FUJI and larger than 4x5 instant materials..a speculation.

[Gene McCluney]

I was thinking about Fuji and instant films, and I remembered that Fuji marketed (may still) a printer for minilabs that uses instant "peel-apart" technology to make enlargements from customer negatives up to 12" wide. It is a laser-exposure machine and takes rolls of film and receiver sheets and the processing and peeling apart, etc., is all done inside the machine. Therefore when recharging the machine you have a waste roll of used negatives to throw away. I believe this was called Fuji Pictorio (fuzzy memory, not absolutely sure). The results from this machine are just fine.

Now, if they already coat and produce materials in this large size (in color) for their own machines, it would seem to me that it is only a minor issue (for a big company) to alter the cutting and packaging of these materials to an 8x10 size suitable for use with the Polaroid 8x10 film holder and processor for camera use.

[erie patsellis]

If I'm not mistaken Gene, the Pictorico is a dye sub printer, it uses a resin type ribbon that is sublimated into the final print by a thermal head. I have a Fargo Pictura, similar printer, though it prints on sheets.


erie

[David A. Goldfarb]

Is that Fuji Pictrography?--

http://www.fujifilmusa.com/JSP/fuji/...ctrography.jsp

I have one of these prints from the National Portrait Gallery in London of a Julia Margaret Cameron portrait. You can purchase prints of anything in their permanent collection in the gift shop, and they're not too expensive and better quality than most reproductions in books. The printer is right there behind the cash register, so they just call up the file and print size on the computer, and print it on the spot. I've kept it stored in its original envelope for about five years, and it seems to have held up well. Maybe it has a little magenta shift, but it's hard to tell without a standard to compare it to.

It looks like it uses thermal processing, so it wouldn't be processable directly in a Polaroid 8x10" processor.

[Gene McCluney]

YES, Fuji Pictrography is what I was thinking about, but I was, I guess, wrong about the technology involved. I could have sworn it used some sort of negative that was developed with a gel-pack inside then transferred to the receiver sheet...but I stand corrected.

[IanMazursky]

Hi Guys

I used to run a Fuji Pictro 4k for 3 years. The pictro is closer to a xerox than anything. Corona wire and all.

The Fuji Pictro proofers use a combined silver halide dye sub technology.
The image is laser exposed onto a silver halide donor paper. It is then sandwiched with the receiver paper.
The developing agent is regular H20 (water). It takes about 2-3 minutes to image and 1.5 to 2 minutes to process.
It also adds some heat but not much. The machine then runs it through the exit system were it separates the receiver from the donor.
They are cool to the touch when they exit. I think the heat is partly generated from the laser diode cooling system and the tons of motors.
But i was never allowed to disassemble it.

The do have lightfastness issues. The prints also fade very rapidly & color shift in sunlight and over time even in storage.


Another Pictro tidbit, after the transfer is over, there is enough dye left on the donor that you can make a very light dye transfer onto paper.
Ive done it a couple of times and it looks cool.

Hope this helps!