Sperdynamite : Yes, people "back in the day" would spend huge sums of money for one particular type of print versus another. And yes, the "best" print medium is the one you personally enjoy and understand how to do best. But "back in the day" there were also significant differences in the longevity of prints and the amount of effort and materials involved, which inherently factored into price parameters. Chromogenic prints (or RA4) were dirt cheap to make, dye transfers very laborious and expensive, with emerging Cibachrome somewhere in between if well made... Responding to mdarnton, Being precise might be "nitpicky", but that's the attitude necessary to do color printing well, even with RA4 materials. If you just want to have some fun, do it, whatever. The question is not about duplicating visual reality, which is impossible anyway; and the ability to recognize the specific limitations of any particular medium is in fact the first truth one should accept about color photography if one is to do anything eloquent with it. But let's face it, it's a lot easier to join the orchestra if you know how to play a Stradivarius rather than a gut bucket.
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