KODAK EKTACOLOR ROYAL VIII Paper

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Contents

• Description
• Storage and Handling
• Darkroom Recommendations
• Exposure
• Printer Control Negative Sets
• Latent-Image Keeping
• Processing
• Viewing
• Print Finishing
• Dust Spotting
• Storage and Display of Prints
• Sizes Available
• Curves

Description

KODAK EKTACOLOR ROYAL VIII Paper is an exceptional new color negative color paper for making color prints from color negatives. It delivers bold, saturated colors, unsurpassed print longevity, and is designed to work well in both optical and digital imaging systems. It replaces KODAK EKTACOLOR ROYAL VII Paper.

ROYAL VIII Paper is easily identified by its thicker support, which provides durability in handling, and by its distinctive gold "KODAK ROYAL Paper" watermark.

This paper is available in rolls in F and N surfaces. It is designed for processing in KODAK EKTACOLOR Chemicals for Process RA-4 or KODAK EKTACOLOR SM Chemicals for Process RA-2SM. Compared to EKTACOLOR ROYAL VII Paper, this paper features the following improvements:

Storage and Handling

For optimum results, store unexposed paper at 13°C (55°F) or lower in the original package. You can store unexposed paper at 24°C (75°F) for up to 6 months and still achieve high-quality results. High temperatures or high humidity may produce unwanted changes.

To avoid moisture condensation on paper that has been refrigerated, allow it to warm up to room temperature before opening the package. For best results, remove the package from cold storage the day before you use it, or allow the paper to warm up for the appropriate time listed in the following table.

Handle paper carefully by the edges to avoid creases and fingerprints.

Darkroom Recommendations

With the exception of the sizes designed for KODAK CREATE-A-PRINT 35 mm Enlargement Centers that minilab operators can load in roomlight, handle this paper in total darkness. Be sure that your darkroom is lighttight. Eliminate any stray light from timers, LEDs, etc.

Note: Using a safelight will affect your results. If absolutely necessary, you can use a safelight equipped with a KODAK 13 Safelight Filter (amber) with a 7 1/2-watt bulb. Keep the safelight at least 4 feet (1.2 metres) from the paper. Keep safelight exposure as short as possible. Run tests to determine whether safelight use gives acceptable results for your application. For information on safelight testing, see KODAK Publication No. K- 4, How Safe is Your Safelight?

Exposure

You can expose this paper in automatic printers, such as KODAK CREATE-A-PRINT 35 mm Enlargement Centers, KODAK Minilab Systems, KODAK 312 Color Printers, Agfa high-speed printers, Gretag high-speed printers, Gretag minilabs and microlabs, Noritsu minilabs and microlabs, and more.

Note: Printer and balance slope changes may be necessary. Check production after final balance. You may want to make a color preference adjustment.

If you are using Agfa MSP or MSC printers, visit http://www.kodak.com/go/colorpapers or contact your Kodak representative to obtain new Schwarzschild coefficients.

Because voltage changes affect the light output and color quality, use a voltage regulator. Use a tungsten-halogen lamp to expose the paper. Do not use a fluorescent lamp. If the printer has no means of removing infrared radiation, use a heat-absorbing glass.

Keep negatives and the optical system of your equipment clean, Mask negatives to eliminate stray light.

To control the color balance, use dichroic filters, KODAK Color Printing Filters (CP), or KODAK Color Compensating Filters (CC) placed between the lamp and the negative. You can also use CC filters between the lens and the paper if they are clean and unscratched. Use as few CC filters between the lens and the paper as possible—preferably not more than three. If you use cyan filtration, use filters with the suffix "-2," such as CP10C-2.

Start with a filter pack of 40M + 40Y for the white-light method. Adjust filtration as necessary.

Printer Control Negative Sets

Use the appropriate KODAK Printer Control Negative Set to determine aims for KODAK Color Negative Films or to cross over from another type of color paper to EKTACOLOR ROYAL VIII Paper.

Latent-Image Keeping

For best results, process the paper on the same day that you expose it. (If latent-image shifts occur, minimize them by keeping the time between exposure and processing as consistent as possible.)

Processing

Use KODAK EKTACOLOR Chemicals for Process RA-4 or KODAK EKTACOLOR SM Chemicals for Process RA-2SM. Use KODAK Control Strips, Process RA-4 to monitor your process.

Use a maximum drying temperature of 96°C (205°F).

Viewing

Evaluate prints under light of the same color and brightness that you will use to view the final prints. For an average condition, use a light source with a color temperature of 5000 ± 1000 K, a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 85 to 100 (an index of 90 or higher is desirable), and an illuminance up to 500 lux. Fluorescent lamps such as a cool white deluxe lamp (made by several manufacturers) meet these conditions You can also use a mixture of fluorescent and incandescent lamps. For each pair of 40-watt cool white deluxe lamps, use a 75-watt frosted tungsten bulb.

Print Finishing

Dust Spotting

Use KODAK Liquid Retouching Colors to correct dust spots on prints made with this paper. To apply dyes, follow this procedure:

1. If necessary, clean the surface of the print by buffing it with a tuft of cotton before you start retouching. Be careful not to scratch the surface. Protect the print from fingerprints and perspiration by wearing cotton gloves (e.g., KODAK Cotton Gloves).
2. Transfer a small amount of the dye(s) you need to a palette.
3. If necessary, add a touch of neutral dye to the puddle of pure colored dye. The neutral dye will reduce the brilliance of the pure colors by adding density. For good control, keep the dilutions weak by adding a little distilled water. This allows you to build up the dye gradually on the print. It is easier to add dye gradually than to remove it if you apply too much.

   Note: If the liquid dyes on your palette dry out, you can add water to dilute them again.

4. Pick up a small amount of dye with your brush, and stroke the brush on newsprint or a paper towel to blot it thoroughly. Too much moisture can cause opalescence, or a cloudy look, on the print. Rotate the tip on the newsprint to form a good point. Do not use your tongue or lips to form a tip.
5. Retouch the print with light strokes of the brush; be sure to keep the dye within the area of the spot. Avoid spilling over into the surrounding area. Any overlapping will result in a dark ring around the spotted area.
6. If you apply too much color, blot it quickly with newsprint or you will have too much density in the spot. If too much dye penetrates the emulsion, you can remove it with a 5-percent clear ammonia-water solution. (You can make a 5-percent solution by mixing 5 parts of 28-percent liquid ammonium hydroxide with 23 parts water.) Apply the solution with a tuft of cotton, rubbing it with a circular motion. Be sure to apply it only to the area where you want to remove the dye. Then swab the area with clean water-dampened cotton. Repeat if necessary with a fresh tuft of cotton. Be sure to remove all of the ammonia. Allow the area to dry thoroughly before you resume retouching. For best results, remove unwanted dye quickly.

Storage and Display of Prints

EKTACOLOR ROYAL VIII Paper has been formulated to provide improved dye stability and print longevity for prints displayed under typical home lighting conditions (i.e., 120 lux for 12 hours a day). Product modifications have provided an improvement in the fade neutrality when compared with current papers.

Despite the improvements in print longevity and fade neutrality, photographic dyes, like all dyes, can change with time and exposure to sunlight, ultraviolet radiation, excessive heat, and high humidity. To help prevent changes in photographic dyes, follow these guidelines:

• Display prints in the lowest light level consistent with your viewing needs. Tungsten light is the preferred artificial light source.
• If a print is exposed to direct or indirect sunlight or fluorescent light, use an ultraviolet-absorbing filter (such as glass) between the light source and the print.
• For prints displayed behind glass, maintain a slight separation between the prints and the glass.
• Keep the temperature and humidity as low as possible.
• Use album materials described in KODAK Publication No. E-30, Storage and Care of KODAK Photographic Materials—Before and After Processing.

Sizes Available

Curves

(Process RA-4)

Characteristic

Spectral Sensitivity

Spectral Dye Density

Note: This publication is subject to change without notice. If you have questions or need assistance, contact your local Kodak representative.

Kodak, Advantix, Create-A-Print, Ektacolor, Gold, Max, Royal, and Royal Gold are trademarks.

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Footnotes\Notices

NOTICE: The data in this publication represent product tested under the conditions of exposure and processing specified. They are representative of production coatings, and therefore do not apply to a particular box or roll of photographic material. They do not represent standards or specifications that must be met by Eastman Kodak Company. The company reserves the right to change and improve product characteristics at any time.

TI2513 • Revised 7-03