Lodima Fine Art Paper ready to take orders

[BobNewYork]

Frankly, I'd forgo the music!!!

Bob H

 

[Michael A. Smith]

Bob,

Some of what you have so kindly written is beyond me. I will try to explain as best I can what Salto does.

They use a very old image setter. They can go up to one-meter wide.

They do not use PhotoShop. They use a Barco system. Or at least it used to be called Barco. The name may have changed in the last couple of years. To update the software a couple of years ago cost them 75,000 Euros. I don't know how they do it, as they have no money. I couldn't say if Barco was now LAB.

The separations involve only one skeleton black, I believe.

I do not know which Kodak film they use. It would be some kind of copy film.

Besides the platinum printing they do, they also make carbon prints and tri-color carbro. The least of what they do now is print books. They told me that in the future they will print only our books and any they do themselves. This is because they do not make any money on books. And it takes a lot of work--four films for each form. They have tried computer to plate, but find it cannot give the highest quality. And each of the four films must be made at the same time. Once we had to change a word in the text--black film only--and they told me that had to re-do all four films, because to get the highest quality they all had to be made at the same time. I think that is a humidity and registration issue.

They are developing an ink-jet printer that will have 32 inks.

The Louvre made a digital capture of the Mona Lisa in 23 layers. Salto has been asked to print it. They also helped develop the $400,000 camera that made the capture.

There is someone who is making very high end digital capture of paintings in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and selling digital prints of the paintings for in the five figures. He told me he had the ultimate capture system. A few years ago I introduced this fellow to Salto and he said, "I thought I had the ultimate capture system. Theirs is better."

Many thanks for your kind offer to see how your films will work on Lodima paper. We can talk about this.

Michael A. Smith

 

[sanking]

Bob,

Michael said that the prints were not on aluminum. That does not preclude the possibility that the paper is temporarily affixed to aluminum or some other rigid support and then separated once the printing is completed. I believe this is the method used by Keith Taylor in the large color gum prints.

Sandy King

Interesting that they do not use aluminum, I am wondering how they get around the inevitable stretch , shrinkage that happens when paper is wet, It is possible that the multiple hits are accents*skelatin films as you suggests, One hit for detail which basically is what happens in the L channel if you work with LAB and a slight blur for the other mask much like one does to the A & B channels in LAB for colour work.
getting these separations*or as I would describe as detail and then accent films would be quite easy on a Image Setter or Light Jet.

 

[Bob Carnie]

Hi Sandy

That is exactly how I intend to proceed, I will cold mount thick paper to aluminum , Punch the aluminum and subsequent films and multiple pass.
Once the finished I will peel off the finished print with no adehsive and no aluminum*diabond*
John Bentley uses a method of mylar*melinex* films are reversed and when completed the whole image is squeegeed to thick paper for a beautiful relief which you and I have seen.
This stage drives him insane and has taken years to get the peel apart perfect.
With the aluminum and cold adhesive , it should be more expensive but less hassels and as well the film can all be emulsion right reading.

Bob,

Michael said that the prints were not on aluminum. That does not preclude the possibility that the paper is temporarily affixed to aluminum or some other rigid support and then separated once the printing is completed. I believe this is the method used by Keith Taylor in the large color gum prints.

Sandy King

 

[Bob Carnie]

Michael

Lab is one of the oldest colour spaces and probably not Barco
There are many platinum printers using image setters for their films, Myron Zabol is one here in Toronto who does beautiful platinum work , though he does not do multiple passes which I personally believe is a wonderful way of building up density and contrast in a platinum print.
Until one of the manufacturer comes up with a permanent system for colour imaging I believe the tri colour carbon with K masks is the way to go.
I am in the process of having two to three new automatic roller Processors like jobo produced that will hold 8x10 up to 30 x40 sheets of film.
I only wish this economy would change, but for now I will use the lambda and Jobo and keep on experimenting with the help of some great people, some of who are on this Site.

A good image setter is not out of the reach for many who need to make film, there are lots out there, still technicians who know how to make them work and service.
My Lambda set us back a few years but eventually it will be paid and working for years.

Multiple hit printing is best explained as this... If you have ever split contrast printed on silver you know what filter you need to create your vision, this combination of tones is what is required, but first you need to make the registered film to make it happen.
Look backward in time and consider what Jerry Uellsman*sp*did with masks to make his magic happen, then apply this mask making to a print and you have it all .

Bob,

Some of what you have so kindly written is beyond me. I will try to explain as best I can what Salto does.

They use a very old image setter. They can go up to one-meter wide.

They do not use PhotoShop. They use a Barco system. Or at least it used to be called Barco. The name may have changed in the last couple of years. To update the software a couple of years ago cost them 75,000 Euros. I don't know how they do it, as they have no money. I couldn't say if Barco was now LAB.

The separations involve only one skeleton black, I believe.

I do not know which Kodak film they use. It would be some kind of copy film.

Besides the platinum printing they do, they also make carbon prints and tri-color carbro. The least of what they do now is print books. They told me that in the future they will print only our books and any they do themselves. This is because they do not make any money on books. And it takes a lot of work--four films for each form. They have tried computer to plate, but find it cannot give the highest quality. And each of the four films must be made at the same time. Once we had to change a word in the text--black film only--and they told me that had to re-do all four films, because to get the highest quality they all had to be made at the same time. I think that is a humidity and registration issue.

They are developing an ink-jet printer that will have 32 inks.

The Louvre made a digital capture of the Mona Lisa in 23 layers. Salto has been asked to print it. They also helped develop the $400,000 camera that made the capture.

There is someone who is making very high end digital capture of paintings in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and selling digital prints of the paintings for in the five figures. He told me he had the ultimate capture system. A few years ago I introduced this fellow to Salto and he said, "I thought I had the ultimate capture system. Theirs is better."

Many thanks for your kind offer to see how your films will work on Lodima paper. We can talk about this.

Michael A. Smith