Equipment & Materials

After considerable experimentation, I have chosen to use Epson papers and Epson Ink with the Epson Stylus Photo 1200 Printer.

..for the INK JET PROOF

..for the CONTACT NEGATIVE

..for the final SILVER PRINT

Epson Photo Paper

Epson Photo Quality Glossy Film

Ilford Multigrade IV FB DW

standard Epson black ink

standard Epson colored ink

Zone VI paper developer from Calumet

Mode: Custom
Space: Grayscale
Advanced Options:

Print Quality: Fine - 720dpi
Error Diffusion
Color Adjustment: Automatic

Mode: Custom|
Space: RGB
Printer Color Management checked "ON"
Advanced Options

Print Quality: Photo - 1440dpi
Error Diffusion
Color Adjustment: "No Color Adjustment"*

* MY Epson Stylus Photo 1200,, on MY Mac, adds cyan ink to the lighter shades of red and orange, in an attempt, I suspect, to reduce the saturation and enhance the perception of lighter values. I HATE pollution and this fits the definition. After much fiddling around, I discovered a fix.

  1. In the printing dialogue screen select "Custom" then "Advanced".
  2. At the right side of the "Advanced" screen are "Mode" choices. Select "No Color Adjustment".

This apparently allows the printer to print the color selected in Photoshop rather than some software developer's idea of what it SHOULD look like.

Some Thoughts about "Photographic Paper Selection"

Each image needs the PERFECT paper / developer combination! When working with a silver negative, the selection of the "perfect" emulsion and developer is often a search for the response curve that best displays the expressive vision of the photographer. Often this has to do with whether the paper is a long-toe or short-toe paper, as much as the color and contrast range. In the opto-chemical darkroom, one must match the paper / developer to the silver negative. In the digital darkroom, it is possible to match the image to a single negative material and characteristic. Thus, rather than choose a paper / developer combination for the image, alter the image to fit the chosen paper / developer combination. In so doing we are able to choose a single paper, Ilford Multigrade or Gallerie, Seagull, Kodak Elite or Ektalure, Agfa, platinum, palladium, etc., and match the digital image to fit. This allows you to select the paper that best expresses the vision without regard to whatever limiting factors it might possess.

Start

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Find Minimum Exposure Needed to Print Pure BLACK with the chosen negative material

Find Ink Combination
for the Proper "Effective Density" to Print Pure White.

Create an Adjustment Curve

Make a negative

Final Check

RETURN HOME