Using Imagon Film to make an Intaglio-Type Print

Handout by Christie Nuell, from procedures developed by Keith Howard

Do these things first:

1. Put paper to soak in the water bath if you are going to proof your plate
2. Make sure there is fresh developer at room temperature[ 2 level teaspoons soda ash dissolved in 2 liters water ]If mixing this, dissolve soda ash in a small qty. of hot water first

For a new plate:

1. Round off edges of copper
2. If using roofing copper, no need to bevel the edges. Plexi, zinc and engravers copper, wood will need to be bevelled. If using wood or plexi, see instructor for instructions: putting these in the vacuum frame of the exposure unit may break the glass.
3. Sand the plate with a palm sander and 320 grit wet/dry sandpaper to rough up surface. Wipe clean, and avid touching top surface with hands after sanding.

For a previously used plate:

One great thing about his process is that you can use the same piece of copper over and over again by reclaiming the plate. If you have already done all the above already, you only need to scrub the top (laminating) surface of the metal with Comet cleanser and a brush to degrease it.

The Imagon film is located in a box in the darkroom. It is on a roll 24" wide. Figure the most economical way to use the film for your size plate without wastage. You may want to check first to see if there is a piece the size you need already stored inside the black plastic flap.

1. Pull the film out gently with 2 hands, being careful not to let it crimp.
2. Use a blade to cut it all the way across the piece.
3. Cut the size you need with 1/2" - 1" allowance on all sides.
4. Allow any scrap pieces to roll up and put them inside the black plastic flap over the box

1. Clean the bed of the press off. Tiny ink specks, tape residue etc. will mar your image.
2. Place the Imagon on the clean bed of the press with the matte side up (glossier side is down). When placed the right way it will try to curl up on itself.
3. You need to remove the thin top layer of (matte) mylar from the film. Do this by starting in the middle of one edge of the film and separating the top mylar from the blue film with thumb and forefinger. Gently peel it back, and discard the mylar.
4. Spritz the film very lightly with the alcohol:water (1:3) solution.
5. Hold your plate face down an inch above the film, and let it drop onto the film.
6. Cover the plate with a sheet of newsprint. If you don't, it will stick to the blankets.
7. Roll the plate (still face down on the Imagon film) through the press at approximately 1 foot per minute speed (slow!), at aquatint printing pressure.
8. Remove the plate from the press. It is easy to trim the excess film now by cutting off the film (and newsprint) with a blade.

If you are not planning on exposing the plate immediately, store it in a dark place.

At least TWO separate exposures are required for this process:

• exposing the plate to the aquatint screen (done first)
• exposing the plate to your drawing or other stencil (done second)

Expose the plate on the Nu-Arc Exposure Unit, which is a Point Light Source.

Our guidelines at MTSU show 8 light units of exposure to the Aquatint screen, followed by however many units of exposure your drawing on mylar or other positive stencil requires. You should make a test plate for the second exposure to determine the optimum time for your particular image.

For a test plate:

1. Laminate Imagon film to a small plate (don't waste film).
2. Put aquatint screen on plate & expose as outlined above
3. Remove aquatint screen, and place drawing or stencil face down on plate
4. in vacuum frame, so that an area representative of the tonal range is over the test plate.
5. Turn on vacuum, cover all but one end of the plate with a
6. piece of amberlith, taped to the outside of the glass at 4 corners.
7. Expose the plate for 2 units. Move the amberlith so a bit more of the plate
8. is showing - expose for 2 more units. Keep doing this until you have a range from 2 - 12 light units, making sure you know which part of the image has the most and which has the least time.
9. Develop, print, evaluate, and apply the appropriate time to the larger plate

A third exposure (called a "flash") of .1 unit (note the decimal point!) helps to achieve a rich tonal range (lights to rich blacks). This is done without any aquatint screen or stencil, after the first two exposures and before developing.

Develop the plate immediately. Developing the plate in the soda ash solution should take less than two minutes. Usually 1 min 15 secs is good.

1. IMPORTANT: First remove the shiny mylar layer from the surface of the plate.Swiping your open palm across the plate usually gets it off. Discard mylar.
2. To develop, immerse the plate face up in the developing solution and lightly rub the surface of the plate with a sponge all over.
3. You can use a magnifying glass to check your black areas. The coverage of the blue film will appear stippled, and there should be equal amounts of blue stipple and plate showing between the stipples for a good black. More blue than plate will hold less ink, and more plate than ink is equivalent to an open bit in traditional etching.

For black ink use Daniel Smith's Intense Black Ink. Mix some Setswell Compound with it to loosen the ink.

1. Apply the ink in horizontal and vertical strokes with a discard.
2. Similarly, wipe with a tarlatan with horizontal and vertical strokes. Curiously, this seems to work better with this process than the traditional circular wipe.
3. As usual, use newsprint under your print and on top of the proofing paper when you print. Remember: any additional debris from printing will have to be cleaned up the next time someone uses the press to laminate film onto a plate. What goes around comes around...