Minilab
Encyclopedia
A minilab is a small photographic developing and printing system, as opposed to large centralized photo developing labs. Many retail stores use minilabs (or digital minilabs) to provide on-site photo finishing services.
With the increase in popularity of digital photography
, the demand for film development has decreased. This means that the larger labs capable of processing 30 or 40 thousand films a day are going out of business, and more retailers are installing minilabs.
In Kodak and Agfa minilabs films are processed using C41b
chemistry and the paper is processed using RA-4
. Using these chemical processes films can be ready for collection in as little as 20 minutes, depending on the machine capabilities and the operator.
A typical minilab consists of two machines, a film processor and a paper printer/processor. In some installations, these two components are integrated into a single machine. In addition, some digital minilabs are also equipped with photo ordering kiosks.
s are pulled, this means the end of the film is extracted from cassette. This can done manually or by using a small machine that essentially uses tape to pull the film leader out of the cassette. In cases when the end of the film cannot be removed or if the film is damaged, the film can be removed using a dark bag or a dark box. A twin check number (a pair of sticker with a unique number) is put onto the film and the matching number onto the film processing envelope, so that after processing this film can be easily identified to the customers envelope. Films are spliced on the leader cards one or two at a time, to do this the end of the film is cut square, special chemical resistant tape is used to attach the film to the leader card. The leader card(s) is/are then inserted into the film processor and are fed through the machine using sprockets in the card. The film goes through a developer, bleach, fix and stabilizer then through a dryer. After the film is processed it is cut from the leader card and re-united with the processing envelope containing the customer details, from here the film goes forward for printing.
A minilab is typically a continuous loop processor, where the film follows a serpentine path over many rollers. Each chemical processing step is done using a chemical immersion tank with recirculation to keep the fluid evenly mixed. Film advances down into the tank and then turns and rises up and out, then advances down into the next tank, and so forth. Chemical exposure timing is a combination of film advance speed and the physical length of the serpentine film path immersed in the fluid.
A single minilab can be built to allow many different film widths in one device, from APS films to professional wide format films, using a flexible leader to pull the film through the mechanism. The leader is as wide as the widest possible format, and films attached to it are supported by guide rollers only. The leader may be gripped on each side between toothed drive belts following the same path as the film through the mechanism.
on the edge of the film are read by the printer and the film channel is selected accordingly to give the optimum result.
The paper stock is usually a continuous roll which cut after developing according to the size requirements of the customer. Different image widths are handled using different roll widths, and each width is usually done as a batch process of images all the same size. The light-sensitive paper stock can be contained within light-tight packaging so that the minilab operator only needs to remove the old empty paper container and insert a full one, without needing to darken the room to prevent paper exposure.
Each frame is printed one at a time, the photographic paper
is advanced each time and when there is sufficient frames printed the paper automatically advances into the paper processor. The paper passes through a developer
, bleach/fix, a wash, and dryer. The prints are then cut up and are collected in a bundle. From here a smaller machine is used to cut the negatives into fours and sleeved to protect them.
The final job is to put the negatives with the prints into a wallet and into the processing envelope. The order is then priced and placed into a rack or draw waiting for the customer to collect.
and Konica
went out of business. Minilab Factory GmbH took over the renowned minilab branch of Agfa in 2006. Gretag Imaging, not to be confused with former Gretag Macbeth, went bankrupt in December, 2002. Subsequently, the minilab related assets were sold to the newly formed San Marco Imaging. The wholesale lab related assets were sold to KIS Photo Me Group. In 2006, Noritsu and Fuji announced a strategic alliance. Noritsu now manufactures all of Fuji's minilab equipment
that uses traditional chemical photographic processes to make prints from digital image
s. Photographs are input to the digital minilab using a built-in film scanner that captures images from negative and positive photographic films (including mounted slides), flatbed scanner
s, a kiosk
that accepts CD-ROM
s or memory card
s from a digital camera
, or a website
that accepts uploads. The operator can make many corrections such as brightness
or color saturation
, contrast, scene lighting color correction, sharpness and cropping. A laser
, LCD/LED, or Micro Light Valve
Array (MLVA) then exposes photographic paper
with the image, which is then processed by the minilab just as if it had been exposed from a negative
.
The price of a digital minilab can reach up to $250,000 USD. A minilab, such as a Doli DL 1210 has a print resolution of 520dpi, accepts BMP, JPEG
, and TIFF formats, and can print up to 8in by 12in. The most popular brands include KIS, Noritsu
, Doli and Fuji
..
Digital minilabs are generally too expensive for typical home use, but many retailers purchase or lease them to offer photo printing services to their customers. The resulting photographs have the same quality and durability as traditional photographs since the same chemical processes (e.g. RA-4
) are used. This is often better than can be achieved by typical home inkjet printer
s, and for smaller prints generally less expensive.
A new type of minilab is the dry lab, which does not require the use of developer or fixer chemicals, and does not require moistening and then drying of the print. These machines are cheaper, smaller, and use inkjet printing instead of a chemical developing process. This allows them to be installed in smaller retail stores, print shops, and resort/tourist locations that could not justify an expensive, high throughput, wet minilab. Standard questions of inkjet quality and longevity apply.
There are currently two technologies used by manufacturers as print engines for either professional or commercial "dry labs". Although not strictly "dry", the first technology is a dye based, four colour (Yellow, Cyan, Magenta & Black) inkjet system. Inkjet based dry labs output prints with a relatively wide colour gamut although colours may take a few hours to stabilise after printing while the ink fully dries. The second technology that can be used is "dye diffusion thermal transfer" or D2T2 technology. D2T2 is a three colour (Yellow, Cyan & Magenta) thermal process whereby the colour dyes are transferred from an ink ribbon onto, or rather into, the surface of a special paper substrate. "Dry labs" are becoming increasingly popular with users as they are cheaper and easier to maintain than wet labs.
With the increase in popularity of digital photography
Digital photography
Digital photography is a form of photography that uses an array of light sensitive sensors to capture the image focused by the lens, as opposed to an exposure on light sensitive film...
, the demand for film development has decreased. This means that the larger labs capable of processing 30 or 40 thousand films a day are going out of business, and more retailers are installing minilabs.
In Kodak and Agfa minilabs films are processed using C41b
C-41 process
C-41 is a chromogenic color print film developing process. C-41, also known as CN-16 by Fuji, CNK-4 by Konica, and AP-70 by AGFA, is the most popular film process in use, with most photofinishing labs devoting at least one machine to this development process....
chemistry and the paper is processed using RA-4
Ra-4
The RA-4 is an Egyptian weapon which may be used as an assault rifle, sniper rifle and grenade launcher....
. Using these chemical processes films can be ready for collection in as little as 20 minutes, depending on the machine capabilities and the operator.
A typical minilab consists of two machines, a film processor and a paper printer/processor. In some installations, these two components are integrated into a single machine. In addition, some digital minilabs are also equipped with photo ordering kiosks.
Film processor
35 mm film135 film
The term 135 was introduced by Kodak in 1934 as a designation for cartridge film wide, specifically for still photography. It quickly grew in popularity, surpassing 120 film by the late 1960s to become the most popular photographic film format...
s are pulled, this means the end of the film is extracted from cassette. This can done manually or by using a small machine that essentially uses tape to pull the film leader out of the cassette. In cases when the end of the film cannot be removed or if the film is damaged, the film can be removed using a dark bag or a dark box. A twin check number (a pair of sticker with a unique number) is put onto the film and the matching number onto the film processing envelope, so that after processing this film can be easily identified to the customers envelope. Films are spliced on the leader cards one or two at a time, to do this the end of the film is cut square, special chemical resistant tape is used to attach the film to the leader card. The leader card(s) is/are then inserted into the film processor and are fed through the machine using sprockets in the card. The film goes through a developer, bleach, fix and stabilizer then through a dryer. After the film is processed it is cut from the leader card and re-united with the processing envelope containing the customer details, from here the film goes forward for printing.
A minilab is typically a continuous loop processor, where the film follows a serpentine path over many rollers. Each chemical processing step is done using a chemical immersion tank with recirculation to keep the fluid evenly mixed. Film advances down into the tank and then turns and rises up and out, then advances down into the next tank, and so forth. Chemical exposure timing is a combination of film advance speed and the physical length of the serpentine film path immersed in the fluid.
A single minilab can be built to allow many different film widths in one device, from APS films to professional wide format films, using a flexible leader to pull the film through the mechanism. The leader is as wide as the widest possible format, and films attached to it are supported by guide rollers only. The leader may be gripped on each side between toothed drive belts following the same path as the film through the mechanism.
Photo printer
Most printer/processes are computer controlled. The front of the film is fed into the printing gate. Sensors see the film and forward the film to the first frame. DX codesDX encoding
DX encoding is an ANSI and I3A standard, originally introduced by Kodak in March 1983, for marking 135 and APS photographic film and film cartridges...
on the edge of the film are read by the printer and the film channel is selected accordingly to give the optimum result.
The paper stock is usually a continuous roll which cut after developing according to the size requirements of the customer. Different image widths are handled using different roll widths, and each width is usually done as a batch process of images all the same size. The light-sensitive paper stock can be contained within light-tight packaging so that the minilab operator only needs to remove the old empty paper container and insert a full one, without needing to darken the room to prevent paper exposure.
Each frame is printed one at a time, the 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...
is advanced each time and when there is sufficient frames printed the paper automatically advances into the paper processor. The paper passes through a developer
Photographic developer
In the processing of photographic films, plates or papers, the photographic developer is a chemical that makes the latent image on the film or print visible. It does this by reducing the silver halides that have been exposed to light to elemental silver in the gelatine matrix...
, bleach/fix, a wash, and dryer. The prints are then cut up and are collected in a bundle. From here a smaller machine is used to cut the negatives into fours and sleeved to protect them.
The final job is to put the negatives with the prints into a wallet and into the processing envelope. The order is then priced and placed into a rack or draw waiting for the customer to collect.
Industry changes
By the end of 2005, two manufacturers, AgfaAgfaPhoto
AgfaPhoto GmbH is a European photographic company, formed in 2004 when Agfa-Gevaert sold their Consumer Imaging division. Agfa had for many years been well known as a producer of consumer-oriented photographic products including films, photographic papers and cameras...
and Konica
Konica
was a Japanese manufacturer of, among other products, film, film cameras, camera accessories, photographic and photo-processing equipment, photocopiers, fax machines and laser printers.- History :...
went out of business. Minilab Factory GmbH took over the renowned minilab branch of Agfa in 2006. Gretag Imaging, not to be confused with former Gretag Macbeth, went bankrupt in December, 2002. Subsequently, the minilab related assets were sold to the newly formed San Marco Imaging. The wholesale lab related assets were sold to KIS Photo Me Group. In 2006, Noritsu and Fuji announced a strategic alliance. Noritsu now manufactures all of Fuji's minilab equipment
Digital minilab
A digital minilab is a computer printerComputer printer
In computing, a printer is a peripheral which produces a text or graphics of documents stored in electronic form, usually on physical print media such as paper or transparencies. Many printers are primarily used as local peripherals, and are attached by a printer cable or, in most new printers, a...
that uses traditional chemical photographic processes to make prints from 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...
s. Photographs are input to the digital minilab using a built-in film scanner that captures images from negative and positive photographic films (including mounted slides), flatbed scanner
Image scanner
In computing, an image scanner—often abbreviated to just scanner—is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object, and converts it to a digital image. Common examples found in offices are variations of the desktop scanner where the document is placed on a glass...
s, a kiosk
Kiosk
Kiosk is a small, separated garden pavilion open on some or all sides. Kiosks were common in Persia, India, Pakistan, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward...
that accepts CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
s or memory card
Memory card
A memory card or flash card is an electronic flash memory data storage device used for storing digital information. They are commonly used in many electronic devices, including digital cameras, mobile phones, laptop computers, MP3 players, and video game consoles...
s from a digital camera
Digital camera
A digital camera is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor. It is the main device used in the field of digital photography...
, or a website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
that accepts uploads. The operator can make many corrections such as brightness
Brightness
Brightness is an attribute of visual perception in which a source appears to be radiating or reflecting light. In other words, brightness is the perception elicited by the luminance of a visual target...
or color saturation
Saturation (color theory)
In colorimetry and color theory, colorfulness, chroma, and saturation are related but distinct concepts referring to the perceived intensity of a specific color. Colorfulness is the degree of difference between a color and gray. Chroma is the colorfulness relative to the brightness of another color...
, contrast, scene lighting color correction, sharpness and cropping. A 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...
, LCD/LED, or Micro Light Valve
Light valve
A light valve is a device for varying the quantity of light, from a source, which reaches a target. Examples of targets are computer screen surfaces, or a wall screen in the case of a light projector....
Array (MLVA) then exposes 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...
with the image, which is then processed by the minilab just as if it had been exposed from a 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...
.
The price of a digital minilab can reach up to $250,000 USD. A minilab, such as a Doli DL 1210 has a print resolution of 520dpi, accepts BMP, JPEG
JPEG
In computing, JPEG . The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality. JPEG typically achieves 10:1 compression with little perceptible loss in image quality....
, and TIFF formats, and can print up to 8in by 12in. The most popular brands include KIS, Noritsu
Noritsu
Noritsu America Corporation is the North American company that sells, distributes and repairs photo-processing machines designed and manufactured by Noritsu Koki, Ltd. of Wakayama, Japan...
, Doli and Fuji
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...
..
Digital minilabs are generally too expensive for typical home use, but many retailers purchase or lease them to offer photo printing services to their customers. The resulting photographs have the same quality and durability as traditional photographs since the same chemical processes (e.g. RA-4
Ra-4
The RA-4 is an Egyptian weapon which may be used as an assault rifle, sniper rifle and grenade launcher....
) are used. This is often better than can be achieved by typical home inkjet printer
Inkjet printer
An inkjet printer is a type of computer printer that creates a digital image by propelling droplets of ink onto paper. Inkjet printers are the most commonly used type of printer and range from small inexpensive consumer models to very large professional machines that can cost up to thousands of...
s, and for smaller prints generally less expensive.
A new type of minilab is the dry lab, which does not require the use of developer or fixer chemicals, and does not require moistening and then drying of the print. These machines are cheaper, smaller, and use inkjet printing instead of a chemical developing process. This allows them to be installed in smaller retail stores, print shops, and resort/tourist locations that could not justify an expensive, high throughput, wet minilab. Standard questions of inkjet quality and longevity apply.
Dry minilab
"Dry lab" is a term that evolved in the professional and consumer segments of the photo printing industry to distinguish later, chemistry free (or "dry") photo printing systems from traditional, silver halide (or "wet") systems.There are currently two technologies used by manufacturers as print engines for either professional or commercial "dry labs". Although not strictly "dry", the first technology is a dye based, four colour (Yellow, Cyan, Magenta & Black) inkjet system. Inkjet based dry labs output prints with a relatively wide colour gamut although colours may take a few hours to stabilise after printing while the ink fully dries. The second technology that can be used is "dye diffusion thermal transfer" or D2T2 technology. D2T2 is a three colour (Yellow, Cyan & Magenta) thermal process whereby the colour dyes are transferred from an ink ribbon onto, or rather into, the surface of a special paper substrate. "Dry labs" are becoming increasingly popular with users as they are cheaper and easier to maintain than wet labs.
External links
- Minilabworld.com - Minilabs, Parts, Accessories
- Photolab Forum - Industry Site, Forum and User Group
- Noritsu America Corporation - Industry Site
- FujiFilm Minilabs
- Minilabhelp - User Group