e6 darkroom printing

Hi all! I just got blessed with an old box of Ektachrome Radiance 3 paper and I wanted to know if it's even possible for me to use as intended. If so what chemicals do I buy and what advice if any do you have for me?

Also, what alternative work around can I do with the paper that would be FUN to do? Or that would ahve some cool effects..

Happy Holidays!

R-3 materials went out of production 2003-ish, so it's probably going to have significant fog/ colour shift etc. It's a chromogenic material optimised for reversal processing using R-3/ R-3000 chemistry, but you might have a hard time finding the exact formulae. That said, the above might give some hints as to creative routes to misuse the material.

Hello my dear colleagues, Allow me to participate in this discussion.
The answer is also directed to the colleague Anton Lukoszevieze who had a similar query on this topic, so the answer is for both of you.
Some thoughts have lit up in my mind, and I almost think that I might have found the answer at the prestigious Agfa Foundation.
In fact, there are solutions, and there are formulas, some of which are adjustable and applicable, and through my long experience with Agfa formulas, I testify that they are formulas that have great flexibility towards making after modifications and replacing some elements.

But it is really costly to an extent, not a little in terms of money, and it takes a lot of effort and a lot of time in order to conduct many experiments and tests.
It requires the purchase of chemical raw materials, preparation of solutions, developers, and so on, which requires time, effort and money.
So I'm wondering, is it worth it?
If the answer is yes,
Well, it's okay, we can start doing this research together.
Yes, this ancient forum was originally established in order to conduct those experiences and conduct those researches.
But you must be ready to spend money, effort and time.
I need to hear an honest answer and an honest promise about it.
If the answer is yes, or no.

mohmad khatab said:

Hello my dear colleagues, Allow me to participate in this discussion.
The answer is also directed to the colleague Anton Lukoszevieze who had a similar query on this topic, so the answer is for both of you.
Some thoughts have lit up in my mind, and I almost think that I might have found the answer at the prestigious Agfa Foundation.
In fact, there are solutions, and there are formulas, some of which are adjustable and applicable, and through my long experience with Agfa formulas, I testify that they are formulas that have great flexibility towards making after modifications and replacing some elements.

But it is really costly to an extent, not a little in terms of money, and it takes a lot of effort and a lot of time in order to conduct many experiments and tests.
It requires the purchase of chemical raw materials, preparation of solutions, developers, and so on, which requires time, effort and money.
So I'm wondering, is it worth it?
If the answer is yes,
Well, it's okay, we can start doing this research together.
Yes, this ancient forum was originally established in order to conduct those experiences and conduct those researches.
But you must be ready to spend money, effort and time.
I need to hear an honest answer and an honest promise about it.
If the answer is yes, or no.

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Yeah lets do it

MingMingPhoto said:

Yeah lets do it

Click to expand...

On God's blessing, let's start
Tell me what kind of paper you have first.

Ektachrome Radiance 3 paper

Throw it away and get on Match.com before it's to late!

MingMingPhoto said:

Ektachrome Radiance 3 paper

Click to expand...

https://www.photo.net/discuss/threads/reversal-paper-for-ra4-processing.135328/

Type R papers faded miserably fast anyway, at least by comparison with today's options. It would be like reinventing a junk pizza from a defunct fast food franchise of the same era. I really don't know how reversing some of today's RA4 will hold up, fading wise, since that is not their primary application. I personally create high-quality contact internegatives when I want to convert old LF chromes into color negatives for sake of RA4 printing.

The Cibachrome direct-positive option is now itself extinct. Dye transfer printing is still a possiblity, but still quite complex and expensive too. Most simply scan and then either print via inkjet, or via commercial laser printer onto RA4 media. I prefer the more seamless tonality, superior detail, and better hue rendition of actual direct optical enlargement from film.

Is any one making matrix film used in dye transfer?

The last run available to the public was made by Efke prior to its demise. I bought up most of the remains of that batch, and hope it's still good in the freezer, but never found enough time yet to do more than basic definitive tests with it yet to confirm my own new technique protocol. The lions share of it went to Jim Browning. It was his formula, and he is specially equipped to handle it. Another big chunk went to a German couple with a big new dye transfer upstart; but in the interim they ordered up new style of matrix film custom coated in Germany, along with their own transfer paper, neither of which is available to the public. In fact, their matrix film is optimized to blue laser exposure rather than optical enlargement. In other words, they work hybrid - the color separations and matrix exposure digitally, and all the dying and transfer steps manually, like in the past.

In summary, it would be fairly easy for anyone to revive dye transfer printing if they have enough budget for a custom coating run. Matrix film is actually one of the easier formulas to make. Jim Browning's personal recipe is freely available if someone wants to replicate his personal coating machine. But he sold that after Ekfe did his large volume industrial run. I don't know how many people still do dye transfer printing worldwide, perhaps less than a hundred, with only two commercial labs still doing it. One or two similar operations are under construction at this time, impending their own matrix film source. Hope they have a lot money and patience, but apparently they do. Usable dyes are readily available.

The last of the distinct Pan Matrix Film, for printing directly from color negatives, instead of from chromes via black and white separation negatives, was used up by Ctein. But hypothetically, that version of matrix film would be easy to remake too, if anyone were interested enough and wealthy enough. But someone would have to come up with, and test, a prototype new formula first. Jim Browning knows how it could be done fairly straightforward. Dye transfer has its own look and control options, but is hard to commercially justify when inkjet is just so much simpler. And with the German couple as well as Jim beginning with scans for both chromes and color negs, they don't need a separate Pan Matrix film.

Going out full bore color neg to tricolor separation interpositives, then to matching separation b&w film negatives, and then finally to separate matrix film printers is described in old literature in hypothetical terms, but believe me, having actually tested this, it's really hard to keep completely consistent, and too expensive film-consumption-wise to be realistic. A dead-end alley as far as I'm concerned. That's why most DT printers of days of yore shot chrome film and made color seps from that, and used strictly regular matrix film, which was available in way more sizes too.