Whereas a black-and-white print requires paper with one layer of emulsion—a light sensitive coating—a silver dye-bleach print (or dye destruction print) such as a Cibachrome print is made on paper containing three emulsion layers, each sensitized to one of the three primary colors of light—red, blue, or green. During development the silver and extra color dyes are selectively bleached away to achieve the desired final colors. Silver dye-bleach prints are noted for their color saturation, clarity, and stability.¹

¹ _{The text for silver-dye bleach prints is taken from an handout defining technical terms produced by the Department of Photography at the Art Institute of Chicago to accompany the exhibit When Color Was New, February 24–April 29, 2007.}

_{Irving Penn. Still Life with Triangle and Eraser, New York, January 23, 1985. Gift of Irving Penn, 1996.175.}