Contact Printing with a Tablet

horacekenneth · Sep 12, 2013

I'm inspired to try after seeing the kickstarter for the fojo enfojer which uses an image on an iphone instead of a negative to enlarge onto ilford paper.

Has anyone tried anything like this? Or do you have any idea of what it would take?

I'm thinking a black and white inverted image on a tablet with a flush glass screen and put it right on top of the paper. I figure I will have very limited control, it will probably be impossible to dodge or burn or even do test strips accurately.

Thoughts?

ntenny · Sep 12, 2013

Forget the image, how about just using the tablet as a contact-printing light source? Set the time, and the screen goes to a blank display, which you plop over the negative/paper like the light source in a contact printer. It could even be colored for the appropriate contrast grade: no filters!

Is there any reason that isn't a workable idea?

-NT

jp498 · Sep 12, 2013

I've stuck photo paper up to my phone (samsung s3) to produce a reversed image on the paper. The main problem is that the screen thickness causes the image to diffuse. If the image were front surface rather than behind the glass, it would be a better result. The diffusion isn't a dreamy diffuse like soft focus either, but a muddy diffusion as diffusing light fogs/darkens to some extent.

Ricardo Miranda · Sep 12, 2013

Here is something to inspire you:
[video=youtube;5sF8K1NfHnM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sF8K1NfHnM[/video]

See how the master does and enjoy it!

WetMogwai · Sep 12, 2013

You will get a very soft image. Even the thickness of a thick film or transparency is enough to make the image look like it was out of focus. I printed a digital image to a transparency to print in cyanotype and Pt/Pd. I accidentally got it upside down so the ink was not in contact with the paper. The result was interesting, but not at all what I was going for. Your idea was the first thing I thought of after seeing the Enjofer, but I quickly realized it wouldn't work and started thinking about how I could mount my phone in my Omega D2 so I can actually focus the image.

horacekenneth · Sep 13, 2013

ntenny - I read in another thread when I was searching for this that your idea is possible but the light from those devices fades to the edge I guess and can produce pretty severe vignetting.

Thanks for the input. I'll try it anyways but good to know the diffusion might turn it muddy.

subsole · Sep 13, 2013

Dead Link Removed

camerabrain · Nov 14, 2013

I put my phone in my enlarger and exposed a 5x7 piece of paper for 60 seconds at f11 and actually got a print it was light and pixelated quite interesting. looking at the projection through a grain magnifier was freaky... wow.

Contact Printing with a Tablet

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