Contact printing 5x7 negatives on 5x7 paper, with white border

[Larry Kellogg]

I know this has been discussed before, and I have read a bunch of threads, but I need a good solution. I want to contact print 5x7 negatives on 5x7 fibre paper, with an even white border around the edge. I cut a mask with Rubylith, slightly smaller than the image area on a 5x7 negative, but I'm having a hard time getting everything lined up perfectly in an 8x10 glass contacting frame. Of course, fibre paper has a curl to it, so everything shifts around when I close the frame.

Is there an easy and fast way to contact print 5x7 negatives and get a perfect white border?

Thanks,

Larry

[Vaughn]

Scotch tape neg into hole of the rubylith -- the tape is transparent to visible light and should not show. With a sharpy, mark the rubylith exactly where the paper should go.

If your contact printing frame has a hinged back, you should be able to place the paper precisely, put the back on one half while holding the paper in place, then fold down the other half.

[Larry Kellogg]

Scotch tape neg into hole of the rubylith -- the tape is transparent to visible light and should not show. With a sharpy, mark the rubylith exactly where the paper should go.

If your contact printing frame has a hinged back, you should be able to place the paper precisely, put the back on one half while holding the paper in place, then fold down the other half.

Well, that's the problem, I only have a contact printing frame with a hinge on one side, so that I can't fold down half and then the other half. Perhaps I need to get a contact printing frame for 5x7. Does someone make a nice contact printing frame that would do the alignment for me for 5x7 negatives? It is also tedious to always have to scotch tape my negatives.

Larry

[vinny]

Tape four pieces of black construction paper to the glass (inside) of your frame. Tape a white L shape piece to two opposing corners of that for a paper guide. Not perfect but i've done it for 4x5's into 8x10 paper and it worked great.

[Vaughn]

A bit of tape to hold the paper in place should do the trick, also.

I use a very small piece of tape (two corners of the neg is all you need to tape) with part of it folded over so it is easy to grab and remove. A dedicated 5x7 contact printing frame would be nice...check antique stores, etc. for old ones, though you probably need to have a piece of glass cut for it. or put a "Want to Buy" notice in the the buy/sell forum...or check out ebay (there are a bunch on there now).

[DannL]

I have used a printing frame with a pre-cut mat board installed first. Then the glass is installed, followed by the negative, the paper, and then the printing frame back. If the mat board opening is cut with clean and straight edges, the border will also be clean and straight. You can also print 5x7 on 8x10, or 4x5 on 8x10, etc; for example, giving a large wide boarder. But a printing frame I find, works best.

[BetterSense]

I used to have a 5x7 enlarging easel that made a white border. Could you use something like that and just sandwich your paper and neg together in one of those

[Larry Kellogg]

I used to have a 5x7 enlarging easel that made a white border. Could you use something like that and just sandwich your paper and neg together in one of those

I thought about that, but the negative needs to be held flat with a glass plate. I have some 5x7 speed easels but am wary of sliding the paper and my negative into one of those.

[Daniel Stone]

you can also get (2) 1/4" pieces of plate glass, then make a "sandwich. Or use a piece of 3/8"(most glass shops won't have this as a stock item, but some might) for the top, so you get some considerable weight/downward force.

I made my own contact frame from a piece of 3/4" baltic ply(usually very flat) w/ a sheet of 1/4" plate glass, and a layer of the thin ~1/4" felt-backed open cell foam(from the Fabric shop) glued to the plywood. Very simple, and total cost to make was ~$15 or so, including glass. I still use it to this day, and it works very well for general contact printing, or even just making proof sheets from roll/sheet film.

-Dan

[ic-racer]

Is there an easy and fast way to contact print 5x7 negatives and get a perfect white border?

Thanks,

Larry

I don't think there is an fast/easy way to contact print like that. There is, however, a fast easy way to print 5x7 negatives on 5x7 paper with a white border; what I do is to projection print them at about 1:1 magnification. This gives much more control over the printing process and allows one to make multiple prints without having to worry about dust each time.

[Daniel Stone]

Oh, regarding the "white border", give this a try:

Tape the negative to the underside of the glass(so it's in contact with the paper, like normal), then use BLACK ELECTRICAL TAPE on the top part of the glass, to act as a mask for the edges. I've done this for 8x10 contact prints, but never for 5x7(most of my 5x7 has been color, so I've been drum scanning it).

So you get nice, evenly spaced lines, draw w/ a fine-point sharpie the lines for the determined "print" size, then put the tape down along that line, so you get it nice and straight.

-Dan

[Larry Kellogg]

What lens and enlarger are you using to project 1:1?

[ic-racer]

What lens and enlarger are you using to project 1:1?
I use a 210mm when projection printing 1:1 8x10 proofs. A 150mm should work also. I actually print a little smaller than 1:1 so I get the white paper border and have the whole negative and rebate in the image area.

[Jim Noel]

I don't think there is an fast/easy way to contact print like that. There is, however, a fast easy way to print 5x7 negatives on 5x7 paper with a white border; what I do is to projection print them at about 1:1 magnification. This gives much more control over the printing process and allows one to make multiple prints without having to worry about dust each time.
The problem with this method is some extremely fine detail and tonality are lost because of the projection. Compare one by yyour current method with a contact print and you will see the difference.

[ic-racer]

The problem with this method is some extremely fine detail and tonality are lost because of the projection.
Come to one of our large format gatherings in Ohio and see fine detail and tonality!

[Vaughn]

Another option: Make a mask and print on 8x10 paper. No need to precisely center paper. Easier to process/handle without damaging the image area...and one can always cut it down to 5x7 later. Easier to flatten.

[Dirk Rösler]

Make sure that the mask paper has the same size as the printing paper. If the mask window is cut precisely and you totally align mask and paper with the negative in it, you get perfect white borders and no black (unless sloppily aligned). I use the thin black backing paper that comes with papers for this...

[John Koehrer]

Take a negative & piece of paper to a craft store or general merchandiser & fit a 5X7 frame.
You may eventually need to make a more permanent back for it or even buy a better piece of glass.
If there's a bit of slop in the frame you can minimize it by making a filler around the edges.

[Mark_S]

I have several of the Saunders quick easels which have a base which is the size of the paper (5x7 in this case), and a 1/4" steel square frame that hinges down to hold down and mask the outer 1/4". My 5x7 version has a bar that can be placed inside to also support 4x5 prints this way.

Very quick and easy.

[Roger Thoms]

How about a vintage 5x7 contact printing frame. Should be perfect since you want to print on 5x7 paper. There are at least 5 on ebay right now or you could post a WTB here in the classified section.

Roger

[Tin Can]

Didn't the OP want the almost impossible.

He wanted to contact print 5x7 negs with black rebate onto 5x7 paper with an additional white border?

Which is impossible unless you de-large on an enlarger.

My 5X7 Elwood came with a reduction cone that made this possible.

[Larry Kellogg]

No, no, I didn't want the almost impossible. ;-) I was just looking for a quick and accurate way to line up 5x7 negatives for contact printing. No black rebate, just a precise, repeatable, white border. By the way, it turns out I have a 5x7 contact printing frame that does the trick. I had forgotten I had bought one when I picked up the contents of someone's darkroom.

That reduction cone sounds pretty cool though.

Larry

[Bill_1856]

Get a 5x7 Speed Easel. I don't know if they are still made, but should be CHEAP on ebay. Solves ALL your problems.

[Jim Noel]

Come to one of our large format gatherings in Ohio and see fine detail and tonality!

My more than 70 years with large format, and over 20 years viewing the work of LF students is enough to convince me that placing anything, including a lens, between the negative and the print decreases sharpness and tonal range.

[Larry Kellogg]

Get a 5x7 Speed Easel. I don't know if they are still made, but should be CHEAP on ebay. Solves ALL your problems.

By Speed Easel, do you mean the metal ones? I have some of those but cannot see sliding my negative and paper into one without scratching everything up. Plus, how is the negative held flat against the paper without a glass cover? Perhaps I'm thinking of the wrong Speed Easels...

Larry