Where to purchase large paper to print on

[Kirk Gittings]

Evan, you didn't mention how much experience you have making prints in general? If you are new to it I would start with prints anywhere near that large.

One thing to note (I have done a ton of very large b&w prints over the years). Every method I tried was pretty messy and required-not just a dark room-but a very large dark room with ventilation and floors that wouldn't matter if they stained and could be wet mopped..

Also think about how you are going to dry them?

To be completely honest? I personally wouldn't think about doing it myself now any method but printing digitally. It solves sooooo many problems related to making big prints like negs poping from the heat of looong exposures, handling problems, drying problems, etc. etc. I wish I had a dollar per square foot for every print I trashed just because they were out of focus from the negative popping or had handling marks. If I had to do it traditionally I would send it to a lab who does it professionally.

[vinny]

Kirk,
I can't believe you weren't using glass carriers.

Brian, I didn't read your post carefully. Sorry bout that.

[Kirk Gittings]

Why not ask first and spare yourself the disbelief? Did you try glass carriers? Yes. Life in the SW with multiple surfaces for dust collection-blown up huge. Want to spend a week spotting a 40x60 print with hundreds of dust spots?

[vinny]

Why not ask first and spare yourself the disbelief? Did you try glass carriers? Yes. Life in the SW with multiple surfaces for dust collection-blown up huge. Want to spend a week spotting a 40x60 print with hundreds of dust spots?

Aah yes, the southwest. I had a hell of a time with them when I lived in los angeles which is prolly the dirtiest place on the continent. Much better now that I'm in michigan.

[Vaughn]

We have our intermediate students make 40"x60" prints every semester (usually from 4x5 negs).

We use troughs (about 48" wide or so -- using RC paper). Two students on each end of the print, and the print is see-sawed through the troughs. Prints washed in a sink in the method described by Marfa. Once washed they are squeegeed on a large table, then tacked onto a wall and dried with a hair blow-drier. A bit rough, but it works -- especially considering that it is the first time for the students.

Doing 20x24 prints would be a heck of a lot easier!

Vaughn

[tgtaylor]

Imagine a 22x30 (or larger!) gold-toned well executed Vandyke or Kallitype on a high quality 140lb hot press paper! The darkroom at the San Francisco Parks and Recreation has a mural section complete with 30x40 trays. You bring the paper and gold and they supply the rest.

Thomas

[marfa boomboom tx]

... Two students on each end of the print, and the print is see-sawed through the troughs. Prints washed in a sink in the method described by Marfa. Once washed they are squeegeed on a large table, then tacked onto a wall and dried with a hair blow-drier. .....

Vaughn

V: we used a wash Wall... sheet plastic on plywood at angle... into rain gutter... turn on spray heads. Oh, the paper was pulled out slightly at top, so that water could get the back of the prints.

These things were done for TV stations around the nation, as well as restaurants etc... by the many hundreds.


Done using home-made horizontal enlarger in a room with a vacuum wall. Ah, those were the days.

[LF_rookie_to_be]

Imagine a 22x30 (or larger!) gold-toned well executed Vandyke or Kallitype on a high quality 140lb hot press paper! The darkroom at the San Francisco Parks and Recreation has a mural section complete with 30x40 trays. You bring the paper and gold and they supply the rest.

Thomas

30x40"! Been thinking of building those, too. For now three 25x31" trays suffice. 24x30" FB prints aren't really that difficult to handle. Just got another roll of EMAKS, not particularly expensive. If you like RC, find a big sewer/drainage pipe at a construction site and make a cupped drain/fill lid. Did perfectly developed 36x42" color prints recently in one such pipe. Simply go ahead and try it!

[Kodachrome25]

Evan, you didn't mention how much experience you have making prints in general? If you are new to it I would start with prints anywhere near that large.

One thing to note (I have done a ton of very large b&w prints over the years). Every method I tried was pretty messy and required-not just a dark room-but a very large dark room with ventilation and floors that wouldn't matter if they stained and could be wet mopped..

Also think about how you are going to dry them?

To be completely honest? I personally wouldn't think about doing it myself now any method but printing digitally. It solves sooooo many problems related to making big prints like negs poping from the heat of looong exposures, handling problems, drying problems, etc. etc. I wish I had a dollar per square foot for every print I trashed just because they were out of focus from the negative popping or had handling marks. If I had to do it traditionally I would send it to a lab who does it professionally.

When I considered years ago doing darkroom work again, the question Evan asked is one of the first questions I had....how big can I go, even if I never went that big. Sometimes people just want to know what the limits are. Yes, murals can be a tough and expensive road and if I were not making an income off of photography, I probably would not go there. But I am making a living off of it and prints that big can go for thousands around my parts.

This is not a one size fits all pursuit, so if a guy wants to try on a pair of moon boots, well I say more power to him...:-)

That said, 20x24 still feels big to me so I agree with start smaller and work your way up. 16x20 might be my favorite size to print as both 120 & 4x5 do really well on it.

[ROL]

Before you make statements like that.......

Bob carnie, clyde butcher, and others make large prints. Not sure why others couldn't.

Because "we" are experienced at it – and the darkroom in general.


I self–censored (deleted) my first post because I felt it was unnecessarily harsh for a first time poster. With the limited information given by the OP, it was difficult to know how to best help him achieve his goal – because those goals and his darkroom experience were not well communicated. Given the responses of others, I can in retrospect see that my post was in line and possibly even less abrupt than the general feeling. And BTW, anybody can make large prints, even good ones if the subject matter and negative support it, one is careful, consistent and plans ahead (traits not always present in the "artistic"), has sufficient room to work, yada, yada, yada.