Temperaprint: a problem about paper and coating

Lightfire · Feb 7, 2020

I was really impressed by color temperaprints I saw so far, so I decided to the process by myself. I found a couple of tutorials about that, they suggest to use YUPO paper as the base, but... That's the problem. I simply can't coat it. It's a synthetic paper, so it doesn't absorb water. When I coat the emulsion (a mix of eggs, dichromate solution and acrylic paint), it doesn't stuck to the paper sheet normally. But even if I let it dry with those imperfections in coating and expose it, I get... Nothing. Everything simply washes off. I can't understand, what's the problem?

Thank you in advance for your help!

Lightfire · Feb 8, 2020

Well, I've found a solution by myself. You have to coat a VERY thin layer of the emulsion. As thin as possible. In that case everything will be fine. The process is even easier than gum bichromate.

Hopefully, this message will be able to help somebody else.

nmp · Feb 8, 2020

Lightfire said:
The process is even easier than gum bichromate.

How so?

koraks · Feb 10, 2020

nmp said:
How so?

Yes, I'd like to know as well. I didn't like gum bichromate when I tried it (did quite some testing some time ago), and I have an inkling that a different material might improve matters from my perspective. Is the tempera easier to apply with better evenness?

Andrew O'Neill · Feb 10, 2020

The process doesn't look so difficult, especially if you've made tri-colour gums. I hate printing on Yupo (carbon transfer), I'm wondering if acrylic sized art papers (pre-shrunk for tri-colour or multiple passes) would work... I bet it would... and I'm wondering if it would allow for more saturated colours. I will have to give it a go!

nmp · Feb 10, 2020

Andrew O'Neill said:
The process doesn't look so difficult, especially if you've made tri-colour gums. I hate printing on Yupo (carbon transfer), I'm wondering if acrylic sized art papers (pre-shrunk for tri-colour or multiple passes) would work... I bet it would... and I'm wondering if it would allow for more saturated colours. I will have to give it a go!

It seems the inventor of the process (Peter Frederick) originally decided to print on Yupo partly because of staining problem with regular water color papers. From the article on alternativephotography.com: "The egg emulsion is far too adhesive to be used in this manner on unsized watercolour paper." He also did not like to size the watercolor paper: "This heavy sizing destroys the very surface texture that is its main attraction." Now this could be just a preference of his. So someone who is proficient in gum-bichromate might as well be better able to handle an appropriately sized watercolor paper.

Yupo seems perfect for carbon transfer as the requirement there is not too much adhesion but enough to be handled as an intermediate carrier which then should peel off during the transfer process cleanly without significant tissue loss. Those same properties would make it less than ideal for use as a permanent support. I would also be worried about the longevity of the final print as without strong adhesion at the support/image-film interface, chances of moisture-related delamination would be significant if not properly sealed.

Andrew O'Neill · Feb 10, 2020

nmp said:
It seems the inventor of the process (Peter Frederick) originally decided to print on Yupo partly because of staining problem with regular water color papers. From the article on alternativephotography.com: "The egg emulsion is far too adhesive to be used in this manner on unsized watercolour paper." He also did not like to size the watercolor paper: "This heavy sizing destroys the very surface texture that is its main attraction." Now this could be just a preference of his. So someone who is proficient in gum-bichromate might as well be better able to handle an appropriately sized watercolor paper.

Yupo seems perfect for carbon transfer as the requirement there is not too much adhesion but enough to be handled as an intermediate carrier which then should peel off during the transfer process cleanly without significant tissue loss. Those same properties would make it less than ideal for use as a permanent support. I would also be worried about the longevity of the final print as without strong adhesion at the support/image-film interface, chances of moisture-related delamination would be significant if not properly sealed.

Yupo is excellent for making the tissue for carbon transfer. I use it for they, but not for transferring on. I don't care for the look.

Lightfire · Feb 26, 2020

koraks said:
Yes, I'd like to know as well. I didn't like gum bichromate when I tried it (did quite some testing some time ago), and I have an inkling that a different material might improve matters from my perspective. Is the tempera easier to apply with better evenness?

Sorry for a late answer, I kind of forgot to check the thread...

Well, I can say that temperaprints don't require a lot of preparing steps, unlike gum bichromates. I mean, if you used a synthetic paper for coating. But if you want to use a watercolor paper... It's a different story, because it requires a really strong sizing... But actually, I wouldn't recommend it. Temperaprints aren't as sharp as gum bichromates. They remind me watercolor paintings. It's easier to apply a lot of layers tho. And you can use either matte or glossy acrylic paint for your emulsion. It's easier to start with, especially if you're afraid of the original gum bichromate process. So, I suggest to try both and compare them after.
By the way, using a large roller works great even for gum bichromate emulsion, no brush marks at all!

P. S.
Watercolor papers sized with acrylic gesso work good. But the result is too... Well, I don't know how to describe it. Egg is much more liquid than gum... And the texture of watercolor paper just ruins any possibility of getting an adequate sharpness. That's it...

koraks · Feb 26, 2020

Thanks for the follow up; might have to give it a go one of these days. I've got plenty of old rc paper that I can strip the emulsion off.

Lightfire · Feb 26, 2020

koraks said:
Thanks for the follow up; might have to give it a go one of these days. I've got plenty of old rc paper that I can strip the emulsion off.

I'm not sure that you actually need to strip it off... I mean, the polyester layer of the top seems to be a good substrate for coating already. I think it's enough to fix it before coating

koraks · Feb 26, 2020

I think some of the pigment might stick in the gelatin and cause veiling/fog. But it's worth a try. I got the idea about stripping off rc paper emulsion when I was reading about temperaprints so maybe it serves a purpose.

Lightfire · Feb 26, 2020

koraks said:
I think some of the pigment might stick in the gelatin and cause veiling/fog. But it's worth a try. I got the idea about stripping off rc paper emulsion when I was reading about temperaprints so maybe it serves a purpose.

Hmm... Yes, it makes sense. I'm looking forward to know if it works. Feel free to share the results here.

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