The process of printing photographs in cyan-blue print is known as cyanotype. The process needs the cyanotype paper to be treated with the solution of two chemicals. These are Potassium ferricyanide and Ammonium iron (III) citrate.
The type of paper you use will have an effect on the final cyanotype print. It will also affect the life of the print or photo and its storage ability. If you wish to archive your cyanotype prints for a long duration of time, you must take prints on good quality cyanotype papers.
* Storage: Cyanotypes are not stored in basic environments. They also cannot be stored in chemically buffered museums. Acidic environments are suitable to store cyanotype prints. Therefore if you create a cyanotype on neutral buffered paper and store in neutral pH facility, the image will fade after a period of time.
* Research: There was a test conducted in Finland to study the cyanotype process. They used eleven separate etching and watercolor papers to create the cyanotype prints. The exposure tests conducted on the papers helped them to know how suitable the papers were for cyanotype printing. They also wanted to test if the blue prints vary in different cyanotype papers. The traditional process of cyanotype works on all kinds of paper. The mixing of the chemicals is also very simple. More over there are even ready to use solutions available if you do not want to do the mixing. During the test all the papers were coated and all of them were of the same size. They did not find any differences in the sensitivity or tone of the cyanotype papers. They proved from this experiment that all the papers were suitable for traditional cyanotype process.
* Cyanotype Paper: Though the classic cyanotype photos could be printed on any paper, there are some papers that are more favorable and efficient for cyanotype prints. There are various kinds of cyanotype papers. Cyanotype artists and printers prefer using Fabriano Artistico, Fabriano 5 or the Buxton handmade cyanotype papers. These are the popular ones that are usually used for creating cyanotype photos.
Cyanotype papers can be described in weights and surfaces. The weight of the paper suggests how thick the paper is. In other words how much of weight the paper can hold and how heavy is it. A 140 pounds paper is ideal to create cyanotype prints. Apart from weight cyanotype papers have two different surfaces.
Papers are either hot or cold. A hot press paper is much smoother and it does not have any tooth or bumps on it. Therefore a hot press paper is preferred for cyanotypes as it is extremely smooth. Yet, some kinds of cyanotypes do require using the cold press paper. Hence when you pick the paper, ensure that you pick a smooth and a heavy paper.
You can buy cyanotype paper in sheets or like a pad from the store. Then you could cut the sheets as per the size you wish to make your prints on. If you want to go for a single sheet then also they are available in the market. You could specify your desired measurement and get your sheet for printing. Papers also come in rolls. You must tear the paper very carefully before printing. Thus the quality of your cyanotype papers is of utmost importance. It will help you create stunning cyanotype prints that you could store for many many years.
G. Smitty is a writer who loves to discuss many topics ranging from cyanotype chemicals to professional basketball. Thanks for reading!
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