RE: Cutting polymer plates
> Question: How particular are people about keeping their plates in the > dark when handling/cutting? My newest batch I've been a little picky > about in terms of keeping them out of the light sort of as a test. The > results so far have been greater plate tone, presumably due to their > "fresher" state and greater sensitivity. Used to be, I'd cut them in > all conditions short of being in full direct sunlight -- ambient or > reflected light was OK. Now I'm not so sure that was a good idea. > David Hoptman would recommend only cutting plates in a dark room under > safe lights. Seems like a reasonable precaution to take. What do > others do/think? I think you're on to something, Jon. I've been cutting my plates under fluorescent lights, which I recently discovered significantly fog my pt/pd prints in a matter of 1-2 minutes. Since km73 is faster under UVBL than pt/pd, I wouldn't be surprised if my plates have been "fogging" too. That may account for my utter lack of plate tone... :) Camden Hardy camden[at]hardyphotography[dot]net http://www.hardyphotography.net
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