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Maybe it's just me but when I put on a graphite head gasket I first wipe it down to get the extra graphite powder/residue off of it.
I apply two or three very light coats of copper coat spray allowing it to get good and tacky between coats. Install it while still tacky but not wet.

I'm always careful when spraying the copper coat to spray from the inside of the gasket to keep the exposed edge of the gasket clean. I like the look of it better that way.
If you get too much copper coat on the gasket (it doesn't take much) it will squish out forming small blobs along the edge of the gasket. Resist the urge to wipe it off right away as it will smear like crazy. Run it through a few heat cycles and then carefully pick/scrape the excess off when cold.