Need help desperately..............

[k31]

Many moons ago my wife and I used to make our own prints from film positives of my engravings. http://stmariegraphics.com/engravings.html
Back then it only required the 100% sized film positive, a 1/2" thick clear glass plate and................... and Kodak KPP5 Paper. We're told this no longer exists. (Almost like me, soon)
All of the editions for Abercrombie & Fitch, Ethan & Allen etc, etc sold out years ago. Around 30 years ago.
Now we need to make some Artist Proofs. How the heck can we do this without going to an expensive photo shop? We still want to do this ourselves, but without KPP5 paper, our limited knowledge has us stumped.
Anyone???

Thanks

Pierre

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Don't ever remember Kodak KPP5 paper and can find no reference to it in any of my Kodak literature going back to the 70's.
But it sounds to me like you are just contact printing a neg anyway.
You will be able to do this with any photographic paper.
If you want high contrast then try Grade 5.
Or you may prefer the lith route.
You can find lith paper and high contrast developers here that should do what you want.
http://www.fotospeed.com/lith.htm

 

[k31]

KPP5 paper is Kodak Print Positive5 paper made for use with film positives, not negatives. We began using it in 18"x24" sheets in 1976.
Lay the paper down first, the film positive on top of it, glass plate over both and then overhead light exposure for a measured 3 to 6 seconds depending on the required logged in test time on each film positive. Each print was compl;etely black except for the engraving strokes which came through as white. IE: My portrait of Chief Joseph

and Hemingway.

Is this what you call a contact print and is the the method for reproducing a contact print?
We took the exposed KPP5 paper, put it in the developer, then to the fixer, then to the rinse and hung them up. Is that how a contact print is now made? Is there a specific code number for 18x24 or larger paper that will work by this method?

Thanks.......... Pierre

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Yes, that's contact printing.
You can use all photographic paper for making contact prints - you just need a large enough neg.
You can make a neg by contact printing your positive onto a sheet of lith film and processing. You'll get a neg lith for contact printing.
If you just want some proofs you might do better to just scan the positives. If you don't own a scanner you can get some good ones quite cheaply these days.
They all come with software that will do all you need. Some even come with special edition Photoshop.
To be honest, with the cost of paper and chemicals, along with the time it all takes, it would probably be cheaper and quicker to buy a scanner.

 

[k31]

Thank you!
I think a scanner might not work for us as the average film positive size is a 16"x20" with some being 18"x24". I don't think we could afford a scanner that large? We have over 100 originals in film positive form of which we'll need two or three proofs. Nearly 300 proofs. Are there scanners that large that don't cost a mint?

Pierre

 

[Hertz van Rental]

You can get A3 scanners reasonably cheaply. If the positives are too big even for that you can scan them in sections and stitch them together in the computer.
Using photo materials that size isn't cheap so do some costings. It will probably still turn out cheaper to get a scanner - and it will save you a fortune on wasted materials.

 

[k31]

Thank you!

Pierre