Duratrans - advice on file printing and file preparation...?

[Dinarius]

The Duratrans material I've seen has a matte side and a glossy side.

Can you print on both sides?

I've seen prints made on the matt side. They can look a bit flat - though this is reduced somewhat by the sheen of the Perspex sheet that's put over the Duratrans on a lighbox.

Any advice on file preparation for Duratrans printing?

Thanks.

D.

[Garnick]

The Duratrans material I've seen has a matte side and a glossy side.

Can you print on both sides?

I've seen prints made on the matt side. They can look a bit flat - though this is reduced somewhat by the sheen of the Perspex sheet that's put over the Duratrans on a lighbox.

Any advice on file preparation for Duratrans printing?

Thanks.

.

Although it's been quite a few years since I have printed on Duratrans material, I do recall that there was at least some degree of latitude in the process which could be used to overcome the "flat" appearance.  Of course as with any colour process one has to be careful to compensate for the slight adjustments in the processing time in either direction, but with a bit of experiment one could usually determine a good starting point for the first test print/strip.  It was a rather slippery slope(no pun intended), since the RA process could be demanding if all parameters were not adhered to, but with enough experience it could be done with no apparent adverse effects.  Of course if the negative was overly flat that could not be overcome completely, but it could certainly be mitigated to some extent.  I once visited another lab and was shown some of the Duratrans they had been producing and selling to the local hydro power Utility for shots of the Utility buildings etc.  I could hardly stop myself for asking if the Utility actually bought the stuff, but I did at least manage not to voice an opinion on that day.  After seeing the RA processor I asked if they had altered the drive motor for Duratrans.  Their "NO" reply answered all of my questions, since Duratrans required exactly twice the processing time of "C" prints, and of course cutting that time in half had produced some rather terrible results.  The other part of that scenario was that they didn't seem to notice how bad their product looked and how much better it could be if approached properly.  If you are perhaps looking at having Duratrans prints from your image files I would suggest that you find a lab that will work with you to discover the best approach to processing your files for the best results.  It can be a very good way of displaying your images as long as the Duratrans process is in good condition and the QC is up to date.  The one aspect that was not available when I was running Duratrans is the fact that one can now do all of the necessary adjustments in the file itself and then let the Durstrans take care of the rest.

Gary             

[Wayne Fox]

The Duratrans material I've seen has a matte side and a glossy side.

Can you print on both sides?

I've seen prints made on the matt side. They can look a bit flat - though this is reduced somewhat by the sheen of the Perspex sheet that's put over the Duratrans on a lighbox.

Any advice on file preparation for Duratrans printing?

Thanks.

D.

If you are talking about real Duratrans, it is a photo emulsion material that is printed and processed chemically.  You can only print on the emulsion side. It is printed with laser based chromogenic printers such as a Lambda or ZBE Chromira. Because the base is a milky white, you can only display the emulsion side out.  I haven’t printed any duratrans for a long time, so I don’t even recall the surface characteristics.  Duraclear could theoretically be displayed emulsion out or emulsion in since the base is clear, so perhaps one side has more of a matt appearance, but either product should be protected by glazing which would pretty much nullify much of any matt appearance.

as far as file preparation, the material is designed to be displayed with transmitted light, so it’s tough to judge the correct density.  Sometimes you have to add density to the image to avoid a washed out look, really depends on what type of Lightbox is used to display the print.

As mentioned by Gary, Duratrans isn’t necessarily just a drop into a traditional lab workflow and print, although current duratrans is designed to be processed in a standard RA-4 processor (unlike the previous generation which required double the time in the developer). There are some labs quite experienced with it, although they tend to be graphic and sign companies where the expected final quality isn’t as demanding.

I’m not sure how popular Duratrans is anymore since there are several very viable inkjet based alternatives which are much easier to work with.