U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | RE: solarplate images up on my website

RE: solarplate images up on my website



Dear Susan and Christina (and all),

Why can't you make your own 1800 dpi 80% stochastic screen file
yourself in Photoshop (*1), save it in .eps format and give it to a
printshop running an imagesetter (whether they have the special software
or not) to print it directly (without applying rasterization in their
RIP)?

Steps for (*1):
1. Create an empty image (Mode: grayscale, resolution = 225 dpi, size =
according to your need)
2. Fill it with the appropiate gray tone (20% Luminosity)
3. Change the mode to bitmap (Output: 1800dpi, Method: Diffusion Dither)
4. Save it to an .eps file (they should open it at 1800dpi, size exactly
the same is in step 1)

See:
http://www.loris.medici.name/susanv_1800dpi_screen.jpg
Don't you think that the generated pattern looks like original aquatint
pattern? This is a 8x10" file that I processed as listed above (original
pixel dimensions: 1800x2250, bitmap pixel dimensions: 14400x18000). Left
side the original tone, right side the stochastic pattern at 100%
magnification. When you scale the file on the right to "print size", the
tone is identical to the left side...

If that works somehow, you won't have to be extra careful - to not
damage the screen - when printing; you're going to have your file
printed again if your aquating screen gets damaged (somehow).

What do you think? Am I talking nonsense - or do you think this is worth
to try? (I can send you a sample negative if you like - here in
Istanbul, imagesetter printing fees are very very low...)

Regards,
Loris.

-----Original Message-----
From: Christina Z. Anderson [mailto:zphoto@montana.net] 
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 4:03 PM
To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca
Subject: Re: solarplate images up on my website


I second this, Susan,
Yesterday I called all around.  No one has imagesetters anymore.  One
place 
has one up in northern Montana, but the other problem is the software 
capable of doing stochastic is $50,000.  He can do a stochastic right to

PLATE but not to film.  But what do we do when the last imagesetter goes
out 
of biz? I mean, would it be the same if we did a digital one and 
projected/enlarged it onto film ourselves, I wonder...

Also, the notes I have on screens so far:  1800 dpi, 80% density; from
Ross 
20 or 40 microns and that stochastic is 2 different diameter dot sizes
of 
diamond shape. I don't even know what all this means, what a micron
is--I 
assume the 20 micron is a finer dot...

I printed out Jon's entire website and keep referring to it.  Especially
the 
little jpg of the different exposures and dots--very helpful, Jon. Chris


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "SusanV" <susanvoss3@gmail.com>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca>
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 6:45 AM
Subject: Re: solarplate images up on my website


> Dear gravure folks... I got an email last night from Copygraphics, and

> they believe they have the problem with the stochastic screens sorted 
> out.  Yay!
>
> I have tried to find someone around here to make me one (a stochastic 
> screen), and came up empty.  it seems that even long established 
> printing shops have gone digital.  One place told me he gave his 
> imagesetter away a few months ago!  (and those things are lot of $$$$$
> )  Another problem is that they aren't used to making stochastic 
> screens... that's a random dot pattern rendered by special software 
> that not all places even have available.
>
> so... I highly advise getting a screen now from copygraphics and 
> taking good care of it.
>
> susan
>
> gravure blog http://susanvossgravures.blogspot.com
> www.dalyvoss.com
>