Ilfochrome

ART FACTS
"WHAT IS AN ILFOCHROME?"
by Anita Winstanley-Roark
in The Artistic Forum

ILFOCHROME (also known as CIBACHROME) was developed by the Ciba-Geigy Corporation of Switzerland in the 1960s. It is a positive-to-positive color printing process which takes an original positive (slide) transparency and creates an original positive print image while retaining a first generation sharpness without the need for an internegative (a negative from a slide).

Other processes such as negative printing processes, "Type R" processes offered by Kodak, Fuji and others, are often referred to as chromogenic processes. These processes use color dyes that are in the chemistry. These color dyes then interact with the developer to form a color image on the paper.

With the Ilfochrome Classic the dyes are built into the paper and are bleached out selectively in processing. These dyes are called AZO dyes and are known for their vivid color, stability, and longevity.

Ilfochrome Classic prints are renown for their archival qualities, rich colors, and sharpness. This sharpness is due to the fact that the dyes are in the paper, not in the chemistry, and the dyes in the emulsion act as an anti-light scattering layer. Because of this, the projected image does not spread out as it penetrates and exposes the emulsion.

Unlike chromogenic processes, which create greater quantities of toxic dyes, this process is also more environmentally friendly as it does not waste chemistry. The fixer is conventional and processed after use for silver removal while the developer used for the Ilfochrome process is similar to that used in black and white processes. In the bleach step any sulfuric acid used is neutralized with sodium bicarbonate before disposal and contains no toxic substances after it has been treated.

What's the Ilfochrome Classic difference? The I.C. photographic printing process is unique because the azo-metallic dyes used to reproduce the color image are built into the paper itself. They are manufactured using precise factory standards resulting in very pure, extremely stable dyes. Ilford is so confident about the archival qualities of I.C. that, under certain conditions , they will guarantee your prints against fading for 200 years. No written description can reflect the rich, deep saturated colors produced using this process, you'll just have to see the difference.

Ilfochrome was developed by the Ciba-Geigy Corporation of Switzerland in the1960s. It is a color print material for printing directly from color transparency film, without the need of an internegative. Other methods of printing from slides, such as the "Type R" processes offered by Kodak, Fuji and others, as well as negative printing processes, are often referred to as chromogenic processes. In these processes, color dyes are in the chemistry and interact with the developer to form the color image on the paper. In Ilfochrome Classic, the dyes are built into the paper, and are bleached out selectively in processing. The dyes used are called AZO dyes and they are known for their exceptional stability and color purity. Ilfochrome Classic prints are known for both their archival qualities (best of any common color printing material) and their rich, saturated colors. When you compare them to other prints, they are also noticeably sharper and this is directly due to the dyes being in the paper, not in the chemistry. By incorporating the AZO dyes in the emulsion, they act as an anti-light scattering layer, keeping the projected image from spreading out as it penetrates and exposes the emulsion.