Digital BW, The Print

Paul,

Thanks for posting your workflow on the internegatives. Very useful information. I have put the post in the Files section for future reference.

Martin
  (snip)

  Yes, I used internegatives until recently for my display-print files.  At
  first I had just an HP 4c.  Now I have an Epson Expression 1600 Pro with the
  transparency adapter.  I would enlarge MF negatives to 8x10 or 5x7, using a
  very good enlarging lens and glass carrier (fabricated out of Gepe slide
  glass).  And, of course, the enlarger was carefully aligned before I'd make
  an internegative.

  The 8x10 film was Kodak's 7302, which is a very fine grain, slow,
  blue-sensitive film that can be used under normal B&W safelights.  I'd tray
  develop it in Xtol, full-strength at room temperature for 4 to 6 minutes,
  depending on the contrast level I wanted.  The gamma was about 1, plus or
  minus, depending on the time.  So, the resulting negative could easily be
  fit into the flatbed's limited dynamic range.  Being a regular silver
  negative, it would lay flat on the flatbed glass, emulsion down, with no
  Newton rings.

  I found that even the old HP 4c at 400 dpi produced tremendous resolution
  and sharpness from this method.  The 4c's problem was noise.  The Epson is,
  of course, better, especially in the noise department.

  (Snip)


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