Getting a fine print

[eggshell]

Hello to all again. For all who have done pt/pd printing for a while, please tell me how many prints do you usually make before getting a 'fine' print. Thank you in anticipation.

 

[Jorge]

Hello to all again. For all who have done pt/pd printing for a while, please tell me how many prints do you usually make before getting a 'fine' print. Thank you in anticipation.

It depends, on average I would say 3, but many times I get lucky since I follow Arentz's calibrations procedures, and I get it right on the first print.

 

[mmcclellan]

I generally average out to about an hour to get to the final print, and that involves around 6-8 sheets of paper. Once I hit my "final" print, I always do three of them, taking into account the dry down factor. This means I'm only good for about 2-3 fine prints per day as a four-hour darkroom session is the most I can realistically do with an acceptable level of performance. The larger point to be made, though, is that it really does not matter how many prints it takes to get to the final one, as long as your standards are high and the result is beautiful.

 

[eggshell]

Thanks Jorge. That means I have a long way to go. Also, are you able to get identical (or very close) prints from the same neg on separate printing sessions? Appreciate it!

 

[eggshell]

Thanks Michael. That's a good benchmark for me. Appreciate it!

 

[Jorge]

Thanks Jorge. That means I have a long way to go. Also, are you able to get identical (or very close) prints from the same neg on separate printing sessions? Appreciate it!

As long as you mantain the same conditions, 9 times out of 10 you can repeat the print very close if not the same. But there is always the odd time when things just dont go well, every pt printer I know has stories where he does the same things and the prints just dont come out. If you run into this, might as well quit printing for that day and do it the next day.

 

[eggshell]

Thanks again, Jorge.

 

[payral]

It depends, on average I would say 2, one test print a quarter of the final size and one almost final print. Sometimes I get lucky and I get it right on the first print.

 

[eggshell]

Thanks again to all. Appreciate the response.