Digital BW, The Print

>With glop, printing to
>RC paper is now a practical reality.

I'm sure this must be a seriously dumb question but is the RC paper I keep
seeing references to in this thread resin coated photographic paper (i.e.
the kind I used to use in the darkroom for contact sheets and occasionally
for proofs)? If so (here's the dumb part) how do you use traditional
photographic paper with a digital printer (which presumably isn't sitting in
a darkroom with a safelight and a tray of fix).  If that isn't what the RC
paper referred to in this thread and elsewhere is, then what is it?

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Kale" <stevekale@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2005 9:29 AM
Subject: Re: [Digital BW] Re: QTR/Epson Inks



I can highly recommend the new refillable cartridges for the 21/2200 from
MIS.   You can then buy inks in bulk and switch ink setups relatively
easily.  My CFS now sits in a heap in the cupboard. With glop, printing to
RC paper is now a practical reality.


> From: Jake Hellbach <jake@...>
>
>
> Thanks, I do have a Epson 1270 with dedicated MIS b/w inks, but it decided
> to have some head clogging problems that I still can't resolve so I moved
to
> the QTR on my 2200 to get some work out.
> Actually, so far I like the QTR with the 2200 better anyway.
>
>
> Jake
> Fine Art Photography
> www.jakehellbachphoto.com <http://www.jakehellbachphoto.com/>
>





Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, and other resources as
they are often being updated.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint

If you wish to receive no emails or just a daily digest, or you wish to
unsubscribe, please edit your Membership preferences by visiting this same
page.

Please follow these basic guidelines:
- As threads develop, trim off excess portions of earlier messages to keep
them short.
- Good manners are required at all time. No personal attacks or flames.
Hostile, aggressive or argumentative users may be removed from the
membership without notice.
- Keep your posts and threads related to the group topic of digital B&W
printing. Users who persistently make off-topic posts may be removed from
the membership.
- By posting on this forum you agree to abide by the group rules and
guidelines, and to abide by the actions and decisions of the group Owner and
Moderators. See "Group Topic, Rules and Guidelines" in the Files section:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint/files/

BY PARTICIPATING IN AND/OR POSTING MESSAGES TO THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT
YAHOO! GROUP YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT THE "OWNER" AND
"MODERATORS" OF DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU
FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR EXEMPLARY
DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS,
GOODWILL, USE, DATA OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES (EVEN IF THE  "OWNER" AND
"MODERATORS" OF DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE
POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES), RESULTING FROM: (i) THE USE OR THE INABILITY
TO USE THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP; (ii) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR
ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA; (iii) STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT OF ANY
THIRD PARTY ON THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP; OR (iv) ANY OTHER
MATTER RELATING TO THE DIGITAL BW, THE PRINT YAHOO GROUP.

Yahoo! Groups Links

>>With glop,

(or post-printing spray, which most will probably not want to mess with,)

>> printing to RC paper is now a practical reality.

>... is the RC paper I keep seeing references to ... resin coated 
>photographic paper (i.e. the kind I used to use in the darkroom ...

No, it's special inkjet paper.  About the only similarity is that it has a
polyethylene barrier between the coating and the paper base.  This allows
for a much smoother surface, and it stops the water in the ink from hitting
the paper, causing the waviness that thin matte papers can suffer from.
Unlike the wet process photo papers, however, the inkjet papers do not have
a back coating or polyethylene.  Thus, for example, the back is open for
deacidification sprays if needed, and the polyethylene will protect the
print from such treatment.

RC papers got a very bad reputation in the wet process darkroom.  I was
burned by the early batches.  They "bronzed" (discolored) with age, the
polyethylene cracked, and they looked plastic.  The discoloration appeared
to be because there was developer in the emulsion to speed machine
processing.  The polyethylene cracking was, apparently, caused by byproducts
of the brighteners used.  They now use different brighteners, anti-oxidants
to mop up the byproducts, and probably a higher grade of polyethylene.  And
the plastic look is now history with the new semi-gloss and semi-matte
finishes.

I prefer to call these new papers "barrier papers."  The real key to them is
the polyethylene barrier between the coating and the paper.  This is what
allows for the smoother surface and big dmax we're looking for.

There is still some uncertainty due to the lack of a long history of
polyethylene use.  However, there is some reason for confidence, even in
addition to the Wilhelm ">200 year" ratings for the Epson Premium line of
papers.

Generally, polyethylene is described as, "a high quality thermoplastic that
has outstanding resistance to both physical and chemical attack.  The
overall general toughness and excellent chemical resistance to a wide array
of wet and dry industrial chemicals and food products make polyethylene
ideally suited for storage tanks and containers."
(http://www.kefco.com/plastics.html)  It is used in medical uses, including
as the bearing in hip replacements, and as packaging for foods.  

So, it appears to be tough stuff that will last a while.  Unfortunately, it,
as well as the sprays we use, are not good oxygen barriers, which is the
next level of protection.

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com