Who gets Lab Prints from b&w film scans.

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I've been developing my own film at home but have not done anything with the negatives as yet. I have access to a darkroom but at the moment not the time to use it. Does anyone scan their b&w film then have the digital files exposed on b&w paper by a lab. I'm in the UK and not sure other than ilford who offers this service.

If anyone does this what are the results like as opposed to an enlarger and darkroom set up and what are the benefits of using B&W film and a scanner.

Regards Michael.
 
I've done it. For when I wanted many prints (50+) and didn't feel like doing them in the darkroom. When I wanted print sizes that I can't handle in my darkroom. When I have negs that need more manipulation than I'd like to do in the darkroom (complicated masking, extreme and local contrast boosts, etc.).

I've never used the fancy digital B&W only paper, just regular old Kodak color paper. I've tried the metallic paper too and that was pretty cool.

For my favorite B&W prints, I usually print in the darkroom, but there's nothing wrong with a digital print from a scan.
 
Tim Gray said:
I've done it. For when I wanted many prints (50+) and didn't feel like doing them in the darkroom. When I wanted print sizes that I can't handle in my darkroom. When I have negs that need more manipulation than I'd like to do in the darkroom (complicated masking, extreme and local contrast boosts, etc.).

I've never used the fancy digital B&W only paper, just regular old Kodak color paper. I've tried the metallic paper too and that was pretty cool.

For my favorite B&W prints, I usually print in the darkroom, but there's nothing wrong with a digital print from a scan.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply. Which scanner did you use or what would be a scanner that would provide an appropriate quality for an enlargement to say A3 max.
 
I have their printer profiles, so I scan and pre-press then burn to a CD, you have to do all the preparation work yourself they just print what you give them, they are only half an hour away so I drop it off one day and collect the next.
 
You guys in the UK are lucky.
As far as I know there isn't anyone in the USA who offered this service.

Just curious, what do they use to project the digital image onto the B&W paper?
 
... it's Fuji cryogenic (is it?) paper, through these Agfa D-lab2 printers ... I think its a laser that makes the actual exposure ... they calibrate them each day so one gets a proper black and white ...

 
The paper is the same whatever they print, but obviously a monochrome file makes a black and white print, like these ...

 
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