Frequently asked questions

What is dialab / what do you do?

Dialab is a family owned company established in 1984.
We are a professional printing lab specialising in fine art and photographic printing and archival mounting.

We are known for our high quality and reliability.
We offer fast, flexible and personal service.

Our product range is from photo displays, exhibitions and outdoor advertisement to home decoration.

Our office is located in Helsinki / Sörnäinen, next to kalasatama metro station.

What kind of originals do we print from?

We print digital files, paper prints, paintings, drawings, negatives, slides etc.
Printing from digital files without any extra charge.
Other originals need to be scanned or reproduction photographed.
We can scan or repro all type/size of originals.

How is the price formed?

Without any fixed sizes pricing is usually rounded up to next even 10 centimeters.
For example: for a 21x21cm print we charge for a 30x30cm price.
If you want mounted prints, the price depends on the materials used: paper quality, mounting board, possible laminate, frames, passe-partout, glass type etc.

If all this seems confusing, don’t worry! Let us guide you in choosing the suitable product for your home, exhibition, office, summer place or a gift. We are more than happy to help!

Further inquiries and offers call us +358 40 831 3000 or mail us to: tarjoukset@dialab.com.

How big can I print my photos?

Even professional photographers occasionally struggle with the question of just how big can they blow up their images.
How big you can print your photos depends on a couple of factors.
First, how much information (photo data) is there?
Second, image sensor quality, lens quality and camera setting.
Third, what material will the photo be printed on and what is the topic of your print?
You can send us your file and ask if the quality is ok for the size that you want.

Here are some guidelines how big you can print from digital camera files if you have right setting in your camera.

IPhone 5s 100 x 75 cm
Nokia Lumia 1020 180 x 100 cm
Panasonic DMC-GX7 120 x 90 cm
Nikon D800 180 x 120 cm
Canon EOS 5D Mark III 180 x 120cm

Its case-by-case how big enlargements you can make from paper prints, drawings and paintings.
For example, in an image of a forrest you can’t see small detail faults, but in portraits you will see even the smallest scratches, pixels edges etc.

Can you do prints from Paper prints, drawings or paintings?

We can make prints from almost any original.
Paper prints, drawings and paintings need to be scanned or reproduction photographed.

Its case-by-case how big enlargements you can make from paper prints, drawings and paintings.
For example, image of Forrest you don´t see small detail faults but in portrait you will see even smallest scratches, pixels edges, etc.

What are the methods you use to make prints?

We offer two different methods to make archival fineart prints:

1) Photographic C-type Lambda-prints are made by exposing light onto color paper, which is then developed RA-4 process and washed using traditional photographic techniques.

2) Giclée is the process of making fine art prints using Epson ink-jet printers.
We use Epson Ultrachrome HDR inks and a range of high quality papers.

Both methods produce fully archival fine art prints.

Dialab is the only Hahnemühle certified studio in Finland!

In addition we have eco-solvent, solvent, latex, flatbed and sublimation printers for different fabrics, direct printing to boards, wallpapers etc.

What does mounting mean?

Mounting means glueing an image to a board using PH-neutral film or silicone.

Archival mounting is a process of mounting a print or photograph to a material that will not degrade over time and where the print will not suffer degradation due to the mounting process.
We use a PH Neutral adhesive mount film, making it compatible with sensitive FineArt papers.
Materials such as MDF contain acids and by-products that will break down over time.
Dibond, aluminium and Silisec® are fully archival.
For home use Silisec® and Dibond-mounted prints are a great choice.

What does laminating mean and do i need it?

Laminate is a protective film that is applied to your print, helping to minimise damage to your print from scratching, UV rays and fingerprints.

Lamination preserves the colors of your print and makes it possible to wipe out fingerprints and splashes. That’s why it can be a good choice for posters, navigational charts, touring exhibitions, public places and kid’s rooms.

Our laminate choices are matt, matt-satin, glossy, highgloss, floorlaminate, antigraffitilaminate and glitter (available on summer 2020).

Colour management and what should you know about it?

The primary goal of color management is to match all cameras, screens and printers so you can be sure that your picture will print as it looks on your computer screen. Every screen that is used for image processing needs to be calibrated.
For screen calibration we use SpyderX Elite Display calibration device.

Spyder X Elite 289,00€
Spyder X Pro 189,00€
Matkahuolto package 10,00€
Prices above include VAT 24%

To get high quality prints from us you don’t have to understand color management but it helps.
You can drop by at our office and check the pictures with us before printing.
We will help you to get everything out from your files.

If you live far away and are unable to visit us, we can provide you with test prints by mail,
which you can use to make the necessary adjustments.

We can make test prints in small size or as 1:1 size test strips.

Price of testprints:
The first piece is 10,00€ and the next ones 3,00€/pc
Duratrans, Fabrics, Vinyls 20–50 € /pc

Delivery of test prints by letter 5,00€
Matkahuolto package 10,00€
Prices above include VAT 24%

Do you adjust my photos before printing?

We print customer’s files just the way they are, unless we are asked otrewise.
Without any extra charge we can make small color corrections to you prints.
Just tell us what you want (vivid colours, high contrast etc.).

File should have some colour profile; Adobe RBG is ideal for printing.
If the file is in untagged RGB we try to choose profile where the colours look natural.

In what format should I submit the print material?

Basic printing information:

Colour space RGB / CMYK 8/16 bit (ideal profile AdobeRGB)
Files can contain pictures / text / graphic
File types: TIF/JPG / EPS/PSD / PDF / RAW
Fonts must be converted as curves or attached in the files
If you want specific colours, tell us PMS of the colour
If you have sample of colour, bring it with you
Slide film is always printed as the slide is exposed unless told otherwise

Epson Giclée prints

Ideal file resolution 240–600ppi
Material widths vary from 61cm to 162cm

Solvent, Eco-solvent, Latex, sublimation and flatbed prints

Ideal file resolution 100–200ppi
Material widths vary from 50cm to 500cm

How do I deliver the material to you?

Orders and smaller files (less than 5mb) per email: tuotanto@dialab.com

For bigger files we recommend free services:

www.sprend.com / www.wetransfer.com

If you use Dropbox, be sure to grant access to view and download images.

Remember to always send a separate work order to: tuotanto@dialab.com

Paper prints, slides, drawings and painting you can send us via postal service or drop by to our office on weekdays 08.00-16.00.

What are your delivery times?

Prints 2–5 working days.
Mounted prints 5–10 working days.
Prints with aluminum frame 5–10 working days.
Prints with wooden frame 7–14 working days.
Framed or mounted xxhibition prints 10–14 working days.

If you need your prints faster, the potential discounts are not valid.

Payment ?

Private customers: cash / credit cards / advance payment
Businesses, unions, sole traders: as above or invoice

Delivery terms

Reclamation’s regarding the quality of work should be done immediately!
We reserve the rights to change prices.
The prices given on the phone are subject to change.
Payment in 14 days. (Only business / Union / Sole trader )
Invoice handling fee (only paper invoice) 8 €
Interest on late payment 16% of the invoice due date
Interest Invoicing fee of 5 €
Notice time for invoice 8 days
Ordered work picked up within 14 days of completion
All products are the property of Dialab until they are paid in full!
Dialab is not responsible for image copyrights!

Urgent jobs

For urgent jobs we do not offer discounts.

Payment methods:

Invoice (Only business / Union / Sole trader )
Cash / credit card
Advance payment

Packing and shipping costs:

Postal package / Schenker / Matkahuolto we charge service provider fee multiple by 2,0
TNT / UPS / FEDEX we charge case-by-case.