[alt-photo] Re: Dmax for silver paper

[etienne garbaux]

Pierre wrote:

>Does any body knows which silver paper gives the highest dmax? 
>(fibre or RC)The latest ilford multigrade art 300 paper gives me a 
>1.5 Dmax (measure by my X-rite 810).From what i understand, the 
>higher the dmax, the more shades of gray you get.I read that the 
>highest Dmax a silver paper can give is 2.2. Is that true?

Is your X-rite properly calibrated?  That needs to be done pretty 
much every day (or every time you use it).  You can get a set of 
calibration standards from X-rite.

Yes, glossy silver-gelatin materials finished full-gloss by being 
squeegeed to glass or a polished ferrotype plate to dry traditionally 
have been able to produce Dmax in the 2.1-2.2 range.  Matte or 
textured paper, or "glossy" paper that is not ferrotyped, are only 
capable of 1.5-1.8, depending on the specific surface finish.  You 
can wipe a little light mineral oil (from the drugstore) onto the 
surface of a matte or textured print before measuring it to give you 
an idea what the Dmax would be if the paper had a glossy ferrotyped finish.

Art 300 has a textured matte "eggshell" finish  -- so a Dmax of 
1.5-1.6 is the best you can do.  Note also that it is a non-baryta 
paper, so the base reflectivity (brightness) is lower than with 
baryta papers.  If you are after the maximum density range in a print 
("more shades of grey"), you want to use the brightest paper you can 
find as well as a high Dmax.  As far as maximizing the print density 
range is concerned (and thus the "shades of grey"), extending the 
range at the top is just as important as extending it at the bottom.

Are you toning your prints with Selinium toner?  This will often give 
an increase in Dmax.  But again, 1.5-1.6 is all you can expect from 
any paper with an eggshell finish.

Note that it takes well-designed lighting at the display location to 
take advantage of the full 2+ Dmax.  Further, it is entirely possible 
to make breathtaking prints with a Dmax of only 1.4-1.5.  This is 
about all you can get out of Pt prints, for example, and many folks 
find them entrancing.

So, yes, do learn sensitometry/densitometry and how to get the full 
range out of your materials -- but don't get hung up thinking you 
can't make good prints unless they have a Dmax over 2.0.

Best regards,

etienne