dmmartindale (12/30/82)
A few comments on Katie's article: Polycontrast filters, when used with polycontrast paper, allow you to get a fair range of paper contrasts from a single type of paper (and even different contrasts in different parts of the print if you dodge or burn-in!) but I don't believe that they are capable of the contrast of a #5 black-and-white single-grade paper. For really high contrast, try to get your hands on some Kodalith or Ilfolith lithography film. This is the sheet film used by the graphic arts people to produce printing plates with, and is sheet film not paper. It will have a recomended developer, but I've heard that it will also develop fairly well in ordinary photo paper developer, so don't let the lack of the recommended developer stop you from experimenting. The stuff is insensitive to red light, so you can probably use it under a normal darkroom safelight. It will probably take several tests to get the exposure just the way you want it, since varying the exposure a little will change the particular shade of grey in the negative that forms the dividing line between white and black in the litho film. If you want a positive print, just contact print the litho film onto more film to get a negative, and then contact print this onto paper. I think you would be much better off to use ordinary film in the camera and do your experimenting in the darkroom than to try getting the exposure right in the camera with no feedback. Another point in favour of the litho film is that you can make several litho positives or negatives with differing exposures and then sandwich them for contact printing. This should let you get the effect where a certain range of greys is black on the print but both whites and blacks from the original scene are white, plus a wide variety of others. Dave Martindale, decvax!watmath!dmmartindale