C-Type
Otherwise known as a Chromogenic Colour or Colour Coupler print, C-Type is the generic name for a modern colour print. Colour sensitive layers of emulsion on the paper respond to the colour information in the negative when light is shone through it. After the initial development, chemical compounds called dye couplers are added to form a layer of hues that produce the full colour image.

Digital C-Type / Lambda / Lightjet
The Lambda, or Lightjet, is a C-type printed from a digital image file (captured digitally or scanned from a print or film). The image is projected onto light sensitive paper using sophisticated laser technology.

Editions
An edition is a predetermined number of prints at a specific size from a single image. An edition print should be of exhibition quality and will be individually numbered (e.g. 5/10), signed and dated, either on the print itself or on an accompanying certificate. Often an ‘Artist Proof’will exist separate to the edition and is usually the first or last to be printed. Editioning is more common among contemporary photographers and gives the collector an assurance
of authenticity.

Gelatin Silver Print
Known as the most common form of black and white printing. Photosensitive particles called silver halides are suspended in a thin layer of gelatin on paper. When the paper is exposed and processed, the particles react and change according to the concentration and brilliance of the light.

Inkjet or Giclée Print
Inkjet prints, also know as Giclée prints, are produced from a digital image file by a computer driven printer that
sprays minute droplets of ink onto paper. The term ‘inkjet’ covers everything from cheap throwaway prints to exquisite works printed on fine paper. The development of stable, archival inks and dedicated papers is ensuring the popularity of these prints.

Iris Print
Similar to an inkjet but produced on a machine that spins the paper on a drum. This process uses similar inks to inkjets and is sometimes referred to as a Giclée print.

Lith Print
Different to lithographic printing, a Lith print is made by over-exposing the print and then under-developing it using powerful Lith chemistry. Usually printed from black and white negatives, Lith prints are typically grainy and contrasty, with dark shadows and soft highlights, and can take on different hues depending on the paper and age of the chemistry used

Platinum Print
A form of black and white printing that uses platinum instead of silver salts. Platinum is reduced from light sensitive iron salts to form an image as platinum particles become embedded in the paper. Known for their wide range of subtle tonal variations and fine grain, platinum prints have a significantly longer life expectancy than silver prints. Palladium is often used as an alternative to platinum, giving similar results.

Polaroid
Polaroid is film that develops moments after exposure giving an instant positive or negative print that is completely unique. Polaroid has many creative possibilities. Artists experiment with emulsion lifts and image transfer. Emulsions lifts involve soaking the Polaroid in hot water and separating the emulsion from the photographic
paper. The emulsion can then be shaped or stretched onto a new piece of paper and worked into using paint and other media. Image transfer is where the Polaroid is prematurely peeled and then placed against a new receptor paper to develop normally.

R-Type
A colour print made by the reversal process from a positive film (transparency or slide), you can also print from positive film using Ilfochrome, which incorporates a dye-bleach process, resulting in purer and more permanent colour.

Modern Print
A print produced a significant amount of time after the photograph was taken. For example a 1950’s print reprinted in 2000.

Vintage Print
A print produced within 5 years of the making of the negative. Valuable to collectors as it is thought to demonstrate the photographer’s initial intention, the print will perhaps reflect process-based trends from the time when the photograph was taken. A vintage print may not be the best quality of print available of the desired image, but is sought after due to its telling properties.