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"The CSI LightJet 5000 exposes directly to photographic paper and film using red, green and blue laser beams. The resulting images which are processed through traditional photographic chemistry are arguably the sharpest photographic images obtainable. With all the benefits of digital imaging and none of the limitations inherent in the optical enlarging process the LightJet can create images heretofore unimaginable. At Photo Craft, we print onto Fuji Crystal Archive materials which are presently the most archival photographic materials available." -Photo Craft Lab
Thanks for your inquiry about digital vs. traditional imagery. The relevant aspects of this work are 1) the images are photographic in nature and 2) the prints are traditional "chromogenic" color prints. In meetings with the cutting edge lab Photo Craft in Boulder, Colorado, we have discussed both the life of the Fuji Crystal Archive paper and the chromogenic printing process. Authoritative documentation regarding archival life of photographic papers is written by Wilhelm Research. Henry Wilhelm is the guru of this subject and his work may be found at the following site:
www.wilhelm-research.com
My prints are traditional chromogenic photographic prints made from digital photographs. No matter the origin of the image, a digital file from a digital camera or color film that has been scanned for conversion to digital form, the source image is converted by the printer's software into usable information. The LightJet printer then uses a three-color laser light to expose the paper, which is then processed normally.
The only other mainstream form of printing is to pass light directly through a color transparency or negative onto the photographic paper, and continue with the same wet chemical process. A key point is that the LightJet produces far superior results, especially with larger images. The format in which the source image is stored is the only difference.
Regarding the archival life of the photographs, Wilhelm states that the "display life" (12 hours/day of 450 lux, the industry standard for normal or above normal indoor lighting) of the Fuji Crystal Archive paper, at 60 years, is among the best in the industry. This is 60 years fully exposed, with no UV protective glass. Sometimes numbers like 200 years are mentioned, but according to Photo Craft and Fuji, this refers to "dark storage" life.
Moreover, "traditional" transparencies or negatives must be digitized by drum scanning for printing with LightJet technology. Photo Craft regularly processes and prints images for photographers David Edwards and Louie Psihoyos, contributors to National Geographic Magazine, and James Balog, creator of the books Animal, Survivors, and others. Clearly, computers are an integral part in the production of almost every picture we see in the world today. Also, my images, with a few exceptions, like some of the composite mirror images, have not been altered. They are simply stored in digital form.
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