CYMK, photoshop supports that... and come to think of it, I have an article about color CYMK printing processes from 1938. Maybe I ought to scan it in sometime.

In 1938 it was more than likely printed letterpress. True waterless printing.

And I'd love to see that article.

The image printing wasn't the hard part, the hard part was picture and text.
Halftone was used from 1850 (I remember it well) up until about 1971.
Halftone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The image printing wasn't the hard part, the hard part was picture and text.
Halftone was used from 1850 (I remember it well) up until about 1971.
Halftone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Actually it's not that hard at all. You just strip multiple negs onto one flat. Or you could run multiple burns on one plate. Your type would be solid, your pictures with the correct dot pattern.

And we still use halftones today. Whether full color or grayscale printing it is still a binary action. You either put ink down or you don't.

Continuous tone is shades. Halftone is an optical illusion designed to fool the eye into seeing gray. Look under a loop and it's black or it's white.

[Parallax]

The image printing wasn't the hard part, the hard part was picture and text.
Halftone was used from 1850 (I remember it well) up until about 1971.
Halftone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I would tell you to google "stripping", but you would get so damned involved in the wrong definition you never would get to what graphicgr8s is talking about.

[flyer]

Scanner for color separations have been used since the mid '70s. Before that, color separations were made with large flatbed cameras and filters. You had to output a film for each colors, i.e. black, cyan, magenta and yellow. Then, you might have an "expert" doing some "dot etching" to adjust highligts or shadows. Then, each films had to be positionned on a "mounting sheet" in register, so you could burn the plates needed to print the job.

Scanner for color separations have been used since the mid '70s. Before that, color separations were made with large flatbed cameras and filters. You had to output a film for each colors, i.e. black, cyan, magenta and yellow. Then, you might have an "expert" doing some "dot etching" to adjust highligts or shadows. Then, each films had to be positionned on a "mounting sheet" in register, so you could burn the plates needed to print the job.

So did you ever do dot etching? It was a pain but the pay was great. Especially in NYC.

Is your shop DTP or do you still burn metal?

Actually it's not that hard at all. You just strip multiple negs onto one flat. Or you could run multiple burns on one plate. Your type would be solid, your pictures with the correct dot pattern.

And we still use halftones today. Whether full color or grayscale printing it is still a binary action. You either put ink down or you don't.

Continuous tone is shades. Halftone is an optical illusion designed to fool the eye into seeing gray. Look under a loop and it's black or it's white.

Creating halftone was the hard part, not the execution of it. Before that it was wood engraving and suchlike for pictures, type would have to be done separately.

I would tell you to google "stripping", but you would get so damned involved in the wrong definition you never would get to what graphicgr8s is talking about.

I'm sorry, it's not you, I'm just tired, I didn't quite get your meaning. I didn't get my information from google.

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Last edited by Damn Brit; 10-22-2009 at 10:53 AM.

[Parallax]

.................I'm sorry, it's not you, I'm just tired, I didn't quite get your meaning. I didn't get my information from google.

It was a joke, Gary. In the printing business stripping is the process of positioning negatives in position on paper or mylar sheets so they can be used to burn offset plates. The term originally meant positioning strips of copy or negatives as part of the pre-press operations. If you were to google "stripping" I think you may just find other, more interesting results.

It was a joke, Gary. In the printing business stripping is the process of positioning negatives in position on paper or mylar sheets so they can be used to burn offset plates. The term originally meant positioning strips of copy or negatives as part of the pre-press operations. If you were to google "stripping" I think you may just find other, more interesting results.

I figured it was, thanks for the explanation, I have one eye open now.

While we're on the subject of getting other, interesting results, go to Dictionary.com | Find the Meanings and Definitions of Words at Dictionary.com and do a search on Measurebation. It won't find it but will ask you if you meant another word. Very appropriate considering this forums own favourite measurebator.

Creating halftone was the hard part, not the execution of it. Before that it was wood engraving and suchlike for pictures, type would have to be done separately.



I'm sorry, it's not you, I'm just tired, I didn't quite get your meaning. I didn't get my information from google.

Gary, creating the halftone screen (a sheet that you shoot through that has a grid of vertical and horizontal lines) was the hard part. But it was reusable. Early versions had the lines in one plane only and you would make 2 exposures. One in the vertical one in the horizontal. Later experimentation with exposure brought about the "bump" exposure to bring in more detail. Many of the early screens were made of etched glass and were fragile. And expensive. As you noted shades of "gray" were created by wood carvings using lines spaced closer and closer together to create the illusion. There were also specialty screens called "Ben Days"

(¦ben¦dā ′prä·səs)

(graphic arts) A process for printing shadings consisting of patterns of lines, dots, stipples, and so on, which involves inking a Benday screen (a rectangle of hardened gelatin with the pattern in relief), printing it on portions of the metal plate on which an outline drawing has been photoprinted, and then etching the metal as a line plate. Also spelled Ben Day process.

These were particularly fun to use because they generally came in different patterns.

Of course my favorite part outside the darkroom was developing additive plates. Man that R developer was something else after doing 100 plates or so. Most times way less.

[Gooshin]

is there any application of your skill in todays world?

[Parallax]

.............................Of course my favorite part outside the darkroom was developing additive plates. Man that R developer was something else after doing 100 plates or so. Most times way less.

It has been quite a while, but was that the thick, deep red colored stuff? I always thought that had a rather pleasant smell. The plates that I worked with for the book manufacturer in Reno were 6 1/2 feet x 4 1/2 feet, and weren't even pre sensitized.

is there any application of your skill in todays world?

I would assume you are talking to me. Sure there is. It's the same end result just a different way to get there. You can dig a tunnel with a shovel and brute strength or you can use heavy equipment to do the same thing. In the end the tunnel still gets done.

Learning things the original way does make it easier to do it the right way with modern means.

First scanner I worked on was about 15" long and cost over 250 grand.

And Gooshin I am still in printing so yes I use my skill set every day to earn a living.

It has been quite a while, but was that the thick, deep red colored stuff? I always thought that had a rather pleasant smell. The plates that I worked with for the book manufacturer in Reno were 6 1/2 feet x 4 1/2 feet, and weren't even pre sensitized.

Yep the Red Developer. Real pleasant aroma. And you made sure the vent fans were off.

The only time I ever got into non presensitized stuff was when I was experimenting with different emulsions for plate longevity. Max in those days I think was 50,000 or 100,000.
You remember the old Violux exposure lamps and the old carbon arcs?

[Parallax]

Yep the Red Developer. Real pleasant aroma. And you made sure the vent fans were off.

The only time I ever got into non presensitized stuff was when I was experimenting with different emulsions for plate longevity. Max in those days I think was 50,000 or 100,000.
You remember the old Violux exposure lamps and the old carbon arcs?

The first plate maker I ever worked with that wasn't carbon arc was in 1995! The first carbon arc platemakers I used didn't even maintain the arc automatically. There was a knob on the front that you "tuned" the arc with. DAMN, do I feel old!