Digital Silver Prints

[dshfoto]

I have found two places to get digital black and white prints on photo paper. Adorama provides prints on Iford Black & White photo RC paper, and Digital Silver Imaging (www.digitalsilverimaging.com (http://www.digitalsilverimaging.com)) provides both RC paper and fiber based paper.
I have used Adorama's service, and like the prints, but the max size is 10"x15". Digital Silver can provide larger prints, but the costs seem higher. An Adorama B&W 10"x10" is $3.25 while a Digital Silver B&W RC is 10"x10" 8.99.
Question:
Does anyone know of other services in the USA similar to Ilford's, or other sources for black and white silver prints from digital files??Anyone complied a complete list?I have decided to stop using Epson printers and use C-prints and B&W silver digital prints.

[bwcolor]

How do these prints compare to a good inkjet? My Canon 9500 does a good job with B&W as long as I'm careful with the paper used, but I would certainly consider laser silver prints for my display prints. I noticed that DSI offers three paper grades for printing. Anyone have feedback on the differences between these three products?

[Ronald M]

I have yet to see an inkjet I liked including the latest samples Epson sent me trying to sell the latest gizmo.

Elevator Digital in Canada.

[JohnTF]

I have taken some larger files scanned from hand made B&W prints to Costco-- and some have really come very close to the quality of the original. Perhaps 95% or better the quality of the original, of course, on RA4 paper, I believe Fuji Color paper.

My photo shop, Campus Camera in Kent, actually swaps the paper in their printer to an RA4 B&W paper for b&w files.

I have no idea if Adorama use any thing other than a RA4 service, it would seem to be unlikely, but as I said, I do not know.

I did get poor prints on one occasion with the local Costco, it took hours to get the machine working properly.

Regards, John

[shenkerian]

Is Mpix's "True B&W Paper" (http://www.mpix.com/Papers.aspx#truebandw) the same as Adorama's? If so, they offer it at sizes up to 20x30.

Digital Silver Imaging looks interesting. Has anyone got experience with their hand-printed products?

[dshfoto]

The list so far:
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } Adorama in NYC
http://www.adoramapix.com/home

Digital Silver Imaging
464 Brighton Street
Belmont, MA
617-489-0035
http://digitalsilverimaging.com/


Elevator Digital in Canada
Toronto, Canada
416-406-3131
http://www.elevatordigital.ca/

Mpix in Pittsburg, Kansas and Columbia, Missouri
http://www.mpix.com/

Ilford Lab Direct in UK
www.ilfordlab.com (http://www.ilfordlab.com/)


Dalmatian Black and White Custom Lab, in Greensboro, NC
http://www.dalmatianlab.com/


Oscar's in CA (http://www.oscarsphotolab.com/, 415-621-5800):



A&I (http://www.aandi.com/, 323-856-5280): digital files printed on FB silver-halide paper with Lightjet or Chromira, expensive ($50 for 8x10)
The Lab in AL (http://fiberbaseprints.com/, 205-871-7305): FB silver-halide paper, printed with an LCD digital stage on a traditional enlarger instead of a Lightjet or whatever,


Laumont
New York City
www.laumont.com
212-245-2113


Griffin Editions
New York City
www.griffineditions.com
212-965-1845


Duggal
New York City
www.duggal.com
212-242-7000


Modernage
New York City
www.modernage.com
212-997-1800

Any other digital B&W silver printers that readers have used?

[Steve M.]

A&I Photo in L.A. I'm pretty sure. Never used them for that, but for developing and scanning you can't beat them. Perfect every time.

[Rick Waldroup]

There are several labs that make silver fiber based prints from digital files and the cost can vary quite a bit. I had some RC silver prints made at a local lab in Dallas, BWC, just to see how they would look and the quality was outstanding. Nice, deep blacks and clean whites and they were almost identical to the original files I submitted to them.

However, I now make my own B&W prints using an Epson 2880 and high quality rag paper and I have been very pleased with the results.

[CK Dexter Haven]

www.dalmatianlab.com
They've been advertising a digital fiber print in magazines like B&W, but the site seems not to be working at the moment. I hope it's just a temporary glitch.

Here's a thread on photo.net with related responses:

http://photo.net/black-and-white-photo-film-processing-forum/00Soz0

[dshfoto]

photomoof asked if this is a cost question. In part it is, but it is also about quality, service, satisfaction, etc.

I was interested in

(1) if many RFF members use digital silver printing (dsp) vs. inkjet;

(2) how RFF members that use "dsp" approached selecting a printer and who RFFers are using;

(3) trying to get some idea of what reasonable prices are for these types of prints -- both fiber and RC;

(4) when it comes to selling prints, is there any perceived difference by the market between "dsp's" and inkjet prints?

In the next couple of days I will go down to Dugal in NYC and find out what they charge for an 11"x14" RC and Fiber " dsp.

I guess what started me off on this was the mailing tube that I got from Epson, with a couple of sample prints, and offering to sell me a new printer with a $1,000 off coupon. I didn't think that the B&W print, which did look good, was any better than a "dsp". Epson's new 24" printer is $3,800. Since I sold my old 24" when I left Argentina, I need to find a new printing solution. I thought that "dsp" might be a good alternative to buying a new printer.

[dshfoto]

I received the following note from Ilford, in the UK, when I sent them an email asking about a list of labs in the US:

We will ship to the USA .we are starting to get a lot of digital orders form overseas
International Airmail: Normally 5-10 working days but can take longer depending on efficiency of local post.

Regards,
Angela
https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=09032e5016&view=att&th=12bbfda0aa1b2392&attid=0.1&disp=emb&zw