MC paper or graded paper?

Rob- my knock on graded papers isn't about not wanting to stock the whole range; it's that I can't, since they don't make the low grades any more, and it's those 0 and 1 papers which yield the fullest range of tones. Split filter printing can be a bitch, but VC paper is sensitive across a longer range, and yields a longer tonal range than grade 2 or 3, never mind 4 papers. If I could still get grade 0 papers, I'd print on them a good deal, too.

(And- I have Ilford Gallerie in grades 2, 3 and 4 for those negatives that are just right. The matte finish especially is great for toning, BTW.)

As for drying, I do all fiber papers the same way. I think the key starts with the wash. Make sure they stay in long enough to wash out all the fix, but don't leave them in too long. They can get damaged and weakened. Squeegee very carefully, and thoroughly, and lay them face down on a clean, dry screen. I press them under glass once dry.
 
Drewbarb. Spot on about the wash period. I have some large (24X30") white blotters I got from Freestyle. I've been using them to dry RC papers and they work well.

Would they work with fiber-based papers as well?

We just got a bunch of 24X36" screens designed specifically for drying photographs and will be making racks to hold them. My concern here would be curling, but pressing them under glass sounds like a plan. We have a piece of 30X30" glass that would no doubt do the job. Its chief use so far has been for squeegeeing prints. One of my partners, Desert Shooter (an rff member), does this, but I don't as I've scratched prints on more than one occasion.

Ted
 
I find the squeegeeing to be a major factor in reducing curling. I lay the prints first face down on the glass, and run the squeegee once in each direction, being sure to wipe the squeegee between runs, so I'm not putting the water back on the print. Ithen carefully lift the print, and then squeegee the glass to remove the water standing there, then lay the print face up, and run the squeegee over the front once top to bottom, wipe the squeegee, then once side to side. Removing the water from the squeegee and from the glass is important- the goal is to get the water off and out of the print, so why let it casually come into contact with more water here?

I made a set of drying racks out of materials from a home improvement store for making window and door screens. Mine are 26 inches across and 4 feet long, and can handle 2 20x24 prints, or a bunch of smaller sizes. I lay the prints face down on the screen, and they finish up with minimal curl after 12-24 hours of room temperature drying time. Pressing can be done under glass or a metal platten. I have a padded table top, onto which I place a few prints, then lay the glass down over them, then stack books or other heavy things. After a couple of days my prints are quite flat. This applies to all fiber-based papers, and works like a charm.
 
Drewbarb:

Thanks for the very clear explication. I appreciate that. Back in the seventies I had an electrically heated Premer drum dryer and it worked quite well, plus I also had one of those large blotter books. However, when RC paper came along all you needed was a drying rack. I still have it. Prints are laid in vertically and the rack slants a few degrees so the prints rest against the prongs and air dry, sooner or later, depending on the humidity.

Will be trying out the screen racks soon.

Ted
 
When I finish washing my prints I just squeegee them and put them face up on a table. I cover the table with a clean towel first. They do curl but I have a dry mount press so I just pop them in for a minute and flatten them.
Graded papers aren't for everyone... of course neither is fiber based paper, but I still think a well printed fiber based print is hard to beat.
-Rob Skeoch
 
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