Clean or rough edges on the printed image

[WarEaglemtn]

Am looking at some of the pt/pd prints I have and find some I think look better with clean edges. (rubylith to get them that way) Others I think look better with the rough edges, nothing blocked, but the way the puddle pusher or brush leaves them outside the negative area.

Any reason for one way other than personal preference?

 

[payral]

The easiest way is to choose to show or not the border when you mat it. You can even leave just a thin black line.

 

[matt miller]

I think it's all personal preference. I agree that some images do look better with the brush marks, but I prefer most of mine with clean edges. For clean edges, I mask the image area with 3M low tack masking tape before coating. Works well for me.

 

[Charles Webb]

I am in no way an authority or expert on this subject, but I believe the image itself dictates "clean lines or brush strokes".

 

[Michael Mutmansky]

It depends Dan,

I personally do not want the novelty of the edges to be a factor in the image, so none of my finished prints have edges. When I am making some trial prints, I typically do not mask for clean edges.

Some photographers make a point of doing 'decorative' edges to enhance the image. I feel that this is a loss of the image into the process. It's not my way, but I don't feel this is anything but an aesthetic decision that each photographer must make on their own.


---Michael

 

[Mateo]

I like prints to be masked so that the overmatte doesn't creep right up to the image itself. That little space of paper white showing between the image and the matte looks so much better to me.