Thanks Cal, I'm currently reading one of your old threads so I'm still playing catch up.
I'm interested in Piezo in part because I'm sick and tired of my dodge/burn work in my crampted darkroom set up. I can fix most of this in a photoshop and make contact prints, that would be great to my work flow. Plus, I find printing from larger negs like 120 or from my Xpan a huge problem too. I've also signed up for a class (locally) to learn Platinum/Palladium printing, and requires blow up from digital negs too. So, it seem time.
I'll be converting a Epson 1430 which will do 13x19, which is plenty big for me. I've read over the site and have been reading up on more user end now. But have yet to take the plunge in dropping the additional $300ish for inks and software.
F,
Contact printing is a great way to print limited editions. For bigger than 8x10 you'll want to use a vacuum frame.
I print with only black and three shades of grey using Piezography Pro. The shadow detail is amazining and the contrast mucho punchy. Blacks exceed a wet print.
For monster prints K7-HD is seven shades of black, and I blend my splitone mixing inks. I use warmth in the shadows with that blackest-black, and the highlights are cool. Adds lots of depth.
So imagine using your inkjet to make a proof, then contact the digital negative, and everything matches up. The calibration is that good. No ink changes required anymore, and everything is seamless.
The ultimate would be to buy a P7000 and use an added light-light grey in both warm and cool. I've seen some prints done with this extra light-light and the roll off in the highlights rivals a silver wet print. So smooth.
A few years ago when the Leica SL was released I took my SL2-MOT to PhotoPlusExpo to visit the Leica booth. I also brought a 13x19 print to gift my mentor and friend Robert Rodriguez, the Artist-In-Residence in the Canson booth that I have gotten to know over the years.
The print was of the Domino Suger Refinery that stretches for eight city blocks along the East River, with Madhattan in the background, shot from above with a 28 Cron from the Williamsburg Bridge.
So after saying hello and gifting Robert the print I headed over to the Leica booth. I showed them my minty SL2-MOT and asked them why I would buy a new SL when I already have an older one. They thought that was cute, and I said there are 27 letters in the alphabet so could Leica come up with a better name for a new camera?
This one guy engaged with me and asked about my work. His name was Richard Herzog of Phase One, who happened to be a large format shooter.
I decided to go full impact, I went back to Robert Rodriguez to borrow the print I had just given him, and I went back to the Leica booth. That is when I blew them all away. Realize that this was just a small print and the 20x30 on 24x36 sheet really shows mucho more detail and a much wider range of tones. The big print opens up.
"Is this large format?" Richard Herzog asked.
Now imagine contact printing on Kodak AZO big.
Cal
