Digital BW, The Print

Michael-
 
 There are no standards for print illumination, per se. You'll find that commercial galleries range considerably, usually using some kind of track lighting with halogen bulbs. Galleries in museums may consult standards for illumination; these are usually based around the amount of light/heat that a piece on exhibit is subjected to. In the past, we've had a few working archivists contribute to this list, so you may be able to retrieve some of that information from them.
 
 A proper viewing booth is a sound investment. GTI and Just Normlich are good brands. Viewing booths, widely used in the prepress industry, are becoming a common fixutre in digital printing studioes. If these are too expensive for you, consider the Solux fixtures/lamps.
 
 At K2 Press, we use a Just Normlich booth calibrated to 6500 Kelvin for critical viewing and evaluation. It's dimmable, which is essential for matching the brightness of the viewing light to one's display. We use Solux track lighting on our walls and over work tables. This arrangement works very well. If you use flourescents, investigate the Just Normlich bulbs. Though expensive, they also work very well for general illumination.
    Bill Kennedy
 K2 Press
 Austin, Texas   
 -----Original Message-----
 From: michael3442@...
 To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
 Sent: Sun, 28 Jan 2007 3:07 PM
 Subject: [Digital BW] Light source for evaluating prints?
 
     I'm plugging away at learning BO printing with my 2200 w. Eboni and am 
 experimenting with different papers to set the underlying 
 warmth/coolness of the prints. One thing I've noticed is how 
 dramatically the color of the paper appears to change with different 
 light sources (color temperatures). One "natural" toned paper seemed to 
 turn nearly pure white when viewed under a daylight temp. bulb while 
 looking very creamy/yellow under soft white tungston (2700 degrees). 
 So, I guess I should determine what color temp. is considered a 
 standard for galleries displaying photographs. Is there a standard for 
 galleries? Do they generally use quartz lighting? And, what sort of 
 light fixtures and setup do you use for evaluating your prints? Thanks.
 
 Michael K
 
      
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