need some help

[didi]

what kind of equipments necessary to print up to 10x8 negatives ?

do I need a exposure matter?
I heard that to make that format of print requere an automated processors, is that really true?

I would be very pleased if you would make some coments on that particular subject

thanks
didi

[MIke Sherck]

I'm a little unsure of the intent of your question, so let me go both ways:
<li>Making an enlarged print from an 8x10 negative would require an enlarger capable of handling that large negative, just as making enlargements from any size of film. These enlargers are, generally speaking, very large, heavy, and expensive. An old 8x10 camera can be converted into such an enlarger, primarily by adding some sort of bright and even light source onto the back. Not a trivial job, but it can be done and possibly so for less than the cost of transporting a large 8x10 enlarger any substantial distance.
<li>8x10 negatives are large enough to be contact printed; no enlarger required but your prints will end up the same size as the negative. No enlarger is required for contact printing; a printing frame is useful and convenient but I've been contact printing for many years with a simple 8mm thick piece of plate glass to hold everything together.

An exposure meter can be a useful accessory for printing, but they aren't necessary. You can learn to do it without one and in fact many, many printers do. You do need some means of accurately timing exposures for printing; most darkroom workers use a commercially made timer, others use a metronome. Each method has it's strengths and weaknesses but the metronome route is probably less expensive.

You don't need automated processing equipment for printing, especially black and white. Color printing is made much simpler and more accurate by using a temperature controlled unit such as a Jobo and perhaps someone who mostly does color would judge something like that necessary, but most of us who print black and white would view automated equipment as convenient, not necessary.

I hope this helps!

[Brian C. Miller]

Graflex made an accessory back for their cameras which was a cold light and a negative holder. Thus, the same camera which photographed the scene could also render the image to paper.

The equipment you *need* to work with 8x10 negatives are a light bulb, a piece of glass, and some trays for the chemicals.

From an interview with g. Paul Bishop:
DP: I gather you learned printing by picking up Edward Weston's darkroom techniques?

GPB: Yes. My darkroom is very complicated now compared to his. He had a pull chain with a light bulb up over the table. That was how he exposed his prints, by pulling the chain. Pretty soon, if he felt the paper was exposed enough, he'd pull the chain and turn off the light. Actually, Edward apologized to me once because there was an enlarger over in the corner which belonged to his son, Brett. Edward would have nothing to do with it. Newcomers to the darkroom were always carefully told that that was Brett's enlarger. Maybe Edward's darkroom forced me to realize that his work had to come out of him, not out of anything else. Pulling a chain on a light bulb was enough.