Drum Scanning?

Howdy guys,

I've been having my film processed at Richard Photo Lab in L.A. and they do a pretty good job (my only comparison basis is the film I've had developed - both color & B&W- via a local area store that has yielded less that satisfactory result). I get some nice scans from Richard in their "medium" resolution- to quote them on it: "Medium | 12 – 18mb, approx. 2050x2790 pixels or higher". I sent a file of one of their scans back to them for an inexpensive printing just to see what it looked like and it came out well, BUT I'm wondering if I really want the best scans, is drum scanning the way to go?

Now having asked this question, I admit I have no idea what the exact result is, or what the process from having a drum scan made is.

I guess ultimately, I'd like to have the best quality prints made of some of my images. Far as I know that's either a silver gelatin (or platinum) print of a B&W image but what about color?

IS there a darkroom process for creating color photos that is similar to that for creating a B&W photo?

Does scan quality only matter in relation to the size of the. print?

Is a scan only really there to create a digital copy of an analog file (image)?

Would you take a digital or drum scan and use it to create another negative from it and then create a lab print? (or would a drum scan be better than the original negative in terms of clarity and resolution?)

For the record, Richard's uses Noritsu & Frontier scanners. Not sure they have a drum scanner?

Thanks in advance and apologies if I have mixed topics or am asking too many questions at once....

IS there a darkroom process for creating color photos that is similar to that for creating a B&W photo?

Yes. It's called colour printing - how we got prints long before scanning was invented.

Not many labs left that do it now, but it's going to be cheaper than having a drum scan and digital print done.

BTW. There's very little point in having scans done at more than 4000 PPI. A scan at that resolution will easily print to 10" x 15" from 35mm film, and correspondingly larger from bigger negatives or transparencies. That's assuming the originals were taken with a decent camera and are pin-sharp.

"Would you take a digital or drum scan and use it to create another negative from it and then create a lab print?l

Errr, no. That would just be a complete waste of time.

BTW. There's very little point in having scans done at more than 4000 PPI. A scan at that resolution will easily print to 10" x 15" from 35mm film, and correspondingly larger from bigger negatives or transparencies. That's assuming the originals were taken with a decent camera and are pin-sharp.

Absolutely.

At more than 4000 ppi, you're mostly getting more detail of the grain structure and/or dye clouds. Kodachrome included, and though they are nice, the newer color negative films like Ektar limit out at the same point.

Part of a scan of Kodachrome 25 from 1988. Strangely at 4000 ppi, not a "drum scan".

;)