Frontier can't open and print my tiffs! Help.

[brentdlong]

I'm really stressing here. I just finished preparing my images in

the digidark and saved the tiffs to a cd. I ran to the printers and

they can't do it. I have had them print tiffs before though. I am

trying to get these pics ready to submit for a contest and am

getting really frustrated. HELP! -Brent

[dai_hunter]

Might be how the disk is written on your comp. and IF that can be opened on their comp. When in doubt write the disk in ISO9660 format using the options - DOS file names (8+3 short name style) and "disk at once" (NOT using the "track at once" -or- "leave CD open" options) so it closes properly on completion.

 

That disk format - ISO9660 - should be readable on virtually any computer - PC or MAC. I regularly transfer images as well as QuarkXPress files to my publisher like that and there are generally no problems cross platform from my PC to their MACs for .jpg .jpeg .tif or.tiff files or the page layouts in .qxd or .pdf

[dai_hunter]

Just an additional thought - if you are creating the disk on a MAC but the shop is using a PC (probably) the MAC files won't open unless they are PHYSICALLY NAMED with the PC file extension before the "save as" dialog - simply telling MAC this file name is "Xxxxx" and to "save as" a .tif won't allow it to be opened on the PC - the file has to be physically named "Xxxxx.tif" in the MAC file naming dialog and then pushed through the "save as" dialog telling it there to save as a .tif file.

[jt]

I had the same problem when I took in files saved in 16-bit mode. The Frontier (or its computer, anyway) worked fine when I re-saved them in 8-bit mode.

[otto]

In addition to the above tips (ISO9660 CD, 8 bit per channel TIFF) make sure it's not

LZW compressed. My local Noritsu chokes on LZW and I believe one of the Frontiers

does as well. As an additional backup if you just can't afford the time of another trip

to the lab, try making some full quality JPGs as well.

[brentdlong]

These are all extremely valuable leads. I am leaning towards the lzw compression issue as the cause of my problems. I had originally saved the files as 16 and 8 bit because I couldn't remember if the Frontier would accept 16 or not. The tip on saving as JPG as an extra precaution was something I was considering. If anyone else has any ideas I'm still all ears. I have a night ahead of me before I can take another shot at this. Sleep? Who needs it when there's money to be won for photos!

 

By the way, I don't know how to ensure that my CD is closed or finalized. It's another big problem I have. I am using the Japanese version of XP. My wife is Japanese and I thought it would make it easier for her to learn what she was doing. HA! She still asks me. Anyhow, I can't read all of the stuff that I really need to, so it's a pain sometimes.

 

Thanks all. -Brent

[Jerry_]

...and some Frontier machines have a somewhat low image size barrier.

One local 1-hour store creates 6 to 7 megapixel images on their Frontier scanner output to CD, and their printer (computer) can read them in OK.

 

 

 

Same chain of stores: creates under 1 to 1.4 megapixel images on their scanner output to CD and their printer (computer) cannot handle 6 to 7 megapixel images. New machine, lower limits???

[dai_hunter]

Brent...By the way, I don't know how to ensure that my CD is closed or finalized. It's another big problem I have. I am using the Japanese version of XP....

 

Brent you should not worry about being able to actually check that. It will happen automatically as long as you are not writing to disk in any mode that is like "track at once" or "leave CD open" which allows additional data to be recorded. That's why I suggested only using the option (write) "DISK AT ONCE" which will close out the disk as required and no more can be written to it - disk "closing" aka "finalization" also adds to the disk closing data which is only computer to computer information and the disk structure and directory data that the reading comp needs to find the files on the CD - which is why if the disk is NOT closed properly (or "finalized") it may not be readable on another comp.

 

You don't really need to know WHAT the data is only that you select a writing mode to allow it to be created. Everything you need to set that up (and also select the ISO9660 format) should be in the CD Writer dialogs and not necessarily in any XP dialogs on your machine (though I am not an XP user myself)

[scott_eaton]

I wasn't aware the Frontier could open LZW compressed files.

 

This file spec of .TIFF needs to be outlawed. It's easily the worst culprit of TIFF incompatibility I've ever seen since few programs implement it correctly.

 

If all esle fails use JPG at a high quality level.

[vatovec]

My local Frontier lab accepts only jpegs and BMP no TIFFs - don`t know why.

[brentdlong]

Thank you all. Due to your help I was able to get the prints made. Thanks a lot. If I win I'll buy a beer for you all, if you come to Okinawa to get it:) -Brent

 

P.S. - I think the culprit was the LZW compression, but I did also forget to change my dpi from 2400 down to about 300. I don't think that was the real problem though. Of course, the printer would have rejected such a dpi, but the problem is that the computer wouldn't even pull up the images to begin with.

[dan_vidal]

The Frontier is notoriously picky about file formats.

 

Here's a quick rundown:

 

JPEG, TIFF, and BMP acceptable.

 

JPEG -

 

any file size, any quality. "Baseline Standard" compression only.

 

TIFF -

 

IBM PC format, no compression

 

BMP -

24-bit, Windows format

 

Long filenames are OK, at least on PIC 2.1.0 and later, but to be safe, have them in 8.3 format.