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2008-01-08 09:22:59 | 2008 LITH PRINTING WORKSHOPS October 2008 will be Lith Printing month in Montana! For the first time ever the Photographer’s Formulary will be running 3 weeks of ‘live-in’ lith printing courses with me during most of October 2008 as part of their 30th anniversary and 10th workshop anniversary. We have the whole place to ourselves and the darkrooms are open around the clock! Full details are at http://www.photoformulary.com Click on workshops and then on October and maybe also sign up to the blog and newsletter there for further details of the programmes in due course. The dates will be:
Week 1 is open to all and will take attendees from beginner to fairly advanced status in the week. No previous lith printing experience is necessary, although basic darkroom experience is. The course includes the basic and more advanced techniques plus 2-bath lith processes, bleach and lith redevelopment and toning of lith prints. Weeks 2 and 3 are at the special request of 2007’s students and are for anyone who has attended one of my 5 day lith printing courses before. They will dispense with the basics in favour of personal supervision into whatever direction the student wishes. These are already filling up quickly but spaces are available. These workshops are great fun and I'm delighted to see there are so many returning participants from previous years - so we must be doing something right! Not living in the USA? Well, consider this: 'The Formulary' centre sits in 26 acres of Montana’s Swan Valley and is a great place to button onto a photo-shoot holiday in adjacent Glacier National Park or nearby Yellowstone National Park (amongst other places). Accommodation is on site, the darkrooms never close, and there is great home cooking! So why not have a 2-centre holiday and spend a week on a photographing trip and then process your negs on the printing workshop? There are 3 large processing rooms and a lecture room, which we will have all to ourselves. |
2008-01-07 16:00:51 | LITH PRINTING MATERIALS UPDATE (since publication of WOLP) The following update on the lith materials lists in ‘The World of Lith Printing’ supersedes the update previously posted in this archive and should be read in conjunction with the lists in the book. I have not reproduced the entire lists here. The main revisions to the previous email update are in italic. As most darkroom workers know, there was some bad news at the beginning of 2007 with Forte products being finally discontinued, so I am delighted to be able to report that there is also some good news for the future:
plus other brand switches or name changes. PAPERS: Adox and Agfa: (also, see Forte re-brands) Fotoimpex have now acquired the formulation rights for Agfa’s Multi Contrast Classic (FB) and Multi Contrast Premium (RC) papers along with the emulsion and coating equipment. Production was scheduled to begin late 2007 in a ‘micro’ plant, probably under the Adox label and possibly with the names MCC and MCP. The first large test run was scheduled for July 2007 and free sample packs can be obtained from mccproject@fotoimpex.de Bergger: Bergger announced that these papers would now be produced ‘to the same formula in another factory’ and all varieties would remain, except CB Art, which will be discontinued when current stocks run out. In October 2007 it was announced that these papers will now be made under licence at Ilford’s UK coating plant. Some chemical and coating technology changes are therefore likely, as Ilford’s plant is more modern than Forte’s was. This could impact the lith printing characteristics of these papers. Bergger have announced availability as January 2008. Watch for the WOLP website mailing list bulletins for further information when available. Classic Arts: See ‘Adox’, and Forte re-brands’ below. Foma: Now stronger, since Agfa and Forte left the market. In addition to 2007’s new cream based Chamois code 542 Foma are producing a whiter base version coded 532. Both use the lith-outstanding Fomatone MG emulsion. Forte: It is now common knowledge that Forte ceased production once again at the end of January 2007. All Forte products in the lith materials lists are now only available (if at all) on a ‘when it’s gone, it’s gone’ basis. Forte re-brands: As Forte papers were popular for re-branding, quite a few other paper names listed in The ‘World of Lith Printing’ will disappear or change too. The clue in my ‘WOLP’ lists was in the accompanying description. Some, e.g. ‘Shedlight’, were stated as being Forte papers. Other papers listed as ‘made in Hungary’ were (obviously) Forte re-brands, as were papers carrying almost identical names, e.g. Polywarmtone, Polywarmton, Polykalton. Also those carrying instructions ‘Process as Forte’, or where the description of the properties was word-for-word the same as for the Forte products. Products of the following companies have been affected: Adox, Classic Arts, Bergger, Freestyle, Moersch, Weyphota. Forte Polywarmtone (PWT) successor?: The reincarnation of Forte’s much loved Polywarmtone paper was the subject of some speculation for some months in 2007, with at least two businesses expressing interest. Kentmere were in negotiations with Forte since January 2007 and had hoped to acquire both the formula rights and the plant machinery to produce a Polywarmtone emulsion paper in their factory in the UK. In the late summer of 2007 it became known that these Kentmere plans had been abandoned. News was however leaked later in the year that Ilford would be coating the future Bergger papers, which were largely Forte emulsion based. I hope to have further news of this shortly and will notify my mailing list subscribers in due course. Fotospeed:
Fotokemika: Somehow this was missed off the previous list in WOLP:
Freestyle: See ‘Forte re-brands’. The ‘made in Hungary’ Arista papers are no longer available once stocks are exhausted. Kentmere: Art Classic & Art Document update: **(see new update below) The August 2007update to my WOLP list stated: As reported in WOLP, since Felix Schoeller ceased production of the base material used for these unique papers, Kentmere have been trialling a number of alternatives. The plan was to release its Art Classic and Art Document emulsions on the proposed new base, probably under the names Classic Matt and Art Matt. The new Art Classic emulsion did not bond well with this base and trial coatings proved disappointing and temporarily have been abandoned. Experimental work with hardeners is still under consideration and further work on this paper could be continued at a later date. (But see below **) The new Art Document Pro on this base is successful but required a supercoat layer - fine for normal printing, but it inhibits infectious development and therefore makes the paper unsuitable for lith printing – BUT ... I must modify my earlier website observations about 'second pass' lith processing after bleaching a conventionally processed print. This is successful and potentially very interesting for the right image. The results are colourful pastels reminiscent of the colours of the old cadmium Kentona when selenium toned after Lith - pinks or oranges on blue-grey/lilac/violet low values. However, you won't see these colours until the print is dry, as 'colour down' is quite dramatic. The colour balance depends as always on how early/late the print is snatched from the second (Lith) developer. Low value Dmax is a bit weak looking after 'fix up' but the soft pastel look suits the right image. Subsequent selenium & gold toning is not too exciting, but useful for cooling down the colour (i.e. unlike the old Kentona). The possible introduction of a separate non-supercoated version for Lith has not been ruled out. P.S. This paper is extremely buoyant and if you use an archival slot washer you will probably need to weight the paper down with a film clip. ** Update news December 2007. Since their acquisition of Kentmere, Ilford have announced that future production of Kentmere papers will be moved to the Ilford plant at Mobberley. It is not yet known if or how this might affect the lith characteristics. ALSO, Ilford have hinted that they are considering the possible re-introduction of Art Classic paper. Moersch: See Forte re-brands. Rollei: Negotiations concerning the new range of Rollei papers listed in WOLP did not progress entirely as planned. However, within the last few weeks Maco, who own the Rollei brand, have confirmed that they will be launching 8 Foma emulsion papers under the ‘Rollei Vintage’ label. These will be Foma emulsions, the warmtone versions of which are especially suitable for lith printing & toning. These are a permutation of fibre based, resin coated, premium weight, standard weight, warm tone and neutral tone, glossy and matt papers. There has been a last minute name change for this collection, which are now labelled to match the Foma coding as follows:
Wephota: See under Forte re-brands Lucky?: The Chinese film and paper company Lucky appear to be increasing their presence in the UK and therefore perhaps elsewhere too. Although apparently concentrating on film and inkjet paper, B&W paper is listed on their Chinese site and they confirmed this with me in a recent meeting. However, the promised test products failed to materialise and the advertised UK email address is not operational. I don’t know if China has restrictions concerning cadmium and I haven’t been able to test – so if anyone knows if these papers respond to lith development, I should be interested to know. Finally Don’t forget that ‘Second Pass Lith’ printing (bleach and lith redevelopment) can unlock the lith printing potential of a number of other papers. DEVELOPERS: Freestyle Lith developer: In my email update I wrote "Arista Liquidlith A&B chemistry is now switching to Clayton. I have not used this and can’t comment on it personally but hear (from Freestyle) that it might be better for its intended purpose of film development" Update October 2007: I was subsequently contacted with good supporting data, claiming that in fact this product does indeed work well with many, but not all, papers when used in higher dilutions.However, results differ from some other lith developers in various respects, thus widening choice. Samples used at my Montana workshops in September 2007 support this. Good results were obtained at a dilution of 1A + 1B + 28 water with many papers (not Fotokemika Emaks). Results were in some cases significantly different and notably with Slavitch Unibrom paper, better. Forte Lith developer: Discontinued. Update August 2007: Maco Superlith: There will be a change of name and packaging to Maco LP-Superlith developer, which will be renamed Rollei Vintage Creative developer. The product will be unchanged. ********************* The information contained is to the best of my knowledge correct at the time of writing, but we live in changing times and future plans can, and sometimes do, come unstuck and go astray, as was the case for different reasons with a couple of items in the book - the new Art Classic replacement and the new Rollei plans for example. The new future plans for each of these are included in this list and in both cases the information came directly from source. I hope this information has been helpful. Most printers don't have the means or the time to keep ahead of the ever changing world of darkroom products. If this list/website has been helpful, please tell your friends. |
2007-06-27 20:35:03 | LITH PRINTING MATERIALS UPDATE. BREAKING NEWS AND SILVER LININGS Precis of email sent to World of Lith Printing mailing list (www.worldoflithprinting.com) on 27th May 2007 ------------------------------ I have delayed sending this update until now because of anticipated breaking news. As most darkroom workers now know, there has been some bad news at the beginning of this year with Forte products, so I am delighted to be able to report that there is also quite a lot of good news for the future – - two ‘back from the dead’ stories - a number of emulsion changes - new labels. plus other brand switches. The following update on the lith materials lists in ‘The World of Lith Printing’ should be read in conjunction with the ‘mega lists’ in the book as I have not reproduced the entire lists here, only amendments to keep them up to date for you. PAPERS: Adox and Agfa: (also, see Forte re-brands) Fotoimpex have now acquired the formulation rights for Agfa’s Multi Contrast Classic (FB) and Multi Contrast Premium (RC) papers along with the emulsion and coating equipment. Production is scheduled to begin later this year in a ‘micro’ plant, probably under the Adox label and possibly with the names MCC and MCP. The first large test run is scheduled for July 2007 and free sample packs can be obtained from mccproject@fotoimpex.de (since sending the above, I have received samples for testing) Bergger: These papers will now be produced ‘to the same formula in another factory’, so there may or may not be some differences to their finer characteristics. All varieties are scheduled to remain, except CB Art, which will be discontinued when current stocks run out. Classic Arts: See ‘Adox’ and Forte re-brands’ below. Foma: Now stronger, since Agfa and Forte left the market. In addition to this year’s new cream based Chamois code 542 they are producing a whiter base version coded 532. Both use the lith-outstanding Fomatone MG emulsion. Forte: It is now common knowledge that Forte ceased production once again at the end of January this year. All Forte products in the lith materials lists are now only available (if at all) on a ‘when it’s gone, it’s gone’ basis. Forte re-brands: As Forte papers were popular for re-branding, this means that quite a few other paper names listed will disappear or change too. The clue in my ‘WOPL’ lists was in the accompanying description. Some, e.g. ‘Shedlight’, were stated as being Forte papers. Other papers listed as ‘made in Hungary’ were (obviously) Forte re-brands – as were papers carrying almost identical names – e.g. Polywarmtone, Polywarmton, Polykalton, - or the instructions ‘Process as Forte’, or where the description of the properties was word-for-word the same as for the Forte products. Some products of the following companies have been affected: Adox, Classic Arts, Bergger, Freestyle, Moersch, Weyphota. Forte Polywarmtone (PWT) successor? Breaking news: The reincarnation of Forte’s much loved Polywarmtone paper has the subject of some speculation over the last couple of months, with at least two businesses expressing interest. Kentmere have been in negotiations with Forte since January and are at last in a position they describe as ‘final negotiations’ to acquire both the formula rights and the plant machinery to produce a Polywarmtone emulsion paper in their factory in the UK. (Acquiring an emulsion formula for production with different plant equipment is no guarantee that the end product will be the same) It is hoped that coating may start in August, although there will inevitably be tests and retests before any launch. This is great news. PWT is a wonderful emulsion for Black & White and even better for lith and toning – and with Kentmere’s quality control, it should be a great addition to the list. (Note: since sending the above, I have received communications from another source claiming an alternative scenario. My information came directly from Kentmere. Time will tell, so watch this space) Fotospeed: 1) There have apparently been rumours that Fotospeed Lith paper is to be discontinued. This is untrue. Fotospeed confirm that sales of this lith printing paper are stronger than ever and there are NO plans to discontinue it. 2) However, it is worth mentioning also that Fotospeed do hope to bring back its much loved ‘Legacy’ label, although the new Legacy paper would be different to the discontinued one and its lith printing characteristics are still unknown. Its reincarnation is not yet confirmed, but any addition to the darkroom range is welcome so, once again, ‘watch this space’. Fotokemika: Somehow missed off the previous list in WOLP. 1) Varycon (KG) VC FB has been recommended to me by the Freestyle lith instructors as a good lith paper. Fotokemika's fibre-based papers are 320gsm in thickness and the emulsion contains about 2 grams per square meter of silver. K=Fibre, G= Glossy, KK = Fibre pearl, KM = Fibre matt. NOTE: A standard red safelight must be used. OC safelights or a combination of red and OC safelights may result in fogging. Do a safelight test for your own darkroom. 2) Emaks. Neutral chlorobromide emulsion, suitable for lith printing. Freestyle: See ‘Forte re-brands’. The ‘made in Hungary’ Arista papers are no longer available once stocks are exhausted. Kentmere: 1) Breaking news – see ‘Forte Polywarmtone successor above. 2) Art Classic & Art Document update: As reported in WOLP, since Felix Schoeller ceased production of the base material used for these unique papers, Kentmere have been trialling a number of alternatives with a view to releasing its Art Classic and Art Document emulsions on the proposed new base, probably under the names Classic Matt and Art Matt. The new base works well with the Art Document (which Lith prints well) and Bromide emulsion, and these should go ahead as planned, but not with ‘AC’. The new PWT emulsion (see above) may therefore come out as the new Variable Contrast Art Classic’. Moersch: See Forte re-brands. Rollei: Negotiations concerning the new range of Rollei papers listed in WOLP did not progress entirely as planned. However, within the last few weeks Maco, who own the Rollei brand, have confirmed that they will be launching 8 (yes eight!) papers under the ‘Rollei Vintage’ label. They will be coated in the Czech Republic and 1,2,3 & 4 are all excellent emulsions for lith, particularly sensitive to higher dilutions for ultra warm results. (The clue as always is in the book) They will be a permutation of fibre based, resin coated, premium weight, standard weight, warm tone and neutral tone, glossy and matt papers as follows: 1) Vintage one: fb; vc; warmtone emulsion; premium weight; cream; glossy 2) Vintage two: fb; vc; warmtone emulsion; premium weight; cream; matte 3) Vintage three: rc; vc; warmtone emulsion; standard weight; cream; glossy 4) Vintage four: rc; vc; warmtone emulsion; standard weight; cream; matt 5) Vintage five: fb; vc; neutraltone emulsion; premium weight; white; glossy 6) Vintage six: fb; vc; neutraltone emulsion; premium weight; white; matt 7) Vintage seven: rc; vc; neutraltone emulsion; premium weight; white; glossy 8) Vintage eight: rc; vc; neutraltone emulsion; premium weight; white; matt Wephota: See under Forte re-brands In addition: Lucky? The Chinese film and paper company Lucky appear to be increasing their presence in the UK and therefore perhaps elsewhere too. Although apparently concentrating on film and inkjet paper, B&W paper is listed on their Chinese site and they confirmed this with me in a recent meeting. However, the promised test products failed to materialise and the advertised UK email address is not operational. I don’t know if China has restrictions concerning cadmium and I haven’t been able to test – so if anyone knows if these papers respond to lith development, I should be interested to know. Finally Don’t forget that ‘Second Pass Lith’ printing (bleach and lith redevelopment) can unlock the lith printing potential of a number of other papers. DEVELOPERS: Freestyle Lith developer: In my email update I wrote "Arista Liquidlith A&B chemistry is now switching to Clayton. I have not used this and can’t comment on it personally but hear it might be better for its intended purpose of film development" I have subsequently been contacted with good supporting data, claiming that this product does work well with many, but not all, papers when used in higher dilutions. It seems likely that results differ from some other lith developers in some respects, thus widening choice. I hope to collate some of this material for distribution soon. I should also have supplies available for comparison at my workshops in Montana this summer. Forte Lith developer: Discontinued. I hope this information has been helpful. Most printers don’t have the means or the time to keep ahead of the ever changing world of darkroom products. If this list/website has been helpful, please tell your friends. Tim Rudman FOOTNOTE: I want to add that the information contained is to the best of my knowledge correct at the time of writing, but future plans can, and sometimes do, come unstuck and go astray, as was the case for different reasons with a couple of items in the book - the new Art Classic replacement and the new Rollei plans for example. The new future plans for each of these are included in this list and in both cases the information came directly from source. Please note too that with regard to the Kentmere/Polywarmtone plans, I was very careful to add a note of caution here and to say that things had reached the stage described to me with reasonable confidence as 'final negotiations' - BUT nothing is ever final until it is final! This news came direct from source and hopes are reasonably high that it will come about - and I am sure many of us will wish it so too. Tim Rudman |
2007-04-05 11:41:08 | Greetings to everyone on my mailing list. This short email is to notify you of three things that may be of interest to you. Firstly: An advance notification about a forthcoming update to Lith printing materials: I'm sure I don't need to tell you that we silver printers live in in a rapidly changing world! Silver printing materials come and go faster than many of us can hope to keep up with and nowhere, it seems, does this apply more than in Lith printing, where papers have individual characteristics that are not always revealed by 'normal' processing, but are important for lith processing. Although it is only a few months since the most recent compilation of materials was published in 'The World of Lith Printing', there have already been a number of significant changes and I intend to send out a mailing list update to you all very shortly. I have been waiting for news on one or two items, and the time to test a new product, which I plan to do in the next few days. If you receive this email you are on my list and will receive the update shortly. If you know of anyone else who would also appreciate this update, please advise them to register (free of course) at my mailing list as quickly as possible. Secondly: Some good news regarding an extension of my forthcoming September Lith printing workshops at The Photographer's Formulary in Montana USA. We have an extra week! But already only a few spaces are left and these are the only workshops I am doing in the US this year. These workshops are great fun and I'm delighted to see there are several returning participants from previous years - so we must be doing something right! Not living in the USA? Well, consider this: 'The Formulary' centre sits in 26 acres of Montana’s Swan Valley and is a great place to button onto a photo-shoot holiday in adjacent Glacier National Park or nearby Yellowstone National Park (amongst other places). Accommodation is on site, the darkrooms never close, and there is great home cooking! So why not spend a week on a photographing trip and then process your negs on the printing workshop? There are 3 large processing rooms and a lecture room, which we will have all to ourselves. For details of the facilities and lots of links to the surrounding area click here: http://www.photoformulary.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=3&tabid=10 Also, I plan to expand our programme a little this year, to include some newer techniques, so for details of the Lith printing workshops click here: http://www.photoformulary.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=4&tabid=26 Finally: IF things go according to plan this year (and it's always a big 'IF'!) I hope to launch a personal website in the summer. I will probably link to the WOLP website and incorporate the mailing list facility. I will keep you posted. All the best Tim Rudman |
2006-12-07 19:41:26 | Finally, all World of Lith Printing Limited Edition orders are being shipped./ The new slip cases all arrived yesterday morning. All is well and most outstanding orders have been shipped in the last 2 days. The rest are being processed now and will be shipped in the next day or two. I am keenly aware of the frustration this has caused (probably even more to me!) and the patience everyone has shown, for which I am grateful. The slip cases have been made on the other side of the world (to me) in Singapore, so it has been a frustrating time with the delays involved. I am relieved that all orders will now be received in more than good time for Christmas and I hope that everyone is pleased with it when it arrives. It has been very warmly received in the press. Many thanks for your patience and understanding. Tim Rudman |
2006-11-09 14:52:43 | 'The World of Lith Printing' - Limited Edition Hard Back version, latest news. Those who have registered their emails on this site will have already received a previous update on the limited Edition version of The World of Lith Printing. The publisher has now informed me that they are not entirely satisfied with the new slip cases for the remainder of the limited edition and are having them re-made. This will result in an extended wait for those who don't already have their copies of the limited edition. I am very sorry about this, but it is out of my hands. The manufacturer has given us a new delivery date for the end of this month (November). I have all the books numbered and signed, ready to go and as soon as the new slip cases arrive I will dispatch all outstanding orders as quickly as possible. I do apologise for this delay of another three weeks - but at least the books should all be out well before Christmas! The soft back version is not affected by this and all orders to date have been dispatched. I do thank you for your patience, and I also thank those of you who have received your books for all the appreciative comments that you have sent me. Tim Rudman |
2006-09-01 10:57:33 | THE WORLD OF LITH PRINTING. News update September 30th 2006/ First the good news … (and then some good news): I received today my first 2 of the 12 advance copies of the book, air-mailed from Singapore for magazine reviewers. I am pleased to be able to tell you all that it looks VERY handsome. Knowing the quality of the images that have been contributed, I did expect it to be good. But there is nothing quite like the moment of holding one's new book for the very first time and opening it with that inevitable mixture of both excitement and apprehension. I have to say that I was very impressed and it even exceeds my expectations. It is much larger than the first Lith printing book, 'The Master Photographer's Lith printing Course' and the quality of reproduction and paper are very good indeed. The images are striking, eye-catching and very varied in concept, style and technique and they are all backed up by a wealth of information. I think it will be very inspirational, both for lith printers and also for anybody who is involved with other image-making processes and I am sure that all of you who have work represented in it will be very pleased. The hard back limited edition is very elegant too, with a beige cover, inserted into a sturdy cloth covered slip case in a darker brown. The minimal title text is in gold blocking. I would like to once again thank all of you who supported this project and made it possible - thank you. The other good news is that the book is on time and may actually arrive a little early. All the other books are to be sent surface post from Singapore and should dock in 2 - 3 weeks time. As soon as my orders arrive, after sorting and dispatch from the warehouse, I shall complete the signing and numbering and begin posting as quickly as I can. I hope this may be by the end of September. Tim Rudman |
2006-08-04 11:47:48 | POSTAL CHARGE ERROR Last night, whilst performing a currency conversion, I discovered a programming error where the wrong postal band had been applied to the 'Europe' band of postal charges. These have been corrected urgently by the programmer and I will include a Euro correction when dispatching all the books concerned, i.e. ordered up until the corrected rates were applied last night. The good news is that ordering from Europe will now be much cheaper! All the other postal bands - i.e. 'UK', 'USA' and 'Other Countries' - have been double checked and are correct. The countries in the 'Europe' postal charge band affected are: Albania Andorra Armenia Austria (EU) Azerbaijan Azores (EU) Balearic Islands (EU) Belarus Belgium (EU) Bosnia Herzegovina Bulgaria Canary Islands Corsica (EU) Croatia Cyprus (EU) Czech Republic (EU) Denmark (EU) Estonia (EU) Faroe Islands Finland (EU) France (EU) Georgia Germany (EU) Gibraltar Greece (EU) Greenland Hungary (EU) Iceland Irish Republic (EU) Italy (EU) Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Latvia (EU) Liechtenstein Lithuania (EU) Luxembourg (EU) Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Rep of) Madeira (EU) Malta (EU) Moldova Monaco (EU) Netherlands (EU) Norway Poland (EU) Portugal (EU) Romania Russia San Marino Serbia and Montenegro Kosovo (formerly Yugoslavia) Slovakia (EU) Slovenia (EU) Spain (EU) Spitzbergen Sweden (EU) Switzerland Tajikistan Turkey Turkmenistan Ukraine Uzbekistan Vatican City State Tim Rudman |
2006-07-27 09:32:37 | USE OF YOUR 'WORLD OF LITH PRINTING' IMAGES ON THE WEBSITE? One of the objectives in producing 'World of Lith Printing' was to bring work in this medium to a wider audience. To this end it would be nice also to display on the website a selection of images from the book - say one from each person represented (photographer and printer). This will give further exposure to the photographers and printers and also a flavour of the book without showing the whole content. There will be about 50 images. These will be shown in a continuous rotation, for one day at a time and fully credited to the photographer/printer. A schedule will be included to show the order of images to come, so that you can alert anyone who you would like to see your images. We would like to set this up in the next few days so I must therefore ask if anybody does not wish their work to be shown, please email me as soon as possible at tim@worldoflithprinting.com so that I do not include your work. YOUR ORDER STATUS? As there have been several enquiries about this, I must clear up any confusion: A number of people mistakenly believe they have already (i.e. previously) ordered the limited edition book in response to my poll of those with a firm commitment. If you previously emailed to me your commitment to order the Limited Edition hardback version, this was to establish the viability of the project. It was NOT taken as an order at that time as the website shopping facility was not set up. Orders can now be placed through the website, using credit cards, cheques (UK only) or PayPal accounts (you do NOT need a PayPal account to order) - but if you previously just registered your intention, you have NOT yet placed an order, unless done again through the website. My apologies for any confusion about this. POSTAGE I have now re-surveyed all international couriers, seeking bulk discounts on shipping. All are significantly more expensive than the rates we are using. Although we are slightly subsidising the highest postal rates, all UK air mail outside Europe is expensive in these days of high fuel prices. Long distance sea mail can be a cheaper option in some cases, but it may take up to 6 weeks to the USA and up to 3 months to Australia etc.! If you want to pursue that option, contact me (before ordering) on mail@worldoflithprinting.com E-PROBLEMS There was a short period of 'e-malfunction' when communication through the old 'World Book of…' email address was blocked. All is now resolved. This did NOT affect website orders. CHRISTMAS A gentle reminder ;-) When the books arrive in the UK from the printer, Christmas will be just 12 short weeks away! Tim Rudman |
2006-07-17 10:59:02 | WORLD OF LITH PRINTING - July 2006 update Thank you all for joining the still growing WOLP mailing list. I have been away for a month and I know from my inbox here that several of you are keen to know what is happening, and of course who is in the book! Here are the latest updates: TITLE CHANGE We have had a last minute title change from 'World Book of Lith Printing' to 'World of Lith Printing'. The term 'World Book' has apparently already been trademarked in the USA. Please change your records, address books and your 'favorites' entries. The website address and associated emails have also been changed to remove the word 'Book'. Old emails and URL will link to the new for a short while, but you should update your records. Also - and if you belong to any internet (or other) discussion groups please spread the word and help to avoid last minute confusion for people who haven't joined the mailing list. Thank you. LIMITED EDITION There was a strong demand for this. As a result, a cloth-effect bound hardback version is now being printed and presented in a hard slip case. These will be numbered and signed but limited to just 500 copies. They should look very elegant in lith-coloured livery - a dark brown slip case and beige book covers. An artist’s impression can be seen on the book's new website (see below). The introductory offer price will be just £37.50 plus postage and packing. Many of you have expressed pleasant surprise at this. Prices will rise to £45 as the edition sells out however and the indications are that these may sell out quickly. When they are gone they are gone! For books sold through the website, I am also very happy to personalise them, if required, with a name. The website will be able to process such requests. Please pass this information on to any other interested people you know and to your clubs and groups. NEW WEBSITE The book's new website http://www.worldoflithprinting.com has once again been fully redesigned and the latest update will be on-line today. It now shows the front and back covers, flap text and also a PDF 'glimpse inside' at the opening sections of the book. It also has a shopping basket and secure payment facility. Remember - the books don't arrive until September (but orders can be placed now). Please visit the site and let me know if you have any difficulties viewing it with your browser. A list of names of everyone who has work in the book has now been posted on the opening page of the website. Some of you may therefore like to add a link to this page from your own websites too. PROGRESS The book is currently being printed in the Far East and is on time. They are expected in the UK around mid-September 2006. PUBLICITY No one indicated (in response to my emails) that they would prefer their images not to be used and so quite a few have been selected for articles on the book, so far in Australia, Sweden and UK (where we already have one magazine cover image). If you can help with contacting magazines in your country - or better still for non-English speaking countries, providing them with information translated from English - please do. I can provide images. Remember, most magazines need work 3 months before publication (for example August for a November issue). Work from contributors in many countries appears in the book and it would be right for those concerned to receive recognition and publicity at home. My German, Russian or Turkish (etc) will not rise to the occasion! Please remember to include the book's website. Help if you can please. RETURN OF ENTRIES All entries where adequate return postage was supplied have been posted this week. Thank you for your patience. However, I am concerned that there are several entries containing both slides and prints that have no return postage included. I have raised this in previous news updates and do so now again for the last time. I will hold these until the end of July, after which I will assume that they are not wanted and will dispose of them. If unsure, please contact me at wolp@timrudman.co.uk straight away - I would hate to dispose of work that is wanted. WORK SELECTED FROM OPEN SUBMISSIONS Firstly, a personal thank you to everyone who submitted work for this project. Secondly, I want to say that I would have liked to have included many more of the beautiful images you submitted! But there are only so many pages and, of course, the designer aspect of how much space each image needs - sometimes less is more in the final product. We still have around 90 pages of guest and 'open' images! Thirdly, I feel the inclusion of work from so many photographic artists in different styles, genres and techniques is far more inspirational and diverse than one author's work could ever be. Different countries also show regional diverse styles and it is very stimulating and inspiring to be exposed to these variations. The contributors finally represented in World of Lith Printing are: Invited portfolios: Cece Wheeler, Christian Miller, Eddie Ephraums, Guy Glorieux, Jackie Ranken, Margaret Ball, Skip Smith, Stuart Redler, Wolfgang Moersch (printing images by: Himself, Alfred Saerchinger, Horst Wiedemann and Werner Breuhahn) Open submission: Alexis Neel (printing images by: Dan Goldberg, Debrah McClinton and John Casado.) Kathy Harcom, Susan Geen, Sandro Boege, Jordan Douglas, Marian Lohr, Jeff Novick, Anastasia Medvedeva, Anneli Lundberg, Patrik Budenz, John Bolgiano jr., Arthur Suilin, Loris Medici, Sally Kim-Miller, Richard Clegg, Marion Davies, B. A. Bosaiya, Richard Reed, Robert J Vizzini, Philip Hunter, Roger Ryton, Vicki Reed, Mark Snowdon, Ellie Kingsbury (front cover), Ronnie Bennett, Peter Svensson, Roberto Schirdewahn, Linda Treash, Sven-Olaf Froehlich And Tim Rudman Finally, Thank you all for your support. I think the book will be not only a useful reference but also a source of inspiration - and a vehicle to facilitate contact between members of the lith printing community. It has been wonderful to share and to help promote some of the creative artistry out there. Thank you. It has been a pleasure! Tim Rudman |
2006-01-14 13:35:40 | Limited Edition, numbered and signed, Hardback Slip cased edition of World Book of Lith Printing Many of you have registered a provisional interest in the possibility of a special collectors Limited Edition, numbered and signed, Hardback Slip cased edition of World Book of Lith Printing. Thank you for showing a provisional interest in this Limited Edition. The time has now come to establish the true demand and the feasibility of this project. The general release version of WBOPL will be soft back with flaps, 160 pages, 240 x280 mm in portrait orientation (the same dimensions as my Toning Book). It will retail in the UK at £20 and in the US probably at $30-$35 (yet to be finalised by publishers). The Limited Edition 'collectors' version of the book would be: Limited to circa 500 copies. Cloth type Hard Back with slip case. Probably in 'Lith' colours: café au lait cover with brown-black case (to be decided). Each copy numbered and signed. Retail price £35 - £37 or equivalent price in $US (currently $62 - $65), plus p&p. Release date (both versions): Scheduled for September/October 2006 [in good time for Christmas]. If you intend to make a firm commitment please email me now at: tim@worldbookoflithprinting.com stating how many copies you would order, so that I can estimate the demand and viability of the project. Thank you all for your interest and tremendous support in this collaborative venture. Tim Rudman http://www.worldbookoflithprinting.com |
2006-01-10 17:51:38 | To all of you who have registered interest or have submitted work for consideration in World Book of Lith Printing: Firstly a big thank you . Support for this project has been great. All the entries are in and are now going through the first round of the selection process. The very final 'reserve' selections will not be until April, when the final page layouts have been completed and any spare pages can be filled. I am pleased to say that the response has been truly international. We have had submissions from UK, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Canada, America, Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine . I hope the international flavour will be quite apparent in the book and add a great deal to its strength as an inspirational book as well as a useful one. TWO IMPORTANT ISSUES FOR YOUR ATTENTION: Return postage: I am a little concerned that some prints did not have return postage included (although some had return address envelopes without postage). I do not want anyone to be disappointed and will personally return all entries that have adequate postage, but I must remind you all of the terms and conditions - the publishers will not finance returns without postage. Returned postage in the UK can be in the form of UK postage stamps or cash. Postage from outside the UK, may be paid either in International reply coupons, UK stamps, or cash in US$ or UK £. If you omitted return postage and would like your entries returned please send the necessary payment directly to me at: Dr Tim Rudman Comeragh House 1 Comeragh Close Hook Heath Woking Surrey GU22 0LZ England E mail addresses: As stated on the WBOLP website, I plan to publish your contact details, including your email addresses and websites if your work is selected for the book. This is primarily in case any commercial agencies wish to approach you for use of your work. If you do not wish your email address to be published, please email me at WBOLP@timrudman.co.uk during January 2006 and let me know otherwise I shall proceed as stated. Finally, In the next few days I shall be contacting all those who registered interest in a possible limited edition of this book. If there is sufficient interest to make it a viable proposition it will probably take the form of a numbered and signed cloth-hardback book in a slip case. If this is of interest to you, and if you haven't already done so, please register your email on that separate mailing list at http://www.worldbookoflithprinting.com/register.php and tick the limited edition box now and you will receive details from me very soon. Thank you all for your support and my best wishes for 2006 Tim Rudman http://www.worldbookoflithprinting.com |
2005-09-15 15:25:53 | To all who expressed interest in the World Book of Lith Printing: This project is well underway with both British and American co-editions so far. As I am now in the United States until early November, this is the last opportunity I have to remind you all to submit your entries by the end of November. A great line-up of guest portfolios has been assembled. Entries are arriving for the open gallery section and there is still plenty of room, so don't forget to send your images in - they must be received by the deadline, earlier would be appreciated. Just to remind you: all genres are welcome, and individuality and imagination are encouraged. Entries are possible in the form of digital files, prints or transparencies. PLEASE read the entry conditions on the website carefully. THE FORUM This still seems to be causing confusion! Thank you to those who have left messages and questions there… BUT this 'forum' section is NOT a discussion forum on the internet. It IS a section in the book for your own ideas, techniques, formulae, and indeed anything that you might like to share with others and that everyone can learn from. So far, very little has been submitted on-line to the Forum so I would like to encourage you all as I believe it could be a unique learning area in the book, combining the knowledge and experience of Lith printers all over the world. Many of us have our own techniques that we have tailored for the effects we want and as far as I know, there is no available resource for people to refer to, for such variations. I do hope many of you will use this opportunity to contribute to this 'knowledge pool'. Anything to do with Lith printing is welcome - for a few examples: - Paper/developer combinations, - dilutions, - temperature variations, - additives used, etc, etc. - Toners used alone or in combination - other techniques employed - Bleach and redevelopment in Lith (combinations of papers and bleaches that work well for you for example), - Digital Lith print simulation, There is so much, I hope you will join in. I look forward to receiving your images News for those interested in a limited edition book will be sent out closer to publication. It seems like a realistic proposition. Best wishes and thank you for your interest in this project Tim Rudman |
2005-07-29 18:50:16 | JULY 2005 World Book of Lith Printing. Progress report and some clarification. Thank you to all of you who registered an interest in this new book project. This is the first short progress report. Image submissions: I hope you will all submit work and I look forward to receiving it. Don't leave it too late - time has a way of rushing past in the summer months! So far there is still plenty of space in the open submission section. All image types are welcome and I hope we can present a range for all tastes. Remember too that there will be space for digital simulation of lith prints. Please be sure to read the submission criteria and the terms and conditions, these are important for many reasons, including good and accurate reproduction of your work and for protection of copyright. Forum submissions: Firstly, to clarify some apparent confusion on this. This is not an internet forum on the website. The website is there purely as a source of information on the project and how to contribute to it. The forum is planned as a section in the book, which as the website explains, "aims to share the wit and wisdom of practising Lith printers." (this definitely includes digital lith simulation). It is to be a collation of tips, tricks and stories from those photographers that wish to submit them. Lith printing is an unusually flexible process, which lends itself to individual adjustments to get that desired colour, tonal range, texture effect or other outcome. Printers often have their own ways of getting what they want and it isn't always in the instructions! You are invited to submit details of your own techniques and ideas, preferred papers and/or developers, what combinations you like and why, high or low dilution techniques (and their effects), hot development, bleach processes, toners - in fact any personal ways you have of working in the darkroom - or their digital equivalents. You may describe up to 4 of your favourite techniques (or techniques you think would be interesting), together with details, if you wish, on why you like Lith and what future developments you envisage or wish for. Finally, you may add up to 10 Lith related internet links which you think would benefit the Lith community - as described below. Information sharing is central to the concept behind this book. There is a wealth of valuable knowledge out there, ranging from the simplest practical tip to the most in-depth experience, from the academic to the wackiest ideas - they all are useful to someone! I see the Forum section as a central contribution to this information sharing aspect of the book. So far you have all been a bit shy of contributing to this area, don't be - it will only be as good as you all make it. If there are insufficient forum contributions the space will be allocated to the gallery images, but I think it would be a missed opportunity. Remember, you can submit forum information on-line here. 'Internet Lith': I plan to compile a list of Lith printing (wet and digital) related internet sites for everyone to benefit from. Like the Forum, this requires your input. The internet is huge and between us we could produce an impressive and useful resource - so once again, don't rely on everyone else. You may have links that no one else has. This information can be easily submitted on line through the Forum submission section of the website here. Guest Portfolios: I have a great selection of portfolio guests, who have kindly committed work for the book, showing a superb range of imaginative applications for lith printing: Each is quite different to the other and each is special. I am sure you will all be as pleased and impressed as I am. In the 'wet lith' section: From Canada we have an unusual treat in the form of pinhole lith prints; from America there are two contributors, one with some delicate and beautiful floral lith photograms whilst the other brings some 'faux' lith by bleach and redevelopment. Australia / New Zealand provide us with wonderful award winning aerial landscape pattern lith prints. From Germany come masterful lith printing techniques using combinations of various developers and toners to produce wonderful and out of the ordinary colours and effects by a master printer and photo chemist. The UK is represented by a particular favourite of mine whose professional work covers several genres, all equally tempting but in this case rich graphic designs from architecture in a most distinctive style. This broad base will provide a mix of inspiration and instruction which I know will be a treat for us all. In addition to the 'wet' lith printing portfolios there will be a smaller selection of invited 'digital lith' work. More on this later. I hope many of you will also become part of this book. There will be plenty of room for amateurs, students and professionals alike, so come on and join in. Postage: The website has been updated on this as it apparently caused confusion. Residents outside the UK can obviously not use foreign stamps for return postage. The publishers cannot undertake to ship parcels back around the world at their own expense, so postage must be paid if you want your entries returned. Stamps are fine if you live in the UK. Otherwise the equivalent value (not just a bit less please!) can be sent in either US dollars or pounds Sterling. I'm sorry but only submissions with full return postage value enclosed will be returned. For many who submit on CD this will not be a problem. Contact. As I shall be out of the country for most of the time from August until November 2005, with only occasional email access please use the contact details provided on the website for urgent matters. Limited hardback edition When the information becomes available about the possibility and cost of a hardback numbered and signed limited edition I shall update separately those of you who have expressed interest in this. Anybody who wishes to be included in this list (without commitment) should register interest here and tick the appropriate box. Finally… Why not print your submission entries on a workshop !?: This is a small plug for a series of invited practical workshops I shall be giving in the USA this summer and autumn in both Lith printing and fine print making. Freestyle in Los Angeles has a series of short workshops and an exhibition of work, whilst both PCNW in Seattle and The Photographer's Formulary in Montana are each hosting 5-day workshops in both Lith printing and in fine print making. PCNW is filling up well and I know that the 'Formulary' have still got places at their residential workshop centre ( 24 hour darkrooms as well as accommodation ). Details are under the 'author' link and on the websites of PCNW and The Photographer's Formulary and of course Freestyle . I look forward to meeting some of you there. Kind regards Tim Rudman |