Printing on Fiber Paper - need some tips

[Pirate]

Made my first prints on Fiber Paper the other day. Been using RC paper before this, but my Special Projects class calls for Fiber. The instructor is not around right now so I'm asking here because I know a lot of you guys have used this stuff.

How do you get them to dry flat? I tried a few different times on the dryer and it came out ok, but still warbled a bit when finished. When I got outside (on a humid day) they just went nuts, twisting and tweaking, like someone was cursing them!

What are the tricks/tips for using Fiber Paper??

Thanks

 

[ItsReallyDarren]

If the darkroom has an heated press I find that to be one of the fastest and easiest ways to flatten paper after its been dried.

 

[tj01]

Some with more experience will chime in later. But I lay them to dry flat, and press it under weight. It will come out very flat. Leave it out, and it curls again, like what you said !
But usually, I mount them with adhesive tissue, and give them a good heat job. That will teach them to behave.

 

[Pirate]

We have the heated, slightly curved dryers with the canvas cover that holds them down, but after I take them off, they curl. I even tried lightly drying one so it was just a little damp to the touch still, and sure enough, it curled as it finished drying.

I'm really just trying to get an understanding of using this medium.

I've heard about adhering it to something as well. I some left over mat board, I may just use that. What are some good adhesives to use??

 

[FrankS]

Isn't there a chemical treatment that relaxes the paper fibers and reduces curling?

 

[Dante_Stella]

Squeegee the print against a piece of glass or plastic before drying. Dry face down on a fiberglas screen. Your school should have this stuff around if it is teaching fiber.

 

[Glenn2]

In the old days we used a final bath after washing that contained a flattening agent such as glycerol or propylene glycol. These prevent the paper from getting so dry that it curls.

Glenn

 

[Roger Hicks]

Isn't there a chemical treatment that relaxes the paper fibers and reduces curling?

Yes, but it leaves them with an absolutely disgusting texture and a faint but unpleasant smell.

Leaving 'em under a stack of books, or in a book press, overnight or longer, generally leaves 'em reasonably flat. Flat enough to mount, certainly, either dry-mounted or (which I prefer) in a window mount.

I wonder why the course leader feels the need to insist on fibre.

Cheers,

R.

 

[delft]

For larger fibre prints, I squeegee them, and then mount them on a waterproof rigid board with adhesive tape all around the edges (you have to leave a generous margin when printing). You can't use just any tape, the one I use is also used to stretch up wet watercolor paper and you have to wet the adhesive side to make it sticky. Make sure your print and the tape are not too wet, or you will get drying marks. Leave to dry overnight.
As a matter of fact, when I've finished my coffee I will go out and see how the last 2 prints i treated like this have turned out.
RC paper does have it's advantages.

Dirk

 

[ooze]

We have the heated, slightly curved dryers with the canvas cover that holds them down, but after I take them off, they curl.

After years of experimentation, I've found the following methods to be most effective. Both of these methods work best with prints that have been under some weight for a while and thus are fairly flat to begin with.

Use your dryer with *dry* prints (for an off-gloss surface finish). Put the print face down onto the hot chrome plate, stretch over the canvas and leave the print there for about 5 minutes. After removing the print it will be hot and very curly. Put the print immediately between the pages of a big and heavy book. Stack more books on top for additional weight. Repeat the procedure for other prints to be flattened. Leave the prints under the weight overnight. The next morning they will be perfectly flat.

Sometimes you might want to print on larger FB paper than what the dryer can take. In that case you can use the following alternative method:
Place the dry print face down unto a clean surface. Wet an oversize piece of thin fabric or cloth, squeeze it until it's quite damp and cover the back of the print with it. Leave it there for several minutes. You could try to roll over the back of the print (with very light pressure) with a roller if you've got one. After a while you'll see that the fiber starts to absorb the moisture. Once the print is fairly limp, remove the cloth and immediately place the print under heavy weight and leave it there for several days.

With FB paper there is always the chance of curling with sudden humidity changes. Prints flattened with the first method above show the largest resistance to recurling.

Good luck 😎

 

[ath]

A rather popular method here in Germany is to tape the wet print down.

You need paper tape with a water based glue (used for watercolor pictures). Make the print 1 inch wider and longer. Wipe the print dry, place it backside down on the surface. Best is a wooden surface. Moisten the tape and tape the print on the supply. Let it dry slowly (over night, or a day or two) and cut it to size.

The prints are extremely flat.

The picture will be somewhat bigger than usual because the paper expands in the water but cannot shrink completely back due to the taping.

 

[kully]

I do (did) what Roger suggests - a great second use for heavy photo and programming books 🙂

Then mount the curly monkeys.

 

[shadowfox]

I waited until it's almost dry, then sandwich the FB print in a blotter book (or a cheap watercolor pad), then stack heavy books on top.

After a day or two, the print is not curled at all, then I bring it to the frame shop and they pressure (not heat) mount it on an acid-free foamboard. It's almost as good as RC then 😉

 

[Ljós]

A rather popular method here in Germany is to tape the wet print down.

You need paper tape with a water based glue (used for watercolor pictures). Make the print 1 inch wider and longer. Wipe the print dry, place it backside down on the surface. Best is a wooden surface. Moisten the tape and tape the print on the supply. Let it dry slowly (over night, or a day or two) and cut it to size.

The prints are extremely flat.

The picture will be somewhat bigger than usual because the paper expands in the water but cannot shrink completely back due to the taping.

What Andreas says - popular in Germany, and works really well.

Greetings, Ljós

 

[bobbyrab]

Yes, but it leaves them with an absolutely disgusting texture and a faint but unpleasant smell.

Leaving 'em under a stack of books, or in a book press, overnight or longer, generally leaves 'em reasonably flat. Flat enough to mount, certainly, either dry-mounted or (which I prefer) in a window mount.

I wonder why the course leader feels the need to insist on fibre.

Cheers,

R.

Maybe I've been using the wrong RC papers, but I always found FB to be so much nicer than anything I printed on RC. I'm prepared to be convinced otherwise, but I didn't think RC good for anything worthwhile......R

 

[Turtle]

Cheapest fastest way: hang them till they dry then flatten them in (someone else's) dry mounting press.

Cheapest: as above but flatten under some heavy books etc for a period of time (the more prints you are doing on top of each other the more weight and the longer it takes, normally.

Messiest and most hassle IMO: taping the wet prints down

Best head start: Let pints dry face down on fibreglass mesh screen. They come out moderately flat and will store nicely, needing only a press before display/framing.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Maybe I've been using the wrong RC papers, but I always found FB to be so much nicer than anything I printed on RC. I'm prepared to be convinced otherwise, but I didn't think RC good for anything worthwhile......R

Good RC prints are pretty good, especially on MG WT, but I completely agree that FB has the potential to be much nicer -- once you can print on RC. I just query its use before then. And I think 'anything worthwhile' is a bit of an overstatement. Under glass, with a print by a good enough printer, they can be indistinguishable.

But of course I earned to print on FB graded, and so did my wife who is a much better printer than I, so my view is skewed.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Pirate]

"I wonder why the course leader feels the need to insist on fibre."

It's for learning purposes. It's best to learn the early stuff, then you can better appreciate the newer, easier ways of working. It's school....

I did find that they have a press hidden away in the lab, and I have plenty of encyclopedias for the overnight pressure.

Thanks gang!

 

[gns]

I have a dry mount press but don't dry mount prints. I use it just for flattening prints.
Double weight paper air-dried face down on screens has very little curl at the edges.
A minute or so between 2 clean, smooth matte boards in the mounting press takes care of that nicely.

Cheers,
Gary

 

[Chris101]

I always used a blotter book... ...

Me too. It takes a whole day in one but they come out perfectly flat. Be sure to squeegee them dry first.