My gloss prints scratch sooo easily. Even if I very gently wipe them they still get minute fine scratches. Any thoughts on this matter? Any way of making them more scratch resistant?

-- David Strachan (strachan@cww.octec.org.au), May 30, 2000

Answers

Are these ferrotyped fiber prints or RC? Perhaps a hardening bath before drying can help.(Sorry I can't tell you more, Ive never had this problem)

-- Robert Orofino (rorofino@iopener.net), May 30, 2000.

Use an anti-static brush on your prints. Pat

-- pat j. krentz (krentz@cci-29palms.com), June 01, 2000.

It sounds like you are having problems caused by dragging dust particles across the glossy surface. You may want to just wipe the prints lightly with an Ilford Anti-Staticum cloth. An old one that you no longer use for negatives will work fine. A hardening bath will NOT have ANY effect on a dried print (or negative, either, for that matter.) Hardners 'protect' only WET emulsions. Generally, glossy fiber base paper, when air dried, will produce a very pleasing semi- gloss surface that won't scratch easily. RC paper is plainly NOT for 'fine' prints.

-- Michael D Fraser (mdfraser@earthlink.net), June 16, 2000.