Re: Re: [Leica] Why are professional labs unwilling to do pigment dye transfer and Cibachrome?

[rclompus@cox.net]

Mark,

Do you live in Wilkes Barre, PA?

Richard Clompus
> 
> From: Mark Cohen <markc@binaryfaith.com>
> Date: 2002/04/11 Thu PM 01:14:47 EDT
> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] Why are professional labs unwilling to do pigment dye
>  transfer and Cibachrome?
> 
> 
> 
> Alfie,
> 
> Those processes are dying because they're expensive and time consuming. In
> an age where people can shoot digital and take them home to print on
> "archival" papaer ink jet why would they want a fine ciba or pdt?
> 
> Truth be told, there are a couple of labs that do it still. Ilfochrome
> (ciba) is done here in California by Rob Reiter in berkeley. (last I
> checked about 2 months ago) As for PDT, there is a lab that does it, but I
> don't have their name off the top of my typing fingers. Pdt is a very long
> involved process and I doubt that they can get what their time is worth in
> the process. (making 4 seperate dye layers, pin registering them.... it
> takes a while)
> 
> As for a comparison, well there is none. You can get SOME of the same
> charicteristics in a type r fuji sg print but its not NEARLY as archival.
> It is just as contrasty and requires masking sometimes.
> 
> I just saw a carbon print (PDT) a few days ago.. when you look at it from
> the side, you can see the textures.. Absolutely beautiful!
> 
> Classic photography is going the same direction as paper making and letter
> press printing. (I have a BFA in Photography with a minor in papermaking
> and letter press.. don't ask why ;)) Letter presses are still available
> and are being used by artists... That style of printing went out when lith
> came in. Why invest in a line-o-type machine (big machine that makes type
> by pouring hot lead into a mold.. a VERY neat machine) when you can get a
> computer to output print quality text and either shoot film (lith) of it
> or simply go from the computer to offset press plates?
> 
> Students/Artists/Hobbyists are going to be the sole reason B/W and Custom
> Color will stay alive.
> 
> -Mark
> 
> 
> 
> On Thu, 11 Apr 2002, Albert Wang wrote:
> 
> > Hi everyone,
> >
> > I called up a few professional labs in the Philadelphia area to check out
> > their options on color printing and found out there was no one who does
> > either Pigment Dye Transfer or Cibachrome processing anymore. My question is
> > why are these standard color processing technique dying out all over? Why
> > has digital methods taken over? Can a digitally colored print approximate
> > the quality of the pigment dye transfer or Cibachrome prints? Personally my
> > gut feelings is that they are not.
> >
> > I doubt that most standard color processing can be as archival as Pigment
> > Dye Transfer or Cibachrome but printing on Duraflex seems to be fairly close
> > in today's world.
> >
> > Alfie
> >
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