Yet another one on contact printing.

[David Grandy]

I just use a piece of double weight glass, the neg, and a piece of paper. I don't use any type of pad at all. And I don't think that I've ever gotten Newton's rings with this type of setup.

[Don Sparks]

Sal, I use a 20"x24" vacuum frame in my own screen printing business for contacting ortho positives. I'm sure there are a lot of printers that have these laying around collecting dust. I'm not sure if you can find one smaller than 20x24.

[Brian Ellis]

I'm not sure that Condit is still in business but their telephone number is/was (203) 426-4119 and their e mail address is/was ELCondit@Juno.com. I have several of their products, including a pin registration contact printing frame that has never produced Newton rings. Their stuff is expensive but beautifully made and a pleasure to use. If you can reach them, ask to speak with Ray.

[Sal Santamaura]

Here's an update. First, Tiffen/Saunders generously sent replacement foam for the Patterson proofer at no charge. Unfortunately, it failed to result in a system that avoided rings. Then, I ordered a frame and glass from Condit. If anyone needs spare parts for Condit equipment, act now: they're going out of business at the end of August. In my case, the Condit frame also couldn't eliminate rings. I next planned to try thick glass on a slab of foam, holding off the dehumidifier option until last. While picking up something in the local Calumet store, I found a Bogen/Technal Proof Printer on their clearance table. It is apparently a discontinued item. Since the 7/32" glass is only loosely hinged on one end and not clamped under any pressure beyond the force exerted by gravity, it is essentially a nicely finished version of the simple glass-foam idea. Success! This week, during some of our highest humidity of the year, ring-free prints were made. TMY could even be printed on Polymax Fine Art, although light rings did result when attemting those negatives on Seagull's glossier surface. With HP-5+ negatives, both papers worked. Thanks to all for your help and suggstions. If anyone has a similar problem and is not lucky enough to find the discontinued Bogen, I suggest heavy glass and a slab of foam. Doug wins the prize on this one.