Drying screens - screen pattern on paper

BobNewYork · Feb 23, 2009

Had the same problem. I too found that hanging the prints, (regular wooden clothes pegs) for an hour or so before using the screens solved the problem. I suspect that the emulsion is very soft out of the wash and an hour's air drying allows it to harden enough before using the fibreglass screens.

Photo Engineer · Feb 23, 2009

I was taught to never ever dry prints face down on screens. I dry all prints back side (support) down on my drying screens.

Otherwise, there is great chance of picking up the screen pattern. They might also stick.

PE

jeroldharter · Feb 23, 2009

delphine said:
Another catachresis!

Hilarious, thank you for correcting my poor spelling Kirk.

Since we are correcting, I think it is more like a malapropism than a catachresis.

delphine · Feb 23, 2009

Malapropism & catachresis ...

Technically yes, but I'd argue that as a foreign speaker, and due to my native accent, both bloat and blot sound the same therefore, in my particular case, it did not constitue a malapropism but very much a catachresis indeed.

Now, if I was telling you that I will endeavour to use the correct worm in the future, this would indeed constitute a malapropism.

jeroldharter · Feb 23, 2009

Very good.

Photo Engineer · Feb 23, 2009

Might we therefore refer to the action of blotting paper as blotulation and the bad effects of sticking to the paper as blotulism?

PE

Monophoto · Feb 23, 2009

Photo Engineer said:
Might we therefore refer to the action of blotting paper as blotulation and the bad effects of sticking to the paper as blotulism?

PE

In which case the pattern itself would be blotulence?

Alex Hawley · Feb 23, 2009

Photo Engineer said:
I was taught to never ever dry prints face down on screens. I dry all prints back side (support) down on my drying screens.
Otherwise, there is great chance of picking up the screen pattern. They might also stick. PE

I've learned this the hard way and now dry face up. I hang my 17x17 prints on the clothesline.

In my experience, the problem seems to happen when the prints have been wet for several hours, like 8 or 10 or so hours. Makes sense that teh emulsion gets unduly soft. Chemical residue on the screens might be a problem too. Hadn't considered that before.

Don't be afraid of curling. Use a dry mount press to flatten or the tried-and-true stack of books method.

Kirk Keyes · Feb 24, 2009

The use of a dry mont press just for flattening prints is worth its weight in gold.

(And it increases the flatulence of the prints too!)

fschifano · Feb 24, 2009

I've had problems with the screen leaving impressions in the emlusion if the prints are dried face down. I squeegee as much water as possible from the prints and dry them face up. They will curl, more in winter when the air is dry than in summer. Once dry, I place them in blotter books and weight them down. They will eventually flatten.

konakoa · Feb 27, 2009

No one's mentioned wash water temperature yet. I ordered a bunch of fiber-base papers last year to see what I liked best. When washing everything in my print washer, I didn't notice I had nudged the water valve more to the hot side. I inadvertently washed all the papers in 90-100 fahrenheit water for half an hour. I only realized this when I reached in to take the prints out (why is this water so hot ... whoops!) All my fiber prints get squeegeed, then put on fiberglass screens face down to dry.

One of the papers - from Foma - dried with a very obvious and deep impression of the screen on the print surface. The screen pattern could even be felt under my fingertips! None of the other papers (they were all in the hot water at the same time) were affected. I have never had a problem with prints face-down on the screens, but the hot water wash seemed to have softened the emulsion of the Foma paper significantly. A few days later I reprinted on the Foma paper and I made sure to check the temperature of the wash water. The paper then dried face-down on my screens with no problem at all.

Stefan Findel · Feb 27, 2009

I had a screen pattern on my prints (Agfa MCC, sulphide-toned) once many years ago, cursed Ansel (sorry, dude), and have been drying face up ever since. But the excessive curl during winter bothers me. (My wash temp is always 68-70.) Speaking of Ansel though, when you sulphide-tone and then dry in a microwave.... No screen pattern, but WONDERFUL sepia tone. PE: How about that being archival???

Keith Pitman · Apr 26, 2009

I had a pattern on my prints once that looked like a screen pattern. It was strange because I dry prints face up. I traced it to the Perma-Wash. I dumped the Perma-Wash, went back to HCA, and haven't had the problem again.

Mahler_one · Apr 26, 2009

Clean the screens, as noted.

doughowk · Apr 27, 2009

I have three screen shelves (4'X2') under a workbench. Am able to pull them out slightly & tilt. Works great for drying prints face up.

dancqu · May 2, 2009

delphine said:
Whilst reviewing my rejects, I detected on one of the prints
the pattern of the drying screens. I am using dedicated
Kostiner drying screens.

What you need is something twixt the screen and your
prints. Pellon 70 is a hydrophobic, non-woven, polyester
material. Very permeable. Ask for it at any fabric
outlet. It is called interfacing. Dan

dancqu · May 2, 2009

dancqu said:
What you need is something twixt the screen and your
prints. Pellon 70 is a hydrophobic, non-woven, polyester
material. Very permeable. Ask for it at any fabric
outlet. It is called interfacing. Dan

I mentioned Pellon 70. The 70 is a heavy weight. Lighter
weights will do and at about half the price. Be sure it fits
the above description. The firm surfaced handles easily.

The 70 is used as a separator material, rather than
absorbent blotters, with my corrugated board
stack dryer. Dan

Thomas Bertilsson · May 3, 2009

I just now found this thread again, and saw my own post.

I have abandoned screens for drying my prints, as their only purpose is to dry the prints flat. To me that is just a waste of space to keep enough room handy for those things.
I just hang the prints up from a nylon line and some clothes pins. Then I flatten the prints when they are almost dry, by placing them between two sheets of 4ply mat paper in one of those old print dryers. I set it to the lowest heat and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Then I take two prints and place them back to back in one of the PrintFile print pockets and put them in a binder. One print wants to curl one way and the the second print wants to curl the other way. They counter act each other, and that will keep them flat and after a while they remain flat even after I take them out of the Print File.

No more screens for me. It seems unnecessary, but that's just how it works for me in my small house with my space limitations. You may still find them useful.

Thomas Bertilsson · May 3, 2009

I should add that if it's a large print, I just lay them flat in a sleeve on a flat surface and weigh them down. I make so few really large prints that it's not really a concern.

Ulrich Drolshagen · May 3, 2009

I do not have much experience with FB-paper but I noticed that there is a period while drying when the emulsion becomes sticky. I think it is about when it begins to feel dry on the back. May be, you should not touch the print while it is in this state.

Ulrich

Drying screens - screen pattern on paper

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