LightJet or C-prints

[danchan]

Hi all,

It's been several years since I've made prints, and it looks like the last place I used to print at, Dickerman Prints in San Francisco, moved to a new location and didn't take their self-service C-print machine with them. Does anyone know of any businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area that still does C-prints? I've been told I can try Photocraft in Colorado and Laumont in NY, if there isn't a C-print service in this area. Any other recommendations for outside the San Francisco Bay Area?

Danny

[Drew Wiley]

No commercial service in the Bay area is doing it via optical enlarging anymore. I do it optically, but not for others. There are plenty of places which scan and output it on big laser printers these day onto Fuji RA4 papers. I'm trying to remember the name of the fellow in Berkeley who has a wide Lambda printer. He's right next door to Photolab on 5th St, and called Lightroom... but rats, just checked and looks like he's semi-retired, and has now switched over to inkjet. All kinds of places offer wide inkjet service. Both Photolab in Berkeley and Underdog lab nearby in Oakland output scans onto Fuji Crystal Archive Supreme only up to 12 inch wide rolls. Same with the Darkroom (formerly SF, now San Clemente). You might need to send the project out of state if you need bigger than 12X18 inch. But big rolls of Fuji paper are beginning to show up again after the pandemic distribution crunch, so someone is obviously printing on them. There are plenty of web ads offering Crystal Archive laser printing services, so you'd just have to call around.

[Drew Wiley]

Update : Weldon Color Lab in LA offers Lightjet prints up to 50 inches wide.

[danchan]

Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll check them out.


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[bob carnie]

Photo Labs working with Chromira Printer would also meet your needs.

[Drew Wiley]

Jim Browning still has a Chromira, and as a primary patent holder of that device, still has it working. But I don't think he does C prints at all. He seems to specialize in Duratrans and true Dye Tranfer printing. His business in New Hampshire and called Digital Mask. The last Chromira I'm aware of here in the Bay Area was in use right across the RR tracks from my former office, and they retired quite awhile back. Different look - less risk of streaks in big prints with a Chromira, but a distinct pepper-grainish look if you view them up close.