Digital BW, The Print

On 12/9/02 7:57 AM, "Steven Karafyllakis <stevek@...>"
<stevek@...> wrote:

> Robert;
>> 
>> " high sheer process "

>Sorry, don't know what that means in
>relation to hand-screened process.

It means that the screen itself creates an enormous amount of shear when you
force a liquid through it.  The types of coatings that we are using foam
like crazy because of the sheer. As a result silk screen inks are much more
viscous than the liquids that we have all been using to coat with.  That
means that unless you are going to formulate a product yourself you will be
limited to using screen overprint varnishes...which in my experience have
yellowing problems and are very "hard" which means they are brittle.

Compared to rod coating screen printing requires an enormous
equipment/space/facility (big sink) investment.  I agree that for someone
that has a screen printing facility (like Jon Cone) and has chemistry
formulating experience and needs to coat large (larger than 24"x) prints it
may be an option.

>> Its possible to mask with a rod if you want the paper exposed.
>> 
> I'm quite sure it is possible to tape-on the paper. Press the tape
> down hard enough to keep the liquid from seeping under the edges,
> and you may take some of it away with you when you lift the tape.

That is a potential problem.  I'm not sure how many people out there want to
coat like this...but honestly I'm hard pressed to think of an
application...perhaps books?  Most people that I know either crop and then
dry mount or else they matte the prints...either way this wouldn't be an
issue. An additional reason not to coat just the print and leave the paper
is handling.  Uncoated paper gets dirty fast.  By coating you can simply
wash a portfolio off after it comes back from the greasy fingers of the
gallery owner.

Robert