what to use if not Azo?

[Max]

I'm not looking to stop using Azo, but I keep reading comments about how "you don't have to use Azo," etc.

If you contact print and aren't doing platinum (or any other "alt" process), what can you use besides Azo?

(again, not dissatisfied in any way, just confused about what people are referring to...)

 

[Max]

(I'm talking about situations where there is no enlarger.)

 

[bmac]

I use Forte Polywarmtone when I want something warmer (and double weight or museum weight) as well as oriental and ilford.

 

[mikewhi]

Just because you contact print certainly does not mean you must use Azo! I have contact printed on standard enlarging papers for years. They don't have the ability to print from negatives with huge density ranges like Azo\Pt\Pd but so long as the negative matches the range of the paper, you can get treat prints on standard enlarging paper. You can also checkout P.O.P. (Printing Out Paper) which is contact printed only and is not even developed. The image forms while it is being exposed and comes out of the contact printer with the image on the paper. Check out the site for Chicago Albumen Works:

http://www.albumenworks.com/printing-out-paper.html

-Mike

 

[mark]

I'm not looking to stop using Azo, but I keep reading comments about how "you don't have to use Azo," etc.

If you contact print and aren't doing platinum (or any other "alt" process), what can you use besides Azo?

(again, not dissatisfied in any way, just confused about what people are referring to...)

I Am using POP. It is fun, but the learning curve is taking a while and it only has one grade.

 

[Max]

How do you control the exposure? Aren't the times really short?

(I was lumping POP into the general "alt" category...)

 

[bmac]

I did a couple work prints with 8x10 TMY dev in Pyrocat on Forte tonight. At F8 with the enlarger bulb (about the same as using a low wattage (25 or 40) bare bulb, my exposure was 80 seconds.

 

[Max]

I'm using a 40 in a reflector (work lamp from local Ace) for Azo. I suppose the reflector is what makes the 40 watt work with Azo.

Anyway, I'm not unhappy with Azo in the least, I was just confused about how people were contact printing enlarging paper with no enlarger.

 

[Mongo]

Max-

I think (unless I'm mistaken, which is often the case) that the people using enlarging papers for contact printing are using enlargers. I have no true darkroom and there's no chance I'll be building one any time soon, so I'm doing contact printing. I currently use Centennial POP (which is just plain fun but not quite the solution I'm looking for) and I've ordered some Azo from Michael Smith this week. I'd love to find a way to contact print reliably on graded papers using only a bare bulb, but I suspect that my lack of a real darkroom would lead to fogging problems.

Just my two cents...and probably not worth even that much...

 

[Donald Miller]

I'm not looking to stop using Azo, but I keep reading comments about how "you don't have to use Azo," etc.

If you contact print and aren't doing platinum (or any other "alt" process), what can you use besides Azo?

(again, not dissatisfied in any way, just confused about what people are referring to...)

To answer your question, any conventional paper could be used. Graded papers would be the choice when an enlarger isn't present. Paper choice may involve such matters as dmin and dmax but more then likely will hinge on paper warmth or coldness.

It is important to remember that when using VC enlarging paper for contact printing that it is mandatory to use the enlarger as the light source for exposure. The reason is that the enlarger filtration will allow one to achieve the contrast grade desired.

That would not be true with graded paper.

 

[mark]

How do you control the exposure? Aren't the times really short?

(I was lumping POP into the general "alt" category...)

I assume you are talking about the POP. If not disregard this post.

My shortest exposure has been 8 minutes at 6500 feet in direct sunlight. We have lots of UV here.

 

[John Koehrer]

To control times w/o an enlarger Why not use an enlarging timer w/your bare bulb? Exposures could be as short as .1 sec. this could also be adjusted by distance from lamp to paper.

 

[bmac]

That is what I do. I find with my non technical approach that the warm up time for the lamop doesnt make a difference. I also use a 120 bulb instead of a 150 or 200, so my exposure times are longer.

 

[Max]

Thanks for all the replies.

I'm personally not really all that interested in using enlarging papers (at least at the moment), but this kind of info is why APUG is such a great resource - if I had seen this info in my searching before I started using Azo last year, well... I probably would have still chosen Azo, but I would have been armed with more knowledge.

 

[c6h6o3]

what can you use besides Azo?

I've made some really nice contact prints on Bergger VCNB paper under the enlarger.

I've gone through a few boxes of Centennial POP from CAW. You can make beautiful prints with it, but you have to capture the image you want in the negative. There's absolutely no contrast control whatsoever. And of course dodging and burning become a problem with exposures of anywhere from 6 to 20 minutes. All in all I find it too much trouble to justify such a low 'keeper ratio'.

 

[roy]

I've made some really nice contact prints on Bergger VCNB paper under the enlarger.

I would be interested to know what developer you used for this paper. I have it in mind for something I want to do.

 

[c6h6o3]

I would be interested to know what developer you used for this paper. I have it in mind for something I want to do.

Sprint (faux Dektol)

 

[c6h6o3]

From the CAW website:

"Increased contrast, of more than one printing grade, may be achieved by exposing for extremely long durations (24 hours or more) under fluorescent illumination."

I guess their fluorescent lamp is more powerful than mine. I tried it. Still got mud. And besides, what do you do about a negative where you want to reduce contrast? (yes, I have some).