Contact Printing onto Ilford MG Art 300?

horacekenneth · Mar 14, 2013

Does anyone have any experience doing large format contact prints onto Ilford's MG Art 300?

I've used it for some enlargements the past couple weeks that turned out great (I really like it) but was wondering if the texture (or any other factor) gets in the way of contact printing.

Horace

horacekenneth · Mar 14, 2013

I discovered the existence of this article: http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/78093864/ilfords-mg-art-300-traditional-printing-paper
but can't seem to access it. The beginning of the abstract states: "The article presents the author's experience in making 8x10 contact prints with the use of the newly introduced Ilford Multigrade (MG) Art 300 fiber based paper"
I'd assume that because there is a whole article on it the experience was positive or at least not wholly negative but that's not a lot to go on.

jp498 · Mar 14, 2013

Depends on what you're looking for in contact prints. If you are looking for microscopic detail, you might be better with a glossy paper. If you want a beautiful print with Art300 texture, it's still a good choice.

cowanw · Mar 14, 2013

It's a good question though, will there be a loss of sharpness in the grooves in the contact procedure vs projection printing. My guess would be yes. but next time I am in the darkroon I will try a test.

Barry S · Mar 14, 2013

I've made both enlargements and large format contact prints on Art 300. The contact prints look great--I can't see any loss of sharpness. Art 300 prints have a lot of fine detail if you look closely, it's just overlaid on a textured surface.

horacekenneth · Mar 14, 2013

Thanks guys - and cowanw I'd love to hear about the results of your test when you do that

DanielStone · Mar 14, 2013

If your location is still here in the USA(I'm assuming you're in Maryland, MD)?

Just order up a pack of paper, and give it a whirl. You'll be able to scrutinize YOUR OWN negatives and how they translate into the printed image on the paper itself. NO SCAN/file on the internet is going to give you that.

As that Nike saying goes "Just do it" !

-Dan

horacekenneth · Mar 15, 2013

Daniel, sometimes it's better to get advice before you set off on your own. Other people with more experience, more tools, and who know what to look for have gone before and I can get ahead of where I was before by learning from them.

rorye · Mar 15, 2013

I've been loving this paper for enlargements and contacts. I've done side by side comparison if Art 300 and IMWT contact prints and I do perceive less sharpness with the 300 but it seems to suit certain images. As Barry says there's plenty of fine detail, it just appears a bit less crisp to me.

Contact Printing onto Ilford MG Art 300?

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