Customer Reviews

Copper Plate Photogravure: Demystifying the Process

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This new book on the process of photogravure is very well done. It's basic technique is very similar to Deli Sacilotto's now out of print (and almost impossible to find) book. However, Morris and MacCallum have added many useful hint and detailed steps. They have also included a wealth of step by step photographs, and a trouble shooting section at the end of each chapter. With all the variables that can (and always do) creep into the photogravure process, these trouble shooting sections could be very useful. Photogravure is a very complicated process, but, as the title of this book suggests, it should help to sort out a lot of the mystery. This is the most useful book I have read on photogravure, and, heck, it's the only one in print right now!

This book is very detailed, technical and complex. If you're seriously considering exploring the photogravure technique on copper, this book is a must. It tells you everything you will ever need and all the complicated steps in the process. However, there are few historical or contemporary photogravure reproductions which is why this book gets only a four star rating from this reviewer. If you are seriously considering the photogravure process as one you would like to explore, I recommend starting with solar plates rather than copper. It is much less complicated and toxic. A very good resource is "Printmaking in the Sun" (2001) by Dan Welden, inventor of this method.