Digital

Archival inkjet / Giclée Prints

We print digitally in colour and black and white on a variety of fine art papers. Hahnemühle Photo Rag papers are very popular with many photographers and artists (especially for editioned giclée prints), while baryta papers using a fibre base, such as Ilford Galerie Gold Fibre Silk and Harman FB Gloss, have a look and feel similar to traditional photographic papers. See price list for sizes.

Scanning

High resolution scans from 35mm to 5x4 re made using an Imacon Flextight Scanner. Scans up to 200MB in true resolution, dust spotted at 100%, are produced with no unsharp masking applied unless requested. A quote will be given for negatives requiring excessive retouching.

Darkroom

Black and White Film Processing

All film is hand processed and we are happy to discuss particular film developer requirements. A test roll or clip is normally processed prior to developing a batch of film to ensure negatives with the most suitable contrast for printing.

Black and White Hand Prints / Silver Gelatin Prints

Traditional black and white hand prints are produced in the darkroom using a variety of fibre-based papers. The choice of both paper and developer will determine the inherent tone of the print, from a warm to cool black. We are very conscious of the archival requirements expected by our clients so all prints are fully washed and an additional bath of Hypo Eliminator is used during washing as part of the standard process. For further protection, selenium toning is recommended.

Lith prints

Lith prints typically have strong, contrasty shadows, bright highlights and compressed, reddish-brown mid tones, depending on paper choice. However, control of exposure and development alters the tonalities from soft, muted tones to hard, gritty contrast.

Toning

Toning can produce an array of colours and tones on black and white prints. Thiocarbamide is a sepia toner producing a wide choice of warm tones from a yellow hue to a deep chocolate brown. Gold toning is known for its archival qualities and for cooling and intensifying the tone of the print from a metallic grey to a soft shade of blue. Alternatively, blue toner will give a greater variety of blues, though is not recommended if print permanence is essential. Selenium toning shifts the tone of most papers towards purple reds, especially warmer emulsions, though it is often used in a dilute solution providing less colour change but increasing the archival quality and depth of the print.

Print care

Our prints are always carefully processed and most toners will increase their longevity. However, it is always advisable to store and display all photographic prints in appropriate conditions. Storage boxes, sleeves, mounts and frames should be constructed from acid-free materials; any adhesives used should also be acid-free. Dampness may cause mould to form on photographic materials and dryness can lead to brittleness and prints curling. Direct sunlight and intense spotlighting will be detrimental to all prints, both traditional and digital.