• Duratrans is a trade name created by Kodak in 1979
• Duratrans is the name of Kodak’s large format color transparency material
• Duratrans is Kodak-branded color transparency material which is the predecessor to Kodak Professional Endura Transparency Optical Display Material
• Duratrans is a widely-used generic term for any display graphic fabricated using either of the above materials (Duratrans or Endura)
• Duratrans is a widely-used generic term for the Kodak-approved process by which Duratrans material is fabricated into ready-to-use large format graphics or posters for backlit display

• Duratrans is not a thermal, piezo, or solvent inkjet backlit film or media
• Duratrans is not the light box, display case, or other hardware that may contain a Duratrans print
• Duratrans is not the translucent acrylic or plastic substrate used to suspend or enclose large format backlit display graphics
• Duratrans is not a color slide film or small format color transparency film
• Duratrans is not a generic term for non;-Kodak branded color transparency film or media
• Duratrans is not a generic term for non-Kodak approved processes for fabricating large format backlit display graphics

• Eastman Kodak Company, 1979

• Eastman Kodak Company

Duratrans material is intended for large format, full-color display of photographic content in a controlled, backlit environment, so that light passes through and illuminates and brightens the graphic display. Most common applications for Duratrans are retail, advertising and promotional, where maximum color saturation and contrast are desired. Here are some of the most common applications of Duratrans graphics:

• retail, point-of-purchase display
• public display advertising
• trade show display
• educational and informational display
• fine art display
• lighted wayfinding signage

Duratrans is generally regarded in the professional large format display graphics industry as the benchmark for quality in translucent, backlit graphics media and process. There are five observable characteristics that serve to distinguish Duratrans from other backlit media and process alternatives:

1. RESOLUTION. The Duratrans imaging process yields an effective digital resolution of up to 4000 dpi, as compared to maximums of 300 to 2880 dpi in alternative processes. This allows for greater detail, crisper edges, and truer solid colors.
2. DOT SIZE. The pixel size of Duratrans imaging process is variable, similar to stochastic screening. This results in smoother color transitions within photographic artwork.
3. SATURATION. Color rendering with Duratrans has significantly higher potential saturation and depth, than do other solutions.
4. OPACITY. The opacity (ability to block transmissive light) of black colors in artwork is noticeably higher with Duratrans, resulting in crisper, sharper images that contain black elements and/or shadows.
5. COLOR LIFE. Life expectancy of colors under UV exposure is higher for Duratrans than for dye-based and most pigment-based inkjet processes.

In the world of commercial digital large format color, there are three main alternatives to Duratrans in common use, for generating full-color photographic backlit displays: dye-based inkjet; pigment-based inkjet and solvent-based inkjet. None of these alternatives offer the detail, saturation or opacity of Duratrans (see previous question & answer). Common reasons for using these and/or other alternatives include comparative price and available image sizes.