Lith materials used in demonstration.

As provided by FreeStyle for Lith Printing Workshop

Fotospeed LD20 A/B Lith Chemical 500ml each – We diluted this 1:10 for the workshop but it can be used stronger or weaker,

all the way up to 1:30, as desired.

Cachet/Maco Lith RC-F – Medium-weight, RC, grade 2.5 paper, glossy surface. We use this for the start of the workshop to get everyone going quickly and to get test exposures for the other papers. We have very limited stock on this as Maco is no longer making paper. We are working with Kentmere to maybe make a replacement for this paper.

Kentmere Art Classic – Chlorobromide, warm-tone, emulsion on a triple-weight, warm-tone matt “fine-art” base. It is a graded paper with an effective grade of 2.5. We currently only have 8x10, 20x24 and mural rolls left as it has been discontinued due to the base being discontinued by the base supplier. A replacement is currently being devised by Kentmere and it should be available within the next few months. Results should be equivalent but the paper will be a standard fiber-base, double-weight paper with a Matt surface. From a distance you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

Kentmere Art Document – Bromide, neutral-tone, emulsion on a triple-weight, bright white, matt “fine-art” base. It is a graded paper with an effective grade of 2.5. We have plenty of this product left in all sizes as it, like Art Classic, has been discontinued due to the base being discontinued by the base supplier. A replacement is currently being devised by Kentmere and it should be available within the next few months. Results should be equivalent but the paper will be a standard fiber-base, double-weight paper with a Matt surface. From a distance you shouldn’t be able to tell the difference. This is a very unique paper as the emulsion is not hardened. It easily accepts, toners, watercolors, oils, pen, pencil, charcoal, toners, etc. It also is highly suited for Lith printing. One caveat, because the emulsion is not hardened, it is susceptible to scratching. The user should be careful in handling this paper.

Kentmere Fineprint Finegrain Semi-Matte Warmtone – Bromo-iodide, Variable Contrast emulsion on a double-weight, fiber-base, with a finegrain semi-matte surface. This is actually a neutral-tone emulsion with a bit a yellow dye added to it to give an overall warmtone look.

The paper is unique, in that, it is excellent for Lith printing because of a chemical reaction that occurs with the dye in the emulsion. The emulsion is the same as is used on the standard VC Fineprint paper that Kentmere sells but those papers do not Lith. This is an ongoing product and is readily available.

Kentmere Kentona – Chlorobromide, warm-tone, emulsion on a double-weight, pure white, glossy-unglazed fiber-base. It is a graded paper with an effective grade of 2.5. Very effective for Lith printing. This is an ongoing product and readily available.

Foma Fomatone RC Matte (332) - Variable contrast, warmtone emulsion on an cream, resin-coated, Matte surface base. We are starting to use this more in our Lith printing workshops as the results are quite different from other papers. Instead of chocolate, browns and tan colors, this paper yields, pinks, orange and olive colors. Really spectacular results. This too is an ongoing product and readily available.

Fotospeed Gold Toner – Turns Lith prints blue in color. Use straight from the bottle. Toning time is determined by inspection.

Lasts a long time.

Other papers that are reported to work well for Lith printing are Bergger papers and Forte Polywarmtone, It is sort of a moving target as many of the emulsions change without regard for their effective “lithability.”. For instance, Oriental paper used to be excellent, now it doesn’t work at all.

Lith prints can also be selenium toned for deep rich reddish brown colors. They can also be both Selenium and Gold toned for interesting split toning effects. They can be bleached and redeveloped in Dektol or Lith chemicals. They can also be Sepia toned.

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John Grzywacz-Gray ... Photo 1B