Digital BW, The Print

Penn didn't print any of those platinums I don't think. They were done by a 
specialist who devised a technique for sizing the paper that gave this tonal 
range and resolution. A guy who is a well known fine art printer in Paris told 
me about that. It wasn't just gelatin but a "secret" sizing that had something 
added, according to legend. He said pretty much gelatin and possibly some 
kind of starch. So, when double coating was done the paper didn't shrink at all 
and the blacks didn't sink into the surface like a lot of earlier platinum work.

John



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Brian Ellis" <
bellis60@v...> wrote:
> >The story of how he coated the paper >and recoated the prints and
> >with perfect registration re-exposed in >order to increase density
> >amazed me.
> 
> The NY Times reporter gushed over that too but there's nothing unusual or 
> particularly difficult about  rexposing in registration with one or more 
> previous exposures. The techniques are well known and relatively easy. 
Not 
> to take anything away from the quality of Penn's prints which I'm sure are 
> outstanding but gum printers commonly expose, process, and re-expose 
many 
> more times than Penn did.
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Andrew Unger" <ungram@v...>
> To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Sunday, June 26, 2005 2:16 PM
> Subject: [Digital BW] Matte Black and Platinum
> 
> 
> I just saw the Irving Penn show of Platinum Prints at the National
> Gallery here in Washington, DC and am struck by the similarities
> between Platinum and Matte Black digital looks.  Both are warm toned
> and have a long tonal range without intensely dramatic blacks.
> 
> The Penn prints were of some of his most interesting images during
> the course of his career.  In the '70s he decided to print these
> himself.
> 
> The story of how he coated the paper and recoated the prints and
> with perfect registration re-exposed in order to increase density
> amazed me.
> 
> The show is outstanding.  There are interesting reviews of it in The
> Washington Post and New York Times.  After seeing this show I think
> that as far as working with Matte Black the "Holy Grail" should be
> Platinum prints, not Silver Gelatin on air dried fiber.  I'd bet
> that the Penn prints could be reproduced very closely with Matte
> Black ink on high quality paper.
> 
> Andrew
> 
> 
> 
> 
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