From: Katharine Thayer (kthayer@pacifier.com)
Date: 03/08/02-12:21:52 AM Z
David Oliver wrote:
>
> Dare I ask another computer-related question? Well, about making desktop
> negatives,
Not to worry, the generation of digital negatives for alternative
process is an ongoing topic of interest here and few if any would argue
that it's off-topic. There's no other place to go for these kinds of
questions; we're it.
>
> Dan has two methods of creating a spectral density negative - the "colorize"
> method and the "color table" method. Any recommendations on which method
> might be better? Can the color table method really produce a negative with
> enough density?
It depends on your printer, on the process, and on what you want your
final print to look like, for starters. For example, Dan has proved to
the astonishment of onlookers that decent platinum prints can be made
from color table negatives printed on the epson photoEX; I can't make a
color table negative from my EX that will print a decent gum print; as I
reported here a couple of months ago, I can't find a curve or a density
(even 100%) for a color table negative that will print anything but mud
in gum; the UV just laughs at the "density" it encounters there and
goes on through all parts of the negative. I found the colorize-by-fill
method better than the color table method for gum, but still not very
satisfactory, resulting in a gum print with more contrast than I want.
Since we're working in different processes and using different printers,
my experience won't be terribly useful to you except to illustrate my
point that it depends on a lot of things, and trial and error will be
necessary to determine what works best for you given your processes and
your printer.
But with the better printer, I'm not sure why you wouldn't just print
your negative in black. The spectral density methods in my opinion are
best viewed as a workaround for the fact that the older printers don't
print well in black on transparency material. The bigger droplets
deposit too much ink when printing black (in colors) which then moves
around on the Pictorico before it dries, leaving blank areas in the
middle of and extra density around the edges of tonal areas and wrecking
the negative. And when printing in black ink only, the negative will be
grainy and may have visible banding. But with the smaller droplets, my
understanding is that you shouldn't have either of those problems. At
least that's what the Pictorico folks tell me....
FYI a number of people are working with quadtone printing processes for
generating negatives.
With luck, Dan will be nearby and can give you some better and more
specific advice than mine,
kt
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