Digital BW, The Print

I have posted before about online digital BW and have come across the
following new service. If true, it would likely solve the current
problems (which I feel are already less than those with inkjets) and
give us an attractive alternative. Here is the info from their site:
"What is True Black and White?
True Digital Black and White. We are excited and proud to announce the
availability of a new service - True Digital Black & White. You may be
wondering what is so new about digital black & white. After all, you
have been ordering black & white prints from your digital files for a
long time. In fact, we have been printing black & white from digital
files since we purchased our first digital printer serveral years ago.
Well, these prints have been printed from a color digital printer on
color paper processed in color RA4 chemistry, which can make it quite
difficult to obtain neutral midtones. Our Kodak Professional Durst
Theta digital laser printer was specifically designed to print on
black & white paper. We use Kodak Polymax D surface paper and process
it in Polymax chemistry. Because of the unique nature of this product
paper types cannot be combined in ordering."

They charge $2.50 for an 8x10  and 8.79 for an 11x14. The 8x10 price
is comparable to inkjets. Certainly, the hassle factor would be far
less if it works as advertised. 
 I plan to try this and will report back to this forum.

                        Stuart

Stuart;

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "sl91911" 
<SL91911@Y...> wrote:
 We use Kodak Polymax D surface paper and process
> it in Polymax chemistry. 

Is that Polymax RC paper they'r talking about, or Polymax Fine Art 
FB? If the former, keep in mind that no RC paper has proven to be 
even close to archival!
 
  Steve

Don't forget, Kodak changed what the term archival means a few years 
ago, although they never have said exactly how many years is 
"archival".
Mark

On May 25, 2004, at 7:38 AM, Steven Karafyllakis wrote:

> Stuart;
>
>  --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "sl91911"
>  <SL91911@Y...> wrote:
>  We use Kodak Polymax D surface paper and process
>  > it in Polymax chemistry.
>
>  Is that Polymax RC paper they'r talking about, or Polymax Fine Art
>  FB? If the former, keep in mind that no RC paper has proven to be
>  even close to archival!
>
>  � Steve
>
>
>
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--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Mark Savoia <mark@c...> 
wrote:
> Don't forget, Kodak changed what the term archival means a few years 
> ago, although they never have said exactly how many years is 
> "archival".
> Mark

I'm not sure what "change" (made by Kodak) you refer to, but how can one "change what 
the term archival means" without stating a meaning? For that matter, I don't believe there 
has been a generally accepted (including Kodak), exact meaning of "archival"--i.e., a 
specific minimum standard for image stability--in the first place, has there?

Phil

I tried the MPIX  "True Digital BW" service just to get a neutral, reference silver print 
for comparison with an inkjet print I made of the same image using QTR with a 
neutral profile that needs some tweaking.  The MPIX prints are on Kodak Polymax 
(RC).  I don't care too much for Polymax RC paper, but if you need or like this type of 
paper the print quality is very good and of course dead neutral without bronzing or 
metamerism.   

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "sl91911" <SL91911@Y...> 
wrote:

> I have posted before about online digital BW and have come across the
> following new service. If true, it would likely solve the current
> problems (which I feel are already less than those with inkjets) and
> give us an attractive alternative. Here is the info from their site:
> "What is True Black and White?
> True Digital Black and White. We are excited and proud to announce the
> availability of a new service - True Digital Black & White. You may be
> wondering what is so new about digital black & white. After all, you
> have been ordering black & white prints from your digital files for a
> long time. In fact, we have been printing black & white from digital
> files since we purchased our first digital printer serveral years ago.
> Well, these prints have been printed from a color digital printer on
> color paper processed in color RA4 chemistry, which can make it quite
> difficult to obtain neutral midtones. Our Kodak Professional Durst
> Theta digital laser printer was specifically designed to print on
> black & white paper. We use Kodak Polymax D surface paper and process
> it in Polymax chemistry. Because of the unique nature of this product
> paper types cannot be combined in ordering."
> 
> They charge $2.50 for an 8x10  and 8.79 for an 11x14. The 8x10 price
> is comparable to inkjets. Certainly, the hassle factor would be far
> less if it works as advertised. 
>  I plan to try this and will report back to this forum.
> 
>                         Stuart