Digital BW, The Print

Ken Carney said:

>I got the tones right, but it was still an
>inkjet print.  I will say that once behind >glass, the differences tend to
>become less obvious.

Right. Even with similar tones you're still dealing with the fact that the 
pt/pd print is a contact print and the ink jet print isn't. Even without the 
pt/pd chemistry there's still a significant difference in terms of detail 
and tonal separation between my 8x10 contact prints and my similar size ink 
jet prints from the same 8x10  negatives.  Then throw in the effect, 
whatever it may be, of the pt/pd chemistry itself and you have entirely 
different prints despite the similarity in tones.

I don't know about the effect being less obvious behind glass. Since it's a 
matter of detail and tonal separation I would have expected the differences 
to remain fairly obvious but I've never tried that kind of comparison.

>It didn't work any better for me than >trying to
>imitate a darkroom b&w print.

I try to make my black and white ink jet prints look like silver prints in 
the sense that I want them to have the qualities of silver prints that are 
important to me and I don't want them to have the "qualities" that make a 
digital print obviously digital.  I exhbit both types of prints together and 
with the glass the differences aren't obvious so if that's "imitating" 
silver prints I guess that's what I do.

--- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ken Carney" <kcarney1@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, June 12, 2005 9:43 PM
Subject: RE: [Digital BW] Quick mini Platinum poll


I've printed a lot of platinum (and/or palladium), and have friends who
print only that process.  Since there is some similarity in the papers used
for pt/pd and inkjet, naturally I tried mimicking a pt/pd print (Epson 2200,
UC inks and ImagePrint 6).  It didn't work any better for me than trying to
imitate a darkroom b&w print.  I got the tones right, but it was still an
inkjet print.  I will say that once behind glass, the differences tend to
become less obvious.  One of the best platinum printers I know, Tom Millea,
has people hold the un-matted prints to view (www.tommillea.com).  In
looking at the older prints, a lot of things go into the mix.  Edward
Weston, Paul Strand and many others used lenses that you and I wouldn't give
a second look.  They worked only because the film area was large.  It may
have been that only home-made printing-out pt/pd materials were available.
A lot of the EW prints were made on grade 0 or 1 silver papers. (For pt/pd,
negatives are typically developed in one of the pyro variants, such as Rollo
or PMK, and the pyro stain adds density that makes silver printing
difficult).

With modern pt/pd prints by master printers (see also
http://www.davidmichaelkennedy.com/indexold.html), I see a depth of the
image and a tonal range that is just not there is an inkjet or silver print.
But, if you want to try: I suggest you might start with the Photoshop .ahu
filters from  http://www.zuberphotographics.com/page_Downloads.htm.  There
are a number for alternate photo processes.  The kallitype filters are
pretty good and I use them for toning from time to time.  May the Force be
with you.

  --Ken

> -----Original Message-----
> From: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com] On
> Behalf Of Jim Jasutis
> Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2005 8:32 PM
> To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Digital BW] Quick mini Platinum poll
>
> I am kind of new here, and would like to ask a quick question.
>
> I know that inkjet prints are an entitity unto themselves,
> and don't need to compare themselves nor try to emulate any
> other medium. That being said, there is a lot of talk of
> trying to make inkjet prints that look like traditional
> silver prints. One of the big stumbling blocks seems to be
> the sheen of the silver prints. Since Platinum was done on
> handcoated papers much more like the matte inkjet print
> papers, I was wondering what combinations of inks and papers
> any of you have found that looks something like platinum. I
> have never seen a platinum print in person, but I have read
> so many glowing reports about them, that I would like to see
> what an inkjet version would look like --- Thanks  -- JimJ




Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, and other resources as 
they are often being updated.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint

If you wish to receive no emails or just a daily digest, or you wish to 
unsubscribe, please edit your Membership preferences by visiting this same 
page.

Please follow these basic guidelines:
- As threads develop, trim off excess portions of earlier messages to keep 
them short.
- Good manners are required at all time. No personal attacks or flames. 
Hostile, aggressive or argumentative users may be removed from the 
membership without notice.
- Keep your posts and threads related to the group topic of digital B&W 
printing. Users who persistently make off-topic posts may be removed from 
the membership.
- By posting on this forum you agree to abide by the group rules and 
guidelines, and to abide by the actions and decisions of the group Owner and 
Moderators. See "Group Topic, Rules and Guidelines" in the Files section:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/files/

BY PARTICIPATING IN AND/OR POSTING MESSAGES TO THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT 
YAHOO! GROUP YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT THE "OWNER" AND 
"MODERATORS" OF DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU 
FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY 
DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, 
GOODWILL, USE, DATA OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES (EVEN IF THE  "OWNER" AND 
"MODERATORS" OF DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE 
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES), RESULTING FROM: (i) THE USE OR THE INABILITY 
TO USE THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP; (ii) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR 
ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA; (iii) STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT OF ANY 
THIRD PARTY ON THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP; OR (iv) ANY OTHER 
MATTER RELATING TO THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP.

Yahoo! Groups Links