Re: Paper for Gum Printing

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From: Christina Z. Anderson (zphoto@montana.net)
Date: 04/10/03-08:29:22 AM Z


Clearprint :)
     On the label it says "www.clearprintpaper.com, 100% cotton, drafting
and design vellum, 16lb traditional. 1-800-766-7337. I don't think this is
any better than any of the other vellums that have cropped up on this list
as being suitable for negatives, such as Bienfang, or others. I just had
heard about it and lo and behold it was at this one University bookstore so
I bought it. It's cheap too, 30c an 8.5x11.
     I printed the file on this and on Pictorico (way more expensive) and I
cannot tell in gum a discernible difference between the two, in exposure by
much or in texture. That is what is weird. I also printed it two ways--one
with the negative just inverted to a grayscale as it is, and then one with
messing with the sliders in the Levels box, moving both of the outside
sliders into the center slider. This raised the density and contrast of the
negative. I found that the one I preferred for this image was straight on,
no messing around, the way it originally is, but that probably I would in
the future mess with the sliders in the levels box a little less
dramatically.
     I also printed it cyano and same thing. You can't tell it is digital,
to my eye anyway. Hey, maybe my eyes are fuzzy or I'm not that discerning,
but with the prints I have gotten this week from both imagesetter and paper
negs produced digitally, I wonder why I wasted 3 weeks in the darkroom
making 68 8x10 copy negs.
     I'm also surprised that there was not that much exposure difference
between the vellum and the Pictorico. I seem to remember someone
(Katharine?) saying that, too. My exposure on both Pictorico and Clearprint
was 1 1/2 minutes, am di 30%, Winsor Blue 3g/50ml (beautiful pale
turquoise), unsized BFK, mixed pigment/gum to sensitizer 1:1. The paper was
just a shade lighter, or it could even be the Pictorico, because I forgot to
mark which was which even tho I think I know :)
     I will be reading Burkholder's book shortly on exact measures and such,
but this was just a test sample I prepared for a lecture today to show
students who are darkroom impaired that they do not need to make two step
panchromatic negatives all day in the darkroom to get acceptable results.
(I'm titling the lecture "Quick and Easy Gum"--I'm sure this list will get a
kick out of that oxymoron).
Chris
----- Original Message -----
From: "Judy Seigel" <jseigel@panix.com>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2003 11:55 PM
Subject: Re: Paper for Gum Printing

>
>
> On Fri, 9 May 2003, Christina Z. Anderson wrote:
>
> > I am still, tho, blown away by the detail I have gotten from simple
> > paper negs printed on Clearprint vellum from an unadorned 300dpi file on
my
> > lowly Epson 800 printer. That has been the "test of the day" while
trying
>
>
> chris.... who makes the Clearprint vellum?
>
> J.


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