FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
We're here to help!
Getting Started
A. Yes, we find that this may help avoid color space and workflow issues. You may send up to 3 files to be printed as 8x10’s for color calibration (no charge to you). You can order these FREE test prints in our Digital ROES under "Evaluation Prints".
A. To request a CPQ Account Number, please visit our New Customer Account Request form.
A. We accept Mastercard, Visa, Discover, and American Express as a method of payment. Each order is charged to your credit card the day it is completed and shipped. If you would like Open Terms, you would need to complete a credit application. COD is available, however there is an added “COD Tag Fee” that is charged to each shipment that the customer is responsible for.
A. Lustre (E-Surface): The surface is closely related to matte, but with a textured finish and a very slight sheen. It is the standard in professional printing.
Metallic: The surface has very unique properties. It is a high gloss paper which gives a three-dimensional metallic look to your image. It also gives very flattering skin tones and looks great for outdoor and black and white images.
A. You do not calibrate directly to CPQ printers. You calibrate your monitor to a standard and Neutral state, and we calibrate our printers to this same standard. We recommend a color calibration unit to help achieve this. Do keep in mind the lighting you are using to view you monitor while calibrating can affect your outcome. You can also request a CPQ color guide print (free of charge) to help with this process.
A.Our film support ended on December 31st, 2009.
A.
Color Corrections include each individual image review and adjusting of density, color tones, saturation and lighting.
In choosing Color Corrections, you're choosing to have our color technicians remove any differences between your personal monitor and our print monitor.
Have you ever watched the same movie on a bank of monitors at a store like Best Buy? The colors and brightness are always different even though it's the same movie... those same differences happen between computer monitors.
First, make sure you know the difference between image size and file size.
File size is the size you see in Windows Explorer or Mac Finder. This is the size of the "container" that holds your pixels.
Image size is calculated from the width and height dimensions of the pixels in your image. You can find this under Image>Image Size in Adobe Photoshop.
The following numbers all refer to Image size. These are the minimum recommended image sizes.
Print Size Needed - Image Size Needed:
•8x10 or smaller - 5-7 mb
•16x20 - 7-11 mb
•20x24 - 11-17 mb
•24x30 and up - 17+ mb
•We don't need more than 100 mb file for a 30x40
A. You should not use the grayscale application if you are sending in files as B&W. Grayscaling strips all the RGB value out of a file. If you are using one of our ROES-based ordering clients, it is better to select the B&W option in the image options and allow us to control your output.
Yes, we offer custom sizes up to 30" wide for our lustre and metallic paper finishes. To request a custom quote, please contact us with the size and paper finish.
A. Finished prints follow a different workflow that involves Quality Control (QC) in addition to printing and checking of the order prior to shipping. For this reason Proof Orders and Reorders cannot be combined.
A. Under our Resources tab, they are located in the Downloads area.
A. If you received your order and there is something wrong with it, let customer service know. We will do whatever we can to correct the problem.
A. Orders tend to run pretty quickly through the lab, so the best way to cancel an order is to talk to someone in customer service directly. Customer service representatives are available Monday-Friday from 9:00-5:00 EST.
Software
A. At CPQ a vast majority of our customers rely on one or more of our ROES-based software clients to send in their work to the Lab. These are all available as free downloads on our software page, and work well in both Windows and Mac-based operating systems. For the School and Event Photographer, we offer CPQ Link. It is a custom Windows-based (Vista compatible) software that merges the best of popular programs to produce a complete application that allows the photographer to determine the workflow that best suits their needs. Provides reporting functions and many other benefits. We highly recommend the use of one of our approved software applications as it enables us to efficiently and correctly process your order – plus it enables you the customer to receive the best pricing available.
A. ROES is a Java-based downloadable software that runs on your computer (not the web). You download it once and it stays put on your desktop for whenever you need to use it! It allows you the ability to select a product and precisely define crops and rotations on your images within that product. You simply choose a folder of images and start selecting from our product options.
A. You can download our ROES client from our software page. Java may take several seconds to start up and initially retrieve the resources it needs to run. If a link is clicked repeatly, this delay will only increase, as several instances of the application start up. If you visit CPQ web page – “downloads” and click Download Now, and your hard drive starts running. At that time Java is starts and will take you through several prompts. After loading, you may begin ordering right away. Remember if this is your first order (no account yet) please enter NEWUSER in the area – under the My Information button.
A. You can visit www.roes-u.com to help guide you through basic functionality and any issues you may encounter.
A. Usually, a slow upload is due to a large order or slower internet speeds in your area. You might need to contact your internet service provider about upload speeds. You can check your internet speeds with this website: Speed Test.
A. First Name, Last Name and Grouping is Required
B. All Other Fields are Optional (i.e. Class I.D. Package I.D.)
(If same date applies to multiple images you may use the “use copy” button)