Any questions in regard to photograph matters will be willingly answered by the Editor of this column, and we should be glad to hear from any of our club who can make helpful suggestions.
PAPERS FOR BEGINNERS, NO. 12.
PRINTING AND TONING.
There are so many brands of sensitive paper on the market, and they are so cheap, fresh, evenly sensitized, and easy of manipulation, that it is a waste of time and money for the amateur to attempt to prepare his own. Even professional photographers are taking advantage of the prepared papers, and buy the paper ready sensitized.
The gelatine papers have almost entirely taken the place of the albumen paper, a paper which was always hard for the amateur to handle. The gelatine paper prints quickly, tones easily, and many different tones can be obtained in the same bath by removing pictures at a longer or shorter time. The combined toning and fixing bath is very popular, but the real gold tones can be obtained much better with a toning and fixing bath prepared separately.
See that the glass side of the negative is perfectly clean. Place it in the printing-frame, the glass side out, adjust a piece of sensitive paper over the film side, fasten in the printing-frame, and expose to the light till the picture is a little darker than required for a finished print. As soon as it is dark enough, remove it from the frame, and put it in a book, and put the book in a drawer. Do this with each print till all are printed. Thin negatives must be printed in the shade, but a good negative may be printed in direct sunlight.
For beginners who wish to use the combined toning and fixing bath, it is better to buy it already prepared. A bottle of prepared developer, which costs fifty cents, will tone from one hundred to one hundred and fifty prints 4 x 5.
Place the prints one by one in the tray, taking care that no air-bubbles form on the surface of the print. If not immediately broken they will leave dark spots on the prints. As the prints tone very quickly they must be kept in motion all the while. The best way to secure uniform tones is to slip the bottom print out and place it face up on top of the others, which should be face down in the tray. As soon as the last print has been turned in this way, turn the whole batch face down and repeat the operation. By handling the prints in this manner, the toning process is seen at once, and as soon as a print has received the desired tone it can be taken from the tray and placed in a dish of running water.
The prints should wash half an hour or more. The color obtained in the bath will remain. It does not fade as does the albumen print on being removed from the toning bath.