Contact Print -- white boarder?

[Dean Lastoria]

Hi: OK, currently I use an enlarger as a light source and zap the 4x5 negs under a g lass plate. It works fine if I want to have the neg in black with that "I'm arts y" edge of the negative showing. But for some things I want a nice contact print on 5x7 paper floating in a sea of white. Can't find really any books that don't treat contact printing beyond "well, some people like it, but lets move on to e nlarging".

Anyhow, I tried masking a 4x5 square of paper onto glass and spray-painting the glass black, but no mater how careful the edges bleed. I got one of those nicely cut transparency holders and used it as a mask, but co uldn't get the oomph on the negative. Now I'm thinking about using velum with black on it figuring it may also defuse and get rid of that one dust particle that I can NEVER get rid of.

Any hints before I give up on it -- I really like a little contact print that ge ts better the close you look at it -- kind of magic... Dean

[Alec Jones]

Kodak made an "automasking print frame", I believe it was called. Check e-bay - they are offered from time to time. I think that would produce the contacts with white borders you want.

[N Dhananjay]

I'm not sure I understood you exactly, but am I right in thinking that you lay the mask on the glass (while the neg/paper sandwich is down below the glass) or you spray paint the glass? There will be some diffusion from that set up through the thickness of the glass. Have you tried making a mask you can put the negative into? In other words, going from the easel or baseboard surface up, you should have paper, negative, mask, glass. I basically exposed an 8x10 sheet of paper thoroughly and deeveloped it and cut the 4x5 (well, slightly smaller) hole into it. Then I sandwich the negative between a freesh unexposed sheet and this sheet and put the whole sandwich under the glass. Good luck. DJ

[M.]

Older contact printing frames had 4 masking bands to do exactly what you are wanting to do. Check eBay, Lens&Repro, etc. There must be thousands of them around.

[Dean Lastoria]

Hi: Sorry, wasn't clear on the sandwiching: Board, foam, paper, negative, mask (paper or paint on the down side of the glass) and then the glass.

If I put a paper/card mask between the neg and the glass, the neg pillows up in the middle (buckles?).

If only I could get a mask that was as thin as red cellophane but I could cut it or something -- not that good with a knife. I dunno?

I'll check out a contact printer, but the last thing I need is more equipment (not that I don't love equipment mind you) just tough to justify. Thanks Dean

[Richard Coda]

I made a mask out of 8x10 rubylith (can get at a graphics arts supply store) that fit exactly around a 4x5 piece of film. I use a vacuum easle with glass on top. I simply put the mask down over the 8x10 paper, popped the negative in the hole, covered with glass and turned the vacuum on. You can probably do with a contact frame also. Gives you nice, even white borders. You still have the "artsy" film edge, but you can cover that with the overmat anyway.

The nice thing about the white borders is that you have a visual if anything starts going wrong with the print (not fixed properly, environmental contamination, etc.)

[Doremus Scudder]

All thougths of racism aside, :-) perhaps you could try aluminum tape, aka slide-masking tape. It is available in many widths, thin (so your neg shouldn't buckle) and completely lightproof. In addition, it cuts easily with knife or razor blade. With that, a piece of glass and a little dexterity you should be able to make any size or shape of mask you. Hope this helps. ;^D)

[William Leviit]

I too went the rubylith route. I chose to cut the mask 1mm smaller on all four sides which give me a sharp, white boarder. I carefully position the negative on the mask, (which is adheared to my glass plate) on a light table with tape, and then proceed to make a "normal contact" . This allows for better control of the highlights, seeing if the skys and other "white" areas separate from the white of the paper. I found with a black boarder, I was having a hard time judging the overall exposure. My prints were coming out always on the dark side, the exact opposite of my taste in prints.

[Steve_571]

I have done the exactly th same thing as William (see message directly above). In addition I have found using Scotch brand clear removable tape is sifficient to hold the neg/mask combo, and when you need to take apart it is less difficult to seperate etc... Use the tape on the fog part of the neg and ont he mask... you'll never know it weas there.

Steve

[David F. Stein]

Goldenrod lith paper will also block out and has advantage of thinness and rulings.