Beginner with ortho film, tips appreciated

[Rich Ullsmith]

I have a boatload of 11X14 kodak graphic arts film I just started playing with. I enlarged a few negatives, then contacted the positive to get a final enlarged negative. I'm using LD-20 at about 1+1+6 with pretty good results considering I'm just fooling around (flatbed scanner is in storage, sorry no examples.)

Seems it's a lot like lith printing, the way the image comes up. It seemed like the addition of some restrainer (benzo) resulted in a little smoother image, not so hard and graphic. Does this work the same way as lith printing?

And it seems like making both the positive and final negative in lith developer, the positive has graphic feel to it and then it really gets compounded when making the final negative? Can this be controlled with using a non-lith developer for either stage? If so, what is recommended?

Anyways, I can see this process can be a lot of fun, and I have enough materials to last. Any experiences or recs greatly appreciated.

 

[Jerevan]

If you think using LD-20 with graphic art film is a bit like printing it is because that's just what you are doing, except it is film developing.

A lith developer is basically a diluted (print) developer. And yes, benzotriasole or potassium bromide restrains the image forming in the same way as lith printing does.

 

[Rich Ullsmith]

So, would some sort of metol developer or pyro give me a more "straight" negative? Or does this film only develop infectiously?

 

[Tom1956]

What kind of graphic arts film is it? Is it Lith film or rapid access? What is it--Anitec brand, or what?

 

[Rich Ullsmith]

Kodak graphic arts film. That's what it says on the boxes.

 

[Tom1956]

Sorry, not familiar. We always used Anitec brand in the shops I worked in. Seems like sometime in the late 80's lith film became scarce as shops used more rapid access. Rapid access could not achieve the density of the lith. There are just too many kinds of "graphic arts" film to hope for an informative post on the subject, imo. GL. Obviously you'll need to experiment with the lower contrast developers like phenidone, Beutlers, maybe pyro, and such like. Unless you're one of those Rodinal fanboys who swears by it as the end-all of developers.