Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Steve"
<dazedgonebye@...> wrote:
>
> So, the piezotones don't work on glossy papers?  If so, they must not 
> work on OHP....
> That would have me switching back and forth between epson color inks 
> for digital negatives and piezotones for black and white prints.
> 
> Can anyone confirm this?

It depends on how you define "work on OHP".

Piezotones are "matte black" inks. They're really concocted to go
slightly into the surface of a fibrous paper. On a smooth resin coated
paper (or film, like OHP or HGW) they stay on the surface, and have a
"sooty" appearance. They don't bond well to the surface, and can rub
off. A quick coat of "print shield" (or probably even Krylon) can
neutralize that.

The advantage of using a matte black for a digital negative is that
you can build tremendous density, up to about density 4 (I can't
measure 4, I determined it by running 10x as long an exposure with the
digital neg as with the Stofer step wedge).

Personally, I don't find that extreme density useful for any process,
and typically print all my digital negatives without the use of any
"matte black" component.

My own B&W is done with something I cobbled together with two MIS
inks, dilutant, and the glop "gloss coat". For digital negatives, I
use 5 dilutions (100%, 32%, 10%, 3.2%, and 1%) of MIS PKN ("neutral"
carbon black).

For matte papers, those same five PKN dilutions, plus MIS "eboni" as
the matte black. For gloss, the five PKN dilutions plus glop, and no
eboni.

Hey, have I talked to you on another forum recently?