B+W printing houses who are now using Chromira or Lightjet equipment ?

[Andy_5440]

John,

West Coast Imaging "DOES" offer B&W services in Chromira. In fact, I just talked to them yesterday about doing 5 of my large format B&W negatives in Chromira instead of Piezography. I had a B&W done 2 weeks ago on a lightjet printer from Photo Craft Imaging and it had incredible detail.

As an experiment, I took 3 of the same photo to work (a piezography print, an epson 9600 print, and a lightjet print) and virtually everyone chose the lightjet print. I'm seriously considering doing all my B&W this way. Once I get back my prints from West Coast Imaging, I'll decide whether to go for the Chromira or the Lightjet, but it will definitely be one of them.

Andy

[Steven Dusk]

Andy, just to clarify, do you mean B&W onto B&W paper or colour paper?

[bob carnie]

Andy

We are doing fibre base prints using a Lambda exposing unit here in Toronto. We are hand processing the prints through our wet sinks as if they were traditional prints. We are currently printing up to 30x40inches and have a display up of these prints in our gallery.
From what I know the Lambda is the only writer that is powerful enough to expose onto fibre and cibachrome, therefore our choice of this unit. I have discussed this with Lightjet owners and Chromera owners and this seems to be the case.
As well San Miquel Labs in the States are using a Deveere writer to expose directly to fibre base prints. This is a unit that adapts to an existing deveere colour enlarger and creates a virtual negative. I have not seen the results of this unit.

We have seen direct from phase backs to fibre prints with absolutely amazing quality, Any scan we recieve no matter what level of scanning device is always a second generation from source, and we prefer to print from original negative optically if we can.

[Bob Douglas]

Andy,

Having also had some B&W prints printed on an OCE lightjet 430 by Photocraft there is an issue with metamerism that exhibits itself under under certain fluorenscent lights which produces a definate magenta cast. FYI none of the lights at photcraft were able to replicate this. So just a word of caution should a client complain about it.

BTW I do agree the lightjet print is of high quality but IMHO a silver fiber print still has better tones, truer blacks and whites.



Curious as to what others think of the lightjet.....

-bob