Kodak CIS-144 User Manual

CURRENT INFORMATION SUMMARY

Supplement ary Information on
KODAK EKTAMAX RA
Professional Paper

March 2000 • CIS-144

November 1998 • CIS-164

March 2000 • CIS-144

KODAK EKTAMAX RA Professional Paper uses colored
dyes to form black-and-whi te images in prints made from
color and black- and-white negatives. It is des igned for
processing in KODAK EKTACOLOR RA Chemicals for
Process RA-4 along with color negative papers.

The information in this publication supplements the
information provid ed in the instruction shee t and in KODAK
Publication No. G-22 , KODAK E KTAMAX RA Prof ession al
Paper.

CHARACTERISTICS AND APPLICATIONS

Suggested uses for EKTAMAX RA Professional Paper
include interm ediat e appli cations for graphic s repr oductio n,
displays, re al-estate brochures, publications, press releas es ,
and portrait proofs. The paper may also be acceptable for
other applications in which long-ter m display and keeping
are not required. In applications that require archival or
long-term keepi ng or complete image ne utrality , a tradit ional
black-and-white paper is a better choice.

STORAGE AND HANDLING

Store unexpos ed paper at 13°C (55°F) or lower in the
original s ealed packa ge. High t emperature s or high h umidity
may produced undesi rable photog raphic cha nges. St orage of

unexposed paper at room temperature will produce a hue
shift over time (see “Effects of Storage Conditions”).

Avoid moisture conden sa tion by removing the package
from cold storage the day before printing.

Handle paper carefully by the edges. The paper is
packaged with the emulsion side of all sheets facing in the
same direction. For complete light and moisture protection,
use the inn er bag an d the two-p art c ardboard box to s tore the
paper.

EXPOSURE RECOMMENDATIONS

The spectral sensitivity and printing speed of KODAK
EKTAMAX RA Professional Paper are designed to be the
same as those of KODAK PROFESSIONAL PORTRA,
SUPRA, and ULTRA Papers. Therefore, printing
EKTAMAX RA Paper should be very similar to printing
KODAK PROFESSIONAL Papers. If you are printing color
negatives and ha ve a ba lance setup for those color papers ,
you can use that setup for EKTAMAX RA Paper. An
adjustment of filtrati on from that balance wil l not change the

hue of EKTAMAX RA Paper, but it will cause a change in
contrast.

If you are printing black-and-white negatives onto
EKTAMAX RA Paper, two methods can pro vide suitable
results:

• Put a piece of processed D-min from KODAK
PROFESSIONAL PORTRA Film in the exposing beam
along with the filters you normally use to print color
negatives.

• To the filtration that you use to print color negatives,
add 35 units of magenta and 65 units of yellow filtration
to simulate a piece of film D-min.

If you do not have any processed D-min from
PROFESSIONAL PORTRA Film or a st art ing filter pack, a
filter pack of 80M + 110Y is a reasonable starting point.

LATENT-IMAGE KEEPING

You shou ld not notic e shif ts i n t he la te nt i ma ge w ith k ee ping
times from 1 m inute to 2 4 hours . Ther efore, you do n ot need
to change your print ing procedures to compensate for
latent-image shifts under normal temperature and handling
conditions . (If shifts do occur , you c an minimi ze their ef fect
by keeping the time between exposure and processing the
same for all paper.)

IMAGE HUE

The term “hue” usually doesn’t apply to untoned
black-and-white papers. However, this paper can exhibit
slight variations in hue becaus e it uses colored dye s t o form
images. When we use the te rm “hue” in this publication, we
are referring to the image tone (or image-tone neutrality) of
prints. We will use hue interchangeably with image tone to
describe images that vary slightly from neutral.

Those who view print s o n this paper e xpect t hem to appear
neutral. Therefore, viewers are more sensitive to hue
variations in prints on EKTAMAX RA Paper than they are
to hue variations in color prints.

The most likely contributor to hue variations is the color
quality of the viewing light. However, improper storage
conditions and some processing problems can also cause
variations in hue. (The references to hue in the following
sections a r e ba sed on tests made in the school-fini shing and
commercial markets.)

©Eastma n Kodak Compa ny, 2000

Effects of Viewing Conditions

Under certain types of illumination, the hue of prints on
EKTAMAX RA Paper can appear warm. A silver-based
black-and-white image reflects all frequencies of light
equally, so a slight deficiency in one color of the viewing
light will not have an adverse effect. A chromogenic
image—e. g., an image on E KT AMAX RA P aper—is f ormed
by dyes that have specific color absorption and ref lection
characteristics. Dyes do not reflect all frequencies of light
equally. Instead, they reflect only specific wavelengths of
red, green, and blue light. If a light source is slightly
deficient in green light, a chromogenic print may look very
pink (magenta) depending on the dye and the green-region
deficiency of the light source.

To evaluate and display prints, use light sources such as
tungsten and tungs ten halogen/quart z halogen. These light
sources provide a continuous frequency distribution of
energy in the visible spectrum, and the image will appear
neutral. Non-continuous light sources, such as mercury
vapor and some fluorescent tubes, can give the image a
slightly pink appearance.

A good average viewing c ondi tion is a light sourc e with a
color temperature of 5000 ± 1000 K, a Color Rendering
Index (CRI) of 85 to 100, and an illuminance of at least
50 footcandles (538 l ux). Fl uore scent la mps s uch a s t he c ool
white deluxe lamp (made by several manufacturers) meet
these conditi ons. You can also use warmer la mps, such as the
Phillips 50 00 K Ul tralume, or a mixtur e o f in candesc ent a nd
fluorescent lamps. For each pair of 40-watt cool white
deluxe fluorescent lamps, use a 75-watt frosted tungs ten
bulb. Your light source should meet the standards specified
in ANSI PH2.30-1989, Viewing Cond itions—Color Print s,
Transparencies, and Photomechanical Reproductions.

For consistenc y, labs s houl d alwa ys e valuate pri nt qualit y
under the same type of lighting conditions that will be used
for print viewing and display.

Effects of Storage Conditions

When kept under refrigerated conditions (13°C [55°F] or
lower), this pape r can age for 18 months and sti ll be within
limits for hue. As unexposed, unprocessed paper ages, its
hue moves in a green direction.

Room-temperature storage will accele rat e the agi ng
effe ct, an d wil l ca us e a cha nge in hu e. After thre e m onth s at
room temperature, the hue wil l be about ha lfway to the l imit,
but prints made on t he paper will still be acceptable. After six
months at room temperature, the hue will be close to the
limit, and you will notice a hue in prints.

Effects of Processing Problems

Severe developer oxidation or low pr oce ssor utilization will
produce a slightly pink (magenta) hue in images on
EKTAMAX RA Paper. Extreme contaminatio n of the
developer wit h blea ch-fix wi ll produce a gree n hue s hif t and
a green D-min. In most cases, a process condition that causes
a noticeabl e hue shift will also yiel d unacceptable results
with KODAK PROFESSIONAL PORTRA, SUPRA, and
ULTRA Papers, and will be evident in control-strip plots.

The one condition tha t proces s controls s trips do not show
very well is the formation of leuco cyan dye. With color
papers, a slight level of leuco cyan dye can be tole rated in
prints, a nd wil l sho w up i n the c ontr ol p lots t o a ve ry limi ted
degree. However, even low le vels of leuco cyan dye can
cause a red hu e in images on EK TA M A X RA P a pe r .

The following section, “Process Troubleshooting,”
describes ways to avoid and correct process problems that
cause a hue shift in EKTAMAX RA Paper.

PROCESS TROUBLESHOOTING

Images on EKTAMAX RA Professional Paper that have a
noticeable hue may indicate that your process has a
developer or a bleach-fix problem.

Important

Before making any changes t o your proce ss, be sure that you
are using the appropr ia te lig ht sour ce t o vi ew the print s. An

apparent hue shift ma y be rel ated to viewing conditions .

Identify ing th e Problem

Follow the st eps below to identif y the cause of a hue shift:

1. Check for high developer activity (e.g.,

If the image
tone is cold

If the image

tone is warm

If the image
tone is pink
(magenta)

If the image
tone is red*

* You can u se the KODAK Color P r int Vie w ing Filter Kit to differentiate

between pi nk and red. If pri nts l ook better through the cyan filter than
through the green filter, the hue is red. You can suspect that leuco cyan
dye is pr esent.

*

high repl enishment rat e, high temper ature,
contamination of the developer by
bleach-fix, etc.)

2. Check control plots.

1. Check for leuco cyan dye (follow
procedure outlined below); if none is
present, proceed to Step 2. If leuco cyan
dye is present, see “Leuco cyan dye/low
bleach-fix pH.”

2. Identify the image tone as pink or red.

a. Check fo r l o w d eveloper acti vity (e.g., low

utilization, low replenishment, high
oxidation, etc.); if none is present,
proceed to Step b.

b. Check for excess developer in the

bleach-fix (excessive carryover or low
bleach-fix replenishment).

a. Recheck for leuco cyan dye.

2 Supplementary Information on KODAK EKTAMAX RA Professio nal Paper • CIS-144