[alt-photo] Re: sizing options for color gum

[Mary]

Thought I'd chime in on this topic, because I, too, am a fan of dilute 
PVA as a size (1PVA+2water), but have also occasionally experienced the 
faint speckling that Henry describes, but it's never been a real 
problem. I always pre-shrink the paper in cool water-- evolved to doing 
it that way, and still have occasional registration problems as it is. I 
use Fabriano Artistico 300 lb hot press, soft press (a fave of mine, 
too, Diana), as well as the 140lb hot-press. Gelatin-sized paper seems 
to have a smoother, almost luxurious texture, definitely a plus. 
PVA-sized paper feels somewhat grainy- maybe an exaggeration, but that's 
one word that comes to mind. There are definitely trade-offs for the 
convenience...

I like the hypothesis that pre-shrinking changes the "nap" of the paper 
and that PVA kind of locks it in that way. When I looked at the speckles 
under magnification with a hand-lens (aka loupe) the speckles seem to be 
related to the fibers in the paper. It's subtle, and I don't always see 
this problem, but I think I know exactly what Henry is referring to. 
When and if a pigment stains, that's where it seems to show up - in the 
speckles.

Because I use cyanotype as the blue layer in most of my 3-color prints, 
I don't apply the PVA until after the cyanotype layer has been printed. 
So by that time the paper has undergone 2 thorough soakings, one for 
shrinking and one for developing the cyanotype. Maybe I'll do some 
tests, too.

Anyway, thanks for this discussion! I appreciate hearing about everyone 
else's experiences. Hope this info helps in some way.

Mary, in snowy Boise
-- 
/http://www.alternative-ego.com/