As it happens, this morning I just did a Ziatype test series of a new
(to me) film/developer combination (HP5+ in PMK Pyro). I did four wide
variations: all lithium, all cesium, 50/50 Li/Cs, and 3:1
lithium/Platinum. All work fine, at the same printing exposure,
delivering different color with some variation in tone, all with strong
dmax, though of course the all-cesium has the brownest and weakest dmax,
though it compares favorably with a warm palladium print in standard
develop-out.
You don't need to spend anything like 20 or even 10 minutes drying a
Zia. Coat your paper on a glass countertop. Wait for the emulsion to go
from shiny to dull (about a minute, depending on paper). Leave in on the
glass, and dry *one side only* with cold air from a hair dryer with the
heat off. When the surface is dry to the touch--1 to 3 minutes depending
on paper and room conditions--you're ready to print. This method will
give the best dmax (in any Zia formula) and best shadow separation, as
well as being very fast.
For a subjective reaction to the different prints, the lithium has
excellent tone but is so neutral in color that it's a little dull. The
cesium is too brown for my taste, and loses some of the strength in
lower tones. The 50/50 is very nice, having all the tonal strength of
the lithium with a more interesting and complicated color that changes
through the tone scale. The 1/4 platinum print looks at first glance
very much like the lithium, but has both more delicacy and more
micro-contrast. It also has more color on close examination, not as much
as the one with cesium, but quite rewarding. These results are similar
to ones I've gotten by making the same test series with other negatives,
so it seems to be quite a predictable pallette of responses.---Carl