Digital BW, The Print

Mark,

This all got started by Bob Tyson on the Piezo list back in May or 
June or earlier. The idea was that photographers often varnished 
their photographs up until the advent of glossy silver gelatin paper 
in the 1930's. Even then people like Paul Strand continued to varnish.

So the thought was to see how Piezo prints would benefit from being 
varnished. The term "Alternative Coatings" got started because Bob 
was trying different varnishes from Home Depot. The idea was that 
they were alternatives to traditional art varnishes.

Basically by varnishing you knock down the matte finish of the 
pigment inks, which pushes up the Dmax into a range where you have 
something that is much closer in appearance to a silver fiber print.

As a side benefit you give the print great mechanical protection and 
increased fade resistance. Effects on long-term life are unknown.

I have been pursuing it out of curiosity and so did Robert initially. 
Robert decided to take his discoveries in the area commercial and 
hopes to have a product out in the near future that is custom 
tailored to this application.

If we get a little deep here it is because Robert is, I believe, a 
chemist and I am a chemical engineer. Sorry.

Martin



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "Mark Tucker" <mark@m...> 
wrote:
> Robert and Martin,
> 
> Just out of curiosity, what is each of your motivations for all of 
this 
> coating business? Is it to further print permanence and 
> protection, or is it for the visual look of having a print with a 
> coating on it? (Or is it to start a business?)
> 
> I've been following this thread, and I'm shocked as to the degree 
> of detail and experimentation. Then I realized that I didn't even 
> know why you were doing it...
> 
> -Mark Tucker