Fuji Pictro vs Frontier

[juanriera]

I have searched the PN database but I did not find an answer:

How compares Pictro vs Frontier? Is this the same digital printing

system? Does Pictro use Crystal Archive as digital paper? What

about Pictro's archival quality?

I have access to a local bureau using Fuji Frontier and someone

talked to me about Pictro. Thanks for your help in seeing clear the

differences.

 

Juan

[bill_tuthill]

The Pictrography costs much less, being within reach of a typical

photographic studio. It prints at 400 dpi on Pictro paper, which

looks and feels more like photographic paper than inkjet paper,

and is supposedly semi-archival. Estimates that Pictro paper lasts

20-30 years also say Fuji Crystal Archive lasts 80-100 years.

Fuji's website says "laser exposure, thermal development, dye transfer

process." I bought some ballet pictures of my daughter (10D?) and

the Pictro prints look stunningly good.

[doug_raddatz]

We have a pictro at the studio I work at and have to admit it can print some great prints. We only use it for restoration work for small prints. I have had people complain about the quality of the paper though. As far as I know you can only use Fuji's Pictro paper through it. It only comes in gloss and matte. Not sure though. I send all our digital portraits/weddings/sports to a pro lab to printed on a Frontier on Kodak's Endura paper. To me the difference is night and day. The display prints in the window from the frontier have yet to fade any. Some of those prints were put there before I hired on. The Pictro prints at half the time on display have lost about 1/2 their color. They get no direct sunlight on them. On the other hand I also have a Noritsu that is available to me at a local lab/studio and do all of my printing there on Endura. Hope this answers some of your questions. Doug

[ethan hansen]

The Pictro paper is prone to color shifting if it absorbs moisture from the air. It is less stiff than Crystal Archive, which gives it a comparitively flimsy feel. If you sell or want framed prints, a Pictro is an excellent option. The color range of a Pictro on glossy paper whomps anything a Frontier is capable of. The matte finish Pictro paper is less impressive.