Phoenix Gravure Pigment Paper Info and Processing ©2011
Introducing the new Phoenix Gravure gelatin pigment paper, carbon tissue for traditional copper photogravure and rotogravure. "It's Autotype reincarnate!"
Click logo or here to order. Available in 3 convenient sizes: 2x8', 2x65' and 4x65' roll Storage
Store the pigment paper in the plastic tubing bag that the paper was shipped in to retain humidity and prevent contamination. The paper should be stored at 50% relative humidity or above or the gelatin may become brittle. Processing Directions
The processing for Phoenix Gravure is basically the same as Autotype with just a few slight adjustments in time and temperatures to some of the steps outlined below. As far as I know, all contemporary books written on the technique of fine art photogravure are written for the use of Autotype carbon tissue and can be applied for the use of Phoenix Gravure with these minor adjustments. Older texts based on different tissues will apply as well. Sensitizing
Phoenix Gravure tissue is sold unsensitized. Sensitizing of Phoenix Gravure tissue occurs a little quicker than Autotype. The paper is sensitized at your preferred solution and squeegeed onto plexi-glass. There are a whole host of time and temperature variations on sensitizing that work with this tissue but for simplicity sake it is best to sensitize between 2.5 and 3 minutes (NO LONGER) at 11º C or 50ºF. Dry tissue flat or vertically with a fan. If you accidentally exceed the recommended temperature at 3 minutes then just dry the tissue flat so it will dry evenly. Tip: the tissue will be fully sensitized about 30 seconds (give or take and depending on temperature) after the tissue has relaxed and goes flat. WEAR GLOVES AND PROTECTIVE GEAR DURING SENSITIZING WITH AND WHEN HANDLING WET SENSITIZED TISSUE. Exposure
Phoenix Gravure is a little less sensitive and has a slightly redder pigment than Autotype and will require a slightly longer exposure. Test with a Stouffer step wedge to calibrate proper exposure. A proper exposure will have visible separation in steps up to 12-14 but not higher than this. If you see separation in 15-21 then you should shorten the exposure some. We have settled on a manually timed exposure of about 5 minutes with the NuArc 26-1K exposing unit, letting the lamp warm up about 20 sec before exposing. This gives visible steps of 13-14 on the Stouffer. This manual exposure equals approximately 100 Light Units on my Nuarc 261K. Units and integrators will vary so this is given as a starting point only.
Laydown
Have your copper ready, recently cleaned and degreased. For adhering to a Picco dusted plate use 68-70ºF 50% isopropyl alcohol solution poured in a tray along with the plate. Place the tissue in the same tray face down and when tissue has relaxed (about 30-40 seconds) remove both simultaneously and squeegee tissue onto plate. For an exposure with screen or adhering to bare copper place tissue in a tray of 50ºF distilled water until tissue relaxes. Have plate ready on a level surface with a pool of room temperature distilled water poured on the surface. Transfer tissue onto wet plate and squeegee with firm but not excessive pressure. Blot the back for excess moisture with paper towel. Let the tissue dry for about 10 minutes before developing if using alcohol, you may proceed to developing immediately if just using water. These wet laydown methods work well for Phoenix but feel free to try others. Developing
Development is basically the same as Autotype in 45ºC or 110ºF tap water but does not take quite as long. Do not exceed 110ºF. The Phoenix tissue does not need to be flooded on the back with alcohol prior to development as it soaks up the warm water quickly and evenly without it. Place plate in tray of 110ºF water and wait about 30 seconds and until you see gelatin oozing from the edges before attempting to peel the paper backing. Develop for about 5-6 minutes total, replenishing fresh water as needed and until no more gelatin washes away. Rinse in cool water to harden gelatin. Flood plate with 50 or 70% alcohol to remove gelatin scum and excess water. Transfer to a tray of 75-80% solution of isopropyl alcohol for about 5 minutes with periodic agitation. Dry vertically leaning against a wall with a folded paper towel under the bottom edge with a fan on low. Feel free to use any other drying method you are already used to. Allow at least 6 hours conditioning of the gelatin before etching at ideally 60% humidity and 70ºF or 21ºC. Many prefer to etch the following day. ______________________ PICCO Dustgrain
Picco is the latest innovation in traditional aquatinting for gravure. Craig Zammiello, the master printer at Two Palms Press pioneered the use of this dust for traditional photogravure because it can be applied underneath the gelatin since it is not affected by alcohol. Picco resembles powdered asphaltum in texture and fineness but has the light color of rosin which aids in watching the etch. Printers report that the Picco dustgrain resembles a 600-700 lpi aquatint screen in resolution. Grind the Picco in an old coffee grinder and/or mortar and pestle to your liking. If using a shaker or spinning box, leave some dust medium and coarse to help mix things up. Firing the Picco can be done with a shallow pan with several cotton balls soaked in denatured alcohol and set aflame. This is a soft and even flame and preferred to a propane torch. Smother flame with copper plate to extinguish. Test for dust adhesion by scraping an edge with a folded piece of paper. If it scrapes away, apply more even heat. The dust should look clear but textured when fired properly, if it goes very shiny and the plate begins to tarnish some then the dust is over melted and you should start over. The Picco melts perfectly on a hotplate or griddle that has a surface temperature of 245-250ºF. Thermostats and temperature controls are often inaccurate and a surface thermometer is recommended here. If you only have a flame, the Picco is still easy to melt with a little practice. The Picco can be easily and safely removed with B-100 Biodiesel. Follow up with TSP to degrease. ______________________
Tech Support
I pride myself in good customer support. If you have any specific issues with the Phoenix Gravure paper you need help with then please e-mail or call me. Latest Gravure Tips NEW TIP
Dec 4, 2011 The cost of making your own copper photogravure may not be as high as you might believe...
I recently did a per square foot analysis on the costs of making a copper gravure plate using the current Phoenix Gravure 2x8' roll price along with using 16 oz. 0.0216" thick, cold rolled roofing copper. More printmakers, beginners and seasoned etchers alike, should consider using roofing copper. If you can find a good source that is not too scratched, it is just as good for gravure and much more economical than 'engravers copper'. Surface scratches from sliding the metal around come out easily with 2000 grit emery paper. Follow up with some Wenol polish and it is good to go. You will not get a heavy plate mark with roofing copper but it is the image quality that counts and not the embossed plate mark. The plate is still thick enough to get the needed pressure for printing gravure. The plates do not need beveling before proofing. The time and energy saved here may have to be used for a little plate surface prep so the labor time is a wash at worst. I recently bought a 3x10' foot piece of roofing copper from my local sheet metal shop for $280. I have it cut into 1x3' strips which I can easily chop and trim with a 12" Grizzly shear here in the studio. Copper photogravure requires the use of ferric, alcohols and sensitizer but the price per plate is negligible with the ferric lasting for the etch of many plates. The equipment and materials needed for copper gravure are similar to other photo intaglio processes so given that the biggest expense of gravure is in the copper I just want to present this break down for comparison sake.
Phoenix Gravure 2x8' roll is $4.31 / square foot
Roofing Copper at above price is $9.33 / sq. ft
A4 size or 8.5 x 11" = 0.64 sq. ft. with a total price of $8.74
Chemistry per A4 size plate is approximately $1.00
Total cost for 8x10" gravure is about $9.74. Finished size reflects trimming of copper and safe edges.
Copper trimmings and cancelled plates can also be recycled and sold for scrap at good prices nowadays! Another tip for not breaking the bank and still making beautiful positives, the Epson 1400 13x19 " Inkjet Printer
I bought this dye based printer several years ago with the intention of using it for photogravure positives. The first reason I bought it was because it would print up to 13 x 19" for just $220 and had 6 inks, CMYKcm. The fact that it prints at 5760 dpi, twice the resolution of the expensive pigment printers, sealed the deal. The ink droplet picoliter size is just 1.5 compared to 2880 dpi and 3.5 pl. for the high end pigment printers. I have personally tested the Epson 11880 and the 9800 pigment printers and the proof is in the print. The dithering of the 1400 is at least twice as smooth as the aforementioned pigment printers. Dye based inks exhibit better color gamut compared to pigment inks. Pigment inks are preferred for their permanence but permanence is not an issue for our purposes. These inks are transparent and the dots blend more smoothly, and in my opinion, coming closer to the look of film positives. To get better results digitally you would have to make LAMBDA films at a service bureau which aren't cheap. After recently coming across a couple other print artists who are familliar with this printer and hearing their similar opinions I have come to the conclusion that this may very well be the best inkjet printer currently being sold by Epson for use in photogravure. The smaller format Epson Artisan 50 has the same Claria dye based ink technology and dpi as the 1400.
VIDEO
Manual whirler and turntable for drying photogravure resist, designed by Jennifer Page. This first began as a self spinning turntable so I would not have to deal with plugging in another appliance and quickly evolved into a manual whirler as well. The whirler was inspired by Jan Pettersson's use of a commercial plate whirler for drying gravure plates. Of all the drying methods, whirling seems to be the most fool-proof way to dry gravure plates.
What is a Photogravure? This page explains the differences in the various photo intaglio processes, including photogravure, direct gravure, photo etching and photopolymer. Photogravure Supplies List
• Cape Fear Press supplies Phoenix Gravure tissue, PICCO dustgrain resin, Izote Inks, Agate burnishers, Wenol Polish, Stouffers and steel facing services.
• Fuji Hunt sells the best Ferric Chloride, it has no free acids. Ask for 48º Roto-Iron. The smallest amount is 5 gallons. 1-800-344-1847
• Hydrometers can be bought at Fisher Scientific 1-800-766-7000 catalog #11-571E
• Affordable sensitizer on Ebay from seller 'quartzpegmatite' in Colorado, Artcraft Chemicals sells the same brand much higher.
• Etorre Squeegees, local hardware store or http://www.ettorecleaning.com/c-32-squeegees.aspx
• Copper can be bought from Daniel Smith, CG Metals or your local sheet metal supplier. If buying roofing copper ask for 16 oz roofing copper and ask for the cleanest piece they have for minimal scratches and politely ask them to handle it with care.
• Copperplate Hahnemuhle printing paper can be bought at Daniel Smith, NY Central or Utrecht.
• Dove aquatint screens are available at Tackach or Graphic Chemical
• Gampi for chine colle http://store.hiromipaper.com/
• 12" Bench Shear by Grizzly Tools. It is rated to cut 22g copper and cuts roofing copper easily. http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Bench-Shear/T10051
• Marble Dust aka whiting is available at Dick Blick
• B-100 Biodiesel can be found at local co-ops or online. B100 is made from recycled cooking oil, contains no petroleum and has no harmful fumes or rancid odor, don't use on natural rubber as it will cause it to break down, keep away from squeegees or brayers.
• PTC Surface Thermometer, great for calibrating hot-plate or griddle http://www.ptc1.com/public/thersur570f.htm ©2011 by Cape Fear Press. All rights reserved, this text may not be reproduced or copied. Photogravure in other words: Heliogravure, Heliograbado, Fotograbado, Fotogravuur, Fotogravure, Fotogravura, Fenugravirozasi, Fotoincisione, Fotograviras,Tiefdreckdienste, Fotogravering, Fotograwiury | 
