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Cymbolic
Sciences LightJet 430 from Gretag Imaging
The
only large format printers that render true continuous tone
are the LightJet from Cymbolic Sciences and the Durst Lambda.
The ZBE Chromira is roughly comparable but not in the elite
realm of the LightJet. When a successful company wants the
absolute best photographic reproduction they turn to either
the LightJet or the Durst Lambda, never to an inkjet print.
One
exception I noticed at Photokina trade show. Foveon, the leading
high-end CMOS camera, was promoting its new CMOS technology.
They had prints on the wall, I believe from a Durst Lambda.
They needed some quick prints of ongoing photography and turned
to the Hewlett Packard DesignJet 5000ps,
as the closest from the inkjet world.
Output
from a ColorSpan
would also be in the league of the highest quality for an
inkjet. Roland
photo images are this good as well unless your particular
machine is prone to banding, an edemic problem with Roland
printers. The other catch is that a single large print on
a Roland Hi-Fi Pro can take up to two hours.
So
if you want a continuous tone digital photograph, that looks
like it came from a darkroom, you need a print from a photo
lab that has a LightJet or Lambda. Since these machines cost
over $139,000, they are not often used in the home.
If
$100,000 is a bit steep for you, and you want the best inkjet
at a reasonable cost, this is the speciality of FLAAR, after
all, we are a Photo Archive working in museums throughout
the world and headquartered at a university. We also need
the best quality; we also can't afford a LightJet.
If
you check our list of reports you will see a title that provides
you all the pertinent information.
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| All
reports by Dr. Nicholas Hellmuth |
UPDATED:
July 06/2001
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