Multi contrast paper - contact printing?

[pbryld]

I am getting into large format and printing at the moment. I am going to do contact prints with some X-ray film. Now, the cheapest paper I can find available in NYC is some multi contrast resin coated paper from Oriental Seagull (or something like that).

Though, as far as I've been reading, you are supposed to use that kind of paper with an enlarger, because a filter is used to determine the grade of the paper.


If I am understanding that correctly, how will the multi contrast paper react without a filter when I am contact printing?


Thanks in advance!

[Scott Walker]

It will work like a graded paper and your light source will determine what grade it will be

[pbryld]

Ah. Well, I am going to use a regular bulb from a lamp. Does a table for Watt/Grade exist (or perhaps that question needs another thread)? :p

[ic-racer]

You can put filters between your bulb and the paper to control contrast. I don't know about Oriental but Ilford MG paper is about a grade 2 with no filter.

[Drew Wiley]

I often use the same VC papers for contact printing as enlargement. No special tricks are
needed.

[pbryld]

Okay, by the quick replies (thank you!!), it seems it'll be alright whatever I do. Obviously I'll probably need to do several prints to get everything right though.

By the way, does MG, MC, VC and VG all mean the same?

[pbryld]

Ah. Well, I am going to use a regular bulb from a lamp. Does a table for Watt/Grade exist (or perhaps that question needs another thread)? :p


Or could someone just tell me if the grade is higher the stronger the bulb, or if it is the opposite?

[Drew Wiley]

VC papers have their contrast engineered to be sensitive to the COLOR of the light. There
is a low contrast emulsion which is sensitive to yellow or green light, and a high contrast
layer sensitive to magenta or blue. If you have a colorhead on your enlarger this is easy to
dial in. If you are using a lightbulb, you could use a colored studio "gel" holder to safely
space a sheet of colored polyester a distance from the light, or simply handhold it over the
contact frame. Often you need a certain amt of high-contrast light, and a certain amt of
low-contrast, determined by trial and error. It's called "split printing" and is actually quite
easy once you have a little practice. In my experience the Oriental VC paper would be closer to Gr3 unfiltered, but it depends on just how "warm" your lightbulb is. The warmer
or more yellow (lower K color temp), the lower the contrast.

[ROL]

Grades have nothing to do with the "strength", or intensity of the bulb – which will only affect the speed of your printing (say 10 compared to 20 seconds total exposure). Grading is by contrast (i.e., contrast grades). Grading varies according to the type (wavelength) of light projected upon it, at least with VC papers. Most incandescent style enlargers rely on separate filters (yellows –> transmitting blues, and magentas –> transmitting greens) to achieve a contrast grade from hard (5) to soft (1), correspondingly.

I believe a VC paper exposed to all wavelengths of light from an incandesent bulb without filtration will give you something like the equivalent of grade 2 contrast, which used to be considered neutral. Single grade papers, which you are unlikely to find as RC, will simply produce the contrast grade advertised, no matter the character of the light.

[Emil Schildt]

I'm confused on why you don't want an enlarger? Space?

Where in Dk are you located? Come visit, and I'll proberly be able to give you an enlarger to take back home...

[Andrew O'Neill]

Go to http://www.rosco.com/uk/index.cfm

and order a calcolour kit. It's a bunch of large colour filters. You can lay them over top of your contact printing glass and negative if you want to have some control over contrast.

andrew

[tgtaylor]

Single grade papers, which you are unlikely to find as RC, will simply produce the contrast grade advertised, no matter the character of the light.

Oriental RC and FB paper is available in Grades 2, 3, and VC.

Thomas

Edit: VC is the way to go IMO. Recently I contact printed a negative as a Grade 3 on VC paper after having ruled out Grade 2. But after looking at the dry print I thought that it looked a little dull so I went back and reprinted it at Grade 3.5 and the dry print "popped."

Thomas

[pbryld]

Go to http://www.rosco.com/uk/index.cfm

and order a calcolour kit. It's a bunch of large colour filters. You can lay them over top of your contact printing glass and negative if you want to have some control over contrast.

andrew

Sounds good. I will look into it when I'm not in a hurry like now :)


I'm confused on why you don't want an enlarger? Space?

Where in Dk are you located? Come visit, and I'll proberly be able to give you an enlarger to take back home...

That is very kind of you!, but I live in Odense. I may take you up on the offer when I drive to Copenhagen some time. :)

EDIT: Somehow I had gotten in my head that you ive in Cph. But now you know I live in Odense. :)


VC papers have their contrast engineered to be sensitive to the COLOR of the light. There
is a low contrast emulsion which is sensitive to yellow or green light, and a high contrast
layer sensitive to magenta or blue. If you have a colorhead on your enlarger this is easy to
dial in. If you are using a lightbulb, you could use a colored studio "gel" holder to safely
space a sheet of colored polyester a distance from the light, or simply handhold it over the
contact frame. Often you need a certain amt of high-contrast light, and a certain amt of
low-contrast, determined by trial and error. It's called "split printing" and is actually quite
easy once you have a little practice. In my experience the Oriental VC paper would be closer to Gr3 unfiltered, but it depends on just how "warm" your lightbulb is. The warmer
or more yellow (lower K color temp), the lower the contrast.

Ah, that explains it. The light would be the ugly pale stuff (only legal/currently in production light bulbs here...).



Grades have nothing to do with the "strength", or intensity of the bulb – which will only affect the speed of your printing (say 10 compared to 20 seconds total exposure). Grading is by contrast (i.e., contrast grades). Grading varies according to the type (wavelength) of light projected upon it, at least with VC papers. Most incandescent style enlargers rely on separate filters (yellows –> transmitting blues, and magentas –> transmitting greens) to achieve a contrast grade from hard (5) to soft (1), correspondingly.

I believe a VC paper exposed to all wavelengths of light from an incandesent bulb without filtration will give you something like the equivalent of grade 2 contrast, which used to be considered neutral. Single grade papers, which you are unlikely to find as RC, will simply produce the contrast grade advertised, no matter the character of the light.

Very useful info. Thanks!

[winterclock]

A small enlarger makes an excellent light source for contact printing. You get consistent exposure times and they usually have a place to mount the VC filters. I use an old Federal that packs up into its own case so space is less of an issue.

[Emil Schildt]

That is very kind of you!, but I live in Odense. I may take you up on the offer when I drive to Copenhagen some time. :)

EDIT: Somehow I had gotten in my head that you ive in Cph. But now you know I live in Odense. :)


:D

Well - CPH is as far away as I can get....
Vrå near Hjørring (going to Løkken or Skagen sometime?)

[pbryld]

Oh god that is some trip. I've never been deeper into Jutland than Randers...

Anyways, I actually might go ahead and get an enlarger. But will a 35mm one light up 14x17? Or do I need to go bigger.

[Andrew O'Neill]

Yes, a dedicated 35mm enlarger's projected light will allow you to cover 14x17 on the baseboard.

[pbryld]

Fabulous! Thanks.