Ziatype - Help!

[cullah]

It looks to me like you are letting the chemicals sink too far into the paper. Keep in mind that a lot of the testing for zia's was done in a very low humidity area. I find I have to immediatly start drying the wet solution with a warm hair dryer after I have coated the paper. The ideal printing temp/humidity for zia's seems to be 80/80.

 

[donbga]

Keep in mind that a lot of the testing for zia's was done in a very low humidity area. The ideal printing temp/humidity for zia's seems to be 80/80.

Sullivan and Weese tested in Santa Fe and in Conn. under varying humidity levels. The conclusion was that low humidity always produced less than pleasing prints.

80% RH is really damp. How are you measuring the RH? If you are using an electronic meter then you RH readings could be really off. A wet/dry bulb themometer will give the most accurate values for RH. I find that the Radio Shack meter to be 10 to 15 points to high compared to the RH calculated with my wet/dry bulb thermometer. As for 80 F I've printed zias at various temps 68 and above to 85 and the biggest influence is caused by the RH.

It is also difficult to suggest absolutes about Ziatype since there are so many ways to mix the sensitiser not to mention the effects of using different papers.

Of course what counts is what works for you. If you have everything working don't change anything unless you want to experiment.

Cheers,

Don Bryant