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FREE WOODEN TINTYPE STAND
FREE USA SHIPPING

DIGITAL TO TINTYPE
CONVERSION

DIGITAL TINTYPES
Authentic Silver Tintypes from
Your Digital Photographs

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Here at The Tintype Company we have stumbled upon a wormhole. I shan't say exactly where, but in an old mineshaft it resides. We use this wormhole as a portal to create 19th century tintypes from your 21st century photographs: Cybertypes, I call them - digital tintypes.  We time travel with your favorite photographs to the year 1851, individually processing them into high resolution optical negatives. Plates are poured by hand, exposed in the darkroom, and developed to exacting standards. They are then returned through the cosmic gateway right to your mailbox. The result is an authentic, handmade metallic photograph with an image of pure silver. Adorned with chemical artifacts only possible through the wet plate process, each tintype is absolutely unique and archival; it will survive for centuries to come.  Why settle for a T-shirt when you can have an heirloom!!!

CYBERTYPESTM
TINTYPE TIMETRAVEL

01

Select Your Photograph

Pick a favorite. Can't decide? Send me a few and I'll choose what will work best. Upload the original color file. Don't process the photograph. Flat files make for good files. Tintypes are very high resolution, so send the biggest file you have. Bold subjects. Simple backgrounds. Shapes. Patterns. Faces. Make sure there is good, in-focus detail. Only have a physical print? Please inquire about mailing and scanning options. 

02

Antique Camera and Lens Simulations

We already individually process each photograph so that it will best transfer to tintype... We can also simulate antique camera and lens effects, creating an image even more reminiscent of the 18th century. Please also inquire about additional photoshop services such as edge creation, object removal, or full restorations of damaged photographs. Roll over image to the left for before and after. 

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Rubbed Black Border or Raw Edges

This process is called "Wet Plate" Collodion because every step must be completed before the chemistry dries out. It is an antique handmade art form and artifacts are inevitable, chemical and physical. We embrace these as happy accidents and revel in their chance and uniqueness. One of the places we see a lot of chemical artifacts are at the edges. These can be wiped black for a slightly cleaner framed appearance, or left raw in all of their chemical glory. Your choice!

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Upload Image and Place Your Order

Prices start at $250. The bigger you go the more it costs, but just barely, as pricing is based on time spent making these... the extra $$ is simply to cover the cost of chemistry. It takes a couple of weeks, as this might as well be alchemy, but if you are in a super-duper hurry, jumping the line is an option for an additional charge.  

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Don't Forget a Tintype Stand

Choose a tintype stand if you'd like one. We have simple wooden blocks (INCLUDED) and iron easels ($10 upgrade). Both are perfect for standing up your tintype under a lamp. The tintype image is made of silver, and silver loves bright light! Tintypes are robust. People will want to pick them up and look at them closely. Let them. Tintypes are varnished with a hardy and natural evergreen tree sap - fingerprints can be gently wiped off with distilled water and a microfiber cloth. 

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