Untitled (Entanglement series) 2024 copyright Douglas Stockdale –
Over the holidays, I did some experimentation with polymer photogravure plate making and printing as a potential alternative process for my Urban Ashes project. Nevertheless, the first image I printed as a photogravure was from my Entanglement series, above, as my intaglio print coach recommended using an image that was not directly associated with my prime objective that would allow me some mental space to play around with. I thought that was good advice, while I choose an image from the Entanglement series that I was very interested in as a photogravure print.
So why did I want to explore this printing option? Actually a bunch of reasons; first I have repeatedly read about how beautiful a photogravure looks compared to a silver gelatin or inkjet print, using a intaglio printing process that is very much a hand-pulled (hand-made) print. Second, with my monotype printing process, I was aware that I was losing all of my paper whites, and although there are some ways to retain the whites, it seemed that a photogravure print provided more options. Third, I intended to try my monotype printing process with the photogravure prints and the print making papers (Hahnemuehle Copperplate) could provide some new interesting options. Not exactly all of the reasons, but surely enough to move ahead.
I decided to take what scientifically would be considered a Proof-of-Concept (PoC). I did not have the polymer gravure platemaking equipment or really understand the process that well, nor did I have an intaglio printing press (while I did know where I could rent one locally). I had obtained the Polymer Photogravure how-to book by Clay Harmon, which has a copyright 2019, and it was not up to date on the current process of Direct to Plate (DtP) plate making. Eventually, if this was a printing process I wanted to control, it would also require an investment of about $8,000 – 10,000 and need a lot of space for an intaglio press, inking station and print drying racks. Yikes.
So after a bunch of research, I decided to take a relatively low-cost PoC route and have Cone Editions (Vermont) make a small polymer photogravure plate and then print it for me. Then I would have a couple of prints in hand and make an informed decision as to whether I really wanted to get into the deep water with this printing process.
In an email correspondence with Cone Editions, they indicated that they would upsize my image to make their Direct to Plate, nevertheless, my 7 x 7″ image I sent them had a resolution of 600dpi. Since I also was considering some post-printing experimentation to make a monotype, I made the image with a higher contrast to lighten the sky. For evaluation prints, I wanted to have photogravure samples made with both the Hahnemuehle Bright White Copperplate and Hahnemuehle Warm Copperplate, and for intaglio inks, choosing their standard Carbon Black, Bone Black with Graphite (above on Bright White), Sepia and one of my Monotype printing favorites, Charbonnel’s Bistre. I also opted to have 3/8″ of the plate impression show around the print and not have the plate trimmed to print size. Also, I requested a ‘ghost print’, a print made after the three Carbon Black prints were made before the printing plate is cleaned, a process I use for my monotype printing.
One aspect of polymer photogravure printing that I was becoming aware of was the subtle’s of inking a photogravure plate and subsequent ink wiping process. Even more so when I received my prints. Especially when I was evaluating the more critical tonalities of the sky, where the Carbon Black print was much darker than I anticipated, while the prints made with Bone Black with Graphite and Bistre were about spot on.
Concurrently I inkjet printed the same image on a sheet of Hahnemuehle (matte) PhotoRag which should approximate the appearance of the matte Copperplate papers. Would I be able to tell the difference with the two types of prints side by side?
Well, that turned out to be the problem; to my eye the differences between the matte inkjet on 100% rag and photogravure prints are very subtle. The photogravure print looks softer, which kinda makes sense, in as you need to use an inkjet printer to make the printing plate, then the printing plate to make the photogravure print, essentially creating a second generation printing process, while the inkjet print is a first generation print, less image edge degradation.
As to the assertion that a photogravure print’s ink creates a ‘richer’ print due to the ink being pressed by high pressure into the paper fibers, it just was not that visually evident to me while I will acknowledge some interesting subtle with the photogravure prints. Thus, I do not have an immediate impulse to start thinking about purchasing an intaglio printing press and all of the ancillary support equipment. Perhaps in a little way disappointing as I had hoped that the difference in prints would be greater as a photogravure has a bit of romantic hand-made aura.
End of the day, I am very happy that I made this relatively small investment into this potential alternative printing process. I now have a few nice photogravures of a favorite image while refocusing my activities on other monotype printing options.
Make every day an Earth Day
Doug
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Artist book available:
The Flow of Light Brushes the Shadow, an artist book from Singular Images Press, copyright 2022, $60.00 (CA sales tax for those residing in the USA) plus shipping expenses. Message me douglas.stockdale.artist@gmail.com
Untitled (Charbonnel Bistre ink on Hahnemuehle Bright White Copperplate) 2024 copyright Douglas Stockdale –
Singular Images 