RE: platinum paper breathing question

Since there are no particulars about the paper or its travel arrangements
there are lots of ifs here. But the first place to look would be in the
humidity of the paper and quality of the surrounding air. Paper that has
been shipped from one location with radically different rH than the
receiving location does leave open the possibility of changing conditions.

Coating conditions will play a big part in how much, how long issues, of the
coating process. If he uses a lot of palladium in his mix, he would see a
printing speed change as well. Established practices for one area don't
always transfer to a new location. The coating characteristics of paper
most certainly change with changes in rH. This is one of the reasons that
you'll find conflicting opinions about whether this paper works or doesn't
work for platinum/palladium printing. That is outside the realm of what one
is looking for from the paper in the first place with regard to sharpness,
color and all the rest.

There is also the issue of the quality of the air in the storage area. You
might recall a few years back, a list member in (France perhaps), posted
about how his wife had added a fragrance to the air cleaner operating in the
area that he stored his paper. The fragrance had a negative effect on the
quality of his prints.

I have seen the edges of older paper in my printing respond quite
differently than the middle of the paper. If you buy your paper in bulk
from a supplier and they send it brown wrapping paper, it should be removed
and placed in an acid free paper wrap. Long exposure to "bad" paper can
alter the quality of you good paper. I suspect that much of the treatment of
paper would be seeing by printers of other processes as well.

Eric Neilsen Photography
4101 Commerce Street
Suite 9
Dallas, TX 75226
http://e.neilsen.home.att.net
http://ericneilsenphotography.com
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Christina Z. Anderson [mailto:zphoto@uslink.net]
> Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2004 9:25 AM
> To: alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca
> Subject: platinum paper breathing question
>
> I was reading in the PDN Feb 2004 issue about master printers and their
> tips. One, Max Caffell, platinum printer for all kinds of photographers
> like Snowden, Bailey, Brandt, Miller, McCartney, Adams, and Langdon
> Coburn,said "Paper can be problematic too. We got a batch once that had
> been shipped to us directly, wrapped in plastic. We used the paper right
> away and discovered that, because it hadn't been exposed to the air for
> very
> long, it made a huge difference in the way the chemistry coated up." They
> now allow their paper to "breathe" for a few days before use.
>
> What do you platinum printers think? Have you experienced this, and if
> so,
> why? Would it just be humidity or does paper age in a few days enough to
> make a difference in platinum?
> Chris
Received on Wed Jul 14 09:17:44 2004