Why Reference Prints?
All 300,000 photographs in The Frith Collection have been scanned, but as the photos were taken over a 110 year period on a wide range of glass & film negatives, using different photographic processes, every image has to be checked and optimised, before we make a print for a customer. This process can take from 15 minutes to several hours, depending on the condition of the original that we scanned. In order to offer a worthwhile selection of photos for each town, our website has traditionally displayed a mix of fully optimised photos with some that have been checked and tonally adjusted, but still require further work to bring them to the standard our products are known for.
Despite this work over the last 20 years, more than 60,000 scans have still not been individually checked and therefore not shown on our website. Some of these may prove to be damaged, faded, or not of sufficient quality to ever be offered in our full product range. However, since the number of Genealogists and Local Historians using our website is growing all the time, with effect September 2021 we will display the unchecked images marked as "Reference Only". Until they are checked and optimised these photos will only be available on the website for on-line research, or available to order as 7" x 4” Reference Prints sold as seen, with no warranty. Over the next few years as these photos are checked, those that meet our essential quality requirements will gradually be optimised and added to our main selection.
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