ABSTRACT
Other than the color difference, the processes of platinum and palladium printing are identical. Platinum images can range from a cool gray-black to split tones of brown. Palladium prints usually range from warm black to very warm brown. Many people mix the two metals to produce a warm brown, and to cut the cost of the more expensive platinum metal. Both techniques have superb tonal range and archival properties, and are said by some to be the highest-quality monochrome processes in photography.
Until the 1980s, photographers tended to work with the same developing out process that was developed in the 1800s. Professor Pradip Malde, in collaboration with Dr. Mike Ware, developed a printing-out method for printing in platinum/palladium. Dr. Ware published a paper in the Journal of Photographic Science in 1986 (September–December, 1986, Vol. 34), followed by a manual written by both Malde and Ware. Pt/Pd prints have long been associated with a beautiful rich brown color to a neutral gray. The Malde–Ware formula has taken it a step further and made it possible to obtain colors ranging from blue-black through neutral grays to rich sepias.
Now, in one chapter, Enfield makes it easy for a photographer to read about, and experiment with, the different formulas available today. Enfield goes into detail on how to mix the chemistry from scratch as well as offering sources for buying ready-made kits.
