Last week we blogged about how the industry in which you work could determine what viewing solution you need.
This week, we look at the second step you can take to determining which viewing booth or lighting solution is best for you; how big is the subject matter you’re examining?
It sounds a pretty obvious question, but it’s an important one you need to ask before purchasing your lighting solution. So, which solution illuminates to what size? Read below…
Desk Lamps – see Grafilite
The open style of desk lamps means they illuminate areas of around A5 to A3 sized paper, depending on the size of the desktop lamp – perfect for photography prints of similar size. Anything any larger and you would need to consider a larger viewing booth.
Desktop Viewing Booths – see GTI PDV-2e
Generally, you should aim for a booth that gives you an illumination/work area 4 cm x 2 cm larger than the print being viewed. Booths cover sizes from A4 to A2, with A3 landscape being the most popular format size.
Large Format Booths – see Proof Top Multi 5000
For viewing untrimmed press sheets or artwork, it is recommended to have a few cm leeway either side. Some large format booths have two illumination areas consisting of a back wall and angled desktop. Units can range from an illumination area of 50 x 70 cm, 70 x 100 cm or even up to 100 x 140 cm.
Colour Appearance Booths – see GTI MM 1e/50 MiniMatcher
Usually take the form of an open fronted box. Sufficient space around the type/shape of product being viewed should be allowed, particularly height space. The most popular desktop size provides and internal work area of approximately 35 (h) x 60 (w) x 35 (d) cm, with larger units also available.
Luminaires – see Just Smart Light 5000
Symmetric – illuminate a table top area equivalent to the size of the luminary, plus around 15-20 cm on all sides. Optimum lamp distance from luminary to surface is around 100 cm.
Asymmetric – similarly illuminate an angled work surface equivalent to the luminary size/area. They can also illuminate vertical walls.
Parabolic Lens – recommended to achieve good vertical illumination. The GTI GLE-1032P for example provides an illumination over a 5 ft (150 cm) drop. To extend the range to 7 ft (200 cm) a lower Luminaire can be positioned on the floor.
Light Boxes and Tables – see Just Classic Line
The back-lit surface will illuminate an area approximate to its size. Units range from relatively small desktop units to standalone tables on legs.
In the next entry, we look at the third step to determining what solution is best for you; light source requirements.