Intro to color printing?

timeUnit · Mar 22, 2007

Hi!

After looking at http://www.flickr.com/photos/fusssoldat/ I was a little interested to make my own color prints. I have a Thermaphot ACP 302 machine in my darkroom. I think it needs some cleaning and above all some chemistry, but it should work.

Are there any introductions to color printing here on APUG or somewhere else? I did a search, but came up with nothing.

Help?

timeUnit · Mar 23, 2007

I guess I'm on my own then... expect LOTS of stupid questions... ;-)

Nick Zentena · Mar 23, 2007

Go to the Kodak website. Look for document

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/Zmanuals/z130.shtml

Then see if they still have the old info on the Kodak Supra III paper.

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/support/techPubs/e141/e141.jhtml#34390

I wouldn't call them hand holding intros but all the info is in those documents. At least all the basic stuff.

Hints

1) Get a small hair dryer to dry test strips.

2) Get a little note book to write in.

3) DON'T throw out anything. No matter how bad a print is. KEEP it. Write on the back the filter pack and exposure. The next day look at the print in daylight. With time you'll be able to learn how to correct.

timeUnit · Mar 23, 2007

great! thanks!

davetravis · Mar 23, 2007

Timeunit,
If you want to print from slides, there's plenty of help here.
I printed color negs onto ektacolor years ago and it wasn't that hard to do.
Post what your processing/setup plans are and you will get plenty of advice.
DT

timeUnit · Mar 23, 2007

I'll try to print from my cross processed negs. I might be interested in printing from normal C41 negs too. Color fidelity isn't my thing, so I don't know if I can fail!

I have to machines to print from, one Durst 1200 with CLS500, and one Fujimoto G70.

Processing will be done in the ACP 302.

davetravis · Mar 23, 2007

Sounds like you're all set up for color negs!
That's some pretty great stuff.
I've got the Beseler 23CII for up to 6x9, and the 45MXT for 4x5. I use the Ilford ICP42, and the Jobo CPP2 for printing color slides onto Ilfochrome.
I currently don't do any negs, but might in the future.
DT

Photo Engineer · Mar 23, 2007

Kodak still updates and sells a booklet on color film processing and printing with some very good picture examples. You may want to get a copy of it.

PE

DrPablo · Mar 23, 2007

Silly question, perhaps, but is there an appreciable difference (in the end product) between ilfochrome printing versus making an interneg and conventional printing?

Photo Engineer · Mar 23, 2007

There is always some loss in any duplication process.

In order of loss, greatest loss to least loss with examples is the following:

Pos > Pos < (E6 > E6 or E6 > Ilfochrome)

Pos > Interneg > Pos < (E6 > C41 > RA)

Neg > Pos > Interneg > Pos < motion picture

Neg > Pos < commercial C41 film > RA paper

That is why the last two processes in the list are used by most people and the motion picture industry. It has the most faithful reproduction, generation after generation than any other method of printing. This can be proven both by inspection of multigenerational reproductions and the mathematics involved in the reproduction process.

PE

davetravis · Mar 23, 2007

DrPablo said:
Silly question, perhaps, but is there an appreciable difference (in the end product) between ilfochrome printing versus making an interneg and conventional printing?

Ready to start a war?!?
In my experience, it's all about your personal preferences.
The Kodak, Fuji, and other C41 papers are of course excellent. Most of what you see in color is done on them!
Direct printing from slides offers some advantages.
Like printing directly from the original neg, first generation color and sharpness, in an optical darkroom.
Ilfochrome does add the extra saturation, and tends to punch the hot colors.
Early on I displayed a 16x20 Fuji Crystal Archive made by a local lab next to the same slide I printed on Ilfochrome, and most folks preferred mine. (motivation to continue...)
So I guess the differences are subjective.
DT

Photo Engineer · Mar 23, 2007

Dave;

The advantages of Ilfochrome include saturation, or punch in the hot colors. Not exact colors, but exaggerated colors. It also offers sharpness and high image stability. If that is what you are after, that is what you get.

I like realistic colors. Endura paper offers enough stability for me as well.

And, as I pointed out in another post, you lose highlight and shadow detail more in a pos > pos system. This is inevitable. The contrast enhances the sharpness of the ilfochrome image which is already sharp.

Truth and beauty are in the eye of the beholder, and if it works for you and those you want to view your photo, use that method.

In tests in the lab, the greatest percentage of people wanted exaggerated colors, not realistic colors, which is one of the reasons Gold negative film is higher in contrast and brighter in color. The other reason, of course, is due to the degradation introduced by the cheaper amateur cameras.

PE

Intro to color printing?

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