I need a basic PDN 101 lessson

[gr82bart]

OK, reading through the bajillion posts about precision digital negatives for contact printing, I have a few basic questions to help me understand this better.

1. This technique is for B&W only?
2. I assume that the basic process is that you take a digital image and print out a 'negative' that you use to print in the darkroom?
3. What is the negative medium that get's printed - it has to be clear, I assume? Is it some kind of actetate sheet?
4. Why not a colour digital negative?

Thanks in advance.

Regards, Art.

[sanking]

OK, reading through the bajillion posts about precision digital negatives for contact printing, I have a few basic questions to help me understand this better.

1. This technique is for B&W only?
2. I assume that the basic process is that you take a digital image and print out a 'negative' that you use to print in the darkroom?
3. What is the negative medium that get's printed - it has to be clear, I assume? Is it some kind of actetate sheet?
4. Why not a colour digital negative?

Thanks in advance.

Regards, Art.

1. PDN, though primairly directed toward monochrome printing, could also be used for making digital color separations for color gum and other three-color assembly processes.

2. You can start with either a digital image made in the camera or with a digital file made from a scan of a film negative. You use this to make a negative for contact printing.

3. It is some form of transparency film, of the type used for makiing overhead transparencies. Some films work better than others, however, and some don't won't at all with some printers.

4. One could make color digital negatives but they would need to be RGB or CMYK separations.

Sandy

[gr82bart]

I'm thinking the ink would have to be special as well - transparent/translucent.

Anyone know the brands of 'paper/acetate' and ink that should be used. Can you do this on an Epson 2200?

Art.

[Jeremy]

I'm thinking the ink would have to be special as well - transparent/translucent.

Anyone know the brands of 'paper/acetate' and ink that should be used. Can you do this on an Epson 2200?

Art.

Art, if you're serious about printing from digital negatives I suggest you invest in a copy of Mark Nelson's e-book. It definitely covers all of your questions and more. I'm not trying to be a snot, but there are just too many questions that would need answers to learn this over a forum as opposed to just troubleshooting over a forum.

[Jeremy]

oops, I also meant to answer your questions.

Yes, an Epson 2200 is a great printer to use to for digital negatives and I suggest either pictorico or photowarehouse transparancies as the substrate.

[gr82bart]

Hi Jeremy,

No worries. Yeah, I am planning to buy a book, but I haven't heard of the one you mentioned. I want to do more research first.

I am wondering if this PDN is a good alternative to Cibachrome/Ilfochrome, since 99% of my pics are on colour chromes or SCALA.

Thanks for the replies.

Regards, Art.

[donbga]

Hi Jeremy,

No worries. Yeah, I am planning to buy a book, but I haven't heard of the one you mentioned. I want to do more research first.

I am wondering if this PDN is a good alternative to Cibachrome/Ilfochrome, since 99% of my pics are on colour chromes or SCALA.

Thanks for the replies.

Regards, Art.

Art,

If I am understanding your question correctly you want to print images originally exposed on Agfa Scala. If that is correct then you could use Mark's book to do that by printing digital negatives on silver gelatin paper. There may be other alternatives you may wish to consider such having a lab print digital scans on color paper.

Don Bryant

[gr82bart]

Hi Don,

Actually there is two parts.

The digital negative for B&W contact printing I get now. The Scala question is now answered for me.

What I am trying to find information on is digital negatives for colour contact printing. I think this is what caused people to misunderstand my request. I want to see if it is a good alternative to Cibachrome/Ilfochrome P30 chemistry (this is the process of making colour prints from colour slides). Also is it 'good' alternative?

Hence my puzzled questions about the lack of colour management. I would assume that colour management would be extremely important if I were to print out a colour negative.

So far, from everything I've read, PDNs are for B&W printing only.

Thanks for the help.

Regards, Art.

[donbga]

Hi Don,

So far, from everything I've read, PDNs are for B&W printing only.

Thanks for the help.

Regards, Art.

Art,

I would say that is correct. You could make color seperations for tri-colored gums or caesin prints as Sandy suggested but these would not be like Ciba's or other factory made papers. You may wish to read Sam Wang's article on Ed Buffaloe's web site The Unblinking Eye.

http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/3CG/3cg.html

Don Bryant

[Jeremy]

Hi Jeremy,

No worries. Yeah, I am planning to buy a book, but I haven't heard of the one you mentioned. I want to do more research first.

I am wondering if this PDN is a good alternative to Cibachrome/Ilfochrome, since 99% of my pics are on colour chromes or SCALA.

Thanks for the replies.

Regards, Art.

Art, the book info can be found at www.precisiondigitalnegatives.com

You might want to email Mark Nelson directly to ask about using it for color negs (please get the email from his website, I don't want to post it here where it can be trolled for spam lists). I am planning on doing separations to do tri-color printing as discussed in Sam Wang's article, but that won't be until some time next year so I don't have any experience as of yet.