starting out in Lith Printing

[ShannonG]

Hi just getting started with Lith Printing,,Ive done some reading but am looking for some tips from those of you with more experience with this process.

[bob carnie]

First off

Strong contrasty negatives are good.
AB lith developer is needed
Overexpose the print and pull when black are coming out is the normal way of making lith prints
Different papers react different in large degree, some work some don't, others need special treatment to work.
Lith prints tone really well
Second enlarger or flashing device is good.
Long print exposures require a glass carrier to stop neg from popping.
This is a visual process and requires you to see the print in the developer... this is a good thing.



have fun.

[andreios]

Just as Bob said. Have fun and experiment! :)

[SergeiR]

and make sure you got right paper. Or it will bite you.

[SMBooth]

As Tim Rudman say's
Highlights are created by exposure under the enlarger, Shadows are defined by the snatch point.
This is also a good starting guide.
http://www.digitaltruth.com/products/fotospeed_tech/Fotospeed_LD20_Lith_Instr.pdf

[ShannonG]

Thanks for the help. Im having a lot of fun with it,,cool stuff.More questions to come....

[Dan Henderson]

1. If you can, get a copy of Tim Rudman's books on lith printing. The first is more instructive and informative for someone just learning the process.

2. In my experience, Foma is the most reliable lith paper. Other papers lith, some better than others, but if you are just starting out, work with a paper known to respond to the lith process. I really haven't found one lith developer that works better than the others.

3. As Bob said, overexpose, but really overexpose. Like bomb it with 2 to 3 stops more light than you would need to properly expose the paper for normal printing.

4. Experiment, and keep notes of what you are doing so you know how you did something you like.