Introduction to ImagOn

Intaglio-type is a family of printmaking techniques, developed by Keith Howard, using Du Pont photo polymer film called ImagOn in conjunction with conventional etching presses and traditional etching ink. These techniques offer the printmaker an exceptional image making

How can ImagOn be utilized?

Intaglio images can be produced through non-etch techniques or using an etching resist method so that metal plates can be bitten in a mordant such as ferric chloride.

In the non-etch techniques an ImagOn coated plate is exposed to the art work or photo halftone after which the ImagOn is developed in a 1% soda ash and water solution. After light hardening the plate it is printed in the intaglio manner. The actual developing process removes unexposed ImagOn film thus creating the intaglio surface needed for intaglio printing. The developed ImagOn photo polymer emulsion is so strong that it can yield up to 40 prints. Stable and predictable exact duplicate plates can easily be made in minutes.

Photo Imagery with ImagOn (Darkroom, Photocopy, Computer Output)

ImagOn can be used for all photo generated imagery from high quality halftones to computer generated images to simple photocopies. If paper photo copies are used as the stencil rub vegetable oil into the photo copy paper until it becomes translucent. At this point the photocopy can be directly exposed to the ImagOn plate

Painting and Drawing Techniques with ImagOn

By working on to drafting Mylar any drawing material from sharp pen lines to soft crayon marks can be faithfully represented in the final intaglio print. A large range of subtle ink and gouache washes can also be painted on drafting Mylar then transformed into an intaglio print. Frosted Lexan is another surface on which drawing and washes can be made.