Digital BW, The Print

Actually the sort of coating I refer to is not Lascaux fixative or the
likes (Sennelier Delacroix or Latour, etc). I use an airbrush to apply
a coat of water-borne Golden Polymer GAC 500.

The result on such paper as Hawk Mountain Merlin or Osprey Natural,
Epson Ultra Smooth, or Photo Rag, is a beautiful low gloss surface
with 2.2 - 2.3 in dmax. The best looking surface after this treatment
maybe the line of Hawk Mountain papers. For large prints I  simply
roll this coating on using a foam brayer (after some airbrush spraying
to protect the surface). You can apply a thin coat of resin-based
varnish or Golden self-leveling polymer to bring the dmax to 2.4+ but
you'd end up with too much surface reflection.

However with such paper as H. William Turner, and only this paper, I
seriously scrub the surface prior to printing (sort of tenderizing it,
making it feel like prewashed denim) and then use the Lascaux. The
Golden polymer turns this paper into a cardboard which neither looks
nor feels good.

Still I'm learning to resist the temptation to get max dmax on every
print via glossy papers or (wet) coating on matte. And I must admit it
took me a long time to learn to appreciate the soft, seemingly lack of
punch, look of fine art papers.

--nick

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Steve Kale
<stevekale@b...> wrote:
> Not on matte paper (by this I mean a non resin-coated paper).  I 
> think the best we have seen is 1.6-7 and a coated that helps protect
> without diminishing dMax eg Lascaux fixative.  To exceed these dMax 
> values and hence obtain a greater dynamic range to work with we need
> to move to resin coated papers and "photo black" ink.  Some have 
> noted higher densities on matte paper but from dye rather than 
> pigment inks.  John Edmunds once referenced 2.1 on matte paper but 
> did not disclose the ink.
> 
> 
> > From: "Nick H. Nugent" <nghin@p...>
> ... Is there such a thing as a
> > coating that boosts dmax to 2.2 and leaves alone the beautiful 
> > tactile feel? ...