LETY_BY (LETY_BY@utxvms.cc.utexas.edu)
Sun, 20 Jun 1999 16:59:13 -0500
Dear Adam:
I've used a 200 lpi gravure screen with some gravure and found the
screen too coarse for my taste. The pattern was very evident. Like you,
I've also had bad luck trying to get stochastic digital film to work as a
screen. But I did have more success with a random dot screen made on lith
film from some sort of special non-glare glass by Keith Howard in Canada. It
was a quite inexpensive alternative ($50?) to the commercial screens. Keith
can be reached at <howard@gprc.ab.ca> and is a veritable wealth of
information on printmaking--including non-toxic alternatives to many more
toxic intaglio techniques.
I'd also like to point out that while I believe you are correct that a
gelatin resist is capable of resolving a 300 lpi (or even higher) screen,
with gravure part of the issue becomes the difficulty printing such fine
aquatints. It requires enormous pressure, and if one is not careful, rather
than the smoother tones that can routinely be achieved with fine line
screens in pt/pd, what one sees with gravure mid-tones and highlights is
mottled ink. For this reason I suspect a slightly coarser random aquatint
pattern is easier to print (and better looking) than a finer linear screen
might be.
Best Regards,
Byron Brauchli
----------
>From: Adam Kimball <akimball@finebrand.com>
>To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
>Subject: Line-Screen for photogravure?
>Date: Thu, Jun 10, 1999, 3:08 PM
>
> A question for the few photogravurists who read the list-
>
> Does anyone use linescreen's in their photogravure work. I am still a little
> unhappy using my stochastic screen- mainly because of the shapes of the
stochastic
> dots I am getting using Diamonds (Scitex) and the Linotype-Hell dots. So,
I've
> begun thinking about using a traditional linescreen to solve some of the
problems.
> The great benefit, it seems would be the better highlight detail and
smoothness.
> The downside, of course, would be the pattern if it shows. My experience with
> digital negatives for platinum tells me that I could probably get away with
using a
> very fine screen for the resist exposure. 300 LPI seems like a good place to
> start. I am exposing in a vacuum frame with a point source, so light
undercutting
> probably isn't a terribly huge issue.
>
> So, if anyone has done some work with linescreens in gravure (roto or photo
for
> that matter), I'd love to hear about your experiences.
>
> Best,
> Adam
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Thu Oct 28 1999 - 21:39:37