Making Large Format Negatives from Digital Images

[wclark5179]

Thought this might be of interest.

http://www.ppmag.com/web-exclusives/2012/02/lgformatprint-digneg.html

[Corran]

Does one have to use a $3,000 printer to do this? Or are there more budget-friendly printers that can handle this material? I have been curious about this process lately.

[wclark5179]

I haven't tried it but I would get some of the clear material and see what happens with your printer.

Does this material need special inks?

Have a wonderful weekend.

[Corran]

I don't even own a printer so that's why I'm wondering what might be a low-budget printer that this works with...

[sanking]

You can make digital negatives with virtually all Epson photo printers. Some of the not so expensive ones with 1.5 or 2 picoliter drop size (1400, R1800, 1900, etc.) may in fact be better for making digital negatives than more expensive models because they give very fine grain.

Sandy

[Michael Cienfuegos]

I was able to make some nice 5x7 digital negatives with my HP Photosmart 3210 printer. Not the greatest, but I wanted some cyanotype images and was quite pleased with the outcome. Having said this, the printer is pretty much a POS, the feed mechanism doesn't work properly, I am looking to get an Epson printer in the near future.

[Ron McElroy]

Since HP is marketing their printers for this purpose, I hope they provide some technical support to people using them for digital negatives.

[Jan Pedersen]

HP and technical support? :eek: :eek: :eek:

[Joe O'Hara]

Does one have to use a $3,000 printer to do this? Or are there more budget-friendly printers that can handle this material? I have been curious about this process lately.

This is a fairly well-known method for making prints using "alternative" (non-silver) processes, such as Pt/Pd or carbon. It can be done with a relatively inexpensive printer like an Epson 3800 or such. The "trick" is in the curve you put on the image to get it to work with the printer and end process, and there are resources on the net about that if you would like to pursue it.

I've done both Pt/Pd and carbon using this technique, but not silver. I haven't looked at those prints with a loupe, but it is easy to see the dots on any inkjet print at 6x magnification and I assume the same would be the case on silver prints made using a digital negative on glossy paper, although perhaps not with matte or uncoated paper. Whether that matters in a practical viewing experience is a different story of course.

The great merit of digital negatives is that you can make large images using printing-out or other processes that are too slow for an enlarger--where you need to contact print--from cameras of reasonable (YMMV) size.

Cheers
Joe

[sully75]

Re: HP - after 6 HPB9180 printers I'd never buy another thing from them, ever.

[sully75]

except if they made cheap negative media, and then I'd use it with my Epson :)

[false_Aesthetic]

I've done it with an epson 2200 and 4800. 4800 looked better than the 2200.

Also tried to make a neg for inside the enlarger. It works but the droplets make a not so nice grain structure. Thomas Ruff would probably love the look.

[wclark5179]

Shutterbug and others have labs that advertise and perhaps an inquiry could be made to see if they can print a large format negative. You have the file so maybe this is an alternative if you don't have (I don't!) a large format printer. Transmitting to the lab, at least for me, is easy. I use whcc.com.

Thought this might be helpful.

[drew.saunders]

Re: HP - after 6 HPB9180 printers I'd never buy another thing from them, ever.

6? One of those doorstops convinced me to never buy any more HP stuff again, and they're my neighbors! In theory, I should support a local business, but the only HP product that I've ever used, personally or through work, that was any good was my 1986 HP11C calculator, which is still going strong.

[jp]

Pictorico is the negative media and people use it with Epson.

I only have old HP printers. Haven't tried anything new. Got a hp5m laser at home that I've been using for about 12 years, and a hp 8150n at work that has been printing 5000 pages a month for probably more than a decade that was used when we bought it.

[D. Bryant]

my 1986 HP11C calculator, which is still going strong.

So is mine!

[Michael Cienfuegos]

6? One of those doorstops convinced me to never buy any more HP stuff again, and they're my neighbors! In theory, I should support a local business, but the only HP product that I've ever used, personally or through work, that was any good was my 1986 HP11C calculator, which is still going strong.

I have an HP 6MP Laserjet printer which I bought new in 1994. I'm still using it, I an working on my fourth toner cartridge, it works fine. As for the inkjet printer, it is not deserving of the title "Doorstop". It is a real POS. I'm hoping to buy an Epson in the near future.

[Lynn Jones]

I started doing these for friends who liked to make Argyrotypes and Platinum prints in 1992 or 93, I honestly don't remember. I had to make some tests but it didn't take but 2 or 3 tries to create these on a inkjet clear plastic made for overhead use. Some of the modern clear printing plastics work even easier. AT this time (and now) 8.5x11 was my largest size but it sure worked well.

Lynn