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Making prints from slides


What is the best way to make an 8X10 print from slide film?


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March 19, 2001

 

Jeff S. Kennedy
  Define best. Cheapest? You can get Type R prints relatively cheap. Best quality? For years the best quality prints from slides were Cibachromes (now called Ilfachrome Classic). But for my money (and I mean that literally) a Fuji Crystal Archive print from a drum scanned slide is the best. The sharpness, detail, and color (not to mention better archival life) is outstanding. Hard to tell a difference between the print and the slide. BUT, its not cheap. The scan alone will run you $50-80 and an initial print $25-30. Cibas will be less because there is no scanning involved. Type R's should run you $5-10. It all depends on your definition of "best".


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March 20, 2001

 

John A. Lind
  There is a third method not mentioned by Jeff which I generally don't recommend. It's called an "internegative" process. The slide is photographed using special color negative film made for this purpose and a standard "C" print made from the negative. How well this works depends on how well the internegative is made and how well that is printed. Labs that use large sheet film internegatives and know how to print them can get good results, but sheet film internegatives are more expensive. If they use 35mm internegative film for lower cost (and price) you will lose some of the slide's resolution in the process, and it's these that have been most disappointing.

I've had the same experience as Jeff getting Fuji Crystal Archive 8x12 "machine prints" from slides done by a professional lab for less than $6 each. The lab knows how to do this extremely well, maintains its equipement, has skilled people operating it, and very tight quality control. They can even make excellent B/W prints from Scala 200X B/W slides.

My experience is the lab, its management philosophy toward quality, and the skill of its personnel make a much bigger difference in print quality compared to the process used.

-- John


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March 22, 2001

 
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