Re: News from Bostick & Sullivan

----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Sullivan" <richsul@earthlink.net>
To: <alt-photo-process-l@sask.usask.ca>
Sent: Saturday, March 06, 2004 11:37 AM
Subject: Re: News from Bostick & Sullivan

> Assuming this means gravure tissue, what is the gripe with
what Autotype
> produces? Quality? Price? Would folks be willing to re
calibrate to a
> different tissue. It is my understanding that Autotype
dearly wants out of
> making it. The risk is if I come out with it and they drop
it, I am in a
> pickle as I have then inherited the mantle. There would be
no getting out.
>
> I have heard that some batches are plagued with what are
in the trade
> termed assh*les, tiny areas that cause asterisk looking
pits in the copper.
> This i got from a couple of gravure printers here in Santa
Fe and also in a
> book on gravure from the 30's. I believe they are caused
by small pinhole
> bubbles in the tissue. With this long a history it may
just be an endemic
> problem in making the tissue.
>
> Thanks for the comments.
>
> --Dick
>
  My memory is that I've read that the Autograph products
were not well thought of even in the 1940's. I think this is
why Devin-McGraw and Curtis began to make their own. Most
three-color Carbro was used by the advertising industry who
had a very high quality standard, evidently the Autograph
stuff couldn't meet it. I have buried somewhere a 1950's
George Murphy catalogue which still has all of the Autograph
stuff in it, they were the exclusive importers for decades.
This catalogue also has posing chairs and backdrops c.1905;
amazing.
  There must be a great many three-color carbro prints
somewhere, evidently they last forever, but I've never seen
one in a museum or gallery show. As you know, this is a
process which has fascinated me for years.

---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, CA, USA
dickburk@ix.netcom.com