LightJet for Photographic Reproduction

Portland and the state of Maine are known for their association with the world of fine art and fine art reproduction. Portland Color continues this tradition for our clients who need museum-quality reproduction of their photography and art work. Using LightJet technology, our digital workflow enables greater control over color accuracy and fidelity to the original. We can begin the reproduction process from a provided digital file, or scan chromes and flat work. We can also photograph oversized artwork to 4x5 film, and then create a scan. Our process is used by photographers, collage artists, painters and textile manufacturers.

We encourage collaboration between the artist and our digital print makers that will result in the finest reproductions of original artwork. Our facility is designed to provide a comfortable working atmosphere for all involved, and to foster a positive work experience. Click here to learn more about our decision to switch to this new technology.

In the digital workflow, a transparency is scanned at 300 dpi in the RGB color space. The resulting raw scan is delivered to the master printer who uses the levels, curves, and saturation tools in Adobe Photoshop to adjust the brightness, contrast, and color to approximate the original. The file created is transferred to a server that feeds it to the Lightjet digital enlarger. The Lightjet exposes Fuji Crystal Archive paper to red, green, and blue laser light to create a photographic print. The paper is then processed in standard RA-4 chemistry, and the resulting print is a silver based color photographic print with a longevity rating in excess of 60 years. The fine tuning that Photoshop allows gives the master printer the ability to delicately match color and contrast in specific areas as well as to control precisely the overall look and feel of the print.

Why we switched

Why did Portland Color abandon its darkrooms in favor of this technology? The digital workflow offers the ability to adjust contrast, color, saturation, sharpness, and density both in the overall print and in specific, sometimes minute areas of the photographic print. To former darkroom printers, the fineness of control offered seems like magic compared to the gross burning and dodging tools once used. The repeatability of the process is also extraordinary; because the digital information can be archived, and the Lightjet can be calibrated and returned to a neutral state, a print can be remade precisely with little effort years in the future. Another unusual thing about Lightjet digital prints is that enlargements are extremely sharp. While traditional darkroom prints would often get soft because of grain enlargement and subtle enlarger shake, the Lightjet print appears to get sharper as it gets larger.

Ilfochrome was an extraordinary material, with intense colors and rich blacks. However, there were many drawbacks; the chemical process shifted as material was sent through the chemistry making it almost impossible to keep the line balanced, the contrast masking needed for many images degraded the sharpness of Ilfochrome prints, and some colors simply could not be rendered with its dyes. Ilfochrome, like dye transfer, platinum printing, gum printing and other esoteric processes, will continue to be the best way to print certain fine art images. However, we feel that by using a digital workflow, the OCE Lightjet will enable us to make prints with greater fidelity to the original photographic positive or negative.