The Perfect Print
A showprint (sometimes called a ‘check print’ or ‘approval print’) is the name given to the film print that is created once the director and cinematographer have given their final approval to the color timing during the answer print stage. It represents the definitive, ideal version of the film as the filmmakers intended it to be seen. While technically it’s just another release print, the showprint is struck with the utmost care by the laboratory’s top technicians. It is meticulously inspected for any physical imperfections, such as scratches, dirt, or audio problems, to ensure it is absolutely flawless.
This pristine copy serves several key functions. It is the reference standard against which all other mass-produced release prints are compared to ensure quality and consistency. More glamorously, showprints are used for high-profile events where the presentation must be perfect. This includes the film’s official world premiere, screenings at major film festivals like Cannes or Sundance, and private screenings for cast, crew, and studio executives. For these events, projecting a standard, mass-produced release print is not acceptable, as those can sometimes have minor flaws from the high-speed printing process. The showprint guarantees the best possible viewing experience.
The Technicolor Legacy
The term ‘showprint’ also has a specific historical meaning related to the Technicolor dye-transfer process. In the Technicolor era (from the 1920s to the 1950s), the process for creating color prints was incredibly complex and did not use standard color negative film. Instead, three separate black-and-white negatives were created, each recording one of the primary colors (red, green, blue). To make a print, each of these negatives was used to create a gelatin relief map, or ‘matrix’, which would absorb a dye of the complementary color (cyan, magenta, yellow). These three dye-soaked matrices were then pressed, one after another, onto a blank strip of film, transferring the dyes to create a full-color image.
This imbibition printing process was more like using a printing press than a photographic printer. A ‘Technicolor Showprint’ was one made with exceptional care, often at a slower speed, to ensure perfect dye registration and color saturation. These prints were renowned for their incredibly rich, stable, and vibrant colors that standard color film stocks of the era could not match. Today, original Technicolor showprints are highly prized by film archives and collectors for their beauty and historical significance.