What is your printing process?

[Pawlowski6132]

So, I'm asking about wet, silver, enlarging. I'm sure everyone uses their own variation. Below is mine. I'm sure it's not perfect and hope to learn something as a result of this thread.

Once I have the negative I want to use...

1. Create two test prints. I use the the three second burst method. My "banding" method is to make sure I can evaluate the highlights of the print. If my proof sheet looks good at Grade 2, the second print will be a grade 3. If the proof looks too contrasty, my second will be grade 1.

2. I will then pick the exposure time that both prints exhibit the "best" highlight (making sure it is at least 20 seconds, if not stop down and re-do)

3. I will then create two full pilot prints on each grade at the "best" time

4. I will then pick the ideal grade based on over all feel

5. I will then create a couple of bracket prints at, say 10% and 20% more exposure

6. I will then evaluate each print and evaluate the remaining non-highlight parts of the image.

7. I will then create a dodge/burn strategy if necessary

8. Create the final print 3x

9. HCA, Selenium, good wash

[Jim collum]

platinum/palladium ziatype

1. scan the negative, or start with a digital file.

2. prepare it in Photoshop the way I want the print to look (monitor's calibrated for this0

3. print the negative (have already done a lot of calibration here as well), usually a 4x5" print

4. Print.

5. Evaluate print.. 9 times out of ten, nothing necessary, although sometimes a slight curve adjustment to fine tune it

6. Print larger negative (8" or 14" on long side)

7. clear print, dry, sometime a coat of Renaissance wax, mount, mat

[Jim Noel]

So, I'm asking about wet, silver, enlarging. I'm sure everyone uses their own variation. Below is mine. I'm sure it's not perfect and hope to learn something as a result of this thread.

Once I have the negative I want to use...

1. Create two test prints. I use the the three second burst method. My "banding" method is to make sure I can evaluate the highlights of the print. If my proof sheet looks good at Grade 2, the second print will be a grade 3. If the proof looks too contrasty, my second will be grade 1.

2. I will then pick the exposure time that both prints exhibit the "best" highlight (making sure it is at least 20 seconds, if not stop down and re-do)

3. I will then create two full pilot prints on each grade at the "best" time

4. I will then pick the ideal grade based on over all feel

5. I will then create a couple of bracket prints at, say 10% and 20% more exposure

6. I will then evaluate each print and evaluate the remaining non-highlight parts of the image.

7. I will then create a dodge/burn strategy if necessary

8. Create the final print 3x

9. HCA, Selenium, good wash

Your step number 3 is wasting an awful lot of time and paper.

[Vaughn]

Have not done much silver gelatin in the last 10+ years, but this was my average routine:

Pick a good negative (4x5, B&W).

Pick a paper (neutral Gallerie glossy, or warm Portriga Rapid III, both grade 3), 16x20

Test strip (about 1/3 sheet), 5 sec intervals (10sec to 30sec), about 3 stops from wide open -- pick time, usually around 20 seconds.

Make work print -- spend 10 of 15 minutes looking at work print to determine any changes in time or contrast (via Selectol-soft), and determine initial burning plan.

Next 6 pieces of paper I work on the burning pattern. Again, usually spending 5 to 15 minutes looking at each print in a well-lit room (prints complete fixed first).

Make 3 final copies if I feel the image is worth it. (A total of ten sheets of paper -- one pack.)

Complete fixing and washing.

After several printing sessions, pick prints to selenium tone. Soak prints, tone and wash.

I tended to print light, and then burn down to what I wanted (I rarely dodged). The best way to describe the way I worked was to consider the paper as a piece of stone and I would use light as chisels to dig away to the darker rock below.

Technical stuff...Dektol 1:3, 3 minutes -- Indicator Stop Bath, 30 sec -- two rapid fix baths. 3 min each (.5 oz Part B instead of 2oz) -- rinse, 1 min -- HCA, 3 min -- wash, long. Dry-down was intuitively taken into account, as was changes due to toning. Toning -- Kodak Selenium Toner at 1:16 (with HCA), 100 to 110F. Toning time: 45 seconds, 15 sec dripping time, rinse, tray of HCA, 40 min wash.

[Pawlowski6132]

Your step number 3 is wasting an awful lot of time and paper.

Not really. I will only spend about 30 extra seconds in exposing ONE sheet of paper.

In the end, I'd rather be sure to have the best print I want and not be too cheap or lazy to get it.

[Heroique]

My enlarger darkroom is down the hall from my processing darkroom.

So I have to make the journey w/ my Premier Paper Safe – a key step in my process.

Actually, it's about 20 steps!

[Jim collum]

whoops.. sorry. i missed the silver specific.. disregard!

[Bill Burk]

1. Feel compulsion to print a photograph from a particular occasion.
2. Look through negatives from that occasion, using light table and microscope to verify negative is suitable for printing.
3. Spot negative if necessary.
4. Set everything up for printing, make sure negative is free of dust as much as possible.
5. Pick grade (it's either 2 or 3, not too difficult a decision).
6. Try one test strip with third-f/stop times, max time longer than what I know is needed.
7. If first test strip is a failure, correct f/stop or time and make another test strip.
8. Review test strip for base time and choose potential dodge/burns based on where things look right on the test compared to the base time I chose.
9. Print with dodge and burns as planned
10. Make another print if a mistake needs correcting.

My method is exceedingly conservative of materials... I am very decisive when printing, so it either works... or it doesn't and I move on.

[Bruce Barlow]

Your step number 3 is wasting an awful lot of time and paper.

No, it doesn't, because you have to see the whole print on each paper grade to evaluate them and choose the right one. Remember, the test strip chosen is only for the highlights, and you don't really know what all the midtones and low tones look like. Test strips being not always in the right place, you're not even sure of the high values. Without the complete print, your odds of getting the wrong paper grade, and even the wrong exposure, are significantly higher than zero.

I will admit to doing it on the cheap before, wrestling with a print for an hour to get all the manipulations right, making the final print, and not liking it because it was too harsh or too soft, which I could have avoided by making two prints and looking at them side-by-side. My fault - wasting a number of sheets of paper and all that time. 2 sheets and 5 minutes is a bargain. From time-to-time I relearn that lesson the hard way.

With my LPL Saunders variable head, it's even worse. I have made two prints 1/4 of a paper grade apart, seen the difference, and chosen one over the other because it was right, and the other was wrong. I had gotten to 1/4 grade via multiple pilot prints - so several sheets, but it was worth it. It was one damn fine print.

This complete sequence is pretty much what I do, too. I'd only mention that I reduce the exposure by my tested dry-down percentage for the paper I'm using. I dial it in on my Zone VI dry-down timer. I keep a chart on the wall with the percentages for the papers I have. If you don't know, use 10%, unless it's Ilford Galerie, which is 7% for me. If you don't have a dry-down timer, take the percentage off the base exposure, and just dodge and burn.

Paper is cheap, the opportunity and time is dear. If it takes me 7-15 sheets of paper to get the best print I can make, what's 2 more?

[jp]

1. Pick an image from proof contact sheets (printed at grade 2) and study the contrast in it and from eyeballing the negative so as to make a guestimate for the contrast grade.

2. determine final print size, paper choice, etc.. Some images don't look good on warm paper or creamy paper, some soft focus stuff doesn't like to get enlarged much beyond 8x10. Setup and focus and stop down.

3. Determine an area of the baseboard/easel where I can toss a test strip and get most of the important tones. Guess an exposure and process it. Test strip will be 1/6 to 1/4 of a sheet of paper.

4. Do a second test strip to fine tuned guessed exposure. ( I used to have a meter for this but found it unnecessary after a while)

5. Dry the test strip and view in normal light outside the darkroom if I'm using a paper with noticeable drydown. This verifies exposure and contrast choices. Make adjustments and repeat if needed. Two test strips is usually sufficient for normal negatives.

6. Make a full sized print. If I'm happy with it, good, If I'm not, change what needs to be changed and make another print. This may include some minor changes to exposure or contrast and in some cases a little manual dodging.

I'm interested mostly in saving time, but am glad to conserve paper given the opportunity.