For on-screen cinema advertising, what page size should I use in PowerPoint?
• My powerpoint slides came back with black margins on the left and right. How come?
• Some of my PowerPoint text/objects are clipped by the edge. What did I do wrong?



• IQ Imaging Policies

• What is your policy for free test slides?
• What is your policy for reshooting slides?
• Do you accept purchase orders?

Answers

About IQ Imaging

• What is IQ Imaging? What do you do exactly?
  IQ Imaging is an Internet business located in Charlottesville, Virginia, that provides digital slide imaging. Digital slide imaging is the process of converting computer graphic files, such as PowerPoint and JPG files, into 35mm slides.
  
  
• What kinds of files, besides PowerPoint, can you make into 35mm slides?
  We can shoot 35mm slides directly from PowerPoint and digital image files such as JPG, TIF, GIF, PCX, and BMP. We can also shoot 35mm slides indirectly from other windows programs, but that gets more involved. (See our formats page.) By far the most common formats customers send us are PowerPoint and JPG files.
  
  
• Do you provide any services besides 35mm slide imaging, such as color prints or posters or custom design?
  No, all we do is 35mm slide imaging. We subscribe to the philosophy, "Do one thing well".
  
  
• Where are you located?
  We are located in Charlottesville, VA. Our street address is 1936 Arlington Blvd., Suite 122. Our zip code is 22903.
  
  
• What are your business hours?
  Our customer service hours are 8:30-5:30, M-F, ET. Our on-line ordering is available 24 hours a day. Jobs submitted after 5:30 on weekdays or anytime on weekends are counted as in by 8:00 on the next business day. We are closed Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving and for two weeks at Christmas and New Years.
  
  

Prices and Schedules

• How much do you charge for making 35mm slides?
  The price per slide depends on your schedule and the size of your file. Our best price is $2.00/slide for our 3 day service. The deadline for ordering the 3 service is 5:00 pm each business day. Orders received on weekends and holidays are considered in by 8:00 on the next business day. Prices and schedules do not include shipping. Jobs that exceed our file size allowance of 1 meg for every 10 slides will incur a file size fee of $1/meg over the allowance. Details for our prices and schedules are listed under Prices and Schedules. Details on the File Size Fee are discussed under Image Resolution & File Size. Files that do not include high resolution digital images, such as photographs, do not usually have any file size fees. The same pricing schedule also applies to the other formats we support besides PowerPoint.
  
  
• Do you give volume discounts or discounts on multiple copies of 35mm slides?
  Our prices are already discounted to the maximum. Since we specialize in this one service and serve a very large market, we are able to give everyone a volume discount price. Therefore, it is not possible to further discount prices on large jobs. As for multiple copies per slide, we do not have any special process. To make multiple copies, we simply shoot more originals. The advantage to you is that the "copies" are the same quality as the original. However, having multiple copies made at the same time can save you money on the file size fee, since your file size allowance goes up with the number of 35mm slides you order.
  
  
• I followed your recommendations for JPG image resolution, but file sizes are still over your threshold. What am I doing wrong?
  Just because your file sizes are over the free allowance threshold, does not mean you are doing anything wrong. Generally, it is only PowerPoint files containing just text, charts, or computer graphics (not images) that come in under the file size threshold. Almost all digital images files that have a resolution appropriate for 35mm slides, will have file sizes slightly over the threshold. This means that if you are submitting digital images (as opposed to PowerPoint text and graphics) you can count on paying a few cents extra per slide for file size. This is to be expected. As long as you don't make your image resolution way more than it needs to be, the extra cost will be minimal. Ordering multiple copies from the same JPG files will increase your free allowance and thereby reduce the file size fee even more.
  
  

Placing an Order

• How do I place an order for 35mm slides?
  Ordering 35mm slides is a two step process. First, you need to send us your file(s). Second, you need to fill out an on-line order form. To send your file(s), follow the instructions under How to Upload Your Files. After the transfer is complete, fill out and submit the secure on-line order form. The order form is where you can tell us your name, phone number, shipping address, credit card number, the name(s) of your file(s), the schedule you want, etc. Once we receive your order form, you will get an automatic email response acknowledging the receipt of your order form. At that point we go to our Upload site and look for your file(s). Please be sure to upload your file(s) before submitting the order form, so that we don't go looking for files that aren't there.
  
  
• What is previewing, and is it necessary?
  In most cases previewing is not necessary. Previewing is where we look at your files for technical problems before shooting them. Normally we do not inspect the files before shooting, as we assume that you have followed the software guidelines provided. However, we are glad to preview your files for $0.25/slide before shooting, if you are not sure about how the 35mm slides will turn out. If there are only a few files that you are not sure about, you can have us preview only those files. We only look for technical problems. We don't check for spelling or style.
  
  
• What does "Drop-ship" mean and why does that cost extra?
  Drop-shipping refers to shipping the slides to one address and the invoice/receipt to another. Typically this might be desirable if you were doing the work for a customer of yours. Drop-shipping saves you the time and expense of reshipping the slides to your customer after receiving them from us. For us, it interrupts the normal flow of work, which has been optimized for large volume production and shipping. Therefore, we need to charge a nominal fee of $5 to cover the special handling. Nevertheless, since it saves you the expense of the extra shipping to your customer, it may still be a good deal for you. This is especially true if you are on a tight schedule.
  
  

Questions about Uploading

• You have so many ways to upload files. Which is best for me?
  If you are using a PC and have Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher, use Internet Explorer to drag-and-drop your files onto the upload page. That is the easiest and fastest way to upload your files. If you are a Mac user, use Fetch if you have it. Most of our Mac users seem to favor Fetch. If you are a Windows user, but don't have Internet Explorer, use WS_FTP or any other stand alone FTP program you may have. If none of these options are available to you, use the free web-based FTP service web2ftp. The advantage of the web-based FTP is that it works for both Mac's and PC's and is not affected by firewalls which might interfere with the other FTP options. The disadvantage of the web-based FTP service is that the upload time tends to be longer.
  
  
• Can I use another FTP program to upload my files, besides the ones you explicitly recommend, such as CuteFTP or Voyager?
  Yes, you can use any standard FTP program to upload your files. The important setup parameters you need for any FTP program are as follows. For Host use "ftp.iqimaging.com". For User use "anonymous". for Password use "guest" (or leave blank). For Initial Directory use "/incoming/slides".
  
  
• Why can't I find your "/incoming/slides" directory using my FTP program?
  You need to set "/incoming/slides" as the initial directory before connecting to the FTP site. That instructs your FTP program to go directly to "/incoming/slides" when it makes the connection. If you just connect to the root directory, you will be able to find the "incoming" directory but not the "slides" directory. That is because "slides" is a hidden directory under "incoming". If you get confused and can only get to the "incoming" directory, that is fine. Just let us know you uploaded to the "incoming" directory. The disadvantage of the "incoming" directory is that it will not show you your list of files and file sizes after uploading, because the contents of "incoming" is hidden.
  
  
• I am having trouble uploading through your website using Internet Explorer. Instead of uploading, Internet Explorer opens my file. What's going on?
  In order to upload using Internet Explorer, you may need to change some of its settings. You can verify and correct the settings as follows:

  1. Go to the start menu.
  2. Go to settings.
  3. Click on control panel.
  4. Click on internet options.
  5. Go to the "advanced" tab. This is where you will see a list of all your settings for Internet Explorer. The first section is called "accessibility" and the second section is called "browsing".
  6. Scroll down towards the bottom of "browsing". You should see an item called either "Enable folder view for FTP sites" or "Use web based FTP".
  7. Enable folder view for FTP sites should be selected.
  8. Use web based FTP should not be selected.
  9. Click on "OK" to save the settings.

  With these settings, Internet Explorer should now allow you to upload your files.
  
  
• I am using Internet Explorer 4.0 and I cannot find the settings you say I need to set correctly. What's up?
  You need to be using Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher for Windows in order to upload. Microsoft did not add the FTP uploading feature until version 5.0.
  
  
• I am using Internet Explorer on the Mac and I cannot seem to upload to your FTP page. What's up?
  You need to be using Internet Explorer for Windows in order to upload. The Mac version of Internet Explorer does not have this upload capability. Most of our Mac customers use Fetch to upload their files. You can also use the free Web-based FTP service web2ftp. Instructions on how to use these two alternatives can be found on our How to Upload page.
  
  
• How can I tell if my file(s) transferred properly?
  After the transfer is complete, you should see your file listed on our upload site along with its file size. You should be able to tell from the file size whether your whole file arrived intact. You may need to change the view settings in Internet Explorer to see the file size listed. If you are not sure, you are welcome to call us at 1-800-296-1885, to have us confirm your upload. In any case, if we receive your order form, but cannot find the files named on your order form, we will contact you at the email address provided on your order form.
  
  
• Can I send you my files as e-mail attachments?
  As a last resort you can send your files as e-mail attachments. Call us at 1-800-296-1885 for the correct email address for attachments. (We don't post the address here because of spammers.) We discourage e-mail attachments because they can tie up our e-mail access if we get very many of them, especially if the attachments are large. We need to keep our e-mail open for customer service and technical support. Also, some e-mail servers may not be able to handle large files as attachments. In any case, we charge a $5 special handling fee for e-mail attachments.
  
  

Slide Appearance

• What resolution should my JPG images be to get good quality 35mm slides?
  A complete discussion concerning recommended image resolution for 35mm slides is located on our Resolution & File Size page. Summed up briefly, a resolution of about 900 pixels by 600 pixels should be sufficient in most cases to give you excellent quality slides.
  
  
• How can I use PhotoShop to change the resolution of my JPG files to the resolution recommended for 35mm slides?
  To change the resolution of your JPG file in PhotoShop, open the image, go to the Image pull-down menu, and click on Image Size. You will see Pixel Dimensions and Print Size. Ignore Print Size and just work with Pixel Dimensions. Your goal is to make your image approximately 900 pixels by 600 pixels. To do this you can either change the long dimension of your image to 900 pixels or the short dimension to 600 pixels. You should have "Constrain Proportions" checked, so the dimension that you do not change manually will be calculated for you automatically, preserving you original image shape. When resizing your image dimensions, always go from higher resolution to lower resolution. You cannot restore resolution to an image that has been reduced too much. If necessary, go back to the original high resolution image to reduce the resolution down to the desired size, rather than trying to go the other way.
  
  
• What JPG compression setting should I use when saving my JPG files for 35mm slides?
  If your file sizes are much larger than you expected, you may want to check the setting for JPG compression when you save your JPG file. We recommend medium JPG compression, which is usually the default setting. If the setting is at "Highest Quality/Lowest Compression", your files sizes will be larger than necessary. Try changing the compression to Medium and saving the file again.
  
  
• What print size should I make JPG's and other digital images so they fill the 35mm slide?
  JPG's and other digital images are automatically scaled to fit the 35mm slide as best as possible without distorting their aspect ratio. To completely fill the 35mm slide frame, your image should have an aspect ratio of 2/3. If your image is not 2/3, the area not occupied by the image is filled with black.
  
  
• For on-screen cinema advertising, what page size should I use in PowerPoint?
  If you want the advertisement to have the same aspect ratio as Cinemascope, use a custom page size of 11.25 x 5.00. For regular US Cinema, use 11.25 x 6.00. You can also just use the regular 35mm slide page size if you don't want to use up the whole width of the cinema screen.
  
  
• My powerpoint slides came back with black margins on the left and right. How come?
  In order for powerpoint slides to completely fill the 35mm slide frame on the left and right, you need to set the page size to 35mm. To set the page size, go to File/Page Setup and set "Slide Sized for" to "35mm Slides". The default setting for powerpoint slides usually is "on-screen show" or "8.5x11 paper". These sizes are not as rectangular as 35mm. Therefore, they do not fill the slide frame. The vacant space is automatically filled with black. These slides are perfectly usable. They are just not as wide as they could be.
  
  
• Some of my PowerPoint text/objects are clipped by the edge. What did I do wrong?
  When designing your slide, we recommend that you do not take your text or other graphic objects all to the edge of the slide. You need to allow some room for the 35mm slide mount to overlap your image just as you would when framing a picture. We recommend the equivalent of a 1/2" margin assuming your image is "11.25x7.25". Having some margin around the edges is also just good presentation design.
  
  

IQ Imaging Policies

• What is your policy for free test slides?
  We will gladly shoot two to three test slides at a time for new customers who wish to check the quality of our work and become familiar with our process. We are also happy to do two to three test slides at a time for existing customers who are trying something new such as a new format or new technique. Test slides are usually added to the end of the next run and ready within one day. Additional free tests slides will be processed at the discretion of the manager.
  
  
  Test slides are sent to you by regular US Mail. If you prefer, you may have your test slides sent by Fed Ex by providing your Fed Ex account number or by providing a credit card number to charge the shipping on our Fed Ex account.
  
  
• What is your policy for reshooting slides?
  We offer free reshoots for user-correctable technical problems. Examples would include font substitution problems and objects imported from other programs not working properly. If you correct the problem on your end, we will reshoot on our end for free. We do not do reshoots for changes in content, style, typographical errors or the like. If you have a large number of slides and you are not sure how they will turn out, please take advantage of our free test slides to avoid having to do a large number of reshoots. We offer the reshoots as a courtesy, but this should not be taken as a substitute for carefully following the software guidelines provided. We reserve the right to limit the number of reshoots to 10% of the number of slides in the job. This limit may be waived at the discretion of the manager.
  
  Reshoots are sent to you by regular US Mail. If you prefer, you may have your reshoots sent by Fed Ex by providing your Fed Ex account number or by providing a credit card number to charge the shipping on our Fed Ex account.
  
  
• Do you accept purchase orders?
  We are a small operation and cannot afford to maintain a credit department to extend credit, generate and mail invoices, monitor purchase orders, track payments, and maintain open accounts for all organizations. We accept purchase orders only from a few organizations with whom we have already established a credit relationship. All other shipments must be paid with credit card. If you are a local customer, picking up at our location, you also have the option of paying by check or cash.