digital prints on "real" photo paper

johnnywalker · Sep 21, 2005

I just started working with a fellow (on a project unrelated to photography) who insists the pictures he takes with his Canon Digi-something are sent to a lab and printed on "real" photo paper - not inkjet paper that looks like photo paper, but "real" photo paper that needs light to expose it, and is developed with chemicals. He says this happens without making a negative from the digital image. He also says this routinely done in England, where he is from.

Is this possible? I hope not. If so, whoever replies that it is, please supply a good recipe for crow.

modafoto · Sep 21, 2005

I have been at the local lab to see how they do. The method is that they invert the colors of the scan (making a negative image) and project it on photo paper using a projector in the developing machine. Works pretty much like the normal analog method. Project the image onto the paper and develop the print afterwards.

Leon · Sep 21, 2005

this is quite a common thing these days Johnny. Here is one for sale that donald miller linked to in a another thread - http://cgi.ebay.com/Durst-Epsilon-P...547076133QQcategoryZ29988QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I think they are know as lightjet printers?

gbroadbridge · Sep 21, 2005

Ummn yes, this has been around for quite a while The Fuji Frontier lab is one device that does it, see http://bermangraphics.com/press/frontier.htm for some info, you can also check out the fuji web site.

I'd suggest roasted crow with dill & rosemary in a red wine sauce

Graham

johnnywalker · Sep 21, 2005

modafoto said:
I have been at the local lab to see how they do. The method is that they invert the colors of the scan (making a negative image) and project it on photo paper using a projector in the developing machine. Works pretty much like the normal analog method. Project the image onto the paper and develop the print afterwards.

What scan? Or do you mean invert the colours of the image? Is the negative a physical thing or something temporary inside the machine?

I'm somewhat amazed I've never heard of this. All the analogue/digital print discussions I've seen have been about digital prints made on ink jet printers vs analoge prints made the traditional way.

You forgot the crow recipe, but thanks for the prompt reply!

modafoto · Sep 21, 2005

johnnywalker said:
What scan? Or do you mean invert the colours of the image? Is the negative a physical thing or something temporary inside the machine?

Sorry. I was thinking of what they do with the films we hand over to them for dev and print. With digital photos they just invert the photo and expose it on the paper and develop it.

Roast the beast for 400 years with garlic and thyme. Add 10 glasses of white wine the first year and 25 glasses of red wine in the 321st year.

johnnywalker · Sep 21, 2005

"eating crow" is when you are forced to say, "you were right, I was wrong".

Ole · Sep 21, 2005

If you have a good recipe for roast partridge, crow can be prepared the same way. It should be cooked slightly more, though. There's also a difference between crows, with "forest workers" generally having the strongest flavor. You'd be surprised at how tasty they can be

Woolliscroft · Sep 21, 2005

I get the few digi pictures I take printed like this. I use a lab in Britain called Peak Imaging, who seem to do a nice job. They use Fuji paper.

David.

photomc · Sep 21, 2005

Johnny, my recipe for crow starts with a 5th of your favorite libation (Johnny Walker Red perhaps) and continues until bottle is empty...if the part can still recall the situation, repeat...I was the same when I first learned about the Fuji Frontier prints, even have some...not bad, but come in some odd sizes. BTW, from what I have been told they do not have any better archival properties than a normal C-41 prnt...because that's what they are.

gbroadbridge · Sep 21, 2005

photomc said:
Johnny, my recipe for crow starts with a 5th of your favorite libation (Johnny Walker Red perhaps) and continues until bottle is empty...if the part can still recall the situation, repeat...I was the same when I first learned about the Fuji Frontier prints, even have some...not bad, but come in some odd sizes. BTW, from what I have been told they do not have any better archival properties than a normal C-41 prnt...because that's what they are.

I think you meant to say RA-4 prints

As for the archival properties of such prints, well they need to be treated to make them archival in much the same way that B&W silver prints need treating.

Graham.

Bob Carnie · Sep 21, 2005

Hi There
Another version of the digital to photo paper and film is the Lambda unit that we have here at our lab, We print onto Agfa Classic Fibre, Cibachrome, all the Ra4 papers and we are starting to test Black and White Film to produce enlarged negs for all the Alternative printing processes.
Images come from all sources, digital cameras as your friend suggests( I would suggest some Franks Hot Sauce for that crow) or we scan all media and through photoshop correct the file , dodge/burn, contrast local and overall and as well colour shifts within the images.
the file is then sent to the exposing unit and basically Three Lasers are managed to produce a beam of light that exposes the traditional media.
We then cut the paper from the machine and develop the black and white through large trays as we would do with any traditional print, as well the colour prints are put through the appropriate processors.

jovo · Sep 21, 2005

Ole said:
If you have a good recipe for roast partridge, crow can be prepared the same way. It should be cooked slightly more, though. There's also a difference between crows, with "forest workers" generally having the strongest flavor. You'd be surprised at how tasty they can be

Having eaten some crow recently I can attest that it tastes just like chicken... (I like the recipe best that relys on a full bottle of Johnny Walker red however, though I'm sure Ole's is excellent as well!)

Bob F. · Sep 21, 2005

jovo said:
Having eaten some crow recently I can attest that it tastes just like chicken... (I like the recipe best that relys on a full bottle of Johnny Walker red however, though I'm sure Ole's is excellent as well!)

With enough Scotch, most things taste like chicken I find...

photomc · Sep 21, 2005

gbroadbridge said:
I think you meant to say RA-4 prints

As for the archival properties of such prints, well they need to be treated to make them archival in much the same way that B&W silver prints need treating.

Graham.

Thanks Graham...my bad...

roteague · Sep 21, 2005

Yes, a lot of places are now using digital printers that print on Fuji Crystal Archive. I believe even Costco does as well.

Ronald Moravec · Sep 21, 2005

You may scan the neg and send it to various labs over the internet. This gives you the option to Photoshop it and then get it printed. I use Ritz Photo. The file transfer program comes with the first disc you have made when they develope your film.

Ole · Sep 21, 2005

jovo said:
Having eaten some crow recently I can attest that it tastes just like chicken... (I like the recipe best that relys on a full bottle of Johnny Walker red however, though I'm sure Ole's is excellent as well!)

That must have been a "field worker", the crows are remarkable steady at their chosen workplace. A lot more steady than humans...

Woolliscroft · Sep 21, 2005

It's amazing, no one has told us yet that we aren't allowed to talk about this, semi D word issue

David.

Leonidas · Sep 22, 2005

johnnywalker said:
I just started working with a fellow (on a project unrelated to photography) who insists the pictures he takes with his Canon Digi-something are sent to a lab and printed on "real" photo paper - not inkjet paper that looks like photo paper, but "real" photo paper that needs light to expose it, and is developed with chemicals. He says this happens without making a negative from the digital image. He also says this routinely done in England, where he is from.

Is this possible? I hope not. If so, whoever replies that it is, please supply a good recipe for crow.

DeVere has an enlarger projecting digital files-as negatives-, to colour or B&W (RC or FB) papers.

All the best.

Dave Parker · Sep 22, 2005

Its very easy, Noritsu, has many machines that take a digital file and expose through and LED exposure system on RA-4 paper, we had one at the shop that I worked at, very simple process, you just tell the machine what media your getting the image from, either negative or digital, as well as scanner image, it loads the image onto the computer monitor and makes the exposure, then processes in Chemistry as normal..

The process has actually been around for a number of years now.

Dave

nworth · Sep 23, 2005

The man is right. The Fuji Frontier processors that are popular in many photofinishing shops take a digital image (or scan a film image at high resolution) and then use lasers to expose color photographic paper and chemical wet processes to develop it. The results are very good, and the same machine can be used to make anything from 4X6 to 20X30 prints by just switching magazines and pushing a couple of buttons. As noted above, several other manufacturers of photofinishing make comparable equipment.

Paul Sorensen · Sep 23, 2005

My concern is that no one has mentioned the best recipe for crow, basted in Rodinal. Anything is better with Rodinal, even digital RA-4 prints!

Alan Johnson · Sep 23, 2005

I have 12x16 color prints made on a Noritsu machine from 35mm and 645.The owner told me they are output at 300 dpi,which is the industry standard, and the negatives are scanned at whatever resolution is required to give this.

Of course , I think my hand prints from 645 Delta 100 look slightly sharper but few people notice.

Roger Krueger · Sep 24, 2005

It's really hard to escape--it's almost always how machine prints are made these days--the machine scans, prints, and throws the file away. Optical machine prints are getting seriously hard to find.

digital prints on "real" photo paper

johnnywalker

modafoto

Leon

gbroadbridge

johnnywalker

modafoto

johnnywalker

Ole

Moderator

Woolliscroft

photomc

gbroadbridge

Bob Carnie

jovo

Membership Council

Bob F.

photomc

roteague

Ronald Moravec

Ole

Moderator

Woolliscroft

Leonidas

Dave Parker

nworth

Paul Sorensen

Alan Johnson

Roger Krueger

digital prints on "real" photo paper

Moderator

Membership Council

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency