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Thread: Can I use an old plotter to print LF digital negatives for contact printing?

  1. #1

    Can I use an old plotter to print LF digital negatives for contact printing?

    Hello,
    I have the opportunity to get a HP DesignJet 755CM Printer/plotter that my employer is planning on discarding. It still works, but has some issues that need to be worked around. It is a 36" printer that print on clear or matte film. I would never be able to afford a printer of this size capacity and have some images that I would like to convert to try Cyanotype and Van Dyke brown processing. Maybe even direct contact printing to 20x24 photographic paper (which I have a bunch of).

    I'm a newbie at this, so I have a few questions. This printer uses 4 color inks (Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow). Would I need any of the colors, or just black? In monochrome this printer can do 600x600 dpi resolution in Normal or Best mode. It can also do 600 x 600 in color in Best mode (only).

    Googling did not find anybody using this printer for digital negatives, so I'm wondering how one would go about "dialing in" the way the digital file would need to be post-processed to get the most out of this printer.

    Any words of wisdom, or would you simply not recommend bothering? I may be able to get the printer and leftover ink for free (or close to it), as the boss is talking about just scrapping it. Thanks in advance!

  2. #2

    Re: Can I use an old plotter to print LF digital negatives for contact printing?

    there is way too much ground here to cover on a forum. I'd advise a workshop, but at the very least here are a few books-
    http://www.ronreeder.com/a-new-book-on-qtr
    http://www.markinelsonphoto.com/inde...&id=2&Itemid=3

  3. #3

    Join Date
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    Santa Cruz, CA
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    Re: Can I use an old plotter to print LF digital negatives for contact printing?

    I have a printer that does 1440 x 1440. I find the droplet size to large to make negatives to my pleasing....

    I am getting another Epson that will do 2880x2880 as a result.... and this who know me will know how much I will dislike doing that...

    If you are going to do Cyanotype, etc. it might work fine. It depends on your expectation of the quality that you are looking for....
    EigerStudios
    Museum Quality Drum Scanning and Printing

  4. #4
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Dec 2011
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    Re: Can I use an old plotter to print LF digital negatives for contact printing?

    Get it for free and experiment.

    Few here are up to Lenny's standards.

    It may be useful in ways that only you can discover.
    Tin Can

  5. #5

    Join Date
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    Re: Can I use an old plotter to print LF digital negatives for contact printing?

    Quote Originally Posted by cheekygeek View Post
    Hello,
    I'm a newbie at this, so I have a few questions. This printer uses 4 color inks (Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow). Would I need any of the colors, or just black? In monochrome this printer can do 600x600 dpi resolution in Normal or Best mode. It can also do 600 x 600 in color in Best mode (only).
    At that resolution, I would only expect to make 8x10 or larger digital negs for Cyanotype or VDB contact printing.

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