Contact Printing Technique

[Pawlowski6132]

So, I'm looking forward to my first 8x10 contact prints this week.

Any tips/advice from the pros out there? I assume I can still use my global and local print controls (filters, dodging, etc.)

Also, any comments on the "drop glass" frames vs. the "old fashioned" frames?

thanx in advance,

Joe

[Oren Grad]

Newton's rings. Newton's rings. Newton's rings. Newton's rings. Newton's rings.

Did I mention Newton's rings?

I've gotten Newton's rings, without fail, with any and every contact printing frame I've ever used. These days I contact print by sandwiching the negative and paper between two sheets of glass that are substantially larger than whatever paper size I want to print on, with the upper sheet 3/16" thick. Still not perfect, but the incidence of Newton's rings is much reduced, to a level I can more or less live with.

YMMV, depending on the temperature and humidity in your darkroom, the phases of the moon, whether you've done something to anger the printing gods, etc.

As for the rest, I print on the same variable contrast papers I use for enlarging, using my enlarger with color head as a light source. Local manipulation like dodging and burning is more difficult than it is in enlarging, because it's much harder to see the image. If your printing style relies on extensive local manipulation, that may take some getting used to.

[David Karp]

For dodging and burning, I place some landmarks on the base, around the edge of the contact frame. These give me an approximate location for performing the burn or dodge. It is still much harder to find the right location because the negative/paper sandwich is so dark, but it does help focus your attention on the proper location.

[Mark Sawyer]

For dodging and burning, I place some landmarks on the base, around the edge of the contact frame...

A good hint! I sometimes put little dots along the edges to help find a certain area that needs work.

If you're using an enlarger as a light source, be sure it's not focused on any dust on the condensers or heat sheild. I remove the lens altogether on mine and run the head to its highest point to insure clean, even light.

[jb7]

Newton's rings. Newton's rings. Newton's rings. Newton's rings. Newton's rings.

Did I mention Newton's rings?

Not a problem with the frame I made-
6mm glass clamped over foam- quite stiff foam, about 1" thick.

Dodging and burning is more problematic, my light source is quite large, not a point source-

I was thinking I could lay a sheet of glass above the frame, and lay out my shades on top of it- is this the same method that a printing machine uses?

Of course, I do get the occasional negative that prints well straight, but I always feel I should be doing something more with it.

Isn't contact printing the greatest overkill? Last night I found myself inspecting the print with a loupe, to find detail I just couldn't see without one-
It's like having a secret...

[Sal Santamaura]

Newton's rings. Newton's rings. Newton's rings. Newton's rings. Newton's rings.

Did I mention Newton's rings?

I've gotten Newton's rings, without fail, with any and every contact printing frame I've ever used...

Likewise, until I replaced the glass with "non-glare" picture framing glass. Not a single ring since, regarless of ambient conditions.

Get a sheet of the finest texture, single-sided glass available that's free of imperfections. Have it cut to fit your frame. Install with the textured side facing the negative. Problem solved. With the sharpest paper I've ever used, grade 3 Azo, no hint of texture can be seen on prints, including in even-toned sky.

[Merg Ross]

I assume, since you mention the use of filters, that you will be using a projection paper rather than a graded contact paper. You will be able to make prints on variable contrast paper using an enlarger light source, and experience good results.

However, to enable the use of a brighter light source, resulting in easier dodging and burning, you might want to try one of the available graded silver chloride contact papers. They are much slower speed than projection papers, which will allow extended printing times and an easier read of the negative for manipulation.

Just a thought. Anyway, have fun; there is nothing quite like a contact print from any size negative!

[Oren Grad]

Sal, I've tried non-glare and anti-Newton glasses before and always ended up with the texture showing in my prints.

It's always possible that some vendor has come up with a variant that's just different enough to do the trick. Can you identify a specific brand that's worked well for you?

[Sal Santamaura]

...Can you identify a specific brand that's worked well for you?

Unfortunately, no. I've simply gone to a frame shop and asked for the finest texture they had.

I use a diffuse light source for contact printing on Azo, specifically a 40w bulb in a 10-inch diameter Smith-Victor reflector with the diffusion attachment clipped on. When contacting on enlarging paper, I use a diffusion head with no negative in the carrier and the lens set lower than the point where carrier opening edges are sharp. Is it possible that a collimated light source causes texture to be visible in prints?

[Oren Grad]

Is it possible that a collimated light source causes texture to be visible in prints?

I'm using the LPL 4x5 dichroic head and always keep the negative carrier edges as well as the emitting surface of the enlarger head well out of focus, so the light should be pretty diffuse. Further supporting that is that specks of dust on the upper surface of the top glass don't visibly affect the print - they have to be pressed against or between the negative and the paper to show up.

I'll keep an eye out for different flavors of the antiglare glass. It would certainly be handy to be able to use a frame sometimes; it's worth the occasional experiment with new materials to see whether I'm missing anything.