PLATINUM
PALLADIUM
PRINTING


Edward
Stapel

Technical
Supplement


Spring
2011



Making
digital
negatives
for
contact
printing



1. Any
method
or
format
will
work
for
making
digital
negatives
as
long
as
you
make

sure
that
your
image
will
give
you
300ppi
at
desired
image
size.

Keep
this
in

mind
when
processing
your
files,
using
a
scanner,
etc.



2. If
your
image
is
in
color,
desaturate
it
to
grayscale
or
apply
a
B&W
filter
(or

convert
it
to
grayscale
‐
but
this
sometimes
throws
away
useful
data).



3. Alter
your
image
as
you
like.



4. Adjust
curves
to
give
you
an
image
with
punchy
contrast.

In
Zone
System

parlance,
this
would
be
equivalent
to
a
normal
exposure
with
N+1
development.


Basically,
you
want
beefier
midtones
and
some
extra
contrast
in
the
highlights.


You
may
prefer
to
load
one
of
the
platinum/palladium
curves
provided
for
your

use
(these
curves
are
not
fool‐proof
–
you
may
want
to
perform
further

tweaking).



5. SAVE
your
image
at
this
point
to
keep
all
of
your
layer
information.




6. Flatten
your
image



7. Go
to
Image
>
Rotate
Canvas
>
Flip
Horizontal.

This
will
flip
your
image
so
that

when
you
print
it
emulsion
to
emulsion
it
will
come
out
oriented
properly.



8. Then
go
to
Image
>
Adjustments
>
Invert
(or
Apple+I).

This
will
invert
your

positive
to
a
negative.



9. SAVE
this
negative
version
of
your
image
as
well.
Save
you
files
to
a
flash
drive,

CD,
etc.
and
then
print
it
out
onto
transparency
material.
Pictorico
OHP
is

recommended
and
can
be
printed
at
the
Design
Collaborative
or
with
other
nice

printers
(with
the
appropriate
profile
or
preset).
For
a
“grittier”
looking
image,

you
can
also
take
your
files
to
a
copy
shop
and
have
them
printed
onto

transparency
material
(Staples
or
Kinkos,
etc.).
OR
print
out
a
nice,
clean
print

onto
paper,
head
to
a
Xerox
machine,
and
make
copies
onto
transparency

material.



10. Take
care
of
your
outputted
materials
‐
store
them
in
plastic
sleeves.

Covering

the
emulsion
side
with
a
piece
of
plain
paper
is
also
a
good
idea.

These
materials

 are
quite
delicate
and
can
get
dings,
creases,
and
“half‐moons”
in
them
very

easily.

Remember,
these
are
negatives,
and
you
should
treat
them
carefully.



Mixing
and
coating
emulsions:



The
chemicals
used
to
make
your
Platinum/Palladium
print
come
pre‐mixed.

You
will

use
a
combination
of
4
solutions
to
make
your
emulsion:
Sensitizer
#1
(1),
Sensitizer

#2(2),
Platinum
#3(Pt),
and
Palladium
#4(Pd).

These
solutions
are
measured
in
drops

using
a
specific
TOTAL
number
of
drops
for
a
given
print
size
with
a
slightly
higher

number
of
drops
of
metals
(Pt
and
Pd)
than
sensitizers
(1and
2).
For
certain
papers
1

drop
of
End
Run
will
be
added
to
the
mixture.



Contrast
can
be
controlled
by
adjusting
the
ratio
of
1
and
2
within
the
overall
total

number
of
drops:
more
1
and
less
2
DECREASES
contrast
and
more
2
and
less
1

INCREASES
contrast.

Be
aware
that
increasing
the
ratio
of
2
will
result
in
a
“slower”

emulsion
(longer
exposure
time)
AND
using
too
much
2
in
your
emulsion
can
result
in
a

“grainy”
appearance.



When
mixing
your
emulsion,
use
a
combination
of
platinum
and
palladium
to
take

advantage
of
palladium’s
“speed”
and
platinum’s
“depth.”

Your
metal
ratio
should
be
a

MAJORITY
of
palladium
with
a
touch
of
platinum.

PLEASE
CONSERVE
PLATINUM.


Excessive
use
of
platinum
is
wasteful
and
increasing
its
amount
in
your
emulsion
will

result
in
a
“slower”
emulsion
(longer
exposure
time).



Please
refer
to
the
Drop
Chart
below
for
suggested
emulsion
mixtures.



Pour
you
emulsion
mixture
onto
your
paper
and
quickly
spread
the
liquid
around
with
a

hake
brush,
synthetic
sable
brush,
or
puddle
pusher.



Let
your
coated
paper
air
dry
or
dry
it
with
a
hair
dryer,
put
in
a
contact
printer
with

your
negative
and
expose.



Development,
clearing,
and
washing
prints:



There
are
a
variety
of
developers
and
clearing
agents
that
can
be
used
for
making

Platinum/Palladium
prints.

We
will
be
using
Ammonium
Citrate
as
our
developer
and

EDTA
as
our
clearing
bath.





Developer
is
pre‐mixed
and
is
used
straight.



Clearing
bath
is
1
TBS
of
EDTA
per
quart
of
water.



After
coating
and
exposure
your
“print”
is
very
vulnerable.

Any
water
or
other

substance
that
comes
into
contact
with
your
emulsion
will
dissolve
that
area,
resulting

in
a
blotchy
print.



1. Place
exposed
“print”
in
clean,
dry
tray.

Quickly
and
evenly
pour
developer
over

print
–
development
is
complete
after
20
seconds
or
so.
After
development,

carefully
pour
developer
back
into
its
pitcher



2. Prints
are
to
be
cleared
by
pouring
clearing
bath
into
the
tray
over
the
print.

Prints
are
to
be
cleared
in
3
successive
baths
of
clearing
agent
–
5
minutes
each.



3. Wash
prints
for
15
minutes
and
lay
on
screen
to
dry.
**





**
If
you
are
using
Canson
Vidalon
Vellum
or
Bienfang
360
you
should
set
up
your
own

wash
tray
and
monitor
the
print
as
it
washes.
These
papers
are
very
delicate
and
can
get

crumple,
ripped,
or
creased
in
the
wash
if
left
unattended.
Also,
these
papers
tend
to

curl
when
they
dry.
If
they
don’t
want
to
flatten
out
properly,
gently
steam
them
until

they
soften
slightly
and
place
them
between
two
books,
taking
care
not
to
mar
the
print

surface.



FYI:
the
kits
used
in
the
class
come
from
Bostick
and
Sullivan
(bostick‐sullivan.com).

They
include
the
2
sensitizing
liquids
(1
and
2),
the
two
metals
(Pt
3
and
Pd
4),

developer,
and
clearing
agent.
Currently,
they
cost
$198.75
and
should
make
35
8x10

prints.


































 
 
 
 


 
 
 











Platinum
Palladium
Printing

Edward
Stapel



Drop
Chart



You
may
use
the
following
chart
to
determine
your
emulsion
mixtures
for
making

platinum
palladium
prints.
Keep
in
mind
that
these
are
suggested
starting
points
and

that
your
actual
mixtures
may
vary.
Standard
sizes
are
listed
first
(followed
by
square

inches
for
that
size
–
different
print
dimensions
may
cover
a
similar
area
and
can
help

determine
mixtures),
followed
by
other
somewhat
common
sizes.
You
are
encouraged

to
add
your
own
mixes
and
sizes.
Adding
one
drop
of
End
Run
to
your
emulsion
mixture

will
help
it
spread
more
evenly
on
heavier
papers
(Bergger
COT
320,
Lana
Aquarelle,

Arches
Platine).




 
 
 Hake
Brush
 
 
 





Synthetic
Brush/Puddle
Pusher


Print
size
 
 

(sq.
inches)
 



1





2




3(Pt)

4
(Pd)

:

Total
 



1





2




3(Pt)

4
(Pd)

:

Total


 
 

4x5
(20)
 



7






0







2








6






:




15
 



6






0







2








5






:




13


 
 

5x7
(35)
 



12





0






3






11






:




26
 



10





0






3








9






:




22


 
 

8x10
(80)
 



20





0






4






18






:




42
 



18





0






4






16






:




38


 
 




 
 

4x6
(24)
 




8






0







2








7






:




17
 




7






0







2








6






:




15


 
 

5.5x8
(44)
 


15






0







3







13




:




31
 


13






0







3








11




:




27


 
 

6x9
(54)
 


16






0







3







15




:




34
 


14






0







3








13




:




30