A couple of questions for any of you who have used a Ganz easel. Does it really keep fiber paper flat? Or, I guess what I want to know is, does it keep fiber paper really flat, not just almost flat? I say that because my fiber paper is often somewhat stubbornly curled, typically with the edges wanting to curl up higher than the middle, and I am going through a lot of trouble to focus carefully, align my enlarger, etc., so it is important to me to have the paper flat. Secondly, does the surface of the paper get damaged in the process of sliding it into a Ganz easel? I know that the Ganz easles are a single size, but are there any other significant limitations that I should be aware of?
I don't know anything about the Ganz easels. If won't settled for any thing but totaly flat you should be relieved to learn that there is really nothing to it. A home brew or 3M's sticky back adhesive is a the standard way of holding film and papers to a flat surface and holding them perfectly flat. They peel off. I've observed that a wet, not dripping wet, paper does lie flat. One more item I've not got around to; a wet easel and placement method. Beat me to it and let us know how it works. Dan
Ganz easels are what used to be called "SpeedEzels". I have a collection ranging from 4x5 up to 8x10. They all hold the paper flat, and I have never had a problem with damage to the edges of the paper.
Ganz Speed-Ez-Els may be a bit harder to load than easels with hinged tops. One must be careful not to move them while loading. They don't hold paper as flat as a good vacuum easel, but they are close enough. They don't damage paper surface. I've used little else for several decades. A cheaper easel is a sheet of thin iron with magnetic strips slightly beveled to hold the paper at the edges. One size fits all.
I tape the easel to the baseboard with a couple pieces of masking tape to keep things in place after "composing" my print. The tape lifts easily when you need to move the easel. - Robert
I use Ganz Speed-ez-l's.. For smaller sizes (8x10 and smaller) I think they are fantastic as long as you can live with a fixed border. They bend and warp if you aren't careful. The rubber feet on bottom disintegrate after a while. I use little rubber feet for the bottom of mine. For 8x10's with curly fiber paper i've never experienced unsharpness.
>> Ganz [Speed] easels move around I lock mine in place by sliding the feet under the blades in a 4-bladed easel. I find them to be much faster and less error prone than a standard 4-blade.
