Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 23

Thread: Photographer's Formulary 8x10 Contact Print Frame

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    21

    Photographer's Formulary 8x10 Contact Print Frame

    Hello!

    I'm looking to start doing some 8x10 and 4x5 contact prints, and was wondering if anyone has ever used the Photographer's Formulary 8x10 Contact Print Frame. Here's a link below:

    https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...int_Frame.html


    If so, did you like it? Also, in the photograph on the website, it looks like the light side is frosted glass - is that the case? (If so it would make dodging and burning difficult if you can't see the negative). Also, would it work with 4x5 negatives, or just 8x10?


    I'm looking to keep this process simple, so let me know what you recommend! Thank you!

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Posts
    1,573

    Re: Photographer's Formulary 8x10 Contact Print Frame

    Never used that particular frame, but I've been very happy with the 8x10 and 12x15 contact printing frames from Bostick & Sullivan.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Near Portland Oregon
    Posts
    61

    Re: Photographer's Formulary 8x10 Contact Print Frame

    Don’t do it. It’s a dog. Buy Bostic and Sullivan

  4. #4
    Tim Sandstrom
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    San Jose, CA
    Posts
    318

    Re: Photographer's Formulary 8x10 Contact Print Frame

    The glass isn't frosted, you're just seeing through to the felt-lined back.
    I have not used that model, I started with old nameless ones, found on the web.

    As long as your glass is clean, and the springs keep everything tight, you're
    good to go. It will work with any negative that fits into the frame.
    The B&S are the best I've found, but cheaper models will get you started.

    Dodging and burning can be very hard with contact printing.
    Everything is smaller than an enlargement, so you have to
    be very precise, and it's hard to see the image, especially if the
    neg is dense.

    Also, without instructions, I used it all wrong for a year before someone showed me how:

    Place the felt-lined back felt up on the table, then place the paper, emulsion side up,
    then then neg emulsion side down, then the glass, then the frame down over it all,
    reach around and grab the back with both hands, and then flip it, set the springs into place.

    A self-starter like me might try to do that all face down...

    Good luck, and give it time, great prints are hard to make with any method

    -Tim

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Dec 2001
    Location
    San Joaquin Valley, California
    Posts
    9,599

    Re: Photographer's Formulary 8x10 Contact Print Frame

    I had one of those. It's good but I found it overkill for my needs as a contact printer--IIRC the clamps were so strong I darned near busted a fingernail on more than one occasion.
    For POP, it, or something like it where you can inspect your print in progress while still keeping everything in register is what you need.

    But for contact printing, a Print file Proofer
    http://www.printfile.com/contact-proofer.aspx
    is what I use now---a 100% improvement IMHO.
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Oct 2017
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    21

    Re: Photographer's Formulary 8x10 Contact Print Frame

    Quote Originally Posted by John Kasaian View Post
    I had one of those. It's good but I found it overkill for my needs as a contact printer--IIRC the clamps were so strong I darned near busted a fingernail on more than one occasion.
    For POP, it, or something like it where you can inspect your print in progress while still keeping everything in register is what you need.

    But for contact printing, a Print file Proofer
    http://www.printfile.com/contact-proofer.aspx
    is what I use now---a 100% improvement IMHO.
    Awesome! Thanks so much for the suggestion. I will give that a try first.


    Thanks everyone for their input!

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    189

    Re: Photographer's Formulary 8x10 Contact Print Frame

    I have a Paterson proof printer of a similiar design and i've found it to work really well. glass isn't sharp and clamps down very solidly.

    This one: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...Easel_for.html

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Posts
    1,573

    Re: Photographer's Formulary 8x10 Contact Print Frame

    If you want/need an inexpensive solution, then get a sheet of birch plywood cut to whatever size needed, glue a sheet of felt on one side of the plywood, add a sheet of plate glass, and some 99 cent clamps from Home Depot. It's not a fast way to work, but it will get the job done. And, if you don't want to go even that far I've heard of photographers that simply lay a sheet of paper on an enlarger baseboard and cover with glass. The downside to any contact printing solution is Newton Rings which are generally caused by uneven pressure which leads to gaps between the negative and the glass. Also, humidity can be an issue with Newton Rings. Many years ago when I lived in a more humid part of the USA, I had a real problem with these pesky rings which Ron Wisner solved by having a sheet of plate glass coated (think lens coatings) on one side. It wasn't a cheap solution, but it did eliminate the rings.

  9. #9
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Posts
    8,640

    Re: Photographer's Formulary 8x10 Contact Print Frame

    Quote Originally Posted by Alan9940 View Post
    And, if you don't want to go even that far I've heard of photographers that simply lay a sheet of paper on an enlarger baseboard and cover with glass.
    That's more or less what I do. My stack, from the bottom, is baseboard-glass-paper-negative-glass. I have some very nice contact print frames, but...

    Quote Originally Posted by Alan9940 View Post
    The downside to any contact printing solution is Newton Rings...
    ...I don't use them because they generate ferocious Newton's rings. I've tried many different frames in my darkroom over the years, and I've yet to see one that can distribute the pressure from the clips across the paper with enough evenness to avoid the rings. The only way I've ever been able to more or less reliably avoid Newton's rings is the glass stack.

    Caveat: I've not printed TXP, with its retouching surface. Possibly that would be different. But every sheet film with a smooth base that I've tried in my darkroom has been hopeless in a spring-back printing frame.

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Nashville
    Posts
    610

    Re: Photographer's Formulary 8x10 Contact Print Frame

    Quote Originally Posted by dasBlute View Post
    Also, without instructions, I used it all wrong for a year before someone showed me how:

    Place the felt-lined back felt up on the table, then place the paper, emulsion side up,
    then then neg emulsion side down, then the glass, then the frame down over it all,
    reach around and grab the back with both hands, and then flip it, set the springs into place.

    A self-starter like me might try to do that all face down...

    Good luck, and give it time, great prints are hard to make with any method
    This seems completely backwards, but if it works for you, go for it.

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •