Copper Plate Photogravure

Book description

Copper Plate Photogravure describes in comprehensive detail the technique of traditional copper plate photogravure as would be practiced by visual artists using normally available facilities and materials. Attention is paid to step-by-step guidance through the many stages of the process. A detailed manual of technique, Copper Plate Photogravure also offers the history of the medium and reference to past alternative methods of practice.

Copper Plate Photogravure: Demystifying the Process is part of the current revitalization of one of the most satisfyingly beautiful image-making processes. The range of ink color and paper quality possibilities is endless. The potential for handwork and alteration of the copper plate provides yet another realm of expressive variation. The subject matter and the treatment are as variable and broad as photography itself. This book's purpose is to demystify and clarify what is a complex but altogether "do-able" photomechanical process using currently available materials. With Copper Plate Photogravure, you will learn how to:

· produce a full-scale film positive from a photographic negative
· sensitize the gravure tissue to prepare it for exposure to the positive
· prepare the plate and develop the gelatin resist prior to etching
· prepare the various strengths of etching solutions and etch the plate to achieve a full tonal scale
· rework the plate using printmaking tools to correct flaws or to adjust the image for aesthetic reasons
· use the appropriate printing inks, ink additives, quality papers, and printshop equipment to produce a high
quality print

A historical survey and appendices of detailed technical information, charts, and tables are included, as well as a list of suppliers and sources for the materials required, some of which are highly specialized. A comprehensive glossary
introduces the non-photographer or non-printmaker to many of the terms particular to those fields and associated with this process.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Table of Contents
  6. Preface
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Introduction
  9. 1. A Brief History
    1. Origins
    2. Artist-Practitioners
  10. 2. Making the Film Positive
    1. The Process
    2. Equipment and Supplies
    3. Procedure
    4. Contrast Range
    5. Summary
    6. Troubleshooting
  11. 3. Sensitizing the Gelatin Tissue
    1. Equipment and Supplies
    2. Preparatory Steps
    3. Sensitizing the Tissue
    4. Summary
    5. Troubleshooting
  12. 4. Preparing the Copper
    1. Equipment and Supplies
    2. Procedure
    3. Summary
    4. Troubleshooting
  13. 5. Exposing the Gelatin Tissue
    1. Equipment and Supplies
    2. Procedure
    3. Summary
    4. Troubleshooting
    5. A Note on Using Screens or Applying Dust-Grain Aquatints
  14. 6. Adhering and Developing the Gelatin Tissue
    1. Required Solutions
    2. Equipment and Supplies Setup
    3. Procedure
    4. Summary
    5. Troubleshooting
  15. 7. Preparing to Etch
    1. Preparing the Ferric Chloride
    2. Summary
    3. Staging the Plate
    4. Summary
  16. 8. Etching the Plate
    1. The Process
    2. Equipment and Supplies
    3. Procedure
    4. Summary
    5. Troubleshooting
  17. 9. The Printing Process
    1. Papers
    2. Inks and Additives
    3. Solvents
    4. Inking and Wiping Supplies
    5. The Intaglio Press, Press Blankets, and Blotters
    6. Making the First Proof
    7. Summary
    8. Troubleshooting
    9. Reworking the Plate
    10. Editioning the Print
  18. 10. Alternative and Historic Methods and Materials
    1. Altering Positives by Hand
    2. Digital Positives
    3. Direct Gravure
    4. Saving a Thin Positive
    5. Stripping Alternative
    6. Sensitizer Additives
    7. Alternative Dichromates and Concentrations
    8. Alternative Ways to Adhere Tissue to Plexiglas and Copper
    9. Aquatints: Rosin vs. Asphaltum
    10. Applying an Asphaltum Aquatint
    11. Applying a Rosin Aquatint
    12. The Dry Lay-Down Method of Adhering Gelatin Tissue to the Plate
    13. Alternative Materials for Staging the Plate
    14. Steel Facing the Plate
    15. Correcting Flaws and Reworking the Images
    16. Alternative Printing Procedures
    17. À la Poupée Inking
    18. Chine Collé
  19. 11. Directions for the Home Manufacture of Carbon Tissue for Photogravure Printing
    1. Basic Tissue Formula
    2. Preparing the Pigmented Gelatin Solution
    3. The Coating Operation
  20. Appendices
    1. Appendix A—Safety Considerations
    2. Appendix B—Making a Random-Patterned Hard-Dot Screen
    3. Appendix C—Testing for Correct Exposure with Your Light System
    4. Appendix D—The Chemistry of Etching with Iron(III) Chloride
    5. Appendix E—Exposure and Etch Form
    6. Appendix F—Printing Ink Tests
    7. Appendix G—Paper Chart for Photogravure Printing
    8. Appendix H—The Conventions for Editioning Prints
    9. Appendix I—Suppliers
  21. Reference Materials (Bibliography)
  22. Contributors
  23. Glossary
  24. Index
  25. About the Authors

Product information

  • Title: Copper Plate Photogravure
  • Author(s): David Morrish, Marlene MacCallum
  • Release date: April 2003
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136092534