My first PT/PD print of a step tablet, to dark, any advice? help?

[Jose A Martinez]

I made my first PT/PD print of a step tablet I printed on Pictorico in an Epson 4900 printer. I've been working with this diginegs on silver prints, and achieved a very satisfactory results, so I deceided to try PT/PD prints printing the neg in the same way I do for silver adding yellow ink as sugested by Ron Reeder (this is my very first PT/PD ever). The result is the following print:



I used Arches Platine paper coated with: solution no 1, 8 drops; solution no 2, 4 drops; solution no 3, 12 drops PT/PD each (Bostick & Sullivan stuff). I exposed for 1:30 min. after making a test strip with 30 secs gaps, and gave three baths of hypo clearing agent (by the way, it took six baths of 5 mins to clear).

Reading the K value of the print I found out that at the square of value 50, the reading is 87!!! so from 50 to 100 there is almost no separation of tones.

Any advice? am I procesing wrongly the print ? the coating is to "dark"? am I using to much solution mix?. Maybe I'm considering to many variables, do I have to start correcting just one thing? wich one?

Thanks for your attention

 

[Tinchohs]

I'm by no means and expert. I've just started this long learning process. How did you print the digital negative? Did you use QTR? I would be inclined, again following Ron's advice, to start any adjustments there and maintain the chemical side stable, a summing you have the proportions right.