Labs Making Prints From Negatives?

Hello.

 

Not being in any position to make my own prints, I hope to find a lab who can make sever gelatin B&W prints from negatives,not from files. Wondering if anyone can recommend such a lab? I'd consider platinum palladium prints as well, tho without knowing anything about cost, I'm sure that either is costly and platinum probably much more so?

 

Also wondering if you who regularly make (silver gelatin or platinum?) archival or fine art prints have a specific paper you like?

Acid free?

100% cotton or linen?

 

I did have one lab produce a large (16 X 16 inches) print for me on Fuji Pearl paper just to see what it looks like. I sent them a file and they sent me a rather lovely print.

 

why would one spend far more to print in silver gelatin or platinum than just sending a file and have them pop out a print? I'm not sure of the answer but the concept has its appeal to me....

 

THANKS

I mostly make my own B&W prints but I can highly recommend Praus Productions in Rochester, NY for custom printing from negatives. For archival prints I like Ilford Multigrade fiber paper that I tone in a dilute selenium solution. As for why silver gelatin over inkjet, they look different from each other and I prefer the look of silver over inkjet for prints from negatives. This is a personal preference, and I would suggest that you try both media and decide for yourself.

Sometimes people compare paintings to photographs, but you really can't, because a painting was done by the human hand while a photograph was done by a machine. A really good painting will always win out over a really good photograph for the reason I just mentioned. The same can be said about a Silver Gelatin print and a print made from a Digital file. Some might say a really good Silver Gelatin print might have more Value than a Digital print, because of the human work involved, although Digital prints do require work themselves.

 

If you compare some of your old Silver Gelatin prints(if you have any) probably done in some type of DIY darkroom, or school lab with a professionally done, or even amateur done Digital print, probably the Digital print will win out. I mean with digital there is no grain to worry about and the pictures do look a lot smoother. However, if you ever get the chance, try visiting some Studios where Silver Gelatin prints are being sold, or displayed, or even some museums. There you might see that there is not much difference in the quality versus Digital, plus the Silver Gelatin print has this inherent greater value.

 

Platinum palladium prints are in a world of their own. You really can't compare them to anything. Not Digital, not Silver Gelatin. I once visited an exhibit where Platinum Palladium prints were being displayed and although they were usually smaller in size than Digital or Silver Gelatin prints, the clarity and depth was amazing ! I said to myself "boy I got to learn how to do that !". Printing in Color(RA4 ) is another option. Although it is considered a dead craft, there are still Color Developing kits being sold. The RA4 color process if done correctly, can rival or even best the ink-jet color prints of today.

Thanks guys...

I cannot dispute the quality of an inkjet print from a digital file- I have the result sitting a few feet away in the lab's box. It looks great, amazing even!

 

It seems to me, strictly aesthetically, that a silver print from a negative shot on a vintage all analog mechanical camera, is the ultimate and correct culmination of the process and squares the theoretic circle of events.

 

Nice as that digital print is, I am locked in an emotional struggle in decided whether or not to spend money on matting and framing it.

As for Platinum, I hesitate, just trying to imagine the cost! Honestly... I've been asking myself... are my photos worth it? Then again: the cost from the lab of that lovely digital print at 16" X 16" was 26.00! I'm sure a silver print from a negative will cost somewhere between that and what a Platinum print will cost... Maybe that's a rabbit hole I best not. venture too far into, eh? Better to just let it go and go the route that brings the most satisfaction... or balance satisfaction with affordability... or something like that?

BUT I feel like silver prints are the next step.

 

@AJG, I will take a look at Praus Productions in Rochester, thanks!

Well, in this particular field -- like so many other human experiences -- the desire to see wins out over what can be proved in a genuine double-blind test.

 

That being said, genuine platinum prints from large, full-range negatives being printed out are something really spectacular.

 

 

These were never cheap nor easy, and become harder to get with every passing year.

Prints are defined by the process (silver gelatin print, inkjet print, platinum print,..) not by the medium of capture.

Yes, copy that.

 

In this case the content of the print in question was captured on Kodak Tmax film, with a Hasseblad 500CM, the film then processed in a lab. The lab sent me scans, proof prints, & negatives. I then sent them back a file of their scan, and they produced a 26.00, 16 inch X 16 inch print from that file. Honestly, they don't talk about how they make the prints, but I'd be very surprised to find they're making silver gelatin or analog prints at that price point.

Well, in this particular field -- like so many other human experiences -- the desire to see wins out over what can be proved in a genuine double-blind test.

 

Yes sir. I find intrinsic aesthetic value in an analog finale for a project that begins in full analog.

it has to go through an intermediate digital file

 

Just to set things straight, a larger negative often needs to be made for contact printing, but that "internegative" does not necessarily have to be digital, although it's usually a lot easier to do so. ;)

It’s not an “internegative“ if the negative is large enough

I said

a larger negative often needs to be made for contact printing,

For home printing, inkjet is convenient and reasonably priced.

 

As far as I know, commercial (not necessarily professional) labs mostly use dye sublimation

or scanned lasers on RA4 paper, processed in RA4 chemistry.

 

For some years, I have had Christmas cards printed by Shutterfly, either 4x8 or 5x7, on

Fuji Crystal Archive paper. It is easy to find that is an RA4 paper. Most recently, I had

Snapfish do them, again on Crystal Archive.

 

I had a file from a D700, my daughter generated a JPG Christmas card image

(adding the message, decorations, and our names), that I sent to make the cards.

 

For both Shutterfly and Snapfish, I can say "use my design", so it doesn't add any

decorations (Happy Holidays, etc.). 280 5x7 cards for about $0.25 each.

 

Yes there is still something nice about optical printing directly from a negative,

but it seems that the labor makes the price high. It is close enough for me, to

get printed on RA4 paper, though from a digital image instead of a negative.

 

(Both companies, and I suspect others, will print on card stock, instead of photo paper.

That process uses halftones, and doesn't look as nice to me.)

 

Well, my father had photo cards made when I was younger (50 or so years ago), from

slides which required an internegative at an extra cost. I don't know how much those

cost, but I suspect it is less now, even without inflation adjustment.

 

I remember when I first started in darkroom work, about 50 years ago, reprints from the

usual places, 3.5x5 prints, cost $0.07 for black and white, and $0.22 for color.

(There might have been a quantity discount.).

 

So, there are many labs that will make RA4 prints from JPEG files.

I believe that some will make black and white (gelatin silver) prints from digital files,

either from digital cameras or scanned negatives (or slides).

 

Yesterday, Shutterfly offered me a 16x20 print free, just pay shipping, so about $8.

Those don't say "Crystal Archive" on the back, so I don't know how they make them.

I believe the 8x10 are on RA4 paper, I am not sure about 11x14.

 

On the other hand, I do have a darkroom and can make all the black and white prints

that I want. I suppose I could do RA4 also, but not fast enough to make it worthwhile.

This Milwaukee area woman will use her 4x5, 8x10, 11x14 or 16x20 view camera to photograph an individual or group to produce a one of a kind glass plate/tin type on glass, tin, sheet metal, copper or aluminum for $90 - $500 depending on the size. Margaret Muza

Hi guys, dredging this old thread up. I’m gearing up to try to put some prints together. My ideal is a run of 10-12 mixed B/W & color lab prints.

Had some film processed by Blue Moon, here’s a link to their page on how they process their top end, silver gelatin B/W prints:

 

Blue Moon Camera and Machine

 

what do you think?

There’s also a lab in New Mexico called Hidden Light that seems to be doing nice work in Silver Gelatin, Platinum Palladium etc

 

Black and White Printing – Hidden Light LLC