HI I am talking about printing on ilford MGIV on color dicronic enlarger,

I am using kodak's 163 as the paper developer for quite some time, in the dilution of 1:3 with water, My question is how does it affects the print quality if you change the concentration of the developer Any way of enriching print quality with this issue? thanks?

-- shreepad (middlegray@hotmail.com), December 22, 2000

Answers

Shreepad,

What exactly are you looking for when you say "enrich print quality"? Are you looking for deeper tone depth, greater contrast?

As for what happens when you mess with dilution...When you thin the developer (cut it 1/5 or 1/10) the development time takes longer. I find that will decrease the contrast marginally and create smoother tonal gradation.

If you're looking for richer tones in general, I suggest using graded paper instead of Multigrade. I've found that makes a much larger difference in richness of tone than what most techniques can offer.

-- Jon Osing (carrie_and_jon@email.msn.com), December 22, 2000.

Developer dilution really doesn't make any difference other than perhaps cause a slight color change as long as you give sufficient development for the dilution used.

-- John Hicks (jbh@magicnet.net), December 22, 2000.

Vestal reported the results of experiments he did. Dilution does not influence contrast or gradation. Excessive dilution eventually suppresses Dmax. Dilution does influence print coloration because the slower action results in smaller sized grains. Hope this helps. DJ

-- N Dhananjay (ndhanu@umich.edu), December 22, 2000.

Selenium toning is the best way I know to deepen the blacks in a print.

-- Don Karon (kc6d@arrl.net), December 25, 2000.