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Thread: How many sheets of paper does it take you to get your first keeper-print?

  1. #1

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    How many sheets of paper does it take you to get your first keeper-print?

    I know some negs are going to take more work than others, but in general, how many sheets of paper do you use to get a keeper print? Including test strips.
    I'm averaging 4 or 5, but I'm picky on what I keep.
    thx!

  2. #2
    Drew Wiley
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    Re: How many sheets of paper does it take you to get your first keeper-print?

    I'm usually there on the first or second print, following the test strip or strips. But I never really know until I've toned them and fully air dried them, and view them with a fresh set of eyes the next day. I normally make only two "keepers"of any given image, and might deliberately expose and tone them a little differently, and end up with two or perhaps three very acceptable prints, all find them all satisfying, yet for slightly different reasons. There are, however, any number of negatives I try, but give up on after the test strip, or maybe a trial first print, just to save my paper for better images.

    Sometimes you don't really know the full potential of a neg until you at least attempt it. Unless it's a home run to begin with, or appears to have that potential on another darkroom round, any otherwise print ends up in the trash. In that respect, I successfully bat about 2 out of 3. High quality paper is getting pretty darn expensive, and museum board is bordering on ridiculous. So if it ain't worth mounting, at least somewhere down the line, it ain't worth keeping.

  3. #3

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    Re: How many sheets of paper does it take you to get your first keeper-print?

    Hmm...let's see...

    I'll usually be able to determine the base exposure from a test strip, but I use a whole sheet of paper for that test so that's one. Then, I'll expose my first work print at the base exposure to evaluate overall contrast and to see if any areas need dodging/burning. If I feel an overall contrast change is warranted, I'll do another work print. For burning, I cut up small pieces of paper, expose for additional time, and then I hold that piece over the work print for evaluation. Rinse-n-repeat, as needed. So, I could be looking at 3 - 4 sheets of paper to arrive at a potential final print. Once I believe I've reached the final destination, I'll usually make a couple of identical prints for later toning possibilities and, like Drew, to view with fresh eyes the next day. Also, I like to have an extra print just in case of something stupid happening with mounting and/or final presentation.

    Therefore, I'm probably looking at 7 - 8 sheets of paper to arrive at a final fine print. Just to be clear, I print only B&W in the darkroom.

  4. #4

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    Re: How many sheets of paper does it take you to get your first keeper-print?

    Gets interesting when the supply is down to one sheet...and the only way to test is to trim from a margin - kinda like being down to one square of TP the morning after a chili-fest! (but I digress!)

  5. #5
    Vaughn's Avatar
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    Re: How many sheets of paper does it take you to get your first keeper-print?

    This was my typical method when I was silver printing and everything was working out fine...

    One pack of 10 sheets of 16x20 Portriga Rapid, grade 3

    One sheet cut into thirds length ways, usually, for test strips
    One sheet for work print (no burning/dodging yet)
    Five sheets to work out the burning pattern
    Three final prints

    From start to finish (arrive at darkroom and then leave for home) --12 hours on average.

    An example (8x20 print from 4x5):
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails PCNarrowLR.jpg  
    "Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China

  6. #6
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: How many sheets of paper does it take you to get your first keeper-print?

    Very reasonable

    I always print 3 keepers
    Tin Can

  7. #7
    Vaughn's Avatar
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    Re: How many sheets of paper does it take you to get your first keeper-print?

    I do not 'map' my burning, etc., so those three prints would be all I ever printed of the image. I would treat any re-printing of the negative as a totally new image and not try to recreate the older image.

    My alt printing is carried out totally different now.
    "Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China

  8. #8

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    Re: How many sheets of paper does it take you to get your first keeper-print?

    With paper being so expensive, I’m at the point now where if a print is in the ballpark of being “perfect,” I’m gonna take the win and be pleased with it. I’m printing for an audience of one — me. So I try to nail it down with as few sheets as possible. If I was printing for the Met in NYC, I’d sweat it more. In my younger more perfectionist days, I’d be burning through paper trying to correct every little perceived flaw and driving myself crazy.

  9. #9

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    Re: How many sheets of paper does it take you to get your first keeper-print?

    On an unrelated note...love that shot, Vaughn!

  10. #10
    Paul Ron's Avatar
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    Re: How many sheets of paper does it take you to get your first keeper-print?

    its hard to say how much waste to make one keeper... that first setup n test strips can burn up alot of paper and if you are doing split filtering... it can get crazy.

    sometimes it takes 4 or 5 to get my exposures n filters set up. and sometimes i get lucky 2-3 to get it figured out. after that, i can ace almost every copy in one shot.

    so once you get it right... make several copies!

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