Pull a Proof   Print the Edition

Chine Collé Printing

Pull a Proof

1. Ink, wipe, and print the etched copperplate in accordance with the printing instructions below.
2. See whether the proof has good highlight and shadow detail, plate tone, depth, and whether it looks like your visualization of the image. If so,
3. Cut the plate to the size of the image, with or without a border as desired.
4. File and bevel the edges of the copperplate, so that they will not hold ink.

Here is the etched copperplate from which the Hokokuji print was made.

<5> Etched plate, Hokokuji

Print the Edition

1. Soak etching paper or washi in distilled or buffered water, remove, and wrap in plastic. Do this the night before it will be used for printing.
2. Run a stack of the same-sized paper between blotters through the etching press at light pressure, and replace it in plastic wrapper. The etching paper or washi should be damp and soft, but should not have any water visible on its surface.
3. Adjust the pressure of the etching press so that it makes an even impression.
4. Polish etched copperplate, and, using rubber gloves, de-grease plate with sodium hydroxide solution, and brighten it with acetic acid / salt solution. Dry plate quickly to avoid tarnishing.
5. Mix black or sepia etching ink either from dry pigment together with cold-pressed linseed oil, or from prepared inks, kneading it repeatedly with a stiff ink knife until it has the desired tack or consistency. The ink should fall slowly off the knife, rather than flowing (Figure 6).
6. Add small amounts of ochre to black ink for warm tone, Prussian blue for cold tone, transparent lake to lighten overall tone, magnesium carbonate to thicken ink without increasing tonal density, cold-pressed linseed oil to make ink easier to wipe; experiment with other additives.
7. Spread ink on clean copperplate with brayer, covering the whole plate evenly.

<6> Etching ink ready to be applied to copperplate

Etching papers (Figure 7) differ in how they take the ink, how absorbent they are, in tone, and in surface texture. Contrary to what one might think, the inked copperplate actually prints quite faithfully onto a rough-textured paper, giving a pleasing contrast between the image area and the texture of the margin.

<7> Magnani, Lana, Fabriano, Somerset .Ganpi White, Torinoko, Ganpi Cream, Ganpi. Tosa Hanga,Mitsumata,Kyokushi

Print the Edition (continued)

Using circular motions of an ink-charged tarlatan (Figure 8), work etching ink thoroughly into all the crevices of the etched copperplate. Rotate the plate occasionally to change the angle of wiping.

Clear ink from the plate gradually with long sweeping strokes of the inky tarlatan from edge to center.

When an outline of the image is visible, change to a partially inked tarlatan and reduce the pressure of wiping. Concentrate on the shadows and midtones.

When the shadows and midtones become more defined, adjust the direction of wiping so that it goes from highlights to darker tones. (Otherwise, ink will be dragged from the more deeply etched areas, the shadows, onto the highlights.)

Using a clean tarlatan with very light pressure, continue clearing ink from the highlights, changing frequently to a clean area of the tarlatan.

Examine the plate in raking reflected light, and if plate oil or wiping marks are visible on the surface, remove them with very light short strokes of a clean tarlatan.

Apply retroussage (drawing a slight amount of ink out of the crevices of the plate and onto the lands) by hand or with a fine cloth, if desired.

Remove ink from beveled edge, border (if any), and back of plate.

<8> Tarlatans

Some printmakers strive to make each impression the same. This typically happens in workshops where the artist creates a design that is actually printed by someone else. Dealers may also seek uniformity to facilitate sales. Of course the ultimate in uniformity is a poster or other reproduction made without any particular individual touch or style. Where the artist creates his own impressions, prints the edition himself, he can turn each impression into a unique composition. Joseph Pennell's aquatint Song of the Searchlights (done in wartime London) is a fine example of 'painting on the plate,' or removing ink selectively to produce bright highlights in the print. The plate, in other words, is like a musical score, each impression a different, live performance.

Measure dimensions of plate and paper, and divide the differences in half to position the plate to be printed in the center of the paper.

Place the copperplate on the press bed, and use two rulers to define the margins corresponding to the measurements made in the previous step. For example, if the plate is 21 x 26 cm, the etching paper 28 x 38 cm, set the vertical margin at half of 28 - 21 cm, or 3.5 cm, and set the at half of 38 - 28 cm, or 5 cm.

Place the etching paper or washi, front downward, on top of the inked plate so that the edges of the paper correspond to the margins set in the previous step.

Place the etching felts over the paper, set press pressure, and rotate the press without stopping during the transit of the plate through the press.

Draw back the felts and gently peel the etching paper off the plate ~ voilà! ~ the first impression.

Chine Collé Printing

Ink and wipe the plate as described above in § VIII. But wipe the plate more thoroughly, because in this type of printing the papers absorb more ink.

Cut a piece of ganpi to the exact size of the etched copperplate to be used for printing.

Immerse the inked plate in a tray of water (the ink and water won't mix).

Position the ganpi front side down on the inked copperplate and remove plate carefully from water while keeping the ganpi positioned correctly.

Let the ganpi dry partially, then brush on wheat paste from the center outward to the edges.

Again let the ganpi dry partially, using a fan if necessary.

Place plate and ganpi on press bed, set margins as before, and place heavier sheet of etching paper over the ganpi.

Print as above in § VIII. The ganpi is adhered to the heavier etching paper and printed at the same time.

Peel the print off very carefully, so that the ganpi stays adhered to the heavier etching paper.

. .<9> Platemark (front) . . . . . . . . .Platemark (back)

The etching press creates a platemark (Figure 9), a distinguishing feature of gravure prints and of all intaglio prints. The platemark embossment is a sign of hand-made authenticity.

Formulas

Film developer

Mix each of the ingredients in order, stirring until fully dissolved. Add more hydroquinone and less metol for additional contrast; less hydroquinone and more metol for less contrast, keeping the combined amount of both of these ingredients constant. For example, the two-liter solution might have eight grams each of metol and hydroquinone, or nine grams of one and seven of the other, 10 and six, or any other combination adding to 16 grams. The sodium carbonate is required to alkalize the developer. Potassium bromide is an anti-fog ingredient, and may be increased slightly to lighten the highlights. Metol and hydroquinone powder should be stored in small containers to prevent oxidation. Exposure of graphic arts film should be consistent with a developing time of two minutes at 20° centigrade. Use a red safelight. Fix and wash graphic arts film in the same way as other film.

Sodium hydroxide copperplate de-greasing solution

Water	800 ml	1500 ml	4000 ml
Sodium hydroxide	20 gr	40 gr	100 gr
To make working solution	1 liter	2 liters	5 liters

USE RUBBER GLOVES AND WEAR PROTECTIVE GOGGLES. Mix carefully, a small amount at a time, stirring until thoroughly dissolved before adding more. If too much sodium hydroxide is poured in at one time, the solution heats up rapidly and may bubble over or splatter. Do not allow skin contact. This solution removes grease from the copperplate surface, which is essential for proper adhesion of the resist. Clean thoroughly and vigorously with a rag, using fresh solution as many times as necessary. When water flows off the plate in sheets and does not form droplets on the surface, the de-greasing is complete.

Acetic acid and salt brightening solution (ingredients by volume)

Water	800 ml	1500 ml	4000 ml
Acetic acid (glacial)	100 ml	200 ml	500 ml
Salt	100 ml	200 ml	500 ml
To make working solution	1 liter	2 liters	5 liters

USE RUBBER GLOVES, HAVE VENT ON OR OPEN WINDOW, AND WEAR PROTECTIVE GOGGLES. ALWAYS POUR ACID INTO WATER, NOT WATER INTO ACID. DO NOT BREATHE ACETIC ACID FUMES. Quickly clean copperplate using a clean rag with this solution, rinse plate, and dry it quickly by patting with a paper towel to prevent oxidation. This solution forms mild hydrochloric acid, which lightly etches the plate surface, so the operation must be performed quickly. Flowing alcohol over the plate accelerates drying.

Sensitizer for Resist

Water	800 ml	1500 ml	4000 ml
Potassium dichromate	35 gr	70 gr	175 gr
Ammonia	1 ml	2 ml	5 ml
To make working solution	1 liter	2 liters	5 liters

USE RUBBER GLOVES, HAVE VENT ON, WEAR PROTECTIVE GOGGLES. POTASSIUM DICHROMATE IS EXTREMELY TOXIC BY SKIN CONTACT. DO NOT BREATHE AMMONIA FUMES. Under an amber safelight, mix potassium dichromate powder into water slowly, stirring continuously until completely dissolved. If possible, use distilled water. A dehumidifier provides a free source of distilled water. Add ammonia to alkalize the sensitizer solution. If the sensitizer solution is acidic, oxidation of the copper surface may occur during adhesion of the resist, interfering with adhesion. This table indicates a 3.5 percent solution. For more contrast with lower sensitivity, use a 3.0 percent solution. For less contrast with higher sensitivity, use a 4.0 percent solution.

Information provided by: http://www.kamprint.com