I.)   OUTLOOK

For some the question " How you want to print it ?" has only to answers: "on matte or glossy paper"

But there is so much more to be done in fine art printing. So older - one might say forgotten - printing techniques are seeing a renascence these days. I would like to present a few really interesting ones here.

II.)  Lithographic Prints

A lithographic print, or just "lith print" is characteristic for strong contrast, interesting grain structure as well as different color shades, depending on the paper used and the development parameters applied. The special thing about a lith print is, that due to the process each print is a unique individual.

In the analog process a black and white enlargement is developed using special lith chemistry. Lith prints demand a much longer exposure in the enlarger which results in pronounced details in the shadow areas and subtile high lights. Depending on the paper and chemistry used a large variety of tones can be obtained: From yellowish-brownish sepia tones in the high lights to black-redish or brown-greenish shadows.

Similar to many other artistic print technologies also lith prints are unpredictable, expensive and time intensive. Using Photoshop dark shadows can be imitated via curve adjustments. Toning is easily possible with several different techniques. Finally, inkjet printing is even possible using Baryt papers.

III.) Cross Processing

Cross Processing means developing a slide film in the C-41 process for negative film or the other way round: Developing a negative film in the E6 process. Unfortunately it's not known if this technique is the result of an accident or of dedicated research.

Since quite some time we see these kind of images in advertisement campaigns and also more and more fashion photographers use the effect. Due to a reduced color space rather severe color shifts occur together with very dark low key and burned high key effects. A soft green becomes a saturated blue. In order to emphasize this effect films to be used for cross processing are overexposed by up to 2 f-stops.

While a film is either cross processed or not, in the digital lab a careful adjustment of the effect is easy to achieve. As contrasts are enhanced the raw material should show a uniform exposure. This applies especially to portraits - of course a rather "mask like" look can be also the aim of the game.

IV.)  Infra Red

Infra Red covers a wavelength region beyond the visible. For infra red photography the interesting region is between 700 and 900 nanometers. Not to be confused with thermal images with wavelengths above 10.000 nanometers.

Digital infra red photography using filters in front of the lens results in nearly monochrome images totally in red-white. A quite serious post production is mandatory here: conversion to gray-scale together with level and contrast corrections.

The best light for infra red photography is with the sun being low and in your back, together with blue sky and shiny clouds. with a low sun the infra red part of the light is dominant, the so called "wood effect" delivers nicely burned highlights and a deep black sky. In the digital darkroom the color shifts can be easily accomplished using the channel mixer. The green channel which mainly represents the infra red filter or a copy of the background layer are softened (gaussian blur). While black and white infra red simulations come out quite nicely, color infra red is not as realistic as most digital cameras are equipped with an infra red stopping filter - even the use of an infra red filter in front of the lens can not help in this case. In any case the simulation in Photoshop allows to play in this interesting field of photography.

V.)   Cyanotype

The Cyanotype or blue print technology is an old photographic process resulting in the typical blue cyan tones and was discovered already in 1842 by the british scientist Sir John Herschel.

Cyanotype is one of the oldest and at the same time very simple monochrome photographic process. The "iron blue print" was the third photographic process after the Daguerreotype and the Talbittype/Calotype which was discovered within two years in the middle of the 19th century. Besides that it was the first silver-free process.

Also other surfaces than paper can be prepared to be used for this copy-contact process. Still during the beginning of the 20th century this process was used to copy design drawings or plans - known as blueprint.

On the digital side, I want to concentrate on the reproduction of an as realistic as possible blue and the modeling of the surface of the carrier material.

VI.)  Argyrotype

Argyrotype is the oldest negative-positive technique also know as calotype and a further development of a process in use during the 19th century. The term calotype comes from the greek words "kalos" (=nice) and "typos" (=print). The british man William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-1877) proposed the process 1841 for patent, which is the reason for which it is also known as "Talbotype"

Already back in 1833 he was experimenting with papers soaked in calcium carbonate which was sensibilized with a silver nitrite solution. Placing any object on this paper resulted in the structure being visible after some exposure to light. He called this a "photogenic drawing". Starting from this experience the idea grew up to use a "camera obscura" together with this chemical process: Talbot filled small little cameras with silver iodid coated papers, which resulted in an invisible negative after exposure. In order to make it visible a treatment with gallus acid and silver nitritate was used. The fixation was done using natrium thiosulfate. Finally a bath in wax made it transparent and it could be copied onto a iodid silver paper.

Using this basic procedure a fine art print technology still in use today developed. Just 1991 Mike Ware finalized the process known as "argyrotype". A ready-to-use kit allows to prepare the paper. Then, the negative is placed on this paper, exposed using sun light. After watering and fixing the final image can be toned.

All this is "just a few mouse clicks away" using Photoshop.

VII.) Gum Print

The gum print is without a doubt the kings' disicpline in fine art printing processes: The possibilities to control color and gradation are nearly unlimited. As the light sensitive gum chromate layer sticks to more or less any surface one is not limited to only paper. In this process the positive material is coated itself. The light sensitive layer consists of gum arabicum, chrome salt and color pigments. The material of choice - paper, cloth, wood or metal has to be prepared using a gelatine solution. The exposure happens with a real size negative using daylight or UV-light. Under light the chrome salts desintegrate and the layer hardens depending on the exposure. During the development in clear water afterwards the un- exposed parts dissolve. During this process any manual intervention is part of the creative process. Repeating this step several times (with making of a copy after each step) the positive gets additional depth. Each layer can be modified in tone and color.

First patents go back to the year 1855 (Poitevin) with several improvements by John Pouncy 1858. End of last century fine art printers started using this process again. Less important parts of the image could be suppressed, the color was free to chose, curve corrections were precisely under control and the use of a fine brush gave the last piece of artistic freedom.

VIII.)Oil Print

The oil print was developed around hundred years ago for artistic photo printing. The prints are made on paper with a thick gelatin layer that has been sensitized with dichromate salts. Exposure using a negative for contact-print leads to hardening of the dichromated gelatin, in direct relation of the amount of light received. After exposure, the print gets soaked in water. The non-hardened parts absorb relatively more water than the hardened parts, so after sponge-drying the print, while still moist, one can apply a lithographic ink to the oil-base. The non-mixing character of oil and water results in a coloring of the exposed parts of the print, creating a positive image. The ink application requires considerable skill, and as a result no two prints are alike.

Bromoil prints are a direct variety of this process: One starts with a normally developed print on a silver bromide paper which is then chemically bleached and hardened. The gelatin which originally had the darkest tones, is hardened the most, the highlights remain absorbent to water. This print can then be inked like the oil print.