Re: film recorder negs

rosebud (rosebud@why.net)
Mon, 22 Apr 1996 19:59:46 +0000

> I was referring to Film Recorders: machines that actually exist
> which expose film (plain old film :)) at various sized and various
> resolutions. I've just discovered they existed, and am curious for results.

Many photo labs, service bureaus, etc. have these film
recorders. One of the most popular is the Solitaire. I
routinely output digital files to transparency, color
negative, and B&W. These are generally restricted to 35mm,
but can be used for larger film stocks. A "4K" film recorder
output to 35mm produces a negatives usable up to 11 X 14.

Other "high-tech" film recorders such as Kodak's Premier,
any of several LVT (light valve technology) models, and a
few other recorders exist for larger...up to 11 X 14"
contone film negs. These machines are relatively slow,
expensive to operate, and produce wonderful results. I'll
use one of these if I need a larger (16 X 20+) photograph
from my computer files. They are pretty expensive...$95 for
a 4X5.

I'll place two images into one 4X5 file that produces 2
6X7cm images and cut the cost by half.

Darryl Baird