Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (
More info?)
Bill Hilton wrote:
>>I want to produce
>>an archive quality color print from a digital picture file.
>
>
> I would suggest printing on a top end laser printer like the LightJet
> or Chromira, or a top end inkjet like the Epson 9600/7600 since you
> have a digital file.
>
>
>>I understood that a cibachrome print can lay in the
>>sun indefinitely and never fade.
>
>
> Ciba-Geigy used to claim Ciba (now called Ilfochrome) prints would last
> "forever" but when tested by Henry Wilhelm using accelerated test
> methods he figured about 29 years under typical viewing conditions (and
> almost forever if left in the dark). Yellow was the weak link, the
> color patch that fades first. Since this process has been around since
> the 1970's Henry was able to test it using non-accelerated tests and
> got around 18-19 years. So "forever" in Ciba-Geigy lingo apparently
> meant "longer than Kodacolor".
>
> Most of the Ilfochromes are made from slides, by the way, not digital
> files.
>
>
>>Where can I have one of these made
>
>
> Do a Google search on 'Ilfochrome' and you'll probably find several
> labs still doing these from slides. Many top labs have quit doing
> Ilfochromes (the lab I used for 12 years quit, for example) since the
> prints are contrasty unless you use contrast masks, making it a
> labor-intensive process (read, expensive if you do it right). The
> LightJets pretty much killed them off, I think.
>
>
>>if it isn't cibachrome, what is the technology? Where can I
>>have an archive quality color print made?
>
>
> I would suggest Calypso or West Coast Images in California, two
> high-end digital labs favored by the big-name professionals ... neither
> does Ilfochromes any more but both do Epson 9600 prints, Calypso has a
> LightJet and WCI has a Chromira laser. There's some good info on their
> sites about longevity, etc.
>
> Bill
>
Hi Bill,
I agree, most labs have stopped using Ilfochrome because of
the high cost, and difficulty in maintaining color accuracy.
The lab I use (Reed Photo, Denver) offers many options
on their Lightjets. They dropped Cibachrome (Ilfochrome)
several years ago. Now I get Fuji Crystal Archive prints
made. The Fuji Crystal Archive is a wet chemistry photo
paper developed in the traditional methods, but I have
my photos written by a Lightjet. The prints are the next
closest thing to Cibachrome prints (a little less contrasty,
and colors not quite as good, but close, and supposedly
better archive quality). In photo papers, I believe
Fuji Crystal Archive has the longest longevity, but I have
not checked what's new in the last couple of years.
I do not think there is any normal photo paper
process that will withstand direct sunlight for long.
There is a special process for outdoor displays,
like signs you would see in National Parks, but the
process is MANY times more expensive than photo paper,
and it too is not permanent. I forget the name.
Roger