Fuji Hunt at Photokina 2006: covering all the options

While photochemistry remains the backbone of Fuji Hunt’s product ranges, the company’s Inkjet Solutions division has also been progressing rapidly, and the company’s presence at Photokina will be reflecting this advance. Utilising part of parent company Fuji Photo Film’s stand – Stand 9, Hall 4.2 facing the main entrance to the halls – Fuji Hunt will be displaying and demonstrating a wide selection of its products.

The flagship of the Inkjet Division is the FUJIFILM/EPSON Stylus Pro range of inkjet printers which represent the leading edge of photographic inkjet printing. The Stylus Pro portfolio of models – 4800, 7800 and 9800 – allow users to output any size up to their maximum formats which range from A3+ (329x483mm, 13x19ins) to B0+ (1118x1565mm, 44x102ins) with roll and sheet fed capability, and to print on a wide range of materials including high quality photo and art media.

In addition to featuring EPSON’s Micro Piezo printhead technology which delivers ink from microscopic nozzles measuring a fraction of the diameter of a human hair to enable greater precision for finely detailed images, the Stylus Pro systems feature the eight-ink UltraChrome K3 inkset. This includes three black inks – a choice of Photo Black (PK) or Matt Black (MK), plus Light Black (LK) and Light Light Black (LLK) – thereby making them of special interest to the photo/imaging sector as they offer true photo quality.

The recently expanded range of inkjet media developed by Fujifilm, which now includes Fine Art Museum Baryt paper, Fine Art Museum Smooth RAG paper, and HD White Cotton Canvas, has set new standards in inkjet output – particularly when used for display, fine art and exhibition work in both black-and-white and colour. These media take the benchmark for high quality reproduction to an even greater level, providing the perfect basis for optimum quality prints which bring to life the vivacity of original images.

Further advancing the use of large format printers will be the new Stingray bulk ink delivery system which has been created for use with Mutoh, Mimaki and Roland printers. The system incorporates an array of 1-litre bottles of Fujifilm Sericol solvent inks which represent a saving on traditional cartridges of around 40 per cent.

Fuji Hunt’s proven expertise in developing specialist printing software has been extended to producing new software for the Fujifilm DPC-XL Digital Print Centre kiosk system which the company will now be distributing.

In addition to its inbuilt process for large format printing via the DPC-XL kiosk when connected to an inkjet printer and its overall upgrade of handling facilities, this software incorporates Fujifilm’s Image Intelligence technology which is included in the latest Frontier minilabs. This provides advanced templates for creating calendars, frames, approved passport pictures, and other aids to enhancing the services which retailers can offer to their customers.

"These advances put the Fujifilm DPC-XL kiosk at the leading edge of kiosk technology, thereby enabling retailers to spread their offering to encompass a wide range of services not available on other systems," says European marketing manager Charles Henniker-Heaton. "They equip the outlet with the facilities for broadening its customer base to include other businesses and organisations, as well as trading up its enthusiast and family photographer clients."

FUJIFILM F HL, the recently announced Fujifilm holography film introduced last month at the international symposium on holography in St Asaph, North Wales, has caused a stir among some of world’s leading experts on holography due to its exceptionally high ranking in terms of quality, ability, and facility. No other holographic silver halide film compares with FUJIFILM F HL in its speed, consistency and sheer quality of result.

A major aspect of this film, for which Fuji Hunt is the exclusive EAMER (Europe, Africa, Middle East Regions) distributor, is its flexibility of application in being able to provide the best possible results whatever the intended use, be it in art, advertising, science, medical, marketing, displays and any other application where high quality 3D imaging is essential.

Leading the photochemistry element of Fuji Hunt’s Photokina participation will be prime examples of the on-going and unmatched ‘evolution, revolution, quality and customer consciousness’ philosophy practised within Fuji Photo and Fuji Hunt.

The main areas of focus here will be the very latest chemical product innovation for Frontier 340-550-570-590 digital minilabs, the complete line of specially configured packs for users of virtually every type and make of minilab, the unrivalled product performance of CPRA Pro Digital for prolabs, and overall improvements in quality and environmental consideration for the entire product line.

On the minilab platform, Fuji Hunt’s dedicated R&D facilities have enabled the company to widen it’s unique ‘high technological’ product offering to it’s own brand of photochemistry for Fujifilm Frontier digital and analogue minilabs. In addition, the already established Fuji Hunt product offering has been further expanded to provide a guaranteed supply of processing solutions for a wide range of minilab systems, thus relieving the concerns of many owners who have been worrying about appropriate supplies to ensure their future business.

To secure the business of minilab owners who feel restricted in the choice of specially configured photochemistry systems for their equipment, Fuji Hunt is now offering the appropriately packed chemicals designed for use with all brands of liquid type film and paper processing minilabs (analogue and digital) such as Noritsu, Agfa (d-lab series as well as Agfa’s MSC processors), Konica, Kis Photo-Me and other brands of processors.

Excellent news for users of the high speed Frontier digital minilabs is the introduction of a more environmentally friendly CP-49 chemical pack. Detailed technical information will be released during Photokina.

Proving the point on Fujifilm/Fuji Hunt being recognised as market leaders in innovative, high technology products and the preferred partner of many for long term cooperation is the decision by Noritsu to have its latest high performance digital minilabs supporting the Fujifilm CP-49E chemical system.

The Fuji Hunt processes are air controlled, producing beautifully clean whites with saturated blacks and colours, while providing excellent oxidation resistance and process stability.

One of Fuji Hunt’s flagships in the prolab market is the unique CPRA Digital Pro Developer AC which, since it’s introduction, has become the standard in the industry and has established a major advance for prolabs which use digital printers, such as the Durst Lambda, Theta and Epsilon, Océ Lightjet, ZBE Chromira, Polielettronica LaserLab, etc, for outputting to photographic paper.

The two-part Digital Pro Air Controlled developer, which already features high activity, clean working, secured whiteness and enhanced definition, plus largely improved Dmax values on paper and display material, is fully complemented by the new CPRA Digital Pro Bleach-Fix AC created for use in medium and large format paper processors.

This new bleach-fix has excellent resistance to oxidation in low throughput conditions, and guarantees the clean whites with which Digital Pro has become associated.

Looking after both prolabs and minilabs is Fuji Hunt’s famed OASIS Pro system for setting and maintaining quality control over all aspects of film and paper processing. OASIS (Open Analytical Service & Information System) was the first, and remains the leading, diagnostic computer-controlled in-depth process for maintaining and controlling a processor’s level of operation to ensure consistency throughout.

It covers all aspects of the process, from chemistry mix to timing, from film characteristics and exposure calculations to comparisons between processors and graphical display of sensitometry and chemical regeneration. All are coordinated to provide the best possible results.

Be part of the Fuji Hunt family – be at Photokina 2006 and make a visit to the Fuji Hunt stand your priority.