Closest to Cibachrome/Ilfochrome "look"?

[Deardorff]

I have a number of older Cibachrome/Ilfochrome classic prints that look good. A look I could not match with anything, not even Fuji SuperGloss prints. Ciba coupled with Fuji 50 chrome film was a combination I really liked.

Have not found a digital print media yet that has that "look".

I have found a few prints on metal that come closer to the Cibachrome prints than anything else I have seen. Will get a few done for a comparison. But - anyone else printingdigitally on metal or media that can match that Cibachrome look?

[Dan Wells]

I can think of three options in addition to metal prints, all of which have limited print life. One is something that only a lab can do, a second is something you would do at home, and the third might be done either way. Maybe we can get Mark from Aardenburg to weigh in on longevity

The first is one of the glossiest LightJet or Lambda options - I'm not sure if the Fuji SuperGloss you've tried is the glossiest option there is, but I've seen some really impressive high-gloss prints from that technology at PhotoPlus over the years. It certainly gets glossier than any normal mini lab print. Only large labs have these half-million dollar machines, but they must be fast, because the print cost is pretty reasonable - it certainly varies by how much care the lab puts into it, but it seems to average half or 2/3 of a comparably-sized pigment inkjet print.

The second option is a weird inkjet media I last used years ago - I don't know if it's still around, and it had a major drawback - it wouldn't print with pigment inks. B+H still lists it - it's called Pictorico Pro Hi-Gloss White Film for Inkjet Printing (be careful - Pictorico also makes overhead transparency film, and you want the white film if you want to display it like a print). The largest size listed at B+H is 13x19 - but I'm not sure where you'd find a dye-ink photo printer larger than that anyway! If I were to try printing on this stuff with a modern printer, I might use a Canon Pixma Pro-100 - I don't know of any other printer with 8 dye inks. There's almost always a rebate on those, to the point that they really don't cost anything (but you're out the rebate for however long it takes Canon to send it). Right now, B+H has the printer for $400 minus a $250 rebate, for a total of $150 - and they include $50 worth of Canon Luster paper (use it before printing on the expensive Pictorico, which is $81.95 for only 20 sheets). If you buy a Canon DSLR, the printer gets even cheaper - occasionally, you'll pull the price of the DSLR down (after rebates) by agreeing to take the printer! Because of this, Pro-100s turn up still in the box on eBay and the like all the time.
One B+H review claims they've gotten Pictorico to print on a pigment printer (counter-intuitively, by using matte black ink). I had some around when I first got into pigment printing 15 years ago, and I tried it - ink wiped right off! At least then, it was what was called a swellable polymer media, which are dye only... Of course, either the Pictorico or (less likely) pigment inks could have been reformulated since then. As far as I know, pigment inks still don't work with swellable polymer media (but pigment printers are so common that swellable media have become relatively rare). Other than Pictorico (if it still is), about the only place you still see them is cheap glossy photo paper.

The third option is some kind of backlit transparency. There are versions of these that work with pigment printers (in sheets and rolls up to some enormous width), and most labs will print them for you. Of course, they're a pain to display.

[Stngoldberg]

I can think of three options in addition to metal prints, all of which have limited print life. One is something that only a lab can do, a second is something you would do at home, and the third might be done either way. Maybe we can get Mark from Aardenburg to weigh in on longevity

The first is one of the glossiest LightJet or Lambda options - I'm not sure if the Fuji SuperGloss you've tried is the glossiest option there is, but I've seen some really impressive high-gloss prints from that technology at PhotoPlus over the years. It certainly gets glossier than any normal mini lab print. Only large labs have these half-million dollar machines, but they must be fast, because the print cost is pretty reasonable - it certainly varies by how much care the lab puts into it, but it seems to average half or 2/3 of a comparably-sized pigment inkjet print.

The second option is a weird inkjet media I last used years ago - I don't know if it's still around, and it had a major drawback - it wouldn't print with pigment inks. B+H still lists it - it's called Pictorico Pro Hi-Gloss White Film for Inkjet Printing (be careful - Pictorico also makes overhead transparency film, and you want the white film if you want to display it like a print). The largest size listed at B+H is 13x19 - but I'm not sure where you'd find a dye-ink photo printer larger than that anyway! If I were to try printing on this stuff with a modern printer, I might use a Canon Pixma Pro-100 - I don't know of any other printer with 8 dye inks. There's almost always a rebate on those, to the point that they really don't cost anything (but you're out the rebate for however long it takes Canon to send it). Right now, B+H has the printer for $400 minus a $250 rebate, for a total of $150 - and they include $50 worth of Canon Luster paper (use it before printing on the expensive Pictorico, which is $81.95 for only 20 sheets). If you buy a Canon DSLR, the printer gets even cheaper - occasionally, you'll pull the price of the DSLR down (after rebates) by agreeing to take the printer! Because of this, Pro-100s turn up still in the box on eBay and the like all the time.
One B+H review claims they've gotten Pictorico to print on a pigment printer (counter-intuitively, by using matte black ink). I had some around when I first got into pigment printing 15 years ago, and I tried it - ink wiped right off! At least then, it was what was called a swellable polymer media, which are dye only... Of course, either the Pictorico or (less likely) pigment inks could have been reformulated since then. As far as I know, pigment inks still don't work with swellable polymer media (but pigment printers are so common that swellable media have become relatively rare). Other than Pictorico (if it still is), about the only place you still see them is cheap glossy photo paper.

The third option is some kind of backlit transparency. There are versions of these that work with pigment printers (in sheets and rolls up to some enormous width), and most labs will print them for you. Of course, they're a pain to display.

I’ve printed prictorico pro hi-gloss white film with pigment ink very successfully on numerous occasions. Recommend using white gloves to handles the film after printing, the results are outstanding
Stanley

[mearussi]

Nothing matches Cibachrome, but there are a few things that come close. The first is the metal print you've already made, the second would be face mounted acrylic (some would place that first), third is the white polyester film mentioned above, and last is a good metallic paper print (Breathing Color Vibrance Metallic is the most intense I've found so far). 

The first two need to be done by a professional service but the last two you can do on your own printer.

[Dan Wells]

The mention of metallic prints reminded me of another paper I'd just seen at PhotoPlus, which might be worth a look. Moab has long had a Metallic Silver paper (prints with standard PK ink, but tough to profile, looks good only on very specific images - they show it with vintage cars and motorcycles). At this year's show, I also saw their Metallic Pearl, which is a very glossy, metallic paper, but not over the top like the Silver. I could see printing a certain type of landscape image on it, while I'd have a tough time imagining what I might do with the Silver (unless it was a weird winter image). The Pearl reminded me somewhat of an Ilfochrome.
Face mounting to acrylic is also worth checking out, although very expensive to have done. I've never had a face mounted print made, but I noticed that Bay Photo, whom I've had luck with in the past, does face mounting. A 12x18 print is about $90 with the mounting, and a 24x36 is over $200.
There are videos showing how to do it yourself online, and acrylic is relatively cheap, but it requires a roller laminator, which is almost as large as a wide format printer, and not that much less expensive. It's a serious commitment, and it doesn't look easy, but possibly worth learning if you're going to sell these prints - a 24x36" piece of acrylic is $32 or so at Frame Destination, the print costs ~$12.00 if you have a printer (everybody seems to use standard luster papers from Epson, Canon, LexJet, etc.), there's $3 or so worth of adhesive sheet, and a lab will sell it over $200. You'll ruin a few from the looks of the video, but once you get the hang of it, you can save $150 per print at that size. 10 - 12 big face mount prints will pay for the laminator.

Dan

[Richard.Wills]

Part of the Ciba look is down to the polyester base, which is incredibly flat and smooth. A similar base is used in many pop-up display materials. Something like the Harman OpalJet 300, which has a slightly metallic gloss, can be printed on with a regular pigment printer. This can then be laminated with an ultra gloss polyester laminate, to produce an image that is 95% of the way towards a Cibachrome.

The result is pretty good, and can be really enhanced by mounting to aluminium, for a dead flat print. You do have to be really careful about dust - the slightest speck will ruin the effect.