robert farber
FA208 Printmaking I
Howard Type; Non-etch Intaglio Technique
Recommended Reading: Chapters 19, 20 &21, Non-Toxic Intaglio Printmaking, Keith Howard,Printmaking Resources, 1998, ISBN: 0-9683541-0-6
Necessary materials:
Dupont ImagOn UltraFilm
Intaglio Plate: copper, zinc, steel, Plexiglas or wood
Film Positive: Hand-drawn on Mylar, Photographic image/collage on Acetate or Xerox paper.
Rubber Gloves and Surgical Gloves
Sharp Utility Blade or Razor Blade
Process: Adhering ImagOn Film To the Plate
Degrease the plate with Scotch bright sponge and Comet cleanser. Make sure that all grease and dirt are removed from the plate surface.
Cut a piece of ImagOn Ultra film that is slightly larger than the plate. Return the film to its protective wrapping and box.
Apply ImagOn film to the plate: Remove the protective acetate layer from the matte side of the ImagOn film. Using a spray bottle-spray the plate with ample water. Place the film down on the plate. Try to avoid trapping air or creating air bubbles. Spray the film with water and use a silkscreen squeegee to push the water out from underneath the film. Work from one direction and force any air out from underneath the film. Trim any excess film from the edges of the plate with a sharp utility knife or razor blade.
Exposing the Film Positive Image to the ImagOn Film:
A hand-drawn images can be created on frosted Mylar by using any available light blocking drawingmaterials. (I.e. Sharpie Markers, pencils, crapas, pen, ink, lithographic tusche wash, water soluble pencils or litho pencils.)
Photographic images can be generated on a computer or Xerox machine. Excellent results can beobtained by Xeroxing or collaging images onto transparent acetate. A regular Xerox image can also be used by rendering the opaque Xerox paper transparent with Canola or vegetable oil. Apply the oil directlyto the Xerox paper and remove any excess with a paper towel. Make sure that there is no excess oil remaining on the paper.
Once you have completed the image you will need to expose it to the plate.
Exposing the Film Positive Image to the Plate:
Images that contain continuous tones (Le. photographs or tonal range drawings) will need to have a pre-exposed or flash exposed texture (Le. half-tone screen, random dot screen or mezzo-tint screen) applied to the plate prior to exposing the actual film positive image.
Line images (photographic or hand-drawn) Do Not Need A Pre-Exposure.
In general, a (3) minute exposure for most line work will yield good results. All exposing times can be adjusted depending on the desity of your draing and the film positive. Tonal/halftone images need a pre-exposure of (30) seconds with the mezzotint film prior to exposing the tonal/halftone image for (3) minutes
Developing the ImagOn Ultra Film:
Place the film in the soda ash developer bath and gently massage the surface of the plate with a cotton Kim-wipe for approximately (1-3) minutes. This time may vary as well and should be monitored individually for each exposure.
The metal of the plate should be visible in the positive image-areas before the plate isremoved from the developer bath. Remove the plate from the soda ash developer bath and rinse liberally with cool water. Squeegee excess surface water from the plate and let dry for at least (20~25) minutes for thebest results. The hardening of the film can be enhanced by using an electric hair dryer or curing the plate in direct sunlight. Hardening the plate in direct sunlight will result in a fading of the blue Imagon film. The transparency of the film is often desired when wiping delicateareas on the plate.
Removal of the ImagOn Film from the Plate: The ImagOn Film can be easily removed from the plate by soaking the plate in a bathconsisting of a dilute solution of lye (Redevil or Drano) for (10-15) minutes. Always wearrubber gloves when handling the lye solution and try not to splash the solution on anyexposed skin. Any skin coming in contact with the lye solution should be rinsed liberally withwater for several minutes.