Supplementary Information on KODAK EKTAMAX RA Professional Pape r • CIS-144 3
Procedure to Confirm Leuco Cyan Dye. If you suspect
that leuco cyan dye is the cause of a red image tone, you c an
bleach a processed print in FLEXICOLOR Bleach III
Replenisher to confirm a leuco cyan dye condition. Follow
this procedure:
1. Choose a print with a neutral density between 1.20 and
2.00 (1.60 to 1.80 is best). Take density readings of
specific areas on the print and mark the spots so that you
can take comparison readings after bleaching the print.
2. Immerse the print in FLEXICOLOR Bleach III
Replenisher solution at 21°C (70°F) for 2 minutes.
3. Rinse the print for 1 minute in running water at 21 to
43.3°C (70to 110°F).
4. After rinsing the print, run it through the last wash and
the dryer of the same processor used to process the print
the first time. It is important to achieve the same surface
gloss, because the gloss will affect the density reading.
After bleaching, washing, and drying, read the red and
green densities in the areas you marked. Subtract the o riginal
red and green densities of the print from the red and green
density readings of the print after bleaching. Then subtract
the green density difference from the red density difference.
If the answer is greater than 0.10, leuco cyan dye is
confirmed.
Because the red density difference minus the green
density difference is greater than 0.10 (0.15 – 0.04 = 0.11),
the test confirms that leuco cyan dye is the problem.
Correcting Process Problems
Follow the appropriate procedure below to correct the
process problem identified in the preceding section.
High developer activity
High activity may be due to a high replenishment ra te, a hi gh
temperature, or bleach-fix contamination of the developer.
When you have identified the cause of the condition, make
adjustments to correct it.
Low developer activity
Low activity may be due to low processor utilization, a low
replenishment rate, or high oxidation. Y ou can notice this
condition in your control plots. In addition to having a
slightly pink hue, prints on EKTAMAX RA Paper will have
a “muddy” upper scale. When you have identified the cause
of the condition, make adjustments to correct it.
Example:
Red Green
Density after
bleaching 1.90 1.84
Original density 1.75 1.80
Difference 0.15 0.04
Excess developer in the bleach-fix/
high bleach-fix pH
Excessive amounts of developer in the bleach-fix may be
due to inefficient squeegees in the developer or low
bleach-fix replenishment. Any condition that allows the pH
of the bleach-fix to increase can produce a slightly pink
image tone.
These conditions are not generally reflected in th e contr ol
plots, but you can correct them by reducing the pH of the
bleach-fix. Add KODAK EKTACOLOR RA Bleach-Fix
and Replenisher NR, Part C, or glacial ace tic acid (see the
following table).
Caution
Before making changes to the bleach-fix, verify that the pink
hue is not caused by a developer activity problem. Check
your developer replenishment rate, processor utilization,
and control plots. Overuse of the following prescription will
cause leuco cyan dye problems. Be sure to very that the pi nk
hue is not developer-related before applying this
prescription.
Add the appropriate amount of EKTACOLOR RA
Bleach-Fix and Replenisher N R , Par t C , or gl ac i al acetic
acid to the bleach-fix tank. Allow the solution to mix
thoroughly, and then process some test prints. If the pink
cast is reduced but not eliminated, repeat the prescription
once. If the pink cast does not change, do not repeat the
prescription. If a pink hue remains after you apply the
prescription a second time, it is likely that your process has
a developer problem or that your viewing conditions are
inadequate (recheck that you are using the appropriate light
source).
Addition of KODAK EKTACOLOR RA Bleach-Fix and
Replenisher NR, Part C, or Glacial Acetic Acid
If your processor
uses
Add this amount of EKTACOLOR RA
Bleach-Fix and Replenisher NR, Part C,
or glacial acetic acid
EKTACOLOR RA
Bleach-Fix and
Replenisher 2.0 mL/L of tank volume
EKTACOLOR RA
Bleach-Fix and
Replenisher NR 2.2 mL/L of tank volume