David A. Goldfarb
Moderator
I know it sounds wacky, but this came up accidentally in a thread over on APUG where someone was asking about ferrotyping Ilford/Harman silver gelatin paper for LightJet, and a few other people got off track and started talking about "glazing" inkjet papers. So I thought, what the heck, let's give it a go. I've tested the HP B9180 inks for smudging and waterfastness, and they're surprisingly good--truly waterproof on some papers like Kodak Ultra Premium Studio Gloss, which I sometimes use for family snapshots that I know are going to be handled and get orange juice spilled on them (toddler in the house).
Now I don't have a dryer with ferro plates anymore or Pakosol, but I have gotten a pretty good gloss off MGFB IV Glossy rolled on a sheet of plexiglass, and I know of people doing the same on glass. I have also learned from Harman that Harman Gloss AI inkjet paper is on the same base as MGFB IV Glossy, but is subbed for inkjet.
So I soaked a B&W inkjet print made on Harman Gloss AI in a tray of water. The top layer started to crinkle a bit, and I damaged it by touching it, but that's easy enough to avoid. Then I rolled it out face down on the plexiglass with a heavy rubber brayer used for dye transfer, let it dry overnight, and it pretty much worked, which likely means that the Harman Gloss is not only coated with baryta, but also with gelatin. I don't think the inkjet paper has as much gelatin as the silver gelatin paper, because the gloss doesn't look as deep, but there is some. There are unglossed spots, which may be curable with Pakosol, if it still exists, and if it doesn't dissolve the ink. What was Pakosol anyway? The MSDS lists hexylene glycol, but presumably there could be other non-hazardous ingredients.
Why do this? More tonal range and less gloss differential without application of a spray or topcoat.
Now I don't have a dryer with ferro plates anymore or Pakosol, but I have gotten a pretty good gloss off MGFB IV Glossy rolled on a sheet of plexiglass, and I know of people doing the same on glass. I have also learned from Harman that Harman Gloss AI inkjet paper is on the same base as MGFB IV Glossy, but is subbed for inkjet.
So I soaked a B&W inkjet print made on Harman Gloss AI in a tray of water. The top layer started to crinkle a bit, and I damaged it by touching it, but that's easy enough to avoid. Then I rolled it out face down on the plexiglass with a heavy rubber brayer used for dye transfer, let it dry overnight, and it pretty much worked, which likely means that the Harman Gloss is not only coated with baryta, but also with gelatin. I don't think the inkjet paper has as much gelatin as the silver gelatin paper, because the gloss doesn't look as deep, but there is some. There are unglossed spots, which may be curable with Pakosol, if it still exists, and if it doesn't dissolve the ink. What was Pakosol anyway? The MSDS lists hexylene glycol, but presumably there could be other non-hazardous ingredients.
Why do this? More tonal range and less gloss differential without application of a spray or topcoat.
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