The conversion process
Step-by-step walkthrough
Let's see how a standard Nitro Contrast job leads to the great print reproduction results of your ads.
- Call (312.292.9798) or email us at info@nitrocontrast.com. Usually a quick five minute call gets things started.
- Tell us what type of image(s) you need - 4-color, b/w, or vector illustrations.
- We need to know the final print size of the image(s) that are to be placed in your ad(s).
- Based on the above info, we will promptly respond with a cost estimate. Usually within an hour of your enquiry.
- Upload your high res files to our FTP site (instructions) or send us a transfer link of your choosing — Wetransfer, Hightail, etc.
- Upon your approval of the cost, we enter your job into production. Standard turnaround time is 24 hours.
- You can review the converted images via emailed PDFs.
- After the PDFs are approved, we will email you a direct download link.
- Finally, all you have to do is place the converted images in your page layouts and generate PDFs to send to the publications. Along with the high resolution files, we include our settings which will ensure the optimum quality of your PDFs.
We also offer services such as ad assembly and publication upload should you need them.
F.A.Q.
And their spot-on answers.
Why should we pay for Nitro Contrast conversions when we have Photoshop pros in-house? —
Your graphic artists' skills are indeed a huge part of your ad's appeal. And yes, there are plenty of Photoshop experts and talented designers who could create beautiful imagery. But print reproduction, especially newsprint, plays by different rules. Even the best papers will turn your rich, dark backgrounds into mud, and ruin your outstanding product, the ink saturation robbing it of its detail and definition. This is where Nitro Contrast becomes invaluable. Our conversion techniques are built to keep dot gain and ink blobs at bay. Our expertise guarantees that your images will reproduce as intended and thus manage to separate themselves from the rest of the ads on the page.
Why can't you sell Nitro Contrast conversions as a software plug-in? —
Creating a Nitro Contrast image enhancing conversion is not done by clicking on a couple of menu choices in a software program. It is a value-added service. Part of the process is the way we produce our retouch. It's done by experts that have eyes like densitometers and skills to know how ink and paper treat an image. Retouch is an integral part of the process, and it is always a manual, custom treatment done by a skilled professional. It is not a built-in set of Photoshop actions. We know printing and our experience is part of the package.
What makes a Nitro Contrast conversion better than a standard halftone? —
We analyze every highlight and shadow density area of the file. We retouch the file to bring out the best the image has to offer when we build the enhanced file to optimize clean definition, sharp contrast, and attention to detail. Furthermore, our treatment compensates for the obligatory publications restrictions, i.e. newspaper dot gain and ink saturation.
Costs explained
Each of our image enhancement conversions can be reused for various ad placements. For a one time fee of a few hundred dollars you ensure optimum print reproduction of tens or even hundreds of your ads.
Multiple images discount
If you have several images to be converted in one job, the cost per conversion will be less than its individual unit price. The more images placed on one order, the lesser the price per image conversion will be.
It is always good practice to get in touch with us so one of our customer reps can give you an accurate estimate for your project. Typically, a single Nitro Contrast conversion could cost as low as $210 and up to $700, depending on the file's ad placement size (in inches) and overall complexity — sometimes, clients send us a PSD file with a hundred layers, which they wish for us to preserve; this is understandable but very time consuming.
Illustration cost
Since the illustration techniques are actual vector drawings created manually by one of our digital artists, they have a flat price of $400 per illustration.
Important Info
Each Nitro conversion is adjusted for newsprint specs unless we are specifically asked to treat it for a different substrate.