Help! Paper switch!

[chris haake]

The lab my Target store ships film to used to use Kodak Duralife for

all its prints. I was always happy. Recently, they switched to Kodak

Perfect Touch paper. I've only developed two rolls on it, and that

was using film I've never used before, so I don't know if the results

(which are okay but not outstanding) are characteristic of the film,

the paper, or both.

 

This is especially disconcerting to me right now. Yesterday, I tried

to have that Target's one-hour lab make an enlargement for me. This

is a skyscape I took in September at sunrise, and the clouds are a

gorgeous bright orange on the sun side and heavy, dark, lead-blue on

the shadow side. I intend for the enlargement to go in my office (I

teach at a university). The one-hour operator--who it seems knows

what she's doing--could only get the clouds to come out a lifeless

dark yellow. Turns out they're using a paper marked only "Kodak." I

then asked her to send it out, thinking I'd get the Duralife that had

looked so great in 4x6. It wasn't until today that I noticed that lab

seems to be using the Perfect Touch paper...aaaahhhrrrggghhh!

 

What do people know about Kodak Perfect Touch paper, especially in how

it compares to Duralife? Do I need to start sending my prints out?

Thanks in advance, everyone!

 

Chris

[mark_uhde]

My experience

 

Target Stores = Bad picture quality. Kodak Edge paper, not known for archival life but the latest version - Edge Generations is supposedly much improved.

Qualex Labs (Kodak Premium Processing - Picture Processing - PerfectTouch) = Bad and getting MUCH worse. With PerfectTouch they totally lost anything resembling quality. And that's the POINT of PerfectTouch - it's quite deliberately bad. Unreal sharpness, "digital look" (it is digital now, but so is the Fuji Frontier and it can look great), Unnaturally high saturation. Kodak's actually bragging about this - look at the "before PerfectTouch - after PerfectTouch" display. The after sample is a much worse print. Sure, they corrected the underexposed background, but they messed the rest up and if the picture had been setup properly the background wouldn't BE underexposed. DuraLife is (or was?) the paper for Kodak's own branded processing. I imagine PerfectTouch paper is the same paper, possibly with the dye stability improvements of Edge Generations/Royal Generations, but I dunno? Paper's not the problem - it's an intentional problem with the new printing process. Find a local pro/advanced amateur lab and make some friends in it :) Or just get Wal-Mart's 1hr (not the Fuji sendout)

[the_macman]

Ever heard of a thing called google? :)

[canon_eos_rules]

Kodak Perfect Touch paper is probably Kodak DuraLife paper, just with a different

name.

 

Your best bet to know is to call or e-mail Kodak.

[freehueco]

The only Kodak papers worth using are the ones that come in boxes, and you print yourself in the darkroom..

 

Stick with Fuji.

[scott_eaton]

I'm a bit confused here, but it sounds like Chris has a good 4x6 of the shot that looks really good, but he can't find a lab that can make a good enlargement of it.

 

Rather than try and reverse engineer Kodak's amatuer papers why not try a pro lab in town that will be happy to match the guide print for you?

 

Kodak Duralife to my eyes looks like Royal, but with a bit more contrast and supposedly better stability. I've seen better (professional Kodak Supra, Pro Fuji films on Fuji Crystal Archive), but have certainly seen worse (Kodak Edge, Fuji paper mixed with Kodak Film).

 

Try a more professional lab if you have a good looking 4x6 in hand.

[chris haake]

Thanks, Scott. Actually, we don't have a pro lab anywhere near where I live, which is why I was asking about the Perfect Touch paper in comparison to Duralife (which is what the original 4x6 was printed on), AND whether I should send it away. If the enlargement comes back looking yellow, I'll just send it off.

 

Chris

[chris haake]

Scott, I just reread my post and only now realize that I was a bit unclear. Yes, the original 4x6 from September is on Duralife. The one-hour booth at Target uses a paper called only "Kodak" and looked terrible. The _new_ prints from the lab they send out to use Kodak Perfect Touch paper, not the Duralife they used to. My problem is that I've only had two rolls processed on this paper: while they weren't bad, they weren't great, either. The film, however, was unfamiliar to me. So I was wondering if people here could tell me what to expect from this Perfect Touch paper. However, it looks like it might be too new for people to have had a great amount of experience with it.

 

Chris

[chris1664876655]

I wonder if it is the paper or the fact the image has been through the "Perfect Touch"

process.

[scott_eaton]

If the mystery paper in question has the name 'Kodak' on the back with postage stamp size rectangles it's Edge, and it's nasty stuff. Harsh contrast, dull color saturation, and poor neutrality. At least Duralife has some depth to it.

 

I'm less clear about Kodak's newer papers, but a pro lab running Supra would have no trouble matching the print. Rather than blow cash on a big print you might try just having the lab make another 4x6 and see what happens. If they can't match your original with a 4x6 on the new paper they sure won't be able to match it with a bigger print.

[monica_ramey]

I work in a Target photo lab. Im 18 years old and have worked there for 2 years. They have these machince called Kodak Picture Maker. AKA KPM. They do wonders. It can make up to an 8x10 depending where you go. They dont cost that much and they copy your pictures and it looks exactly like your picture. They are really nice to have and alot of people use them.