Cleaning Prints

[HankScorpio]

What's the best way to clean dust of prints without damaging the surface?

I'm doing some scans of old stuff but can't ged rid of the little specs and as most of the pics are quite dark it shows up really bad in the scans.my negative scanning goes ok because I've got an IR channel to pick up surface defects but some of the stuff is print only.

Is there a liquid I can use, maybe something with a cotton bud type tip?
Air duster does next to eff all and I don't want to wipe too hard.

[simpo two]

HankScorpio said:

What's the best way to clean dust of prints without damaging the surface? Is there a liquid I can use, maybe something with a cotton bud type tip?

I wouldn't use anything liquid - it'll affect the surface. If it doesn't brush off (a clean teatowel might be better as you can get a little more pressure) - I'd scan it as it is and use PhotoShop's clone tool or similar to cover up the specks.

[te51cle]

I'd do the same as Simpo. How can the dust be so ingrained that it doesn't brush off though ?

Just remembered something I did for our photo club last year, the original 10"x8" photo (taken when I was still in short trousers) got covered in dirt, beer etc. having been hanging behind the bar for 30 years or more.


The biggest problem was that the beer had meant some of the surface had got stuck to the "protective" glass cover. After a day or so's reconstruction work I came up with this.


Not viable from a commercial point of view but its amazing what you can restore if you have to. N.B. Never offer to restore old psychadelic prints as it can drive you

>> Edited by te51cle on Sunday 27th March 10:39

[simpo two]

Blimey tesicle, that was a good job - you even put the pin-strip back over his shoulder!

[HankScorpio]

Thanks for the pointers.

The dust is fairly well attached to the prints so brushing is ineffectual, whenever I've used cloths, even things like lint free tissues or cloths, I tend to get more left on the print than there was initially.

I can remove digitally but in the volumes I'm talking about, it would have to be a batch despeckle with fairly wide range so quality would take a hit.

Ideally, I'd like the source to be right and do minimal PP.

[Bacardi]

Try washing one. Give it a good soak in the sink with cold running water, about 20 mins, then air dry on a line with clothes pegs at each corner and at the bottom to weigh the corners down to stop the print from curling up. Another way to dry is to sandwich the print between to wire in/out trays.

Shouldn't be a problem if they are matt or lustre prints but if they are old fibre based gloss prints it will most probably reduce the gloss. By washing them you are not doing anything to them that didn't happen to them at the end of the original process so shouldn't harm them, but try one first.

HTH