In-camera half-toning

[holmburgers]

Awesome Bill, thanks much.

I have the abovementioned polaroid halftone screen (also relatively course), but I have yet to figure out a way to actually utilize it in my camera. With this thing, I can just do it on my baseboard. Great!

Ok, now just to be sure.... you place this in contact with a senstive film and then project a negative onto that sandwich(?) At first I was thinking that maybe you could stack all 3 elements; sensitive film / half-tone screen / negative <--- light source and contact print it.

Or would both ways be effective?

This press stuff is still a bit of a mystery to me... I thought that a certain degree of separation (1/16th" for instance) was necessary in half-toning.

[Bill Burk]

Both ways will work. Space was only needed if the contact screen was itself high-contrast black crosshatch lines etched on glass. These contact screens are basically continuous tone fuzzy dots.

[holmburgers]

Thanks again Bill, that makes sense.

What I really need is a good book outlining photomechanical techniques. Any recommendations?

[Bill Burk]

Hoo boy, I used to read these things like Zone System manuals. I gave my entire library of print books away to photo teacher Alex Robb about 23 years ago. Can't remember a single title.

The most interesting ones talk about glass halftone screens and letterpress.

[holmburgers]

Shoot... well I'll have to do some digging. I'm sure there's no shortage!

[Joe VanCleave]

I'm assuming the OP wants to use semiconductor-grade photoresist because he expects it to be available for many years to come. Of course, this implies he will have to use TMAH (TetraMethylAmmoniumHydroxide)-based developer for his plates. Not so sure how easy this will be to acquire in small quantities.

An alternative process is photogravure, which uses a similar light-sensitive coated plate, but one which becomes water-soluble after exposure to UV light, making development much easier. I would assume the print-making industry will be around for a long time, and that there are enough artisans working in this medium (photogravure) to make the materials readily available for years to come. The process, you may be aware, produces a plate suitable for impression-printing in a press, using ink onto paper.

Properly printed to the right paper, photogravure images are wonderful to view and are very archival, and were in fact the first high-volume publication method for printing photographic images.

~Joe