Although the worldwide movement from black and white to color images began in the 1930s with the introduction of Kodachrome film, a practical and affordable method of making prints arrived only in the 1940s with the first chromogenic printing materials. In this process, chemicals in the paper itself react with chemicals in the developer to generate the dyes that make up the image, hence the name chromogenic. In 1955 Eastman Kodak marketed a type of chromogenic paper called “Type C.” The name stuck and to this day chromogenic color prints are also known as C-prints or Type C prints. Chromogenic materials manufactured in the late 1970s had serious issues with fading and several law suits were brought against Eastman Kodak by irate customers. Even when stored in the dark, chromogenic prints from this period have suffered deterioration. Materials manufactured today, however, have excellent longevity, especially if the substrate is polyester as it is in the Fujiflex material from Fuji Photo Company.
FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY