Richard Sullivan wrote:
> The possibilities
> are: more or less contrast, more or less transparency, more or less
> resolution, and probably others. I assume that the answers cannot be derived
> with any accuracy without some practical experience or experimentation with
> pigments of varying corseness. I am curious about this because that I have
> considered the possibility of making and selling superfine ball milled
> pigments for gum.
>
"Superfine" pigment might act like dye -- be actually harder to get out of
the paper grain. From what I know (& obviously all of us are familiar
mostly with our own patch of the elephant), contrast is controlled by
other factors (including tone of the color itself, absolute amount of
pigment and proportions of pigment to gum to sensitizer) than grind, and
transparency is a factor also of the chemical itself. And maybe superfine
pigment could actually look hazier -- more surfaces to diffuse the light.
(Like my crinkly reflector.)
As for resolution, in my experience the major variable (assuming a good
emulsion mix) is the grain of the paper -- and even the coarsest pigment is
finer than the grain of even a fairly fine paper.
Judy