Making a Carbon Transfer Print

This is a short video describing the steps in making a carbon transfer print. To discover more about the carbon process, please visit www.thewetprint...
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[@KosmicJelly]

Undeniably one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen!

[@carbonprint]

Thank you :-)

[@RogersPhotographyOG]

After a 30 year "absence" (aka digital) from darkroom work I'm taking the steps to return to my photographic roots. This is the perfect solution in my evolution.

[@carbonprint]

It's a beautiful process. I teach workshops, but they are completely booked for next year. thewetprint.com/en/workshops/. Every once and a while there's a cancellation, so if you would like to be notified, send me an email through my website.

[@girliedog]

So much work for this nuance​, I would like to see this in person.

[@ssmith954]

Great video... I once saw a lab produce one of these in London, probably the most stunning print I've ever seen.

[@zaidisphotographers]

Simply beautiful 😍

[@NickVenture1]

Impressive. Also I doubled my attention when I saw that digital image can be used in the process. This can be a nice way to use some good digital images which otherwise just sleep in the archive.. and get a piece of art out of it.

[@carbonprint]

Thanks :-)

[@lehmansa]

Beauty! Thanks. One day i will book a workshop

[@CononBarrett]

Superb video, to see the old ways of this historical printing process, and the techniques with modern technology and the final result is amazing.

[@SD_Alias]

Phantastic work! The process reminds me a bit of the dye transfer process we did in the 1980th… As i understand the carbon process is much older? Keep on that good work.....

[@carbonprint]

Thanks. Yes, carbon is older.

[@estebanberazadi8589]

He mirado el video por más de 20 veces y me sigue asombrando. Es el proceso artesanal que quiero darle a mis imágenes.

[@masuvelduqueballarin4643]

Hola Esteban, ¿has conseguido hacer el proceso?. Tengo algunas dudas sobre dónde encontrar los ingredientes y las proporciones.

[@jacopotassinari]

A so great result with such an amazing process! Stunning

[@sameerrao3127]

I have watched your videos. You are a master printer, Ansel Adams of present times. Do you use Bichromates/Dichromates in carbon transfer prints?

[@carbonprint]

Thank you :-) No, I don't use dichromate. I use a non-toxic alternative we refer to as DAS (CAS 2718-90-3).

[@sameerrao3127]

@@carbonprint Thanks for the reply

[@MrMestrebimba]

Amazing!! i just found your youtube channel ! Great work . I hope someday I can take your workshop. Thanks

[@carbonprint]

Thank you :-)

[@tristanlope93]

Wow, that's a lot of work. Beautiful image by the way.

[@ada9112]

Wonderful.

[@JosephJMcAllister]

Wow that is a lot of work! So cool! Great video!

[@vcorn9544]

Absolutely beautiful!! Thank you for the video.

[@britsinsf]

Spectacular work!

[@bobbadley8347]

Great, simply fantastic.

[@michaelwatkins6321]

The process is fascinating. The print looks amazing. When you say client is that a customer buying your photo and print? Is this a service that is available?

[@carbonprint]

Usually photographers will send me a digital file, then I make a print. See www.thewetprint.com

[@nydigitalguy2]

Well I am inspired to try this process. I am pretty handy and have a complete wood shop. am I correct in thinking that most of the tools or jigs can be made by a craftsman to produce accurate prints?

[@carbonprint]

I am also a woodworker. Tools and jigs help, but as you'll know there's no substitute for experience and depth of knowledge on how to use those tools.

[@pinoy0978234]

Since you're already using DAS for the tissue, you don't have to use dichromated albumen for the temporary support. Just make the same albumen solution without the dichromate, give it a rinse and let it dry. Then once its dried, harden it by giving it a quick soak in 91% isopropyl alcohol and hang to dry before use. I hope you can fully eliminate dichromate from your workflow!

[@carbonprint]

Using alcohol seems to work really well for Charles, but it needs to be done outdoors or it smells too much for me, and I didn't find it worked as well with melinex 453. DAS works, and is what I'll most likely switch to.

[@pinoy0978234]

I harden it with 2% chrome alum solution now since alcohol is pricey to use in large quantities. It works really well

[@tcdp9804]

Excuse me. What is DAS? Can you do this same process without using Dicromates? :)

[@teresashinkansen9402]

@@tcdp9804 I hate when people use acronyms, it just makes the learning curve unnecessarily steeper for newcomers just because laziness of typing more letters, worse is when the acronyms might mean differ things, very dangerous when dealing with chemistry! DAS means -4Diazodiphenylamine hydrogen sulfate, formaldehyde polymer- . A more understandable name without having to use the full name is "Diazo". Edit: im completely wrong, DAS does not mean -4Diazodiphenylamine hydrogen sulfate, formaldehyde polymer or "Diazo", it actually means diazidostilbene! Once again why is not good to use acronyms.

[@robertyoung1777]

Thank you !

[@dexon555]

What’s the benefit of this process? Especially compared to traditional gelatin silver, darkroom prints or even quality rag paper and a quality pigment ink photo printer?

[@carbonprint]

Compared to inkjet, it's like the difference between a chips-ahoy cookie and a homemade cookie. Even the best inkjet print looks terrible next to a carbon print. Silver prints can be very nice, but carbon prints still have a few advantages, namely: ability to print in color, more permanent, more options for paper, and a 3d quality that you just don't get from silver prints.

[@flutgraben13]

What an effort! Perfectly made video.

[@masuvelduqueballarin4643]

Hello, Question: Is the photographic gelatin powder the same that you use to glue the paper ?. What proportions do you use for each ingredient? Thank you

[@Errorofbelief]

Amazing

[@NelsonDafico]

Amazing!!! 👋👋

[@marklimbrick]

OK now I see the albumen release is being used. I guess the gelatin layer 1 on intermediate transfer layer remains wet until layer 2 + is added..

[@marklimbrick]

A laser print of each colour/tone range separation allows a close match with the properties of the gelatin. Although carbos are nice prints I am kind of wondering what is the point of this other than turning ordinary images into supposed works of art. If you analogued your own composed location images in a plate camera it would close a circle of committed endeavor.

[@carbonprint]

@@marklimbrick From a purely technical standpoint (resolution, permanence, texture), any laser print, c-print, inkjet print, looks terrible next to a carbon print. As to why I make carbon prints, or why they have value... Would you rather have a fresh homemade cookie, or some chips ahoy?

[@bthemedia]

Fantastic video, wonderful work!

[@kagiordano]

Really interesting. What is the light-sensitive salt you are using? Is there any (less toxic) alternative to something like a dichromate?

[@carbonprint]

I'm using DAS instead of dichromate. Just do a search on the carbon group on groups.io for more information on it.

[@ImperatorMundi1]

Hi Calvin. What temporary support (tissue) do you use?

[@carbonprint]

The support for the emulsion is Synaps

[@carlstawicki1915]

What's the reason for splitting the image into shadows, midtones, and highlights just to recombine them? I can see an advantage to that only if using different pigments for each.

[@carbonprint]

Think of it like an inkjet print. What's the point of using three different gray inks if we just recombine them in the photo? More continuous tone.

[@CalvinBlackArt]

@@carbonprint I think the goal of splitting the layers is to achieve higher ink density... Wouldn't the point of printing the S/M/H only work if you printed the layers like this? S S/M S/M/H

[@carbonprint]

@@CalvinBlackArt The goal of multiple separations is mainly just to get a more continuous tone. I now expose 4 negatives on just one layer/one emulsion.

[@pinoy0978234]

Do you mind sharing how you prepare your negatives? Any special curves layers that you use?

[@carbonprint]

I prepare the separations in photoshop with curves, but gradient maps, levels, and multichannel mode all work as well. This fall I'm going to switch over to using Harlequin rip for making the separations, which will be much easier. How I make them is beyond the scope of what I can write here. I do workshops, and it takes an entire day to go over making the separations.

[@astore3757]

Egg white are yellow at 1.33.. Do you use potassium dichromate to hardening it? Thanks.

[@carbonprint]

I do just about every step from the video differently now. I used to use dichromate, but now I do not.

[@antoinedewinter4642]

Hello! Is it possible to buy the "carbon printing process" book that were on your website? I can't find it anymore :)

[@carbonprint]

The website will be back up by Tuesday afternoon.

[@antoinedewinter4642]

@@carbonprint Nice :)

[@canturgan]

That is a very elaborate process. How did it ever get invented?

[@JD150R]

Magnificent!

[@SuperPhotokid]

Not sure what to say, the use of a salt in solution is questionable and has the potential of reducing archival time. Also intoducing the need for extra baths. Not sure. You can get the entire tonal range through the acetone sensitizing process. Unless these are digital negatives there is no need to separate the tones.

[@carbonprint]

You might find this helpful in understanding why I do it this way- thewetprint.com/en/digital-workshop/. I'm not sure what you mean by a salt bath? In a double transfer, the paper never goes through any chemicals, compared to a single transfer print which must be cleared in a salt solution of sodium bisulfite.

[@DeeDeeLecter]

😮 what?!

[@MikeKleinsteuber]

Nice video but really irritating music which is too 'spikey' and too up front

[@Gretephoto]

I want to watch this but the music is so loud it's unbearable !! It should be way quieter when the narrator speaks, called audio ducking.

[@michaelwatkins6321]

The music seems fine to me.

[@MrJohn7e]

Dude. Turn the music down

[@steentompkins]

Too much sugar for a dime (?) ;-)

[@fredlada1634]

Worst printing process ever, totally not accessible to the general public. Even photogravure seems less painful than all these steps and calibration it takes to make this carbon transfer print and frankly, for any type of modern-straight photography a simple silver gelatin print would do, this is so unnecessary

[@emailkaneilo]

ava to duh dawn em