From: garimo (omirag@cruzio.com)
Date: 02/05/00-03:24:12 AM Z
Hi Judy and all,
For what's it worth, here's my report of where I'm at with films I've
been using for alt printing. When I first started learning alt printing
in '94, I started using Kodak fine grain positive film #7302. We
developed it in HC110 1:25, first making a positive and then a contact
print for a negative. In '96 I learned to reverse Tmax, and then from
that positive made the enlarged negative on the fine grain film. Then
it started getting harder to get the fine grain film, first the 16X20
was discontinued, maybe the 11x14 is still available but the last box
of 25 sheets that I bought was $99.95. After I started reading "P-F", I
figured I would start learning to use the arista lith film because of
the savings. I've been using it for about three months now. I've even
attempted Dave Soemarko's low contrast developer, perhaps I didn't
follow mixing instructions, but was greatly disappointed with the
result I got from that one attempt. I could see that indeed there was a
possibility of good detail and low contrast...but what I got was sort
of a very thin sepia yellow brown colored negative...and the image
seemed to dissolve in the fix...(sorry, Dave, I will mix another batch
and try it again!) So I went back to a dilute paper developer, first
1:30 then 1:20 and then settled on 1:25. Right now I have five other
people making negs and printing in my studio with me, all who have used
the fine grain positive film in the past as well, and we're are
starting to compare our results and experiences. It appears that the
film base of the kodak fine grain is much clearer than the lith. (I'm
sorry if I don't have the language to describe clearly) We've been
making large negs. in several ways. some from 35mm, 4X5, & 5X7.
Sometimes it's tmax reversed=positive (even though the instructions say
to expose at 50 asa, we prefer the density from exposing at 100 for
making enlarged negatives) sometimes we make an interpositive from a
negative. This evening Carol, Mary & I were printing VDB and the best
image came from a combination of films. Carol had a 8X10 positive she
had made on the kodak fine grain film, and because it has denser
black(Dmax??) and a clearer film base...when she contact printed it
onto the lith film...It made a much sharper lith negative, more so than
any of the other lith positives contacted onto lith film. Some of the
people printing here are wanting to go back to using just the kodak
film even though it costs 5 times as much as the lith film because the
results that we are getting for a final image is...sharper, and has
much more of a tonal range...at least it's turning out that way in the
way we're working with the products. I'm sure others may have different
results.
garimo
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