Discover the world of Original Photo Print By Fujifilm

There is so much to discover. Not just our photographic paper, with its unprecedented quality. Fujifilm itself also requires a closer acquaintance. Meet the market leader here. The philosophy, the standards, and the vision. For example, on sustainability. Meet creativity, quality, and knowledge. As we want to meet yours.

New Backprints on our photo paper line up

At FUJIFILM, we have been a partner of FSC since 2017. From that year on, more and more of our photo papers have been certified with the FSC label. We strongly believe it is very important that the use of our beautiful papers does not contribute to global deforestation.

The FSC Certification confirms that the forests providing raw materials for our papers are being managed in a way that preserves biological diversity and benefits the lives of local people and workers, while ensuring it sustains economic viability. FSC-certified forests are managed to strict environmental, social and economic standards.

At this moment 100% of the papers produced in the largest photo paper factory in the world (Fujifilm Tilburg, NL) are FSC Certified. So now is the time to show this to all partners that work with our papers and all customers who enjoy the end products in the form of photo prints, photo books, wall decoration and so much more. The best way to do that is by adding the FSC Trademark to our backprints.

You can recognize a FUJIFILM employee quite easily. When pictures are shown by friends and family, most often the first thing we do is to have a quick look at the backside of the picture. In many cases, a backprint is present where we prefer to see FUJIFILM, knowing we can be sure of high-quality prints. In addition to the brand logo, the paper type is also mentioned. In the 40 years that photo paper has been produced in Tilburg, many types have been added to the portfolio in various categories such as Sharing for consumer prints and Professional for exhibiting photography in art galleries. All recognizable by their own backprint.

Silver Halide technology, how it works

Each and every one of our Original Photo Paper products leverages our traditional silver halide technology. The emulsion is embedded in gelatine, protecting your prints against chemical degradation, sun damage and discolouration, and ensuring your memories stay vibrant for years to come.

When light hits the silver halide crystals in our Original Photo Paper, it creates a latent image in the three different colour-sensitive layers (RGB). Through a chemical process, the latent image is infused into the paper, creating a full-colour image – all without using a drop of ink. During the bleach fix process the colours are stabilised. And finally the print is washed and dried, resulting in sharper, vivid colours, continuous tonality and long-lasting durability.

Silver and Original Photo Paper

Within this article we will provide more information on the development process of our Original Photo Papers and provide a more in-depth explanation of silver recovery. Why do we need silver in our paper? How does it get out of the paper? How does the process work and what are the silver recovery rates? Keep reading and you will find out.

Silver is an essential component for the quality of prints on Original Photo Paper. The silver is part of the photographic layer, embedded in gelatine. When the Silver (Silver Halide Crystals) in the Photographic paper is exposed, a latent image is created by means of an RGB exposure system. The photographic paper is then put through an RA4 development process using a developer and a bleach-fix to create the image on the paper. During this process, the cyan, magenta, and yellow dyes are formed in the three different layers.

How does the silver get out of the paper?
During the RA4 development process, approximately 99% of the silver present in the photo is removed. But where does it all go?
Most of this silver, around 96%, ends up in the bleach-fix solution, where it forms complexes with thiosulphate ions. This silver can be recovered in-house by most large photolabs using electrolytic desilvering. Some photolabs may choose to collect the chemical waste to be handled by a waste management company.
The remaining 3% of the silver from the RA4 development process ends up in the wash water. To prevent this silver from being lost down the drain some photolabs employ an ion-exchange desilvering system. This system utilizes ion-exchange resins that selectively capture the silver ions from the wash water, allowing for their recovery and reuse. This in-house desilvering process ensures that the silver is properly managed instead of being handled by a regional water treatment plant.

So far, the easiest part of silver recovery. Now let’s dive into the technical part:

Our vision for a sustainable world

We put our energy into the best photographic paper. And the great thing is: it really is our energy. Because we provide for our own energy needs with wind turbines close to our plant. Just as much as we purify our own wastewater. We sponsor sustainable initiatives and meanwhile ensure that we continuously invest in making our own production process more sustainable.

Social Responsibility
Our dedication to quality applies not only to our photo paper products, but also to our actions as a corporation: we strive for sustainable processes and social responsibility. We sponsor and invest in the following fields in accordance with company policy:

– Nature and the environment
– Innovation and sustainability
– Photography, offset plates and membranes
– Education and technical training

Sustainable Production
At Fujifilm, we are continuously innovating. In accordance with our basic CSR, we are constantly working to achieve yet more sustainable production. Our production process operates exclusively on wind energy. We also generate our own energy, and have installed a large afterburner and five wind turbines. Fujifilm has recently built a joint water purification plant with neighbouring companies.

Valuable Products
Fujifilm has the ISO 14001 certification. Our management is based on “Customer Satisfaction”. Accordingly, we aim to provide top-quality products and services which are safe and appealing to customers and provide them with peace of mind. An example: we are continuously working to reduce waste in the packaging of our colour paper.

Contribution to society
We believe that creating new value through our unique and advanced technologies and solving social issues through our business activities presents opportunities for us to grow our business while at the same time contributing to society.

Sharing know-how is an important point of interest. Fujifilm actively involves itself in local communities and with companies in our region. We also play a key role in the region by sponsoring activities such as the Tilburg Ten Miles, Natuurmonumenten and the “Most sustainable class of Brabant” competition.