Blotting paper

Melvin J Bramley · Mar 30, 2024

Where do I find 16 x 20 blotting paper for drying fibre base prints?
At what point do you discard the stained blotting paper?

GregY · Mar 30, 2024

Melvin J Bramley said:
Where do I find 16 x 20 blotting paper for drying fibre base prints?
At what point do you discard the stained blotting paper?

Melvin, I don't know anyone who uses blotting paper. My darkroom colleagues and i all take the print out of the holding tray after toning & washaid.... place it on a sheet of plate glass or plexi, squeegee both sides with a car wiper blade.,blot any remaining water droplets with a piece of paper towel (household or Kimwipes) and place it on a screen to dry. When dry the prints are flattened in a dry mount press and left to cool under plate glass for a few minutes.

mshchem · Mar 31, 2024

Ebay has all sorts of blotter papers. Premier used to sell blotting papers for drying prints. Tricky finding a bibulous paper, large enough and free of surface fibers that can stick to the print.

GregY · Mar 31, 2024

Here you go $70 USD for a blotter book for 16x20 prints. on back order.....

https://www.adorama.com/dkbb1620.html

Hilo · Mar 31, 2024

GregY said:
Melvin, I don't know anyone who uses blotting paper. My darkroom colleagues and i all take the print out of the holding tray after toning & washaid.... place it on a sheet of plate glass or plexi, squeegee both sides with a car wiper blade.,blot any excess water with a piece of paper towel (household or Kimwipes) and place it on a screen to dry.

I do the more or less the same: after the final wash, I lay the print on a piece of plexi glass and use the squeegee to get rid of water. What is different is that I then hang the prints to dry. See the attached picture - these are 20x24in. prints (50x60cm). This is in my workspace, I generally go home after printing. The prints dry slow overnight and in the morning there are never waterdrops left.

After that I press them flat and put the prints between acid free carton, to let them rest for a day or so.

I would not put the emulsion side of the wet print in contact with anything.

payral · Mar 31, 2024

Ilford used to make and sale blotting paper pH7 for prints but I don't know if they still do

Don_ih · Mar 31, 2024

@Hilo - I really like your clothespins-on-wires print hangers.

logan2z · Mar 31, 2024

Hilo said:
I do the more or less the same: after the final wash, I lay the print on a piece of plexi glass and use the squeegee to get rid of water. What is different is that I then hang the prints to dry. See the attached picture - these are 20x24in. prints (50x60cm). This is in my workspace, I generally go home after printing. The prints dry slow overnight and in the morning there are never waterdrops left.

After that I press them flat and put the prints between acid free carton, to let them rest for a day or so.

I would not put the emulsion side of the wet print in contact with anything.

View attachment 366965

Do the clothespins leave impressions in the paper'border?

Hilo · Mar 31, 2024

logan2z said:
Do the clothespins leave impressions in the paper'border?

Yes, they do. However, I always trim about 1cm of all four sides of the print. This I do after the pressed prints have been resting between paper. It takes out the tension a sheet of paper has and helps them become totally flat.

Hilo · Apr 4, 2024

Don_ih said:
@Hilo - I really like your clothespins-on-wires print hangers.

Thanks Don, so do I. I've had four darkrooms since 1980 and this system traveled to each new darkroom. It does not take up any space and it is clean. In my third workspace, I had a separate room of about 3 x 3 meters. After hanging them up, I'd close the door until the next day.

I do workprints on 24 x 30cm paper (a bit larger than A4) and those I do not even wipe the off. The next day they're dry without any marks.

Blotting paper

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency