U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Re: Terminology - gum

Re: Terminology - gum



Hi Halvor,
Not exactly in the beginning. My quickie history lesson: before gum printing was called "gum bichromate" or "gum printing" it was called pigment printing, carbon printing, and then with the development of the true carbon printing as we know it today that transfers to another surface it became differentiated as direct carbon. It even was called aquatint but there was such an uproar because aquatint was the name for a printmaking process already, so that disappeared instantly.

I think it became "gum bichromate" because people used to say that it is a misnomer to call it "carbon printing" because carbon, although pigment of choice in the beginning, was not always the pigment used (e.g. burnt sienna, etc.), and then, when carbon transfer became so wildly popular, gum printing needed to be differentiated.

The reason why I know this, is when I first started researching gum back in 2003, I was scanning the British Journal of Photography on a microfilm reader (no indexes at that time) and I had to quickly look for terms, and when I realized "direct carbon" or "pigment printing" were also terms for gum I had to go back and reread what I scanned over. And, in answer to your question, direct carbon did not mean it was printed with gelatin.
Chris
----- Original Message ----- From: "Halvor Bj ø rng å rd" <halvor@ydl.net>
To: "alt-photo" <alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca>
Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 11:42 PM
Subject: Terminology - gum


Hi

I have come to take "direct carbon" as meaning "gum printing" with gelatine
and gum printing - obviously - as gum printing with gum arabic.

Have a feeling two names here just confuses things, but..

(my impression is that gelatine gives a sharper image and is less forgiving
with coating problems than gum - brush marks, etc.)

Any comments on this understanding ?

Halvor