Digital BW, The Print

> The digital+platinum or digital+silver methodology has a rich 
> potential worth pursuing.There is just not enough time in 
> this world to do it all.I'm surprise we don't have someone on 
> this list who is only doing that.
> 
> John 

John, 

I have made a fair number of enlarged negs for pt/pd printing.  While
certainly the in-camera LF neg will be "best", the lure of using a smaller
camera and digital post-processing is strong.  I have made enlarged negs
using an imagesetter, inkjet and darkroom.  The problem with an imagesetter
is that it is old technology (I was at a press check yesterday for a
publication using some of my pix, and the owner and I got to talking about
this subject.  He said he would make me an offer I can't refuse on of their
imagesetters...no thanks).  In addition, you will probably find that the
common 2400 ppi imagesetter is not sufficient.  It requires (a) a 4800 ppi
imagesetter and (b) an operator who can understand what you want, both rare
items.  If you want to try that, as I recall the Camera & Darkroom store in
Santa Fe has a connection with a pre-press there that has a high-res
imagesetter and understands the requirements for an enlarged neg.

I remain to be convinced that an inkjet negative will do the job, though I
have certainly tried.  I must tell you that the finest pt/pd prints I have
seen in person, i.e. held in my lusting little hands as opposed to viewing
through glass) are made from small camera (35mm and 6x7cm) negs enlarged in
the darkroom to 20x24.  These are from Tom Millea (www.tommillea.com) and
David Kennedy (http://www.davidmichaelkennedy.com/indexold.html).  Also to
be considered is that the papers for pt/pd are textured and hide a lot of
flaws, unlike silver paper.  Anyway, FWIW that's my experience.  Now I'm
going to have to order some of the Lenswork prints to see how things have
progressed (out of intellectual curiousity - I don't want to go back in the
darkroom and anyway, my wife is converting it into a room with lots of
overhead UV lights for seedlings or whatever before they go the garden).

  --Ken