by Richard Bird

Cibachrome? Anyone?

We’ve been working on a special project of our own design here at R.BIRD.

As part of this project, I remembered Cibachrome from my advertising agency past as the most brilliant color prints ever seen. Cibachrome is (or was) a direct from color transparency, photographic printing process. Its results were incomparable then, and remain so now. They were known for their icy, glassy appearance and an electric vibrancy in color that most closely matched what professional photographers achieved in shooting E-6 process transparency film - whether 35mm, 4×5 or 8×10.

I wanted Cibachrome prints as the final step in our special project. The first color labs I called were out of business. Shocking. Those who were still around no longer did Cibachromes and couldn’t tell me who still might. Remember, I’m calling labs in New York City, not Kansas.

Duggal is the premier printmaker in New York City. Known all over the world. Duggal must still do Cibachromes, right? Nope, but they offer a replacement for Cibachrome called, “Vibrachrome.” So, we call. The other end says, “You better hurry if you want one… not sure we’re going to be doing them much longer.”

Another contact remembered there might be “one guy” left in New York who made Cibachrome prints. I called him. No longer has any staff or lab. Does everything digitally now.

I call our professional photographer friends of R.BIRD and they don’t know either. It seems the quest may bear no fruit.

Determined, I start calling anyone who comes up in a Google search for Cibachrome, no matter where they are. Again, “We don’t do that anymore. Don’t know anyone who does.”

Eventually, I get to West Coast Imaging in Oakhurst, California. They came up at the top in a search for Cibachrome. Guess what? (insert pause here) They don’t do Cibachromes anymore. But here’s where the story takes a positive turn.

I’m speaking with Jeff Grandy, Scan Master. And it’s immediately apparent that he really knows his stuff. And, he knows exactly what I’m looking for as a designer and artist. He explains how West Coast Imaging was founded by a former assistant curator and colleagues of Ansel Adams galleries. Having seen the writing on the wall, they set out to achieve the same technical and artistic qualities they embraced in the darkroom at Ansel Adams, but this time in digital workflows.

I’ve already spent a collective 90 minutes on the phone with Jeff and Melanie Crutchfield, Print Professional, at West Coast in very stimulating conversations and I’ve never been a customer, yet. They are technically knowledgeable and artistically sensitive; perfect!

My mind’s made up, of course. We’re going with West Coast Imaging and this workflow:

35mm color transparency -> Heidelberg Tango Archive Scan -> Chromira light printer -> Fuji Crystal Archive Super Gloss.

20 days it takes before we see our first print from West Coast Imaging. This is not fast food. I’ll keep you informed.

I’ve stopped looking for Cibachromes. There is certainly someone out there still making them. But I couldn’t easily find you. Yet, glad I found West Coast Imaging.

-
[UPDATE] 3 June 2005

Two days ago, we received our first test print from West Coast Imaging. Actually, we received three test prints:

• Chromira light print on Fuji Crystal Archive Super Gloss (our original spec).
• Chromira light print on Fuji Crystal Archive Gloss, and
• Epson 9600 inkjet on Epson Premium Lustre.

At first, the Epson 9600 print seemed to have the better fidelity to our original image. The oranges and pinks were truly vibrant and full of energy. The density curves were wide and smooth, with no quick falloffs.

On closer inspection of the Epson print, however, we began to see its flaws. The path of the print head moving back and forth across the paper was actually visible when looking for it - something that would not be seen in a light exposure print. And, in the bright, white highlights of our image - where no ink would be sprayed - the now visible surface of the paper created a noticeable change in glossiness.

The Chromira print made with light exposure to Fuji Crystal Archive Super Gloss was looking fantastic. Its gamut was not as wide as the Epson, yet its richness and depth were what I remembered from the days when Cibachromes were the gold standard of printmaking. This print appeared as though it emerged directly from a darkroom with no evidence of any digital origin.

The Fuji Crystal Archive Gloss (sans the “Super”) was identical in color to the Super Gloss. But, unlike the Super Gloss where the finish is smooth and glass-like, the Gloss finish was visible to the eye and interfered with the content of our particular image. The Gloss finish (sans Super) might be better suited to less graphic and more naturally occurring subjects.

The soft, visible grain of the Fuji 35mm on which the image was first captured combined with the glossy depth of the Fuji Crystal Archive Super Gloss is absolutely gorgeous. We’ve managed to capture all the romance and visual excitement recalling Cibachrome’s glory days. Yet, even better, we now have the advantage of digital. This is our workflow:

1. 35mm Fuji RVP Velvia for original shots
2. Heidelberg Tango drum scan
3. Master craftsman retouching
4. Chromira light-exposure print to
5. Fuji Crstyal Archive Super Gloss

In the end, we have the richness and depth of a Cibachrome: an “analog” print made with light to a glassy (with an “a”) medium. Plus, the benefits of digital capture and editing. We now have an archival scan and workflow that we can call back and repeat many times over with exact results. Wonderful!

The total cost for this round trip is perhaps 50% higher than a one-off, true, Cibachrome print. But, factor out the cost benefit of the digital archive scan and retouching, and it’s a real value.

I’m excited about the potential of this venture. Keep an eye on it all at Lavaluva.com.

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