Jon,
I absolutely agree with everything you've said here. My feeling about
the Toyobo plates and prints is that they're their own thing, and--as
you say--what is wonderful about them
is only beginning to be explored. As a substitute for other processes
that yield prints with the kinds of beautiful richness that you're
talking about, they don't match up. BUT, if you begin layering plates
in a single print--with some scraping of heavily aquatinted areas--you
can get some unique and beautiful qualities that are unique to these
plates. I have to say that I'm a printmaker, not a photographer, so my
interest in what these plates can do is different from most of the
people on this list. Still, for photographers interested in using a
less toxic alternative to photo-etching, layering plates does give a
richness and allows for tonal variations that is difficult to achieve
with just a single photopolymer print.
For wiping: these plates wipe so incredibly easy for me--a little
tarlatan, a few phone book pages, and I'm done. Nothing like the time
spent wiping an etching plate.
Also--I'm using KM43...everyone seems to be talking about KM73--but I
don't see that offered on the Toyobo website. What am I missing here?
Also--thanks for the tip about the Daniel Smith gel--it does look like
the same thing as the Graphic Chemical gel. I'm going to give it a try.
Nancy
Jon Lybrook wrote:
Hi
Chris,
Sorry for all the forthcoming jabber. I know you said you're up to
here with polymer plates now. But...
I agree that a good curve will make all the difference, and can be used
successfully against Solarplates(TM) as well as the Toyobo brand. I
will say there's a smoothness to the Toyobo that doesn't contain the
pits or manufacturing "features" sometimes evident in Solarplates (and
JetUSA plates as well). I've tried different thicknesses of polymer,
but those are the only 3 brands I believe I've tried. Anyone have of
any others they like?
I will say that, with few exceptions, I have yet to see a polymer plate
print that matches good B&W silver prints or true copper gravure.
There's still something missing. Something in the way the plate tone
gets held on the plastic I guess. It's never quite as smooth and
convincing as these other processes. Not to say I've not seen great
and inspiring prints -- but it's got a distinctly different look to my
eye. One day the technology will catch up, if there's enough interest
in it, but I don't think we're there yet.
As far as wiping, I use phone pages followed by tissue paper only now.
In spite of experimenting with fairly long post-exposures, the KM73
plates (with the finer screen I use) scratches like the dickens under
tarlatan. In this way the Solarplates in conjunction with the standard
aquatint screen are probably more durable. But I think the finer
screen is probably a significant variable. Finer dots mean less
plastic to hold up the image structure - thus greater fragility.
That's what I've deduced at any rate. Cleaning the plate properly is
also critical - paint brush and mineral spirits dissolve the plate's
matrix, the way I burn them, so I've found other approaches cited in
other posts here.
Best wishes,
Jon
|