Digital BW, The Print

Stan,

I like Lenswork a great deal and I appreciate what you and Brooks 
have said in way of the "Not Inkjet" question. However, the more I 
think about it, the more I really wish they would take that off their 
promotional material.

Inkjet is trying to get launched as a medium and it does not help to 
have a magazine as prestigious as Lenswork appearing to throw stones. 
I realize this is not the intent but it is the effect. 

Perhaps like inkjet, the photogravures and silver prints from digital 
negatives should stand on their own merits without apology and 
without negative comparisons to other media.

Martin Wesley


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "S. Colson" <merkur86@y...> 
wrote:
> 
> > Lenswork is trying to make their photogravure(sp) and 39.00 11x14 
> > Huntington Witherill silver fiber prints seems even more of a 
bargain by
> 
> > adding("not inkjet")
> > They do have a sort of anti digital flavor to there magazine. 
This was 
> > discussed on the piezo list awhile back I believe.
> > Maybe they should say these mass produced prints are NOT INKJET 
if they
> > were we would have to charge more...
> 
> Folks,
> 
> I was the first person to arrive at the Lenswork open house in 
Anacortes
> few months back and had a few hours to talk to Editor Brooks Jensen 
and
> Photogravure Printer Russ Dodd (like my self an RIT graduate). 
> 
> What they are trying to do is sell 1,000 prints at $100 instead of 
10 at
> $1,000. By doing this they are trying to do is maximize the 
exposure and
> acceptance of photography to as large of an audience as possible. 
Until
> the masses of people are able and willing to buy, and thus be 
interested
> in photographic prints, it will be difficult for but a few people 
to make
> an adequate living via photography.
> 
> Russ's photogravures are beautifully done. It is obvious that he 
brings
> 20+ years of experience to his prints. The process is labor 
intensive and
> is done by hand 1 by 1. It is not an automated process. I believe 
that he
> said that he was able to achieve a contrast range of 1.8-1.9.
> 
> The silver prints that they sell use a screen-printing process with 
a dot
> pattern of 300-400 lines per inch. They are hard to distinguish 
from a
> "genuine" silver print. A Lightjet 5000 prints at 305 lines per 
inch.
> 
> I believe that Lenswork says that their prints are "Not An Inkjet" 
because
> in the mind of the public there have been continuing quality and 
archival
> problems with inkjet prints. Remember color prints on Epson paper.
> 
> People are also hesitant to spend money on a print that they think 
is spit
> out of a machine like a "Xerox" print. You must realize most people 
have
> never heard of Piezographic B&W prints. Biases of the public will 
take
> time and effort to overcome.
> 
> Lenswork accepts submissions of Piezographic B&W prints, however 
they
> prefer scanning gelatin silver prints. If piezo prints are accepted 
they
> would probably prefer working from the digital files. This is what 
they
> are used to. Some things take time to work out.
> 
> Lenswork in my mind is clearly the best magazine when it comes to 
the
> non-technical aspects of photography. I have no association with 
them
> except as a subscriber.
> 
> http://www.lenswork.com/index2.html
> 
> Thanks,
> Stan Colson 
> RIT '76
> Kirkland, WA.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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