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"digital silver imaging" - what do you all think?

"digital silver imaging" - what do you all think?

2009-04-26 by Sarah Renkes

I've never heard of this method of printing digital files...I've only explored inkjet possibilities. Anyone have experience with it and/or what are your thoughts? an excerpt:


"Whether you shoot digitally or on film, Digital Silver Imaging delivers stunning black & white results. Every print is hand-crafted, produced via a photographic chemical process - not inkjet printing - using a Durst Theta 51 laser printer up to 400 full continuous tone pixels per inch (ppi)."

the website:

http://www.digitalsilverimaging.com/services.php

thanks,
Sarah

Re: "digital silver imaging" - what do you all think?

2009-04-26 by Tyler Boley

First of all, I love silver, and I know some people who have had these done, and as another available option I think it's great.
But I am tired of some of these preconceptions, they demonstrate lack of knowledge.
What makes my ink prints any less "hand crafted" than the silvers prints I was making before? The number of options I have to wade through to get the ink print I want makes for much more involved time, and it's way way more finessed, a better print expression of my image.
Once one is done and considered good, I could run off 10 more in the darkroom way faster than I can run off ten more ink prints. There will also be a higher rate of failures in ink, and it's more expensive.
These kinds of preconceptions, based on lack of knowledge, need to be corrected.
Didn't mean to jump on your post Sarah, it just presented me with another rant opportunity. Anyone making such statements is merely telling me they don't know what they are talking about, not good for them.

Tyler



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Sarah Renkes" <sagaface@...> wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
>
> 
> I've never heard of this method of printing digital files...I've only explored inkjet possibilities. Anyone have experience with it and/or what are your thoughts? an excerpt:
> 
> 
> "Whether you shoot digitally or on film, Digital Silver Imaging delivers stunning black & white results. Every print is hand-crafted, produced via a photographic chemical process - not inkjet printing - using a Durst Theta 51 laser printer up to 400 full continuous tone pixels per inch (ppi)."
> 
> the website:
> 
> http://www.digitalsilverimaging.com/services.php
> 
> thanks,
> Sarah
>

Re: "digital silver imaging" - what do you all think?

2009-04-26 by Sarah Renkes

Tyler, your rants tend to be educational, so bring 'em! ;^).

"Hand-crafted" has become so ubiquitous it doesn't really impress me anymore, which is too bad for the folks who are really putting the blood and sweat (and $$) into their printing. Even on my small scale I take a lot of pride in what I print because of aforementioned expenditures. Plus, I'm a control freak. If the print sucks (or is good!) I want to be the one acountable...getting unsatisfactory prints from elsewhere is teeth-gritting at best, though admittedly I have only had one person other than myself print one of my images and it looked fantastic (thank you Clayton!). In fact, I would sooner trust several people here in this group to print than a service I have no knowledge of besides a website and a few testimonials from people I don't know from Adam.

Which I may need to do at some point, as I have some commissioned work people are making noises about wanting bigger than what my R1800 can print. 'Cause you know bigger IS better....erm, ha.

Sarah




--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Tyler Boley" <tyler@...> wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
>
> First of all, I love silver, and I know some people who have had these done, and as another available option I think it's great.
> But I am tired of some of these preconceptions, they demonstrate lack of knowledge.
> What makes my ink prints any less "hand crafted" than the silvers prints I was making before? The number of options I have to wade through to get the ink print I want makes for much more involved time, and it's way way more finessed, a better print expression of my image.
> Once one is done and considered good, I could run off 10 more in the darkroom way faster than I can run off ten more ink prints. There will also be a higher rate of failures in ink, and it's more expensive.
> These kinds of preconceptions, based on lack of knowledge, need to be corrected.
> Didn't mean to jump on your post Sarah, it just presented me with another rant opportunity. Anyone making such statements is merely telling me they don't know what they are talking about, not good for them.
> 
> Tyler
> 
> 
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Sarah Renkes" <sagaface@> wrote:
> >
> > 
> > I've never heard of this method of printing digital files...I've only explored inkjet possibilities. Anyone have experience with it and/or what are your thoughts? an excerpt:
> > 
> > 
> > "Whether you shoot digitally or on film, Digital Silver Imaging delivers stunning black & white results. Every print is hand-crafted, produced via a photographic chemical process - not inkjet printing - using a Durst Theta 51 laser printer up to 400 full continuous tone pixels per inch (ppi)."
> > 
> > the website:
> > 
> > http://www.digitalsilverimaging.com/services.php
> > 
> > thanks,
> > Sarah
> >
>

Re: "digital silver imaging" - what do you all think?

2009-04-26 by Tyler Boley

well let me take four steps backwards, possibly more on point. If one is thinking in terms of collectors or buyers, and you feel the look of the silver print presents your imagery more to your liking, it's certainly worth looking into. In terms of longevity, and even aesthetics, there's something to be said for silver over the PK ink options now available.
This assumes it's a fine print of course, and archivally processed, and the audience discerning.

As someone who has printed for myself in very specific ways, I think it's very hard to be comfortable with letting someone else do your prints. There's no getting around it.
I say this as someone who also makes my living (well sort of) by doing just that, printing for others.

what?!?! bigger isn't?!?!
Tyler


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Sarah Renkes" <sagaface@...> wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
>
> Tyler, your rants tend to be educational, so bring 'em! ;^).
> 
> "Hand-crafted" has become so ubiquitous it doesn't really impress me anymore, which is too bad for the folks who are really putting the blood and sweat (and $$) into their printing. Even on my small scale I take a lot of pride in what I print because of aforementioned expenditures. Plus, I'm a control freak. If the print sucks (or is good!) I want to be the one acountable...getting unsatisfactory prints from elsewhere is teeth-gritting at best, though admittedly I have only had one person other than myself print one of my images and it looked fantastic (thank you Clayton!). In fact, I would sooner trust several people here in this group to print than a service I have no knowledge of besides a website and a few testimonials from people I don't know from Adam.
> 
> Which I may need to do at some point, as I have some commissioned work people are making noises about wanting bigger than what my R1800 can print. 'Cause you know bigger IS better....erm, ha.
> 
> Sarah
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Tyler Boley" <tyler@> wrote:
> >
> > First of all, I love silver, and I know some people who have had these done, and as another available option I think it's great.
> > But I am tired of some of these preconceptions, they demonstrate lack of knowledge.
> > What makes my ink prints any less "hand crafted" than the silvers prints I was making before? The number of options I have to wade through to get the ink print I want makes for much more involved time, and it's way way more finessed, a better print expression of my image.
> > Once one is done and considered good, I could run off 10 more in the darkroom way faster than I can run off ten more ink prints. There will also be a higher rate of failures in ink, and it's more expensive.
> > These kinds of preconceptions, based on lack of knowledge, need to be corrected.
> > Didn't mean to jump on your post Sarah, it just presented me with another rant opportunity. Anyone making such statements is merely telling me they don't know what they are talking about, not good for them.
> > 
> > Tyler
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Sarah Renkes" <sagaface@> wrote:
> > >
> > > 
> > > I've never heard of this method of printing digital files...I've only explored inkjet possibilities. Anyone have experience with it and/or what are your thoughts? an excerpt:
> > > 
> > > 
> > > "Whether you shoot digitally or on film, Digital Silver Imaging delivers stunning black & white results. Every print is hand-crafted, produced via a photographic chemical process - not inkjet printing - using a Durst Theta 51 laser printer up to 400 full continuous tone pixels per inch (ppi)."
> > > 
> > > the website:
> > > 
> > > http://www.digitalsilverimaging.com/services.php
> > > 
> > > thanks,
> > > Sarah
> > >
> >
>

Re: [Digital BW] Re: "digital silver imaging" - what do you all think?

2009-04-27 by john castronovo

I agree Tyler. Good work is good work, yet buyers are continually 
encouraged to make their decisions on technology rather than craft and 
results. Yes, technology matters, but it's not what people should be 
taught to focus on.

When I want to make real silver prints from a digital file, I make a 
large format negative on my LVT and print it on conventional enlargers 
and I doubt if anyone could tell the difference between my print and the 
one from the Durst at any viewing distance. I know this because I 
actually make prints this way for a well known photographer who was 
buying digital silver prints and even he couldn't justify the added cost 
of the digital hyped print. The rare exception would be mural sized 
prints, assuming there's enough resolution in the capture for it to show 
a difference.

There are many ways to build a good print. Whether it's this silver, 
that silver, this ink or that, if the craft is good, the results are 
good and the methodology and equipment to get there should be secondary, 
not the only selling point.

BTW, does anyone know if they're processing in a machine or not? Ilford 
make a specially designed hardened fiber paper for laser imaging and 
machine processing and I personally don't think it looks as good as the 
paper we process in trays.
Show quoted textHide quoted text
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tyler Boley"
First of all, I love silver, and I know some people who have had these 
done, and as another available option I think it's great.
But I am tired of some of these preconceptions, they demonstrate lack of 
knowledge.

What makes my ink prints any less "hand crafted" than the silvers prints 
I was making before? The number of options I have to wade through to get 
the ink print I want makes for much more involved time, and it's way way 
more finessed, a better print expression of my image.
Once one is done and considered good, I could run off 10 more in the 
darkroom way faster than I can run off ten more ink prints. There will 
also be a higher rate of failures in ink, and it's more expensive.
These kinds of preconceptions, based on lack of knowledge, need to be 
corrected.
Didn't mean to jump on your post Sarah, it just presented me with 
another rant opportunity. Anyone making such statements is merely 
telling me they don't know what they are talking about, not good for 
them.

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