cost of lambda and lightjet prints?

[percepts]

I checked and the spec for the DeVere lcd pixel array is currently 8 megapixels. They don't give the format but assuming its square then that is only 2896x2896 pixels which gives 9.6in x 9.6 inches at 300dpi.
Their literature says average of 300dpi output. i.e. goto a 20x16 or 20x24 print and you won't get anywhere near 300dpi output.

They are useful tools in colleges and labs but I don't think they are the right tool for optimum quality at the sort of size people wnat for exhibitions. When the lcd pixel array they use is updated to a significantly higher megapixel count then maybe they would be worth looking at. But I doubt they will eve reach the 400dpi at 20x24 and bigger that a lambda can do.

[bob carnie]

I think that as a training tool and small print output device they would be fine.
For fibre we have to run at 400ppi as it won't work at 200ppi which also is a setting on the Lambda.
Sometimes we see issues , that I think are due to small file trying to go large or file manipulated to death and then printing large on fibre.
I started using Agfa Classic on the Lambda around 2002 and since then Harmon has taken over . Yesterday I saw a warmtone version and a warmtone matte version on rag paper . I really hope they go forward with both.

The more students using this technology the better , but unfortunately the kingpins running the schools in my province are all ripping out the darkrooms which I feel is very shortsighted and limiting.
Its like alternative wet prints don't exist, digital negs and archival processes is a wicked combination and its like the schools are ignoring our history and really shafting the young students.
You will see private schools opening up with wet alternatives for the young minds, that I am willing to bet on.. If I could pay off my Lambda , I would start one next year with a Deveere or Theta linking to a large wet room.
If Epson, Cannon, HP were really concerned about longevity they would make devices that produce prints that last. It is going to take individuals to bridge the digital and alternative processes and produce work that has true archival properties. Once enough of the big guns start producing real archival shows then the goal posts have moved and artists will have to consider how their images are made.
The longer I am in this game , the more I am convinced that a print that lasts the test of time is really the only print worth putting on a wall. So I will continue with wet darkroom prints and I guess this is why a wet print seems so expensive, because in my shop the 1500sq ft darkroom comes with a hefty overhead to keep paying month after month after month.

I checked and the spec for the DeVere lcd pixel array is currently 8 megapixels. They don't give the format but assuming its square then that is only 2896x2896 pixels which gives 9.6in x 9.6 inches at 300dpi.
Their literature says average of 300dpi output. i.e. goto a 20x16 or 20x24 print and you won't get anywhere near 300dpi output.

They are useful tools in colleges and labs but I don't think they are the right tool for optimum quality at the sort of size people wnat for exhibitions. When the lcd pixel array they use is updated to a significantly higher megapixel count then maybe they would be worth looking at. But I doubt they will eve reach the 400dpi at 20x24 and bigger that a lambda can do.

[percepts]

unfortunately the shortsighted and cash strapped educational institutions see computers as the answer to everything. They have rooms full of pc's and think they can save a bundle of money by using the pc's for everything including "photography". Hence the mindset is "we don't need a darkroom, enlargers and material costs associated with photography anymore.
I beleive a lot of them are or will regret the lost opportunities for expanding students knowledge and experience of a practical hands on process. And also the lost opportunities for expanding students knowledge of chemistry and physics that is the foundation of photography. Little things such as parallelism of planes and how to set them. These all teach students to think about how to solve real world problems which are lost when you do you everything on a pc.

[mdd99]

National Geographic offers Lambda prints, too: http://www.ngimaging.com/4_printing.html

[photojunkie99@live.com]

in Toronto, Colourgenics specializes in Lighjtet Exhibition Prints
they print with Fuji Crystal Archive media @ 300 dpi. need to ask your printers specific questions if you really want to compare service cost vs the type of prints you are buying.
www.colourgenics.com

[tbirke]

In Berlin, Germany the best price you can get on a 300dpi lightjet 500XL print is around 50€ per square meter, if you print large and much. (like 15m² and up).

I recommend Gigant Bildproduktion.

What is the square meter price for large pieces in the UK / US?