Info on my Hand Coated Palladium Prints

After eight years I am close to perfecting my method of Palladium print making. This finicky 170 year old process has a multitude of variables. I stuck with Palladium print making for a couple of reasons: the prints are the ultimate in archival quality, capable of lasting hundreds of years, and I love the look of the chocolate browns.

The process I follow to make these prints follows: In the darkroom I hand coat acid free French watercolor paper with a light sensitive Palladium solution. I place the negative directly on the coated paper to make a contact print (enlargers do not emit enough light to print Palladium). I expose the paper to light, then develop, wash and dry the print. The print is now stable under all types of conditions, no longer sensitive to light or atmospheric contaminants. The Palladium will remain unchanged even if the paper disintegrates around it. The final step is to frame this archival print using a hinged mat and other acid free materials.