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John Kasaian
27-Aug-2008, 14:35
1. A sheet of glass
2. A sheet of glass that is hinged on a base
3. A printing or POP frame
4. A self contained contact printer (ie a box with a light scource inside)
5. Something else

..and what is the largest size format you contact print?

Paul Hamann
27-Aug-2008, 14:40
For Azo or enlarging paper two sheets of plate glass. For POP a printing frame.

Mark Sawyer
27-Aug-2008, 14:55
2. A sheet of glass that is hinged on a base.

(Two sheets of 1/4" glass hinged together with duct tape. The lower piece of glass has a black matte board on its top surface.)

11x14 is the largest I currently contact print.

Ole Tjugen
27-Aug-2008, 15:06
A contact printing frame for everything up to 8x10", and a cheap clip frame for anything larger - currently up to 12x16".

John Bowen
27-Aug-2008, 15:16
For Azo, I use a vacuum easel. Works like a charm and is very efficient.

I used to use a Contact printing frame, but once I got a vacuum easel, the frame was sent to an early retirement.

ic-racer
27-Aug-2008, 15:52
I could find no simple or easy solution that worked for VC papers. Most of the issues were related to the difficulty in making test prints without violating the dust free surfaces along with the impossibility of thoroughly removing dust under safe-light conditions.

I concluded the following:
1)Enlarger light projected to the baseboard is not diffuse (even with 'diffusion' enlarger)
2)Diffuse light is needed unless all 5 surfaces are totally dust free (paper surface, negative emulsion side, negative base side, bottom of glass, top of glass)
3)The weight of glass up to 2" would not hold double weight fiber based paper flat enough to get good contact with diffuse light.
4) A printing frame may have been the answer, but for a little more than the price of a good one I just got an 8x10 enlarger :)

Richard M. Coda
27-Aug-2008, 16:01
Vacuum easel

SamReeves
27-Aug-2008, 16:34
Cheapest RC paper I can find and a contact frame for me. :)

Vaughn
27-Aug-2008, 16:39
B&S contact printing frames (wonderful things.) But will be switching to a UV light source with a vacumm frame...will be very nice!

Vaughn

Oren Grad
27-Aug-2008, 17:46
I put a large piece of thin glass on the enlarger baseboard, the paper and negative on top of that, and then a piece of 1/8" glass on top to complete the sandwich. I have glass in different sizes for the top of the sandwich, so I can pick something convenient for the size of the negative I'm printing - 1/8" glass gets pretty heavy in the larger sizes. The light source is my LPL 4500II color head.

I haven't been doing a whole lot of printing lately, but my most recent contact prints were from 11x14 negatives - that's as large as I've gone. My contact printing is mostly on glossy variable-contrast RC these days, with keepers toned in selenium and treated with Sistan.

John T
27-Aug-2008, 17:52
1. My big ol' butt and a genuine Xerox copier
2. Vacuum easel in a self contained light box

David A. Goldfarb
27-Aug-2008, 18:47
I used to use a big sheet of glass, but now I use contact printing frames.

Oren Grad
27-Aug-2008, 19:37
A printing frame would be more convenient, and I wish I could use one. I ended up with the glass sandwich because I've had insoluble problems with Newton's rings with every printing frame I've tried over the years. Glass-on-glass evidently generates much more even pressure. At any rate, in my darkroom it's the only way I've found so far to avoid the rings.

Don Hutton
27-Aug-2008, 19:47
I bought a fabulous free standing Douthitt vacuum frame from a print shop for $120 - it's about 30x40, and the guy I bought it from delivered it for an extra $20 and helped me get it inside. It doubles as an excellent coating station for any hand coated process I choose - it has adjustable feet and the glass surface is perfectly smooth. It also has a nice metal frame around the glass in case of a spill.

ic-racer
27-Aug-2008, 20:09
Just a note on Newton's rings. I found with my setup that they would move around right after I first put the glass down (you can see them in reflection of the safelight if you look carefully). As long as I made my exposure right after I put the glass down, they would not show up. If I waited until they stabilized in their position, the would always show up.

Steve Sherman
28-Aug-2008, 04:25
Vacuum frame

MIke Sherck
28-Aug-2008, 06:30
Contact print frame. The largest I contact print is 8x10, the smallest (so far) has been 6cmx6cm.

Mike

Jim Fitzgerald
28-Aug-2008, 07:11
I use a piece of 1/4" glass for my 8x10 Azo prints. For 11x14 and 8x20 on Azo it is my Vacuum frame. For carbon it is a contact printing frame that I made for 8x10. When I get good enough to do 11x14 and 8x20 carbon it will be with the vacuum frame.

Jim

phil sweeney
28-Aug-2008, 15:40
vacuum frame

D. Bryant
28-Aug-2008, 19:36
1. A sheet of glass
2. A sheet of glass that is hinged on a base
3. A printing or POP frame
4. A self contained contact printer (ie a box with a light scource inside)
5. Something else

..and what is the largest size format you contact print?
Vacuum easel/frame. The only best way to print larger or smaller than 11x14.


Don Bryant

Jim Rice
30-Aug-2008, 11:05
Two sheets of 1/4" plate glass for 8x10". Perhaps overkill, perhaps not.

ljsegil
30-Aug-2008, 13:34
Maybe I can answer next week after I get back from the workshop with Michael A. Smith and Paula Chamlee. Can't wait, present to myself for getting a new job.
LJS

John Powers
31-Aug-2008, 15:04
A 7x17 print frame beautifully built by Bill Schwab under a cold light head with VC filters using Kentmere Fineprint VCFB. I would happily change to a vacuum frame if one comes along. The three print frame springs are rough on arthritic hands during a day of printing.

John

eddie
31-Aug-2008, 17:15
those old fashion printing frames. i have a 14x17 and a 12x20. i print up to 11x14 only.

soon to have a vacuum frame.

phil sweeney
1-Sep-2008, 06:04
vacuum frame
And a foot switch routing my lamp through my timer using the timer as a metronome. I also just picked up a gen purpose relay to shut off my HID lamp via my timer for alt process.