Digital BW, The Print

Walt

Good question. You wrote, in part,

I probably have misunderstood what you mean here, as I don't see how
"chromogenic print" applies at all to digital printing. One definition I've
found says:
Chromogenic print
Also called "dye coupler prints." This term represents the majority of the
color prints made today.

This is true but it is also true that any print made on photographic paper
and developed by traditional RA-4 process is a chromogenic print. The term
applies only to the paper and the process of its development. Whether it was
exposed by enlarger, contact printer, laser (LightJet), LED (Lambda) or any
other means, is irrelevant. The print is, by definition, a chromogenic print
just as any print made on silver gelatin paper and processed traditionally
is a silver gelatin print no matter how the paper was exposed.

When we see color prints on a gallery wall that are labeled "chromogenic" or
"C-print," we have no way of knowing whether they were made from digital
files or color negative film. It's a little different for black and white
photographs because the label "Chromogenic" suggests that the print was made
from a digital file, not directly from film, since chromogenic black and
white prints have less perceived value than gelatin silver prints, although
I think that perception is changing fast. I have seen chromogenic b&w prints
going for prices well into the thousands - and this is for modern prints by
contemporary workers, not vintage prints by famous masters.

I have also seen inkjet prints, called "Pigment Prints," going for up to
$5,000, and selling out.

So, whether you go the Pigment route or the Chromogenic route, the prospects
look good for digital workers. I don't think it is necessary to search for
more descriptive or more respectable names for what we make. In the end, I
think it will all boil down to "Pigment print" and "Chromogenic print." I'm
content to leave it at that.


Olaf