Final support for carbon print - ArtBaryta?

[Philipp Grewenbach]

Hello everyone,
I want to start making some carbon prints... and am currently deciding onto what final support to choose. I have read quite a lot, but am still unsure about certain things:

Many people recommend using fixed out photo paper to beginners... But to me it kind of feels like wasting good silver. I noticed that ADOX / Fotoimpex sells Unsensitized fibre-baryta paper ("Art-Baryta")... would this work just as well as the fixed out photo paper?

Ultimately, I would like to use hot pressed art paper. Provided that I get a good print on photo paper, I should be able to use the same configurations and get a print on sized art-paper, right? Sizing with gelatin and a bit formaldehyde solution is probably best?

Last, I have read a lot about Yupo... but what strikes me is that some people use it for tissue support, others for final support. Can I use it for both things? How do I prepare Yupo? Does it have to be sized some way as final support?

Thanks for any replies!

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Yes, it'll work but you will have to size it first. You can size with gelatin and formalyn... or a few mls of dichromate (and once coated paper has dried, zap it with UV light)... or you can size it with acrylic medium. That's what I have been doing for several years now. I prefer the look over gelatin sized. I use art papers such as Stonehenge, and Platine. In regards to Yupo, yes, you can use it for tissue and final support. I use it for tissues. I have transferred onto Yupo but I don't care for the look. It has a dull, plastic look to it. No, it does not have to be sized. Just make sure the surface is very clean and grease free (wash with soap). I have size it with matt acrylic and it looks better, and transferring is easier.

 

[koraks]

The easiest support to transfer to, in my experience, is resin coated paper (fixed out). It's also relatively cheap and sometimes you can get an old box from someone that is way out of date and unusable anyway. However, I never much cared for the aesthetic.

The nicest prints, IMO, are on 'art' papers; I generally use a variety of etching/printing papers. When preparing them for carbon transfer, I coat them with gelatin hardened with chrome alum (dichromate also works but leaves a stain that needs to be cleared, formalin works but creates nasty gases, even alcohol is said to work but I don't trust it) and repeat this 3 times in order to build a fairly heavy sizing that makes the transfer easier.

I've also tried sizing with gesso, which was very quick and easy, but the transfers didn't come out perfect in the experiments I did, and it just didn't look as nice as gelatin.

A final option BTW is...inkjet paper. Yes, it works, and it doesn't require sizing. However, there's a pitfall. Inkjet papers are microporous papers and this means that when submerged into water, millions of tiny air bubbles adhere to the surface. These can be wiped off (under water) - but if you miss a few, they will end up as pinholes in the final print. On the other hand, transfer to this paper was very easy indeed. I didn't test it with many prints, but I was kind of surprised at the ease of use. I gave up on it mostly because of the air bubble issue.

 

[revdoc]

I second the suggestion of fixed-out photo paper, especially if you're just starting. Carbon is challenging at the best of times, and anything to make it simpler is worthwhile. Expired and fogged paper is fine for this application.