pellothed1
Member
Actually this type of a system isn't very similar to Fuji Frontier systems or any of the other digital mini-labs. Those that use lasers have three lasers, one each for Cyan, Magenta and Yellow that basically write on the paper. They determine print size by paper size, where there is a maximum print width as the print "heads" don't move in or out, there is no projection happening. The printers that use LCD panels work best when they are used as contact printers, where the paper and the panel actually touch like making contact prints with a negative, again the problem being that the largest print size is determined by the size of the panel and the bigger the panel the greater the expense. There are also printers like the Chromira that use LEDs to print the image, similar to the laser technology, the paper is moved in front of the LEDs which expose the paper.
The problem with a digital enlarger in this sense is projecting those individual "pixels" through a lens where distortion is always present. I have worked with (attention to with, not for) the company that held the original patents on this technology, amazingly out of a little town called Cushing, Oklahoma. The company was ESECO-Speedmaster, the enlarger was called the ESECO Digimatic. The technology itself has been around for about ten years. Had it worked completely and wholely, it would have been far more advanced as it would have allowed printing seamlessly on very long rolls of paper using their auto-advance easels and what not. The machine itself was based on a 10x10" head on an 8 or 10 foot column, it was monstorous to say the least. To go along with it, they had created a vacuum "baseboard" for it that was also massive, I believe it could handle up to 40x60" single sheets, holding them so that they couldn't move because the exposure times could be very long, as much as 5 minutes. The problem with this thing is that if the print moves, you don't get a little blur, you get all sorts of wierd color streeks and stuff.
take a look at this: http://www.benboardman.com.au/bb/eseco/digimati.htm
and this: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=10&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=5,844,663&OS=5,844,663&RS=5,844,663
I use to have several really incredible prints off this machine, really incredible when you didn't know what to look for. The problem was that at the edge of the prints, the printing pixels never lined up properly due to projection. So the colors didn't look quite right, sometimes this required a loupe to see. This company spent a lot of time and resources trying to get this right and never did and after seeing it in use and having to limitations explained by their engineers, I'd really have to see proof positive in person that another company was able to make it work. There have been other companies in the past that have developed similar products, I believe Colex may have been one, all with the same limitations from what I understand. It's been several years now that I've been in contact with people "in the know" so I don't claim to be an expert on the subject. It's quite interesting anyway, and if it really works, it would be killer. The problem is that it would be resolution limited, just like all digital products, the larger you go, the more pixelation your going to see.
The problem with a digital enlarger in this sense is projecting those individual "pixels" through a lens where distortion is always present. I have worked with (attention to with, not for) the company that held the original patents on this technology, amazingly out of a little town called Cushing, Oklahoma. The company was ESECO-Speedmaster, the enlarger was called the ESECO Digimatic. The technology itself has been around for about ten years. Had it worked completely and wholely, it would have been far more advanced as it would have allowed printing seamlessly on very long rolls of paper using their auto-advance easels and what not. The machine itself was based on a 10x10" head on an 8 or 10 foot column, it was monstorous to say the least. To go along with it, they had created a vacuum "baseboard" for it that was also massive, I believe it could handle up to 40x60" single sheets, holding them so that they couldn't move because the exposure times could be very long, as much as 5 minutes. The problem with this thing is that if the print moves, you don't get a little blur, you get all sorts of wierd color streeks and stuff.
take a look at this: http://www.benboardman.com.au/bb/eseco/digimati.htm
and this: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=10&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PTXT&s1=5,844,663&OS=5,844,663&RS=5,844,663
I use to have several really incredible prints off this machine, really incredible when you didn't know what to look for. The problem was that at the edge of the prints, the printing pixels never lined up properly due to projection. So the colors didn't look quite right, sometimes this required a loupe to see. This company spent a lot of time and resources trying to get this right and never did and after seeing it in use and having to limitations explained by their engineers, I'd really have to see proof positive in person that another company was able to make it work. There have been other companies in the past that have developed similar products, I believe Colex may have been one, all with the same limitations from what I understand. It's been several years now that I've been in contact with people "in the know" so I don't claim to be an expert on the subject. It's quite interesting anyway, and if it really works, it would be killer. The problem is that it would be resolution limited, just like all digital products, the larger you go, the more pixelation your going to see.