Rangefinder Magazine
November 2004

Lab Profile by Lou Jacobs jr.
Duggal Visual Solutions

When Baldev Duggal opened a pro lab in Manhattan 40 years ago it is unlikely he could envision his business becoming an institution. “Institution” is my word to add to praise such as, “Duggal has a national reputation for creating a balance between the latest technology and art.” That’s from CBS television, and this highly respected lab has also been noted in the New York Times, the Washington Post and Magnum. The Post said, “Duggal is the legendary Manhattan custom lab that counts some of the world’s best known shooters among its clients.”

Supermural	Duggal’s mounting department

Founded 40 years ago by Baldev Duggal, the lab is known for innovation. Early on he built a dip-and-dunk processing machine that helped to revolutionize film developing. His reputation for precision craftsmanship made the lab a favorite of photographers, advertising agencies, digital artists, publishing houses and fine art creators, though average Joes can still take their film to a street level retail counter.

In the late 1980s Duggal invested in technology that led his company into the digital field where he recognized the immense potential of computer imaging. He was a visionary whose lab was the first in what is now the photo district in Manhattan. In 1995 Baldev’s son, Michael, joined the company that he has helped position as a continuing leader. He now runs day-to-day operations at their 30,000-square-foot headquarters on New York’s West 23rd Street. Beyond the expected scanning, printing and image retouching services, more than 150 skilled technicians produce graphics and photographs that will be magazine covers, wrap city buses, embellish store windows and be exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide.

Construction barricade	Museum-quality prints, such as these for British photographer Rankin, are a Duggal specialty.	Vehicle graphics wrap

On Duggal’s exemplary web site, www.duggal.com, are noted the many services offered. Here are some of the most important:

• As the first step to high-quality digital printing, Duggal offers a sophisticated array of scanning options from high-resolution drum scans to less expensive flatbed and pro CD scans from the latest equipment.
• Duggal features state-of-the-art retouching and sophisticated proofing services plus quick prints from modern minilabs.
• Transparencies and negatives are generated directly from digital files in 35mm, 4x5 and 8x10 formats.
• The lab offers fine art mounting services and builds custom exhibitions and displays.
• Duggal is noted for digital C-prints on which they work closely with artists, museums and tradeshow designers. Using high-output RGB lasers, digital files are exposed directly onto photographic materials via Durst Lambda and CSI Lightjet printers. Duggal is one of the few places in the world able to offer 72-inch-wide digital photographic prints.
• For those who prefer to shoot film, the lab offers conventional printing services including handmade fine art fiber prints.

Duggal did the print work for this Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher exhibit.	Duggal’s lobby and customer service desk	High-resolution drum scanner in action

In 1993 Duggal became the first company to fully wrap a building with a full-color digital mural, and they have gone on to produce outdoor graphics installed on billboards, buses, subway cars and ships. They can print and wrap an entire vehicle at their Manhattan plant, and they also offer creative artwork from scratch. Beyond commercial uses, Duggal has taken wide-format printing to a fine art level by producing seamless murals on 16-foot-wide printers on canvas and other materials. These are used in exhibits and as backdrops. Stunning photographic-quality wall murals can be also produced on removable and repositionable substrates. Images can also be tiled in panels creating decorative spaces in short order.

Duggal’s vast array of service options coupled with their attention to quality has made the lab popular with photographers, museum curators and corporate visual departments over the years. The Duggal web site where its services in 30 departments are described, is a visual treat. Many pages display a large variety of photographs generated by this highly experienced organization and its clients.

Lou Jacobs Jr. is the author of 25 how-to photography books, the latest of which, Photographer’s Lighting Handbook (Amherst Media) was recently published. He has taught at UCLA and Brooks, is a longtime member of ASMP, and enjoys shooting stock during his travels in the U.S. and abroad.