Hello. I'm glad this forum is here and I hope more people join us.

I took a workshop this summer with Keith Howard and have since then been trying to duplicate results using the one-exposure "digial halftone" method, where you make the transparency positive with an inkjet printer.

After many, many tests I'm finally getting close the images I'd like, but I have a fairly constent problem I'd like to ask about and also a question:

Often with ImagOn I get what I describe as "smudges" on the plate, places where there are is a smudged grainy area that was not in the transparency, which makes the image dark and blotchy in those places. I haven't figured this out, but my best guess (not yet tested) is that perhaps at the end of development, I need to rinse the plate more cleanly in water before spraying with vinegar? that maybe the vinegar is reacting with the developer still left on the plate and is causing this?

My question is: what is generally the result of longer exposure times, say going from 38 sec to 42 sec? Would the image be more contrasty? Would any of the image (highlights/darks) drop out?

Anyways, all the best.

David.

HI, well my gues is that you have to let the developer act for afew more seconds

thats my guess, but i dont really know i have a roll of ImagOn but i have not used it since i started using this film, PURETCH i think it's better because you can produce fine work with Puretch

I recomend Puretch, it is a great film you need to try it.

ArtLover, after exploring this a bit, I think I've had two issues: one is my plate-making, where I sometimes don't adhere the film properly to the plate, or stuff gets inbetween, and second, I think there may be something contaminating the developer.

thanks, David.

Hello David,

well yeah it is a pain to learn how to adhere the file on to the copper plates properly, i had lots of troble with it, here the exact proccess i use to do it & what i have found to work,

if using a polish plate, just clean with alcohol & spray distilled water to plate
then aply your film, & with firm squeegee to get all air bubles and exccess water out,

then what i do is turn the plate filme down and i set my regular house iron, on top on, "on wool" i leave it there for 10 minutes so that it clears out all moisture

now one thing i have found out is that if i use the iron on too hot, when i develop the plate it produced bubles, so my guess is that you are making the same mistake i use to make, wich is heating the plate to much