Need Help with Platinum/Palladium Print

[Alan9940]

I just thought of another thing: Bostick and Sullivan's offers an ICC printer profile for printing digital negatives. I have not used it yet but I wonder if that will make a difference.

Actually, it's a LUT file they created based on the techniques outlined at easydigitalnegatives.com. You could certainly give it a try, but keep in mind that the LUT offered is based on their printer and all the other environmental variables. IMO, if you're serious about pt/pd printing, then doing some personal calibration/testing cannot be avoided. Get the easy stuff out of the way because learning to craft a truly find pt/pd print takes some experience. And, just about the time you think you've arrived, you'll want to try gum over!

[angusparker]

My two guesses are:

(A) The positive image doesn’t have the right curve applied to it to create the digital negative - the highlight densities are to high/dark so you are underexposing that part of the negative.

(B) The paper humidity is too low after the blow dry. I’m away from my notes and I forget what the target level is. Get a wood humidity meter like this one: https://www.amazon.com/General-Tools...s%2C193&sr=8-6

As an aside, I have decided that I really don’t like inkjets and Pictórico for PT as the resolution isn’t really that great, and the ink wasn’t designed for the purpose of absorbing UV light. Once you have dialed in the curve consider getting the digital negative printed out by a professional service.

[Monty McCutchen]

I’ll defer to others with more experience on the digital negatives as my knowledge is poor in that area. But as to the paper—it’s too dry! Throw away the hair dryer. My prints exponentially increased in relative blacks and overall richness when I started printing with minimal drying of the coated paper. My set up is a regular floor fan placed horizontally facing down in a support from about 18 inches. I coat and put the print under the fan for 3 minutes. Keep the humidity in the room sultry like a jungle on the equator, okay maybe not quite that wet, and then print with a piece of clear acetate between the neg and the paper. It’s a pt/pd print on art paper afterall, you’re not losing any sharpness!

Your mileage may vary for your conditions but based on my experience your prints look like mine did when I over dried my papers.

Monty