Art Term

Dye destruction print

A dye destruction print (Cibachrome print, Ilfochrome print) is a print made using a photographic printing process in which colour dyes embedded in the paper are selectively bleached away (destroyed) to form a full-colour image

The paper used for this process has at least three emulsion layers and each layer is sensitised to a primary additive colour of light. The layers contain a dye related to that colour. During exposure to a colour transparency, each layer records different information about the colour make-up of the image, and in development the silver and unnecessary dyes are destroyed to form the image. Dye destruction prints are characterised by their vibrant colour and durability.

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