Chromogenic color print
Encyclopedia
Chromogenic color prints are full-color
photographic
prints made using chromogenic
materials and processes. These prints may be produced from an original which is a color negative
, slide, or digital image
. The chromogenic print process, was nearly synonymous with the 20th century color snapshot. It is the most common type of color photographic printing.
The first commercially available chromogenic print process was Kodacolor, introduced by Kodak in January of 1942. Kodak introduced a chromogenic paper with the name Type-C in the 1950s, and then discontinued the name several years later. The terminology Type-C and C-print have remained in popular use since this time. The chemistry used to develop chromogenic prints today is known as RA-4
. As of 2010, the major lines of professional chromogenic print paper are Kodak Endura and Fujifilm
Crystal Archive. Plastic chromogenic "papers" such as Kodak Duratrans
and Duraclear are used for producing backlit
advertising and art.
The class of colour photographic processes known as chromogenic are characterized by a reaction between two chemicals to form (or give birth to) the color dyes that make up a photographic image. Chromogenic color images are composed of three main dye layers—cyan, magenta, and yellow—that together form a full color image. The light sensitive material in each layer is a silver halide emulsion—just like black and white papers. After exposure, the silver image is developed (or reduced) by a special color developer. In this reaction, the color developer in the areas of exposed silver are oxidized, and then react with another chemical, the dye coupler, which is present throughout the emulsion. This is the chromogenic reaction—the union of the oxidized developer and the dye coupler form a color dye. Different dye couplers are used in each layer, so this same reaction forms a different colored dye in each layer. A series of processing steps follow, which remove the remaining silver and silver compounds, leaving a color image composed of dyes in three layers. The exposure of a chromogenic print may be accomplished with a traditional photographic enlarger using color filters to adjust the color balance of the print.
A Type R print refers to a positive-to-positive photographic print made on reversal-type color photographic paper
.
Fujifilm
, Kodak, and Agfa have historically manufactured paper and chemicals for the R-3 process, a chromogenic
process for making Type R prints. As of late 2008, all of these companies have ceased to produce Type R paper, although Fujifilm still has some stocks remaining.
Another positive-to-positive process is Ilfochrome
, which is sometimes also referred to as a Type R process. Ilfochrome is a dye destruction
process, with materials, processing, and results quite different from the R-3 process.
Prints can also be exposed using digital exposure systems such as the Durst Lambda, Océ LightJet
and ZBE Chromira, yielding a digital C print (sometimes called a Lambda print or LightJet print). These are exposed using LEDs on light sensitive photographic paper and processed using traditional silver based chemistry. These digital systems expose the paper using red, green, and blue laser
s or light emitting diodes, and have the capability of correcting paper sensitivity errors.
Color
Color or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, green, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...
photographic
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
prints made using chromogenic
Chromogenic
Chromogenic refers to color photographic processes in which a traditional silver image is first formed, and then later replaced with a colored dye image.- Description :...
materials and processes. These prints may be produced from an original which is a color negative
Negative (photography)
In photography, a negative may refer to three different things, although they are all related.-A negative:Film for 35 mm cameras comes in long narrow strips of chemical-coated plastic or cellulose acetate. As each image is captured by the camera onto the film strip, the film strip advances so that...
, slide, or digital image
Digital image
A digital image is a numeric representation of a two-dimensional image. Depending on whether or not the image resolution is fixed, it may be of vector or raster type...
. The chromogenic print process, was nearly synonymous with the 20th century color snapshot. It is the most common type of color photographic printing.
The first commercially available chromogenic print process was Kodacolor, introduced by Kodak in January of 1942. Kodak introduced a chromogenic paper with the name Type-C in the 1950s, and then discontinued the name several years later. The terminology Type-C and C-print have remained in popular use since this time. The chemistry used to develop chromogenic prints today is known as RA-4
RA-4 process
RA-4 is Kodak's proprietary name for the chemical process most commonly used to make color photographic prints. It is used for both digital printers of the types most common today in photo labs and drug stores, and for prints made with older-type optical enlargers and manual processing...
. As of 2010, the major lines of professional chromogenic print paper are Kodak Endura and Fujifilm
Fujifilm
is a multinational photography and imaging company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.Fujifilm's principal activities are the development, production, sale and servicing of color photographic film, digital cameras, photofinishing equipment, color paper, photofinishing chemicals, medical imaging...
Crystal Archive. Plastic chromogenic "papers" such as Kodak Duratrans
Duratrans
A duratrans is an element used in some television news sets and theater designs. Duratrans are most often used to create the backgrounds that appear behind news presenters or anchors. If it is used in a theatre the backgrounds would appear behind the actors, actresses, and other talent respectively...
and Duraclear are used for producing backlit
Backlight
A backlight is a form of illumination used in liquid crystal displays . As LCDs do not produce light themselves , they need illumination to produce a visible image...
advertising and art.
The class of colour photographic processes known as chromogenic are characterized by a reaction between two chemicals to form (or give birth to) the color dyes that make up a photographic image. Chromogenic color images are composed of three main dye layers—cyan, magenta, and yellow—that together form a full color image. The light sensitive material in each layer is a silver halide emulsion—just like black and white papers. After exposure, the silver image is developed (or reduced) by a special color developer. In this reaction, the color developer in the areas of exposed silver are oxidized, and then react with another chemical, the dye coupler, which is present throughout the emulsion. This is the chromogenic reaction—the union of the oxidized developer and the dye coupler form a color dye. Different dye couplers are used in each layer, so this same reaction forms a different colored dye in each layer. A series of processing steps follow, which remove the remaining silver and silver compounds, leaving a color image composed of dyes in three layers. The exposure of a chromogenic print may be accomplished with a traditional photographic enlarger using color filters to adjust the color balance of the print.
A Type R print refers to a positive-to-positive photographic print made on reversal-type color photographic paper
Photographic paper
Photographic paper is paper coated with light-sensitive chemicals, used for making photographic prints.Photographic paper is exposed to light in a controlled manner, either by placing a negative in contact with the paper directly to produce a contact print, by using an enlarger in order to create a...
.
Fujifilm
Fujifilm
is a multinational photography and imaging company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.Fujifilm's principal activities are the development, production, sale and servicing of color photographic film, digital cameras, photofinishing equipment, color paper, photofinishing chemicals, medical imaging...
, Kodak, and Agfa have historically manufactured paper and chemicals for the R-3 process, a chromogenic
Chromogenic
Chromogenic refers to color photographic processes in which a traditional silver image is first formed, and then later replaced with a colored dye image.- Description :...
process for making Type R prints. As of late 2008, all of these companies have ceased to produce Type R paper, although Fujifilm still has some stocks remaining.
Another positive-to-positive process is Ilfochrome
Ilfochrome
Ilfochrome is a dye destruction positive-to-positive photographic process used for the reproduction of slides on photographic paper. The prints are made on a dimensionally stable polyester base, essentially a plastic base opposed to traditional paper base...
, which is sometimes also referred to as a Type R process. Ilfochrome is a dye destruction
Dye destruction
Dye destruction or dye bleach is a photographic printing process, in which dyes embedded in the paper are bleached in processing. Because the dyes are fully formed in the paper prior to processing, they may be formulated with few constraints, compared with the complex dye couplers that must react...
process, with materials, processing, and results quite different from the R-3 process.
Prints can also be exposed using digital exposure systems such as the Durst Lambda, Océ LightJet
LightJet
LightJet is a trademark of Océ Display Graphics Systems, a division of Océ N.V. for a brand of hardware used for printing digital images to photographic paper and film. Lightjet printers are no longer manufactured . The term "Lightjet" is often used to generically describe a digitally made...
and ZBE Chromira, yielding a digital C print (sometimes called a Lambda print or LightJet print). These are exposed using LEDs on light sensitive photographic paper and processed using traditional silver based chemistry. These digital systems expose the paper using red, green, and blue laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
s or light emitting diodes, and have the capability of correcting paper sensitivity errors.