Exposing and developing for Pt/Pd printing?

Hi all,

I am getting into platinum-palladium printing and was wondering how you guys expose and develop your negatives to make them suitable for Pt/Pd printing?

Cheers
Peter

I would say it depends on the format you are using and if you are enlarging the original negative to make the pt/pd print. Personally I expose and develop to make a silver print and scan and enlarge to make the negative for the pt/pd print. Slightly less exposure but slightly more contrast. Since I’m not into the nitty gritty math aspect of photography I have learned to eyeball what works for me with the mix I use. I probably haven’t helped you much but there is a lot of information out there and courses if you’re interested. You might check with Bostick and Sullivan for supplies etc.

Hi! I am shooting 8x10 and will use the original negative (I will not make digital negatives).

As a general rule of thumb, a negative that prints well on silver gelatin at about contrast grade 1 will print well on pt/pd. Much depends on what film/developer combo you're using but, as a general guideline, increasing your normal developing time by 30 - 50% should get you in the ballpark. I'd recommend starting a 30% more development, then work up from there. If you have a means to measure negative density, then you should shoot for about a 1.7 density range for pure palladium. Not sure if DR would be different if tossing in platinum to the mix as I print with only palladium.

Thanks @Alan9940 - do you expose at box speed?

pkr1979 said:

Thanks @Alan9940 - do you expose at box speed?

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Hardly ever. Depending on age and speed of the film (got a lot of film in my freezer), I'm typically at 1/3 - 1 stop less than box speed. Developer formula I plan to use affects this decision, too. For example, if I plan to develop with a pyrogallol-based developer, I'll generally be at 1/2 box speed.

I find FP4+ developed in Ilford Universal PQ Developer to be a good combination for platinum printing.

I expose as I would for most processes -- exposing my shadows I want detail in on Zone III. For example, a 11x14 pt/pd work print I made last night: Pentax spot meter readings gave me a 3 and a half stop range with some darker areas too small to read...4 to 7.5...exposed at 6 (f45@30 seconds). However, I made no adjustment for resiprocity failure to allow the shadows to drop relative to the mid-tones and highlights to increase contrast. At box speed.

I print pt/pd with no contrast agent (just ferric oxalate, pt salt and pd salt), so I develop the negative to match that contrast rather than change my coating solution. The above example was developed with the PQ Universal at 1:9 at 68F for 10 minutes (tray, constant aggitation). Negative is a little high in contrast...perhaps 8 minutes might have been sweeter. The test print is slightly dark, so the jury is still out on it. The image might sweeten up when I hit the right exposure.

I also printed an 11x14 negative last night that was developed in Pyrocat HD. That is also a wonderful developer for negs to be printed with pt/pd. And if the scene does not need the extra push that the active PQ developer has, Pyrocat HD treats the highlights especially well.

Vaughn said:

I print pt/pd with no contrast agent (just ferric oxalate, pt salt and pd salt), so I develop the negative to match that contrast rather than change my coating solution. The above example was developed with the PQ Universal at 1:9 at 68F for 10 minutes (tray, constant aggitation). Negative is a little high in contrast...perhaps 8 minutes might have been sweeter. The test print is slightly dark, so the jury is still out on it. The image might sweeten up when I hit the right exposure.

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