Chicago Albumen Works

The Chicago Albumen Works offers institutions and photographers the ability to convert high resolution digital files to traditional, archivally processed, silver halide films, using LVT film recorders.

LVT film recorders, manufactured first by Kodak, and later by Durst/Dice, are the pinnacle of large format film recorder technology. CAW has three such film recorders. They can produce film outputs up to 8x10" at 3048 ppi and up to 16x20" at 1524 ppi.


CAW's digital-to-film services are used by:

	Institutions that want an archival, human-readable object to provide security for their digital assets

	Institutions that are digitizing for access, but still want the ability to make traditional prints

	Photographers who need enlarged negatives for use with a specific contact printing medium

	Photographers who need to repair blemishes or want to engage in extensive image manipulation

	before making traditional prints by contact or enlargement

	Photographers who shoot digital, but need traditional film negatives

At CAW:

	Films used for LVT outputs are traditional silver halide films such Ilford FP4+ and Ilford Ortho.


	Films are archivally processed. Processing lines are regularly tested for consistency and residual hypo, using methylene blue testing by an outside lab.


	LVT negatives are truly continuous tone. They show no pixels, raster lines, or stochastic patterns.


	All files receive a selected output curve prior to exposure. These custom curves allow the LVT to produce negatives that will print easily to a selected media. The intent is to bridge and match the screen image to the final print image.



	All films are processed to a density range appropriate to the printing material that will be used.

	We can output from your files or ours. We can also digitize and deliver the file to you for editing, and produce the LVT output when we get it back.

	Files may be sent to us via a cloud-based sharing service of your choice or uploaded to our FTP server. Please contact us for a unique user name and password.


Photographic films (color or b/w) exposed on LVT film recorders are not to be confused with other digitally produced negatives such as ink jet outputs on Pictorico OHP film or outputs using HP's Large Format Photo Negative application. LVT outputs are on conventional silver film and bear all the visual, printing and archival attributes of any traditional photographic film.