Digital BW, The Print

Mike,

Just to give you a reference point I did some Dmax testing on silver fiber
paper in 1992. I used a 4x5, 21-step Stouffer step wedge negative to make
8x10 enlargements on Kodak Elite #2, Ilford Gallerie #2, #3 & VC, Zone VI
VC, and Oriental VC. Some were selenium toned and some were not. All were
air dried. At the time I measured the density across the steps using a
MacBeth densitometer and I have rechecked the measurements recently with a
X-Rite 811 Densitometer.

Without selenium toning the silver prints have a Dmax of 1.9 to 2.0 and with
selenium toning the Dmax is 2.1 to 2.3. Above 2.0 the difference is very,
very slight and above 2.1 I cannot visually see a difference myself. I would
suspect that glossy RC silver paper would be a bit higher.

With inkjet printing you can get to the 1.9 - 2.0 range but only with dye
containing inks on RC paper. The results are great but you have to like RC
papers and be willing to accept the limited print life of the dyes. The
other alternative is to use carbon pigment inks on matte papers which will
give you Dmax values in the 1.5 to 1.7 range. This is probably comparable to
what you would get with matte silver fiber prints and a stronger Dmax than
you get from platinum/palladium prints.

My best advice is to approach inkjet B&W printing as a new medium and don't
try to compare it to silver printing. They are both great but different and
each has its own look. Like Paul I have come to really like the quality of
the inkjet prints on quality matte paper.

If you want silver fiber prints from digital files this can be done by
making a digitally produced contact negative for use in the darkroom. The
examples I have are indistinguishable from traditional silver fiber
enlargements. Unfortunately you will not find much info on these techniques
on this forum but if you are interested in making contact negs check out:

http://www.danburkholder.com/

There are laser printers that print digital images directly to RC color
paper or silver fiber paper. Unfortunately the silver fiber version is only
available in Europe and the equipment is intended for a service bureau or
photo lab with prices in 6 figures. You can also have your digital files
output on a film recorder to produce a negative to use in an enlarger. Going
digital does not necessarily mean going with inkjet but it is the most
popular path due to the affordability of the equipment.

Martin Wesley
http://www.carolyn.cc/Guests/MartinWesley/pages/MW_01.html
http://www.borderless-photos.de/guests.html

 
* -----Original Message-----
* From: Mike [mailto:mfractl@...] 
* Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2003 7:37 PM
* To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
* Subject: [Digital BW] First post here, DMax question
* 
* 
* 
* First off, this is the first time I've posted here, so hello to 
* everyone.  I'm just, finally, making the switch from film to digital, 
* and an unexpected by-product of this shift is that I'm rediscovering 
* my love of B&W in the digital domain.  This certainly seems to be a 
* great group for me to check out, and I assure you all that I'll be 
* doing a number of searches through the archives to pick up tips, so 
* I'll attempt to avoid asking at least some of the questions that have 
* been asked numerous times before.  Nonetheless, there's one question 
* on my mind at the moment, and I thought I'd throw it out.
* 
* I've been reading the news about the upcoming Epson 4000, and I've 
* read that it's supposed to acheive a DMax of 2.1 on glossy media and 
* 1.69 on matte media.  Though I'm no expert on this subject yet, I've 
* read that the 2200/7600/9600, with the Ultrachromes, acheive a DMax 
* of 2.0 on glossy media and 1.69 on matte.  Obviously, this suggests a 
* higher DMax on glossy for the 4000.  And, considering that my 
* upcoming foray into digital B&W will involve a search for the best 
* DMax, I find this interesting.  (Though I don't know how a printer 
* using the same inks/media is supposed to acheive a higher DMax on 
* glossy media... maybe by mixing some Matte Black in with the Photo 
* Black, since both inks will be available at once?)
* 
(snip earlier)