Of course, you must base your own choice on the overall look you want in your prints. I choose the pearl surface for several reasons, even though it lacks both the longevity of the gloss surface and its beautiful metallic sheen. But the advantages of the pearl surface are still numerous:
It allows the viewer to see the image clearly without fighting the distracting reflections from light sources behind the viewer that plague the gloss surface.
It can be dry mounted, which allows you to define all four edges with precision—a near- impossibility with a window overmat (except with very costly computer-driven mat cutters). This gives the finished print a slightly cleaner look, to my way of thinking.
It is far easier to handle and process without getting water marks, finger marks, or other surface imperfections that immediately ruin the gloss image. In fact, the pearl surface is so strong that it is hard to tear in half, and so tough that it is not easy to scratch even with your fingernails.
It can be easily spotted or hand colored, both of which are either difficult or impossible with the gloss surface.
Its longevity is increasing as RC technology improves. The pearl surface has the same emulsion as the gloss surface; the RC base is the cause of its shorter life. That is likely to keep improving.
Its cost is roughly half that of the gloss surface. Cost doesn’t come into play in my choice of paper, but once I’ve made my choice, it’s nice to know that I’ve saved money in the process.
Ilfochrome has two basic types of chemistry for its papers: the so-called professional P3 process chemistry, and the P30 chemistry, which comes in both liquid and powder form. Of the liquid and powder, the powder (P30p) appears to give somewhat richer results. However, the P3 chemistry gives the best results of all, with deeper color saturation and clearer whites than are attainable with the P30 chemistry, either liquid or powdered. The P3 has stronger bleach than the P30, which must be neutralized with baking soda after use, whereas the bleach of the P30 is neutralized by the used developer.
Color Contrast Reduction Masking
Contrast control remains the most troublesome problem for Ilfochrome printing. Careful burning of darker areas and dodging of lighter areas may provide sufficient printing controls in many cases on Ilfochrome without resorting to masking. I have printed 40–50 percent of my color prints without the need for any mask. However, that rather high percentage reflects the lower contrast film I use (i.e., indoor 64T film), as well as my choice of subject matter and lighting. It may also reflect the lower contrast transparencies I choose to print. Burning and dodging can go a long way toward controlling contrast in both transparency and negative printing.
When burning and dodging fall short of the mark, masking techniques are the chief means of contrast control for Ilfochrome. Masking is generally required with all positive printing papers, and it’s often required with Ilfochrome. In essence, masking is a way to lower the contrast of the transparency so it matches that of the paper, allowing the original transparency’s detail to be visible on the print.
Note
When making a contrast reduction mask, you can do two things at once. Not only do you lower contrast, but you can also selectively brighten or mute one color compared to others.
The section on masking for black-and-white is directly applicable here. I urge readers to go back and read that section again, for the procedures and materials are the same. For negative printing and direct positive-to-positive printing, the contrast reduction mask is made by placing Kodak T-Max 100, Ilford Delta 100, Ilford Pan-F, or Fuji Acros (developed to very low contrast) and several clear negative spacers against the negative or transparency, exposing the mask material through the original film and spacers, then (after development of the mask) placing the two in the enlarger together for subsequent exposure onto the print paper.
Another approach to making the mask is to place the bases of the negative or transparency and the mask together, thus exposing the mask material through both film bases. This alone may give sufficient separation for the desired degree of unsharpness. A sheet or two of clear negative material can be inserted for further separation, if necessary.
If you are working with a transparency, the black-and-white negative achieves its greatest density in the highlights and little or no density in the shadows. When placed in register with the original transparency, it lowers the contrast of the original to approximate that of the paper. It increases both local contrast and the appearance of sharpness in the same way it does to negatives.
The mask material should be exposed and developed to have little or no density whatsoever in the shadows so that enlarger exposure times do not become excessive. Development times should be chosen to greatly reduce contrast, preventing the densest portion of the mask from becoming too dense. A little experimentation will quickly show you the amount of exposure and development needed for proper mask-making.
Masking to Alter Color Intensities
When making a contrast reduction mask, you can do two things at once. Not only can you lower contrast, but you can also selectively brighten or mute one color compared to the others. Let’s look at the classic example of the red apple and green leaves. Suppose both the apple and the leaves are the same brightness level in the scene and you expose it with no filtration. The two have the same density on your transparency. If you want the green leaves to be a bit brighter and snappier (and therefore the red apple a bit darker), you can expose your contrast reduction mask through red filtration—a combination of magenta and yellow filters in roughly a 3:2 ratio.
Here’s how it works. The apple in the transparency serves as a red filter to the incoming red light. As the mask is exposed through the transparency, the red light from the enlarger passes through the red apple largely unimpeded because the apple is the same color. Similarly, the green leaves serve as a green filter for the incoming red light. Therefore, the red light is blocked to some extent by the green of the leaves. The part of the mask below the apple receives more light and becomes darker (i.e., denser) when developed; the part of the mask below the leaves receives less light and is lighter (i.e., thinner) when developed. When the mask is then registered with the original transparency, more density is added to the apple than to the leaves, making the leaves brighter and snappier and the apple darker in the positive-to-positive print.
If you are working with negative material, the result is the same but by opposite means. The red light from the enlarger produces a mask that is thinner below the red apple (which appears somewhat green on the negative) and denser below the green leaves (which appears somewhat red on the negative). When re-registered with the negative, little density is added to the apple; more density is added to the green leaves. When printed, the apple is darker and the leaves are lighter.
So the rule is this: if you want to create a mask that brightens a specific color, make the mask with the filtration of the color opposite to it on the color wheel (Figure 6-5). Perhaps a less confusing way to think about this is that when you make a mask, you should filter with the color you wish to darken in the final print. Sharp cutting filters (e.g., those used as black-and-white filters) can produce overt, dramatic effects. Again, experimentation will show you what works and what must be avoided.
The Shadow Mask
A second, shadow mask may prove to be as worthwhile—or perhaps even more important overall—than the initial contrast reduction mask. This technique exposes only the shadow regions, bringing to life excessively dense areas of the original transparency. It’s the equivalent of the highlight mask for negative printing in either black-and-white or color. Needless to say, there must be some separation within the shadows of the original transparency to gain visibility on the print; but if it’s there, however dimly, this second mask (the shadow mask) can bring out more visible detail in the print than is easily seen on the transparency.