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Thread: Contact prints aren't as sharp as the neg looks

  1. #1
    -Rob bigcameraworkshops.com Robert Skeoch's Avatar
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    Contact prints aren't as sharp as the neg looks

    I'm making contact prints of my 8x10 b&w negs. The contacts do not look as sharp as the negs do. I'm taking the neg out of the neg sleeve. My contact printer is a wood board, with an 11x14 size piece of regular glass on top. I place the paper on the board, put the neg on, and put the glass on top. I don't hold the glass or touch it during the exposure. I have no foam or padding on the wood board.

    Open to ideas.

    Also, do those contact printers with the wood frame like Zone VI used to make work better?

    Thanks.

    -Rob

  2. #2

    Contact prints aren't as sharp as the neg looks

    Rob

    I bought one of the Zone VI 8x10 contact printers years ago and have never used anything else for contact printing since then. Its not that the Zone VI contact frames are special, although I like the design. Any good, well designed wooden contact print frame will work.

    The only question I would ask you about your setup is if you are certain the board is perfectly level.

  3. #3

    Contact prints aren't as sharp as the neg looks

    For 8x10 you really don't need a print frame. The glass does need to be heavy and larger than 8x10 11x14 would be fine also make shure the surface you are placing the paper on is smooth Good luck

  4. #4

    Contact prints aren't as sharp as the neg looks

    Also make sure that your negative emulsion is facing the printing paper. If you have it in reverse by accident, it will be unsharp by the thickness of the negative. Not really that much, but it will take a bit of the punch out of your contact.

    Just a thought.

  5. #5

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    Contact prints aren't as sharp as the neg looks

    The only thing that I would question is whether you are placing film emulsion to paper emulsion. If that is the case then the print must be as sharp as the negative as is possible.

  6. #6

    Contact prints aren't as sharp as the neg looks

    Most glass is pretty flat. Most wood boards aren't. Check it with a good straightedge in a couple directions, or get a thick piece of MDF- that's usually quite flat. Heavy plate glass works best if you aren't going to clamp it down.

  7. #7

    Contact prints aren't as sharp as the neg looks

    When I moved up from making 4x5 contact prints to making 11x14 contact prints, I found that I had a lot of trouble getting the whole print sharp. I was using a normal 16x20 sheet of window glass, but try as I might, I could not get the whole paper-film assemblage flat. I eventually decided it was time to dust off (literally) and test out some very old contact printing frames an LF friend had given me to borrow some time before, and that solved my problem instantly.

    You might try making a print while pressing down on the glass on the glass to see if that improves your sharpness.

  8. #8
    Steve Sherman's Avatar
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    Contact prints aren't as sharp as the neg looks

    New to 7X17 contact printing 2 years ago I used an older 16X20 contact frame and recently purchased a vacuum frame. The vacuum frame had a dramatic effect on print sharpness. When using long lens on large film with and employing camera movements there is always the fear that some part of the image maybe compromised due to plan of focus problems. The vacuum frame put to rest any thought of plan of focus issues. The vacuum frame is the single best investment I have made in many years. Cheers Steve


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  9. #9
    Whatever David A. Goldfarb's Avatar
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    Contact prints aren't as sharp as the neg looks

    I'd also recommend getting a spring back contact print frame. I like frames that are larger than the size I'm printing. The ones from Fine Art Photo Supply are oversized, or you can just get another type in a larger format than you are printing.

    A vacuum easel is even better if you have room for it and can set up the compressor somewhere where the noise isn't too bothersome.

  10. #10

    Contact prints aren't as sharp as the neg looks

    What about the light source? A specular light source placed far enough might produce sharper prints than a diffuse light if you are not exposing under the enlarger.

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