AZO Dyes
A highly stable dye used in the emulsion of Ilfochrome Classic prints. The purity of these dyes is responsible for the rich, saturated look of the prints. By incorporating them in the emulsion of the paper instead of the chemistry it is processed in, the dyes act as an anti-light scattering layer during exposure, resulting in a sharper image. The dyes are selectively removed in the bleach bath, to a degree determined by the exposure and the processing in the developer.
Bleed
When an image is printed to the edge of a piece of paper, it is said to bleed to the edge.
Burning
A technique for selective lightening of an area of a print by giving it additional exposure. This is accomplished usually by blocking the projected image during exposure using the printer's hands, creating a small opening with them to let the light fall only on the selected image area. Because the hands cast a soft-edged shadow, this limits the ability to burn in small areas accurately. Sometimes this can be worked around by cutting an appropriately shaped hole in a piece of thin cardboard to wave over the picture. See Dodging.
Contrast
The range of tonality of an image. A high contrast picture is one with detail in dark shadows as well as bright highlights. A low contrast picture is lacking in either bright highlights or dark shadows, or both, with only the midrange represented. Photographic film can hold a higher range of contrasts than can printing paper. A high contrast slide will usually print with some loss of shadow and highlight detail unless extra steps are taken, such as dodging and burning, the use of a contrast mask, or by utilizing printing paper with different contrast ranges.
Custom cropping
Cropping of the final image to create a specific print shape, usually for aesthetic reasons or to remove a scratched or damaged part of an image. See Full frame and Standard cropping.
Dodging
Holding back an area of an image during exposure to darken it. Done with the hands or a dodging tool, usually a thin piece of wire with a rough edged round shape on one end that casts a diffuse edged shadow on the paper. See Burning.
Dynamic range
Another term for the contrast range of an image. See Contrast.
Exact size
If you have a predetermined size in mind for an image, perhaps to fit within a specific window mat opening, give us the exact size you need, allowing for a slight overlap of the window to cover the borders (we recommend and additional quarter-inch minimum in both dimensions.) This exact size may require cropping of the image to achieve.
Exposure index
A term that gives an indication of the speed, or sensitivity to light, of photographic film. The higher the number, the faster, or more sensitive, a film is. With slide film, if you set the exposure index (E.I.) too high, the film will look darker (underexposed.) Setting it too low will result in overexposed pictures that look too light. Experiment with slight adjustments to the manufacturer's recommended E.I. to achieve the look you desire.
Full frame
A full frame print is one in which the whole image is printed, with no significant cropping, on the chosen paper size. Because of differences in the height to width ratio of film formats and paper sizes, this usually results in borders on two sides of the print. See the addendum at the end of this glossary for approximate sizes of some popular film formats on common paper sizes.
Internegative
An internegative is made by duping a positive slide or transparency onto color negative film. The internegative can then be printed on color negative (Type "C") paper. Negative printing materials have lower contrast than do positive papers, but the internegative process will reduce overall sharpness and color saturation.
Pearl surface
There are two surfaces of Ilfochrome Classic printing material. Pearl is a slightly textured matte finish on a resin-coated paper base. It is less susceptible to reflections and fingerprints than the glossy surface and is easier to mount, but is only available in one (medium) contrast grade. It is not considered archival.
Masking
A technique for controlling contrast in the printed image. A detailed explanation of contrast masking is available on its own Web page.
Slides
Typically, the word slides refers to mounted 35mm positive transparencies. Often, it used to mean a positive transparency of any size or format and is used to distinguish positive films from negative films. Ilfochrome Classic is a positive print material, i.e., it will reproduce what is projected onto it. If you project a color negative, the print will not look like the original scene, but will have a strong orange tinge and its colors reversed, just like the negative itself does.
Standard cropping
Since the length to width ratio of film may be different than the standard paper sizes, if a picture is wanted with the image print to all four sides, some cropping may be necessary. Standard cropping refers to the minimum crop necessary to fill the paper. Typically, a 35mm slide will require cropping about 20% from the long dimension. See addendum.
Transparency film
Synonymous with slide film. As distinguished from negative film. See Slides.
Type "C"
A general reference to color prints made from color negatives.
Type "R"
A general reference to color prints made from positive slides and transparencies. May refer to various direct-from-slide printing papers from Kodak and Fuji or others. Ilfochrome Classic printing can be considered a subset of Type "R" printing, but is usually referred to by name (or as Cibachrome) since its unique properties set it apart from other Type "R" processes.
Addendum
Full frame print dimensions of common film formats on standard paper sizes. All dimensions are approximate and assume bleeding to at least two edges of the print.
Full frame image size for 35mm Paper size Full frame 5x8 5x7.5 8x10 6.75x10 11x14 9.25x14 16x20 13.25x20 20x24 16x24
For 2 1/4" by 2 3/4" (6x7 cm) and 4"x5" film, the image will print very close to the paper size for 8x10, 11x14, 16x20 and 20x24. Film in the 6x4.5 cm format will print about 7 1/4" x 10" on 8x10 paper with correspondingly larger borders on the other sizes.