FLAAR's equipment
The purpose of this web site is to report on the testing of hardware and software so that others can perhaps learn from our experiences. Thousands of digital photographers, graphic designers, and desktop publishing people face every day the same kind of questions, what hardware and what software should I buy?
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The FLAAR Photo Archive of 40,000 images of Latin America and the Digital Imaging Resource Center offer situations, and solutions, that may be helpful to you.
Software and hardware arrives for testing and our opinion at the FLAAR offices. Today's delivery included versions of SilverFast scanner software for three different scanners from LaserSoft Imaging (Kiel, Germany) and color management software from Binuscan, Monaco, Pantone, and Pictographics (the FedEx box at the right).
Rosco, GretagMacbeth, Munsell Color, Ries (tripods), Smith-Victor (light stands), Dell Computers, Apple Computer, and a host of other companies have provided products. Software has been provided by Adobe, Kinetix, AutoCad, VR Toolbox (QTVR software), Software Architects (DVD-RAM software), FWB (Hard Disk ToolKit), and others.
Our 3-D Scanning Mascot waves goodbuy from his position on top of the Linotype-Hell Saphir Ultra2 flatbed scanner kindly provided by Heidelberg CPS in Germany.
This site was prepared in Dreamweaver 4 but is now being updated in the newest version.
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It is a tough challenge to keep all our many sites up to date, but a new design is in progress during summer 2004.
We thank ENCAD for being the first printer manufacturer to provide a wide format printer for testing and review circa 1996; we now have 22 wide format printers.
We thank Electronics for Imaging for providing an EFI Fiery hardware RIP server in 1996. We now have over 9 different software RIPs and use primarily Wasatch and PosterJet.
Videssence for providing complete studio fluorescent lighting, Lowel for providing a set of tungsten studio lights, BulbMan for providing tungsten lamps for our studios both in Guatemala and in the USA, Apple Computer for providing a Macintosh with 548 MB RAM and 20" monitor, Lexmark for providing an Optra 1275n color laser, QMS for providing a 1200 dpi 2060FX laser which can handle oversize up to 13x26 inches, Weyerhaeuser for providing enough paper to last all year, Dicomed for providing a Studio Pro large format digital camera, Better Light for providing a turntable and associated software for seamless panoramas and circumferential rollout photographs of round objects, and Heidelberg CPS (Germany) for providing a Linotype-Hell flatbed scanner.
These manufacturers aid, simultaneously, advanced research on the applications of the use of this technology both in the desktop publishing, graphics design, photography, markets but also in academia, for museums, colleges, universities, and especially their in-house repro shops and print shops.
The equipment provided by their respective manufacturers also serves in our daily research on the rise and fall of the enigmatic Maya civilization of Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, and Honduras. When we ascertain that a particular item of equipment that we have received would be of use to archaeology institutes, museums, or archaeology projects in these four countries, then we take that equipment to donate in those countries. We especially thank American Power Conversion for providing enough UPS units not only to handle the entire FLAAR Digital Imaging Technology Center, but also for the museum of Maya sculpture at Copan, Honduras as well as for the Museo Popol Vuh, Guatemala City. Having lived in Guatemala for 30 years and having done research there and in the rest of Central America over the last three decades, we like to liven up this web site with samples of indigenous handicrafts. Having photographed and served as Visiting Professor at Japan's National Museum of Ethnology, we also include Japanese art, which could fill a thousand web sites with harmonious graphic designs.
You can visit our facility at BGSU in Ohio via Virtual Reality views on the home page of www.wide-format-printers.NET.
You can visit our facility on the campus of Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala through our web site www.CTPID.ufm.edu.gt.
You can take advantage of our seminars and training programs in digital imaging and digital photography by this auto download of the course information.
You can read all the results of six years of experience on inkjet printers, scanners, digital imaging software, and related topics through the FLAAR Reports, over 100 titles for all levels from beginner through intermediate to professional.