What is the best/cheapest thing to use to spot color prints?

I have made a couple of large prints (11x14) and they have a few specs where there was dust during enlarging and I want to spot them. I have a set of black and white spotting inks but I don't know what folks use for spotting color prints.

A google search didn't turn anything up due to the words searched "spotting" and prints" is too much like other things, so I need some help from you.

Retouching kits are available on Ebay, or place a wanted advert here as you're a Subscriber. have a Photocolour set of dyes that must be 30+ years old now but are still OK, I found a second unbraned set in an old 30m film tin last week even older.

Ian

Ian Grant said:

Retouching kits are available on Ebay, or place a wanted advert here as you're a Subscriber. have a Photocolour set of dyes that must be 30+ years old now but are still OK, I found a second unbraned set in an old 30m film tin last week even older.

Ian

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Thanks Ian. I found a set of spotting pens on Ebay and they are selling cheap. I'll try them and keep an eye out for the more traditional brush and ink if they are more recommended.

EDITED TO ADD: I just snagged a set of Kodak retouching colors for 10.00.

I think that using the word retouching kit was the key to finding them. Thanks!

By far the best retouching inks/dyes I have found are those used in the high end Epson digital printers. They are lightfast more so than a lot of the other proprietary dyes. I have a bulk ink supply direct to my Epson P600 and just take a minute drop from each of the colour bottles and drop them on a white plate I use as a pallet. To get as close a colour to what I need I can mix small amounts on the white plate until the tone is as close as I can get. When the drops on the plate dry the dyes being nearly waterproof lets me use smaller quantities which give a greater chance of first time accuracy. The cost is - well almost nothing except a set of 00 or even 000 brushes.

If you don't have access to the later single cartridge colours the alternative is to buy a 5 colour cartridge for one of the other printers and use that. You can get aftermarket ones in UK for around £3 ($4) each they work just as well..

Just to wrap this up, the pens did the trick for me. I got a set cheap on ebay and they worked fine. Thanks everyone!

rpavich said:

Just to wrap this up, the pens did the trick for me. I got a set cheap on ebay and they worked fine. Thanks everyone!

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If the pens work - fine. However the point of the pens will loose their definition after a time, nor can you blend 2-3-4 colours together to get intermediate tones. Fine brushes and individual inks that can be blended will in all probability be a better option.

BMbikerider said:

If the pens work - fine. However the point of the pens will loose their definition after a time, nor can you blend 2-3-4 colours together to get intermediate tones. Fine brushes and individual inks that can be blended will in all probability be a better option.

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Thanks.
Since I bought both, I'll practice with both to see how things go.

rpavich said:

I have made a couple of large prints (11x14) and they have a few specs where there was dust during enlarging and I want to spot them. I have a set of black and white spotting inks but I don't know what folks use for spotting color prints.

A google search didn't turn anything up due to the words searched "spotting" and prints" is too much like other things, so I need some help from you.

Click to expand...

how about otherwise empty inkjet cartridges?