I was reading a book on printing and they refered to the max black you can get on a print and then refered to another book he wrote. I believe I know that he was refering to the max black that the paper will give but not sure how to test or achieve this. Could someone give me the process on how to get the correct time to achieve this.

-- Harry J Vrobel (hvrobel@penn.com), June 03, 1999

Answers

Easy, just make a series of exposures through a blank (clear) neg and note which time gives the first step that's as black as you can see. But it's rather a pointless exercise; you should print so that the thing in the print you want to see as black is seen as black. This will pretty much never be as black as the paper is capable of.

-- John Hicks / John's Camera Shop (jbh@magicnet.net), June 04, 1999.

Yes, do a test strip with unexposed but developed film. Expose it for 1s, 2s, 4s, ... and note the time beyond which the paper doesn't get any blacker.

I think it is worth doing because (a) it shows you the maximum black your paper is capable of, and (b) it shows you the maximum time you should expose your paper for, if you want to retain all the shadow detail.

But we can get too hung up on this 'magical' exposure, the minimum- time-for-maximim-black, that we forget what we are trying to achieve with the print.

-- Alan Gibson (Alan.Gibson@technologist.com), June 04, 1999.

Max blacks can be achieved by using FB papers developed in Ethol LPD developer full strength and toning in 20:1 dilution of water to kodak selenium toner.

-- Gene Crumpler (nikonguy@worldnet.att.net), June 07, 1999.

Or, a simpler way...

Cut a strip of paper, put it into a book like a bookmark (half hanging out). Turn on the room light for a while.

When you develop the strip, you'll have a handy max black and pure white reference on the same card.

-- Duncan McRae (duncanm@yahoo.com), June 11, 1999.

Thank you all for the help.

-- Harry J. Vrobel (hvrobel@penn.com), June 13, 1999.