Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: Contact printing: Practicing with RC paper, making final print with Fiber

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    21

    Contact printing: Practicing with RC paper, making final print with Fiber

    In the past when doing enlargements, I had to adjust the time the paper was exposed when using RC paper and Fiber paper.

    I will be doing some 8x10 contact prints soon, and was wondering if the same principal applies. If so, do any of you have a general rule on how much to increase the paper's exposure when using say, Ilford Glossy RC paper and transitioning to Glossy FB paper?

    FB paper is very expensive so I want to try to do most of my experimenting with RC paper before making the final prints in FB.

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Location
    Montreal, Canada
    Posts
    1,993

    Re: Contact printing: Practicing with RC paper, making final print with Fiber

    You will still need to adjust base exposure times (as well as other manipulations). For the base exposure adjustment, you could use the papers' ISO speeds (Ilford, for example, gives them) as a very rough guideline, but you'll still end up with trial and error. In my opinion it is usually false economy to try to use different papers for work prints and final prints, but that's just me.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Greenwood Lake NY USA
    Posts
    211

    Re: Contact printing: Practicing with RC paper, making final print with Fiber

    I find the difference between Ilford MG RC and FB is about one stop, the RC paper is faster and requires one half the exposure time, approximately. This agrees with the information published by Ilford.

    edit: in this situation, where the first print is the RC print, then the FB print requires approximately twice the exposure time.

  4. #4
    bob carnie's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Toronto, Ontario,
    Posts
    4,939

    Re: Contact printing: Practicing with RC paper, making final print with Fiber

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael R View Post
    You will still need to adjust base exposure times (as well as other manipulations). For the base exposure adjustment, you could use the papers' ISO speeds (Ilford, for example, gives them) as a very rough guideline, but you'll still end up with trial and error. In my opinion it is usually false economy to try to use different papers for work prints and final prints, but that's just me.
    I agree with Michael on this, I like to get to know the paper and switching from plastic to fibre is quite a jump when making exhibition prints.. I have never thought this was a good practice.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Posts
    4,566

    Re: Contact printing: Practicing with RC paper, making final print with Fiber

    Quote Originally Posted by formanproject View Post
    In the past when doing enlargements, I had to adjust the time the paper was exposed when using RC paper and Fiber paper.

    I will be doing some 8x10 contact prints soon, and was wondering if the same principal applies. If so, do any of you have a general rule on how much to increase the paper's exposure when using say, Ilford Glossy RC paper and transitioning to Glossy FB paper?

    FB paper is very expensive so I want to try to do most of my experimenting with RC paper before making the final prints in FB.

    I tried what you say... and I ended scanning+Photoshop to explore aesthetical alternatives, and making different versions to decide how the final image should look, then I go direct to FB.

    Anyway RC is very useful to me to learn how to cook a difficult print, once I've the digital prototype, if complex dodge and burning is to be performed it may take a lot of sheets to get the burning/dodging formula, so in this case it may be cheaper making those tests with RC, so later with few FB sheets I can adjust the cooking for FB. IMHO an skilled printer won't need that step because he will need less FB sheets to get the right cooking than me to bring the RC formula to FB.

    So it's a matter of having practice

Similar Threads

  1. Flattening Fiber-Based Paper [U]Before[/U] Printing?
    By tgtaylor in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 17-Dec-2012, 17:54
  2. Making a contact printing mask
    By Scott Walker in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 13
    Last Post: 27-Feb-2011, 19:37
  3. Fiber paper print washing question
    By Gary L. Quay in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 17-Sep-2007, 20:53
  4. fiber based printing paper"archival"?
    By Hans Berkhout in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 8-Jan-2002, 19:55

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •