UltraStable Color Systems

“Berger then started to work with the master carbro printer Richard Newmark Kauffman (1916−1998), and together they founded Ultrastable Color Systems, Inc. In 1992 they introduced presensitized UltraStable material for four-color carbon printing. UltraStable prints were made by combining four pigment films on a sheet of white polyester or a sheet of gelatin-coated paper. Each presensitized pigment film was exposed under a high-intensity ultraviolet light source through high-resolution separation negatives.¹⁶ For prints on polyester, the yellow pigment film was quickly immersed in cold water and squeegeed onto the wet polyester base. The sandwich was placed in a tray of hot water for development. After five minutes, the base of the pigment film was peeled off. Once development was complete and the soluble gelatin had been rinsed off completely, the print was hung to dry. The other colors (magenta, black, and cyan, in this order) were transferred in the same manner and in registration to form a high-quality color print (Fig. 3.13). For prints on paper, all the colors were first assembled in the opposite order (cyan, black, magenta, yellow) on a temporary sheet of polyester, then transferred together onto a sheet of gelatin-coated paper (Berger 1991, 1996). UltraStable enjoyed some popularity with photographers looking for high-end color prints, but materials were no longer available after 1999.”

(Pénichon, Sylvie (2013): Twentieth Century Colour Photographs. The Complete Guide to Processes, Identification & Preservation. London, Los Angeles: Thames & Hudson, on p. 92.)