Can anyone recommend a (good-enough-to-sell-prints) process for outputting digital black-and-white print files? I'm looking for quality that will rival at least an excellent warmtone RC print (I understand that the texture of fiber-base is currently not realistic). I thought the LightJet system would deliver, but service bureaus who brag about their color LightJet output have strongly discouraged me from trying b&w LightJet prints ("weird tonalities"). Any advice? Concerns about longevity? Thanks.

-- Bill Daily (WRDaily@aol.com), December 30, 1998

Answers

Point your browser to and find out all the [truly] wonderful things that can be done with iris prints. They're archival and offer a multitude of paper surfaces. I think you'll be pleased.

-- Dick Fish (dfish@javanet.com), December 30, 1998.

Someday I'll figure out how to write a Web address here, that will take the first time! The address for Evercolor is: www.evercolor.com

-- Dick Fish (dfish@javanet.com), December 30, 1998.

Try getting some prints made with the Fujix Pictrography 3000 or 4000. They are silver based photographic images and look very good. They are comparable to excellent RC prints and are basically a dye transfer method of printing. The difference in the machines is the 3000 makes smaller prints and costs under $9000 if you buy your own and the 4000 makes prints to 12x17 inches and costs around $21,000.

-- Dan Smith (shooter@brigham.net), December 31, 1998.

I too am interested in your quest for high quality, digital black and white prints. I'm not sure the Fujix printer is the answer because, as I understand it, the Fujix printers do not offer archival output. I would be great if a service provider, equivalent to Ever Color's product for color, offered state of the art, digital, black and white prints. Let me know what you find out. Thanks. Howard.

-- Howard Slavitt (nverdesoto@earthlink.net), January 01, 1999.

Anyone and all:

Great info on platinum and palladium printing. I too am interested in platinum and palladium printing, but with a twist. Although I have shot 4/5, the bulk of my work is 35mm. Since my retirement (finally some time to spend on my own work), I have thought about scanning my 35mm negs, manipulating them in Photoshop (don't stop reading, it is a future, if not the only future, for some photographers), and then, somehow, converting them into 4x5, 5x7 or 8x10 negatives, so that I can make contact platinum prints. Has anyone any idea how to retain the grain structure inherent in a good 35mm negative and convert to large-format negatives from a digital file to a continous tone negative?

Help anyone.

Remo Cosentino

-- Remo Cosentino (emoc_@yahoo.com), February 10, 1999.