Photopolymer Prints

The original images of these photopolymer gravures were made on 4×5 sheet film with a 4×5 view camera. These negatives were scanned and enlarged using Photoshop and made into transparencies. ( see process below)

About the printing process:

A photopolymer gravure is a print produced with a plate which consists of light-sensitive polymer on a thin steel backing. The plate is made by sandwiching a positive transparency with the photopolymer plate and exposing it to UV light. The polymer will harden in different degrees relative to the light and dark values of the transparency when exposed. The plate is then immersed in water and brushed with a soft brush to remove the polymer that has not hardened. The resulting plate will have different levels of smooth and textured, pitted, areas. The intaglio plate is now ready to be inked and a print can be made using a printing press.