Re: [Leica] Re spit printing

[Mark Rabiner <mark@rabiner.cncoffice.com>]

Joe Englander wrote:
> 
> Mark Rabiner -
> Following your comment about not taking credit for inventing spit contrast
> printing...I first began publishing articles on split printing in late '80's
> and early 90's.  Consulted extensively with Aristo to create two bulb
> green/blue head; in fact, hand-built first protype. Even Fred Picker of Zone
> VI acknowledged this when creating their head with Horowitz.
> 
> Whether you use the green or blue first depends solely on the brand of paper
> you're using and the cross-over sensitivities built into it.  On some papers
> it doesn't matter a wit which you use first; on others, it does.
> 
> Joe Englander

It was Alan Johnson at Aristo who insisted i give split printing a shot! You
must have worked with him! Someone made a VC coldlight in the 60's and Ansel
experimented with it. When cranking out lots of copies of a print on the only
brand of papers i used: Ilford Multigrade. I will make my first print say 8
seconds blue then 10 green for the whites dodging, then another 10 for burning.
I will then put another sheet of paper in and hit the green again as it is
already set up.  When i am done with the green I'll set the timer for 8 and do
the blue for the blacks. I then develop the two prints back to back and they
come out pretty close. They should be identical but never are. This is a pain
for when a client orders 10 prints. I'll have to do at least 15 to then take out
10 which match up nicely the best. I never thought this was the paper and still
don't but just one of the pitfalls of cold light. And having to do with the
temperature of the bulbs.


By cross-over sensitivities you mean as per the latent image?
Cant see how the paper knows which light hit it first!! But that must be it.
I've been able to resist trying out other papers for years and Ilford has three
VC papers now so i'm kept busy.

Mark Rabiner
Portland, Oregon
USA