What defines a print as Archival Quality ?

Krishnan Srinivasan · Aug 7, 2016

I'm newbie , made few prints recently.
I tried Silver Gelatin Process / Silver Salt Process .
I got some okayish results. When I googled few archival & framed prints of other artist ,I'm left speechless .
It is very clear that with a minuscule budget & a home dark room setup it's really hard to achieve that quality.
In India it's particularly difficult coz there is no shops selling these photography grade chemicals , I got to contact a supplier who supplies for school chemistry labs.So all the combinations of salts are my knowledge acquired from the internet & forums , a few of my convenient types too example RO water instead of Distilled Water since I don't have a budget.
So what makes a print archival ?
How to know that your print is good enough for sale ?
With my salt process I couldn't achieve a neutral black tone instead I got a dark brown / Reddish brown kind. (sodium chloride & silver nitrate ) . Is it okay to print the same in a good canson or canon inkjet paper for framing & sale ?
I use flash lights as my light source for exposing. It has two 100w tungsten bulbs. (Sun light didn't work much for me)
No pictorico films available here in India. I used Laser printed OHP polyester sheets as my negatives.
Hope you might have got the context !
what should I do to create a archival print ?

Sample images provided are just test prints made on a water color paper (not a branded one).Forgive the quality of photograph , it was taken with my mobile & reduced to suite the upload. My family members photo's used for test prints. (Parents & Grand mother)

Sirius Glass · Aug 7, 2016

Archiving is not about the commercial value of a photograph. It is about archival processes such as properly removing enough hypo [fixer] so that the print does not fade, using acid free mattes, ... . Some of the archival processes such as selenium toning increase the contrast [some commercial prints have selenium toning]. If one is going to tone a print, they may also use bleach to enhance the highlights in addition to the burning and dodging.

If you are making straight prints without burning and dodging, then your prints may appear to be flat, hence, in your mind, not commercial material. As you learn to burn and dodge prints, your photographs will have more snap to them and stand out better. That is the result of better printing techniques and not a result, per se of archiving.

Krishnan Srinivasan · Aug 7, 2016

T

Sirius Glass said:
Archiving is not about the commercial value of a photograph. It is about archival processes such as properly removing enough hypo [fixer] so that the print does not fade, using acid free mattes, ... . Some of the archival processes such as selenium toning increase the contrast [some commercial prints have selenium toning]. If one is going to tone a print, they may also use bleach to enhance the highlights in addition to the burning and dodging.

If you are making straight prints without burning and dodging, then your prints may appear to be flat, hence, in your mind, not commercial material. As you learn to burn and dodge prints, your photographs will have more snap to them and stand out better. That is the result of better printing techniques and not a result, per se of archiving.

Thank you Sirius Glass.!
You helped me on my view.
I think I was aiming for commercial aspect as well.
Sure will try all possibilities.
Thank you once again

Bob Carnie · Aug 7, 2016

Krishnan

I understand the viewpoint of limited budget, we all have our different lifestyles and situations. But we all can find our niche.

I would suggest that you maybe look into threads about enlarging film, to make interneg's for Contact Printing, You do not need to do this digitally, most of us who have been working
in this field, have experience in digital and analogue and can advise you how to make larger-ish film.
A simple setup can be designed for a small room setup with a small sink.

The most economical Archival process that I work with is in Gum Pigment, process. ( you can go to my media page and see the kind of work I do)

Some here use X ray film or find off cut rolls of film which with patience can make suitable base for your images. With patience you will find the material
at the right price.
Study all you can about Alternative Gum, Christina Anderson has a great book out there. Also start a thread about the process you desire to do , there are a lot of blowhards like myself
who will give you more information than you would ever need.

Gum printing is Exhilarating , Beautiful and Archival - and can be done with the simplest of setups anywhere in the world. A tube of pigment and gum go a long way.
this takes time to learn but after a few hundred prints you will start getting the hang of it.
I use the Daniel Smith line of pigments with pre made gum, and I use Ammonium Dichromate to sensitize. I use plain water to develop out the image, how nice is that.

In India there is a good source of UV right outside your door that workers over the has 150 years have used. Now power utility charge there.

these prints certainly would be categorized as Archival.
regards

Bob

Krishnan Srinivasan · Aug 7, 2016

Bob Carnie said:
Krishnan

I understand the viewpoint of limited budget, we all have our different lifestyles and situations. But we all can find our niche.

I would suggest that you maybe look into threads about enlarging film, to make interneg's for Contact Printing, You do not need to do this digitally, most of us who have been working
in this field, have experience in digital and analogue and can advise you how to make larger-ish film.
A simple setup can be designed for a small room setup with a small sink.

The most economical Archival process that I work with is in Gum Pigment, process. ( you can go to my media page and see the kind of work I do)

Some here use X ray film or find off cut rolls of film which with patience can make suitable base for your images. With patience you will find the material
at the right price.
Study all you can about Alternative Gum, Christina Anderson has a great book out there. Also start a thread about the process you desire to do , there are a lot of blowhards like myself
who will give you more information than you would ever need.

Gum printing is Exhilarating , Beautiful and Archival - and can be done with the simplest of setups anywhere in the world. A tube of pigment and gum go a long way.
this takes time to learn but after a few hundred prints you will start getting the hang of it.
I use the Daniel Smith line of pigments with pre made gum, and I use Ammonium Dichromate to sensitize. I use plain water to develop out the image, how nice is that.

In India there is a good source of UV right outside your door that workers over the has 150 years have used. Now power utility charge there.

these prints certainly would be categorized as Archival.
regards

Bob

Thank you sir .!
It's soothing my hope.
Sure will google on Gum Pigment Process.
I'm afraid and Sorry to say that I was in the sun for about four days trying nearly 20 prints , & got no results. But will definitely try Gum Pigment for sure.
Thank you once again

removed account4 · Aug 7, 2016

in addition to what bob suggested you might also look into iron based processes like cyanotypes,
people say they are extremely archival, and they are easy to make. it takes
2 chemicals ferricitric acid and potassium ferricyanide, sunlight and water. if you
get tired of prussian blue ( dungaree blue ) you can mix a weak solution of baking soda and water
and remove the tones and add your own colors using paints or using the gum-over technique bob mentioned.
he has some videos on his website that show how fun and easy the process can be.
i've made hand painted cyanotypes using xerox paper negatives that i make semi translucent with paraffin
making the negatives takes not much time, the waxing is the most difficult part .

i can't speak about salt prints, i have never made them, but those you posted seem to have the beautiful long scale that
they are known for. from what i understand they need to be toned in something like borax gold toner
or selenium toner to have a healthy long lifespan.

Krishnan Srinivasan · Aug 7, 2016

Bob Carnie said:
Krishnan

I understand the viewpoint of limited budget, we all have our different lifestyles and situations. But we all can find our niche.

I would suggest that you maybe look into threads about enlarging film, to make interneg's for Contact Printing, You do not need to do this digitally, most of us who have been working
in this field, have experience in digital and analogue and can advise you how to make larger-ish film.
A simple setup can be designed for a small room setup with a small sink.

The most economical Archival process that I work with is in Gum Pigment, process. ( you can go to my media page and see the kind of work I do)

Some here use X ray film or find off cut rolls of film which with patience can make suitable base for your images. With patience you will find the material
at the right price.
Study all you can about Alternative Gum, Christina Anderson has a great book out there. Also start a thread about the process you desire to do , there are a lot of blowhards like myself
who will give you more information than you would ever need.

Gum printing is Exhilarating , Beautiful and Archival - and can be done with the simplest of setups anywhere in the world. A tube of pigment and gum go a long way.
this takes time to learn but after a few hundred prints you will start getting the hang of it.
I use the Daniel Smith line of pigments with pre made gum, and I use Ammonium Dichromate to sensitize. I use plain water to develop out the image, how nice is that.

In India there is a good source of UV right outside your door that workers over the has 150 years have used. Now power utility charge there.

these prints certainly would be categorized as Archival.
regards

Bob

Sir ,
I've been checking videos on Youtube regarding Pigment Printing
I love the control one has over the color of the print
I definitely want to try this !!
I assume It can be done on canvas as well ? Is it possible sir ?

Thank you

Bob Carnie · Aug 7, 2016

Krishnan Srinivasan said:
Sir ,
I've been checking videos on Youtube regarding Pigment Printing
I love the control one has over the color of the print
I definitely want to try this !!
I assume It can be done on canvas as well ? Is it possible sir ?

Thank you

once you decide its something you like then start working , then the questions will start coming.

Krishnan Srinivasan · Aug 7, 2016

jnanian said:
in addition to what bob suggested you might also look into iron based processes like cyanotypes,
people say they are extremely archival, and they are easy to make. it takes
2 chemicals ferricitric acid and potassium ferricyanide, sunlight and water. if you
get tired of prussian blue ( dungaree blue ) you can mix a weak solution of baking soda and water
and remove the tones and add your own colors using paints or using the gum-over technique bob mentioned.
he has some videos on his website that show how fun and easy the process can be.
i've made hand painted cyanotypes using xerox paper negatives that i make semi translucent with paraffin
making the negatives takes not much time, the waxing is the most difficult part .

i can't speak about salt prints, i have never made them, but those you posted seem to have the beautiful long scale that
they are known for. from what i understand they need to be toned in something like borax gold toner
or selenium toner to have a healthy long lifespan.

Thank you Jnanian Sir
I was checking on Pigment printing
I love the control one has over the color of the prints.
I couldn't achieve much with sunlight on my salt prints , but with Pigment printing sensitizer my intuition says it will work
WIll try them for sure
Thank you once again

jeffreyg · Aug 7, 2016

I can't speak for salt prints but you should be able to make stunning silver gelatin prints with conventional photographic chemistry. While distilled water may not be in the budget consider installing a cartridge type water filter that can reduce iron, calcium etc. Depending on the volume and mineral content they generally last a reasonably long time and the cartridge is replaceable. A sink is only necessary for a source of water and washing film and prints. My first darkroom was a fold down table in our garage with the sink in the kitchen. I've had a dedicated darkroom for the past forty years but was able to make very fine prints with the simple setup. As mentioned archival prints are a result of technique more so than materials. As far as selling you images it will depend on your target market, the type of print, the size and subject matter and how you intend to market them.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

Krishnan Srinivasan · Aug 7, 2016

jeffreyg said:
I can't speak for salt prints but you should be able to make stunning silver gelatin prints with conventional photographic chemistry. While distilled water may not be in the budget consider installing a cartridge type water filter that can reduce iron, calcium etc. Depending on the volume and mineral content they generally last a reasonably long time and the cartridge is replaceable. A sink is only necessary for a source of water and washing film and prints. My first darkroom was a fold down table in our garage with the sink in the kitchen. I've had a dedicated darkroom for the past forty years but was able to make very fine prints with the simple setup. As mentioned archival prints are a result of technique more so than materials. As far as selling you images it will depend on your target market, the type of print, the size and subject matter and how you intend to market them.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

Thank you Jeffreyg Sir !

Zelph · Apr 12, 2018

"It is very clear that with a minuscule budget & a home dark room setup it's really hard to achieve that quality."

No, it is not. You are online so check out the darkroom of Edward Weston. Simple and uncomplicated.
Learning to be consistent and careful will help a lot. Contact printing is basically a simple process that rewards careful and consistent work methods.

You might check out the work methods of Michael A. Smith. His site is michaelandpaula.com where there are a number of articles on contact printing.

Processing for permanence is not difficult. Conservation framing helps in preserving the fine images you will produce. Keeping things simple and repeatable will help more than anything else.

paul ron · May 26, 2018

then after youve done everything possible, the true test... when you check your work 50 years later.

Poisson Du Jour · May 26, 2018

Conservation framing -- cotton rag mat, UV glass (many, many variations of each) will do more for the "archival properties" of a print than the print itself, assuming the print has known qualities for preservation in the first instance.

There are big name photographers around the world who treat their photographs with framing like it was an afterthought from a flea market.
It is a pointless thing to crow about a "fine art silver gelatin photograph produced in a traditional darkroom" only to have it "professionally framed and presented" in a $10.95 frame bought from K-Mart! Any reason that a $250 print should not be afforded a conscionable $250 framing job (not $12.50!) to protect it for perpetuity?

paul ron · May 27, 2018

but thats all fine n good for that single print... what do you do for the rest of the series of spares? that is where all your efforts matter most. how you store your negatives, making more prints in the future perhaps taking advantage of experiance, new techniques n materials. redefineing what you once thought was the perfect print maybe can use a face lift. our tastes n eye change over the years.

so to keep everything archival means preserving your images, prints and negatives. sad day to find yellow stained n faded negatives with only one existing print still on the wall and your spares water damaged in the flood.

Poisson Du Jour · May 27, 2018

paul ron said:
but thats all fine n good for that single print... what do you do for the rest of the series of spares? that is where all your efforts matter most. how you store your negatives, making more prints in the future perhaps taking advantage of experiance, new techniques n materials. redefineing what you once thought was the perfect print maybe can use a face lift. our tastes n eye change over the years.

so to keep everything archival means preserving your images, prints and negatives. sad day to find yellow stained n faded negatives with only one existing print still on the wall and your spares water damaged in the flood.

What you do with the spares ... the test prints, proofs, additional variations over finals, is a concern for the photographer and his/her established means of preserving print quality e.g. storing in an unsealed interleaved folder with buffered tissue paper, or an archival preservation box. Theoretical situations are not as important as the here and now, the real meaty bits that concern your work in the public eye. My point is that if you are offering for sale an "archival quality" photograph, or a bespoke photograph, then the very last thing a photographer should do is present it (frame it) cheaply like a throwaway afterthought. A photograph isn't necessarily going to last 50+ years if it is framed carelessly; it might not even survive the road trip home in the cargo bay of the car. Clients/customers ... the very people who buy prints, many may be looking at the best work as an investment, and rightly expect the photographer to show expertise and awareness of preserving that investment for perpetuity.

paul ron · May 27, 2018

not discussing test prints n trash, im talking about storing spare final prints and negatives. i make at least 50 final prints of each keeper.

im talking about storing your negatives for making more final prints in the future... perhaps variations or using other shots from that shoot that may not have been favorites today, but appeal 30 years down the road. its very dissapointing to find yellow stained negs in years down the road.

its not about the here n now, archival is for the future. short sightedness isnt archival.

archival for sale now in the public eye is just puffing and not a guarantee. the true test of your efforts become apparent in years down the road. so put the framing aside as your main concern today, think 50 years from now.... archival as a process.

What defines a print as Archival Quality ?

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