Fiber-Based Lambda Prints from Elevator - WOW!!!

[Frank Petronio]

Our frequent contributor, Bob Carnie, just sent me a couple tests of fiber-based black and white silver prints from my digital files made with his Durst Lambda at his professional photo lab in Toronto.

I'm in agony because now I want him to print everything ;-p

Seriously, I used to work as a silver printer back in the day and I'm not bragging too much to say I can make a nice looking inkjet now that there are nicer Baryta papers and better technology (some of you have bought them from me, thank you). But these Lambda prints blow my inkjets out of the water and into the woods. Obviously the surface and reflective quality is far superior to any inkjet but also these prints display more of what's in my file... the shadows are much more detailed, the highlights are more subtle, yet the contrast is still snappy.

Craft was high too, no dust, no creases, no flaws... nicely flattened traditional B&W prints without spotting, everything adjusted "just so" in editing.

$80 for a beautiful 11x14. Uploading to their server is easy, the website is decent... and in spite of my qualms over shipping from Canada, the package arrived promptly and safely (well packed too).

It was nice to see that my files held up OK, even though he printed from my 35mm scans... the noise-grain in the file makes a lot nicer transition between tones in silver over the Epson inkjets.

I will still use the inkjet for everyday stuff and inexpensive printing but it's been humiliated and shamed. I'm hiding it in the corner... For full-priced prints and gallery shows this is the way to go, period.

http://www.elevatordigital.ca/

[Mods: If this breaks any rules by being so enthusiastic about someone's services I apologize. I'm just giving credit where it's deserved. Thanks]

[David R Munson]

It's nice to read about a business doing something so well. We need more of that these days.

[Ron Marshall]

Thanks for posting Frank. I have long been tempted by that service; now I will have to go for it.

[Frank Petronio]

First hand accounts are so much better than wondering about some vague internet lore.... I know these have been around for a while and I've probably seen shows with work printed from them but to see your own images done is the most convincing comparison.

The problem for me is that I was pretty satisfied with my inkjets until yesterday. Now I want to send him some files from better scans, since he can image more than I was getting... so the cycle just gets deeper and deeper... like driving a nicer car or trying on a high-quality suit, it's hard to go back to "pretty good".

[Eric Rose]

I have seen the Lambda and Bob in action. Truly amazing. Bob and his team are a dream to work with. Frank's experience with Elevator is not out of the ordinary. Now if I could just get Bob to send me some of Frank's rejects......

[Darin Boville]

So what is Lambda print vs an inkjet? Archival characteristics? Paper choices? Susceptibility to surface scratches, etc?

--Darin

[Jon Shiu]

It's actually fiber based silver gelatin, just exposed by a digital enlarger device and presumably processed by hand.

Jon

[bob carnie]

I must thank Frank for the nice thumbs up.

Same archival characteristics as an enlarger print properly processed. Very little paper choices at this time, the paper has a delicate surface, basically it is gallerie grade 4 paper made by Harmon .
I started with Agfa Classic in 2002, then switched to this paper when Harmon took over for Ilford and Agfa went under.
The Blacks are really special with this paper and its taken me a bit of time to figure out how to make a decent digital print. Crunching the blacks seem to work well for us , which gives us a real decent low end to work with.
We do two basic types of toning for this paper.. one is selenium which gives a very cold look.
or we split tone with sepia, gold and selenium and this gives us a big depth to any image.
What I like about this digital print, is the silver is in the paper and allows the viewer to look into the print, rather than ink sitting on the surface.
I must say that I make a lot of inkjets and I have reasons for using both, but for Black and White I like the look over an inkjet black and white. I have never been able to get the jet blacks with inkjet, Harmon Bartya and Epson Bartya Gloss come pretty close I must admit, and I am sure the Jon Cone prints for BW are stellar. I have yet to see an inkjet print that looking from the side you do not pick up the fact that the tone is on the surface, which in my nit picking way bothers me.
My big point why I like this paper is its wet characteristics and archival attributes, as well I have an ability to make our prints look historically correct to silver gelatin prints from the past.

So what is Lambda print vs an inkjet? Archival characteristics? Paper choices? Susceptibility to surface scratches, etc?

--Darin

[Darin Boville]

Hey Bob,

I'm not on your mailing list or facebook, etc so don't know if you are running any specials. Do you have any "seeing is believing" specials going on now for those of us who are intrigued by Frank's post? Something to compare your best Lambda print vs. my best inkjet print of my own image?

--Darin

[Frank Petronio]

Hey you don't believe me!?

Just go to the website and order a small print, it's easy to upload, CC, wait ten days or so for the mail.