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Test Printing
I test print on Ilford Multigrade RC Warmtone paper, even in fine art photography there needs to be the need for economy. The Kentmere Fine Art is quite expensive especially in big sheet sizes so a suitable black and white poly contrast paper is fine. The Ilford paper set to grade 2 (ie unfiltered) gives results which are not far off the Kentmere. I'm assuming that a contact sheet has been made and the picture assesed for suitability. I have found quite often that a print that looks great on the contact sheet looks awful when enlarged, so be be prepared to throw it all away at the last moment. This is another economic reason for using RC paper for test printing. Start of by making a suitable test print on a peice of RC (Resin Coated) paper. My test strip is shown below:

The bands shown on here are at 10,15.20,25,30 second and so on. The strip should be fixed washed and dried to get a good indication of the final print. I am looking at the tones of the flower head to asses which time to go for. In the end I selected 45 seconds. When making the selection, bear in mind that areas of the print can be held back and other areas can be burned in, so somewhere in the middle is what we are after. I am not a fan of burning in and find dodging a lot easier. Looking at the test strip you can see where the bright spot on the flower head is starting to develop definition, this was the 45 second mark. Go onto the next page to see the next test process.

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