Category: art biz

how many prints could a printshop make, if a printshop made dyes

Posted on Posted in art biz, dye transfer, olden waysTagged

Some notes —
in a box: 25 sheets (back in origin time, film came 10 sheets to a box. like now, again. We are back to the fifties.)
1 sheet was for standard tests. QC thingys
3 sheets per print
means 8 prints per box — but we don’t have an answer to our riddle.

Prints On Paper

as supplied, Kodak provided mordanted paper to make  10×12, 11×14, 20×24, 40 inch rolls.
the size frequently used by agencies was 11×14
the 10×12 was what I had students use. For my work, I used the 11×14 and 40 inch roll paper.

Cutting Roll Paper
I cut the roll paper into sheet sizes for prints. The problem with this was the cut edges meant dust. At that time the paper dust seemed the big problem, now, knowing better about the mordant, I wouldn’t do it. I’m lucky, good ventilation and meticulous work mode means I’ve had no side effects from the dust. At the time, I was just reducing the amount of dust introduced into the workroom, and chemistry (paper conditioner).
When I cut the paper I’d use a fresh, new razor blade, each time. Before cutting, I put a covering sheet of tissue over the cutting area. This tissue sheet was about 2 inches wide. It came in rolls of several hundred inches. This tissue sheet was held down using flat stainless rulers — two of them spaced about and inch apart. One, the left one, was what I cut along. Simpler to do than to describe. All of the tissue was scrapped with each cut. This meant a lot of waste, but it made for very clean print process… and that was my intent.

An Answer?

So, how many prints did those beloved custom shops make… making a guess based upon what I’ve gleaned from a couple of conversations — between the demise of Kodak Matrix in 1994 and 2007 the Net Name printer went through most of his paper, with  about a third of his film still stored. Five years later (’12) He had 5 boxes of film to sell. He had used it once the year prior (’11). That guess — one or two images a month! Not much of a living, even at high setup, first print and such fees. No wonder digital is where he went.

How Many
back of napkin

napkin: bought around 30 boxes — used 25 of them — makes it about 16 prints a year. Sounds like a hobby not a career. Good thing the magazines paid for words of wisdom

Production Printing- Dye Transfer

What would a production printer produce? Assuming that you work at a place with consisten daily output for clients that were demaninding, both in terms of quality, but also in terms of commitment to quantity– agencies would order 2 or three prints– not much. Not much as compared to architects or industry or …
I regularly made 20 or 25 prints for an order. So how could we do that, day in and out for multiple clients? We had print rooms setup so that we had 2 roller positions. Automatic tray rockers, and heated transfer blocks.
A general flow: Starting dry.. paper and matrix-set are dry. They have to be placed into holding/ conditioning baths. After about 6 minutes you can begin the process of dying and rolling. This is all about rhythm and directed attention — and practice. At the end of 20 minutes you have a print. Plus 5 mins and your second print is lifted, while your third has one roll down… and so it goes..
This results in a system that produces 6 prints an hour. Since we have to replenish dyes, along with other maintenance chores the real production is about 5 prints per room each hour. This productivity requires near ideal mat-sets, which is why so much attention is given their perfection. Attention including means of testing their match without resorting to production rolling. These separation of functions meant the production area had 3 separate functional spaces. Negatives; matrices; prints
Now, maybe, you understand that odd “5” print staircase .. 5 prints, 15 prints, 25 prints, as price points.

Footnote:

Doing That Dye Transfer Thing

Posted on Posted in art biz, dye transfer, labnotes, the Lab

the lazy way

Dye transfer was once the easy way. Then, it became the elite way; now, it is that hallowed way, the queens way, the way of only the enlightened. Really it has always been just another way. A way that I followed, since it was the first way I was shown. In some ways it was my lazy way.

as ez as 123

you only need a matrix(film), dyes, and a blank(paper). If you have ever colored eggs, you have discovered how easy dyeing is. That colored egg isn’t much of beginning, yet it is a demonstration of the basic principles and illustration of the problems. Dyes move freely, stain almost anything, aren’t precise, nor will they stay put. Much like water colors or, hey, any other suspended colorant.

You can still find Kodak dyes, maybe some paper, rarely film. The film will be age fogged, to frilled. The paper will be fine, or moldy. The dyes will be ready to use, unless they were ruined by bad practice. But you don’t need the kodak paper, nor dyes. Those two items, along with the other chemicals are replaced by published formulas.

it will never see commercial daylight, again.

the death of dyeing

What Kodak made for dye printers (aka: imbibtion, wash-off relief, dye transfer) was all those controls, directions, and chemicals, in short, the supplies and instruction. In these days, Kodak is, essentially no-more. Dye Transfer, as practiced today is being done with out of date materials- some (maybe 3) are using matrix film made in a one run resurection attempt. Their is no lab open to the public. Well, there is one place that we hear is open to the public. There are 3 other labs that cater to private clients. The handful of photographers with strong gallery sales.

Why did it die — lack of interest, or lack of ability? It died the way of most commercial items, it was replaced. What was needed wasn’t what You think was needed. What it provided wasn’t what You think was being provided.

the manual labor

dye transfer is an assembly process — it requires hand skill. It is a hand job. Most people who become photographers have little skill with the fine muscles, hence, they push buttons, etc. The best printers I have known had other autographic skill, and that extra bit of imagination to see what the next problem will be, avoiding it with the best dance move.

you can dye

  • you can make, or alter to have the blank (paper)
  • you can make, or find to have the dye
  • you can make, or alter to have mechanicals to roll prints
  • The gotcha is the matrix– but you can make this, and with some luck, I will be able to show you how you can “alter” to make the matrix film.

For now, back to the lab iGor– we have bones to grind…..

These days, dye transfer is a brag board topic. People who never made a print, now, make pretend friends pretending they know how. They are the drooleys.

Actually, there have always been those who made this a brag process; happy to claim it as a friend, even buy it a drink in a bar — just not dedicated to method. They could have gotten there in days, not years. Now, those few who have learned the process this century have made a monks vow: Do it quietly.