BW print from a lab is violet (blue and red)

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Exxos - 15 Mar 2006 01:54 GMT

I just bought a photography print from allposters.com. They say it's a
photography quality on the best paper... Well, the photography is
supposed to be in black and white, but it's not. There is a violet tint
!!!! Is it normal ? (if I good remember the paper is from fujifilm or
kodak). Is it done on purpose and with time, it's going to be more
black&white ?

Thanks for your answers,
Julien.

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Mike King - 15 Mar 2006 14:41 GMT

Sounds to me like an inkjet print. "photography quality on the best paper"
true but it's not a traditional black and white photograph--the term is
metamerized. It will probably look different colors under different light
conditions. Not bad just different. BTW big difference between a poster
and a fine art print, quality and price.

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darkroommike

> I just bought a photography print from allposters.com. They say it's a
> photography quality on the best paper... Well, the photography is
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> Thanks for your answers,
> Julien.

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Rod Smith - 15 Mar 2006 15:49 GMT

> > I just bought a photography print from allposters.com. They say it's a
> > photography quality on the best paper... Well, the photography is
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> Sounds to me like an inkjet print.

It's also possible that it's a photographic print on RA-4 color paper.
It's difficult to get a consistent neutral (black, gray, and white) print
from such papers.

Whatever the technology, it looks like the site delivers a wide variety of
prints, most of them in color, so they're probably using color materials
(inkjet printer, RA-4 paper, or whatever) and just not bothering with B&W
materials.

If you were printing your own negative, you could find a lab that would do
it on conventional B&W paper. As I presume you're buying a copy of
somebody else's photo, you're stuck with whatever the seller delivers.

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Rod Smith, rodsmith@rodsbooks.com
http://www.rodsbooks.com
Author of books on Linux, FreeBSD, and networking

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Nicholas O. Lindan - 15 Mar 2006 16:27 GMT

> allposters.com. ... photograph is ... in black and white
> [the print has a] violet tint ... Is it normal ?

It is normal. It is bad, but it is normal.

Look at the print with a good magnifier and you should see
yellow, magenta, cyan and black dots.

It is hard [possibly not possible] to make a true black and
white print with colored inks. As the lighting spectrum
shifts the color of the print will shift. Under fluorescent
light your print will look different than under daylight
or incandescent light.

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Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.
To reply, remove spaces: n o lindan at ix . netcom . com
Fstop timer - http://www.nolindan.com/da/fstop/index.htm

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Mike - 15 Mar 2006 18:08 GMT

> It is normal. It is bad, but it is normal.
>
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> light your print will look different than under daylight
> or incandescent light.

Is it possible that the print is just toned a bit too much in Selenium?

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Nicholas O. Lindan - 15 Mar 2006 19:23 GMT

> Is it possible that the print [allposters.com] is just toned
> a bit too much in Selenium?

It is an _INK KET_ print, not a photographic print. Look closely
at the print with a 10x (5x works) magnifier and you will see colored
dots.

The print has been nowhere near selenium of any sort, nor any
other photographic chemical.

If it looks OK to you then there is absolutely nothing wrong
with an ink jet print. Ink jet has better tonal balance,
_far_ superior dust removal and probably longer life
(consumer prints are not made to archival standards - there
have been instances of b&w photographs going bad in 5-10
years - 6 months if the conditions are just right[wrong]).

Keep the poster out of direct sun and it should outlive you.

If you want better blacks ask for a color print of your
black and white print/negative/file. The poster will have
the same color cast as the original photograph and so
looks much more 'real'.

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John - 16 Mar 2006 06:06 GMT

>I just bought a photography print from allposters.com.

Gads ! You actually bought something from a company that has "American
Idol Pictures" on their front page ? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING ???

>They say it's a
>photography quality on the best paper...

Uh huh. NOT !!!

>Well, the photography is
>supposed to be in black and white, but it's not.

And for some reason we're not suprised.

> There is a violet tint
>!!!! Is it normal ?

Beats me. Depends on the orignnal image (none of the images they sell
are originals) and on the process used to print the image.

> (if I good remember the paper is from fujifilm or
>kodak). Is it done on purpose and with time, it's going to be more
>black&white ?

Could be faded. Could be poor printing. The one thing is isn't is
B-&-W photography.

==
John - Photographer & Webmaster
www.legacy-photo.com

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