Inquiry to the Fulton Offset printing process, developed at Dual Graphics

not sure what this means

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not sure what this means

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[bellimages]

I have been working on a portfolio book for the last couple of years. In talking with John Sexton about his books, and those of Don Worth (which I own), I learned that they were all printed at Dual Graphics. I got a quote from them two years ago, but unfortunately they are no longer in business. This seems to the the trend with US book printers. They refined a process called Fultone printing. It adds depth not seen in ordinary offset printing. The prints look as though they came from a darkroom. Do any of you know of another printer in the US that can print at this level of quality?

PLEASE email me directly, as I don't log on here very often.

WEB: www.bellimages.com
EMAIL: bellimages@mac.com

[arobinson7547]

I recommend bringing the discussion to the Forum; instead of bringing the Forum to you.

If only to let others benefit from any findings.

[bellimages]

I recommend bringing the discussion to the Forum; instead of bringing the Forum to you.

If only to let others benefit from any findings.

Good point. Agree.

[arobinson7547]

I think the US trend is using HP Indigo Presses; where pretty much high end Digital Presses.
What I read described in the Process you quoted is Offset Printing with a 'Bump Plate" or N-Color Printing where the color are CMYKLk  CMYKGray, CMYK with one or two more colors.

Kodak use to have a printed book that had the Riches Black & White Prints I had ever seen. They literally added one or two extra Black inks. The results were stunning.

I think you've really stumbled onto something and I would consider such a process, QUITE unique. It's just not many people doing such things in offset, these days.

[fgorga]

I don't know anything about that specific process. 

However,  you might consider contacting Brooks Jensen at LensWork Publishing. 

He puts out high end printed books and magazines with, if memory serves,  a tri-tone process using a printer in Vancouver,  BC.

[Ernst Dinkla]

I have been working on a portfolio book for the last couple of years. In talking with John Sexton about his books, and those of Don Worth (which I own), I learned that they were all printed at Dual Graphics. I got a quote from them two years ago, but unfortunately they are no longer in business. This seems to the the trend with US book printers. They refined a process called Fultone printing. It adds depth not seen in ordinary offset printing. The prints look as though they came from a darkroom. Do any of you know of another printer in the US that can print at this level of quality?

PLEASE email me directly, as I don't log on here very often.

WEB: www.bellimages.com
EMAIL: bellimages@mac.com

Their webpages are still there: https://www.dualgraphics.com  ?

https://photobookjournal.com/2017/05/09/dual-graphics-fultone-printing/ describes the different print processes they use. Maximum seems to be 6 ink stations offset on a Heidelberger (I gather two monochrome inks then + possibly an extra color or varnish) and the other option HP Indigo 12000 which can have 7 inks. This is an digital electrostatic printing system but unlike in Xerox's original process the toner is a liquid emulsion. I always thought that a CMYKkkk should be possible for fine B&W books on that machine. With only CMYK it will not be up to the best CMYK offset printing presses though.

More offset print companies will offer neutral duotone or tritone printing for photo books though. I agree devotion to B&W photography of the staff/owners is needed.

My favorite printing process for photos is gravure; rotogravure or sheet-fed gravure. I collect books printed that way but it will be hard to find companies that will do that kind of photo book printing today.  Big runs of magazines in the past and today mainly packaging printing including print on polymer films uses the rotogravure process. Commercial sheet fed gravure printing has died completely AFAIK, what goes by that name uses a polymer plate technology where the naps vary less in depth . There was a company in Bilbao, Spain, that decades ago did photo book printing on sheet-fed gravure presses.

What would come close is inkjet printing. Page wide inkjet printing with four monochrome inks could be an excellent printing process for B&W photo books IMHO. Either web or sheet based. Commercially viable if everything around it is set up like Blurb etc but then pricing related to the better quality.
 

Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst Dinkla

https://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm

"For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong." H. L. Mencken