Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Tyler Boley" 
<tyler@...> wrote:
>
> My experience is that the non-cotton papers can not be Drolled. They
> will kink. So German Etching is out for that. I'm not sure of VFAs
> content.
> In fact, we tried Drolling PhotoRag 308 yet again yesterday every
> conceivable way, as a test, and every attempt resulted in some kind of
> kink. 

???????????

I have never had a problem reverse rolling German Etching, never. 
Sounds like you need a different tool for the job. My suggestion is to 
buy some really super cheap canvas (50+ inches wide). Unroll a length, 
insert print, roll back up and leave it for 20 minutes or so. If the 
canvas gets dirty, cut off the dirty portion and toss it or use it for 
packing material. Don't think I've even done this on larger than 30x40 
inches, so if you go a lot bigger it may be a bit more of an issue

That said, assuming that your inks are waterproof, get a garment 
steamer and try steaming the German Etching, or Photo Rag. You'd be 
surprised what you can put these papers through and still have a 
perfect print. If you put a cover sheet over the ink, a steam press 
should work fine to flatten the paper before mounting. It little bit of 
added humidity will make the paper very forgiving.

And just for the record, I have not tried steam pressing any of my 
prints. But I have soaked them in the hottest water that comes from the 
tap, steamed them with a garment steamer, and just generally abused 
them. GE, PhotoRag, Photorag luster, several of the Hawk Mountain 
papers, a couple of the canvas materials, and a few other matte papers 
show few signs of damage from steam and water with Image Specialists 
pigment inks. I even measured a profile target before and after the 
print dried again and saw little change. Steaming Photo Rag Luster will 
make the entire surface have about the same amount of gloss.