Dear Imaging Professional,

Pixelnation was started two years ago with the goal of providing high quality, color corrected drum scans at affordable prices. With over 20 years experience in the photographic industry, primarily in NYC, I discovered most photographers were getting their scans in one of two ways. Either they purchased a relatively inexpensive desktop scanner or they used a professional service bureau for drum scans. The problem with the first solution was that often times demanding professionals were not satisfied with the quality, while the second option provided the quality but was cost prohibitive. By establishing Pixelnation in Reading, PA, within the overnight ground shipping radius of NYC, Philadelphia, and Washington DC, I am able to provide high quality scans that rival or exceed anything a larger NYC based shop can produce, and at a more friendly price. While the majority of Pixelnation clients reside in the Northeast, our client list has expanded to include photographers from as far away as Berlin, Miami and Seattle.

Before embarking on the adventure that has since become the success of Pixelnation, I did a great deal of research into all the available scanner technologies. I read reviews, talked with scanner operators and most importantly, scanned film. After a year of research and testing, I chose the Aztek Premier with Digital PhotoLab (DPL) software. The Premier produced the quality I had been searching for while DPL gave the control I needed. Aztek offers two versions of DPL, the Standard and the Pro. Both come complete with a host of specific density curves for a wide range of film types. The Pro version, however, gives the user the ability to create custom density curves for specific film types or even for individual pieces of film. At Pixelnation, I have adopted the practice of always creating a custom density curve for each and every piece of film I scan. I feel this is the best way to optimize the data in the scan while being true to the film and retaining all of its nuance.

The success and growth of Pixelnation is due, in no small part, to the continued help and support of the people at Aztek. Time and again they have demonstrated their commitment to customer service by supplying accurate and timely answers to questions and concerns, providing training on hardware and software, and continually striving to improve DPL by listening to its’ users and then implementing suggestions. If your needs are such that you are looking to purchase a film scanner, I whole-heartedly recommend the Aztek Premier. And if your scanning needs are less frequent or you just don’t have the time to do it yourself, then give Pixelnation a try. Either way, if you are looking for the highest quality scans of your film, the Aztek Premier with Digital PhotoLab is the right tool for the job.

Best Regards,
Joseph Luppino