How large are your enlargements? (Survey)

[tim48v]

We'd like to know what size of prints people are making.
Wet darkroom prints only; any process.
You decide what "regular basis" means.
We kept the choices simple, if we omitted your favorite, please just pick the closest size.

Thanks,

Tim
Dead Link Removed

 

[guangong]

some photographers would be surprised at how small prints by many famous photographers were.

 

[MattKing]

The wording of your survey might have been better if it had referred to the largest size enlargements you make on a regular basis.
In my case, it is 11x14, so that is how I voted. But I print smaller a lot more frequently than I print 11x14.

 

[Alan9940]

Like Matt, I selected 11x14 but, also, print smaller more frequently.

 

[faberryman]

These days I am primarily working in alternative processes, and make small prints 6"x9" in a 11"x14" mat, and medium prints 9"x13.5" in a 16"x20" mat. That's either a half or full sheet of 12"x16" of art paper. I plan to make some larger 12"x18" print's this fall.

 

[Ian Grant]

The poll shows a formats only available (routinely) in the US 11x14".

I print almost exclusively on 16x12" paper, but the poll also needs to allow multiple choices as I (and many others) print 20x16 and larger as well as some 10x8 and smaller.

Ian

 

[Truzi]

I haven't printed anything in years, so mine would be zero; thus I chose 5x7 or smaller.

Seriously, though, soon I'll have a temporary darkroom - so my real answer is still 5x7 or smaller. My intention and goal is 4x6 - I basically take snapshots and put them all in albums.
I'm sure I'll do some 5x7 and a few 8x10; mostly for family. Perhaps larger on rare occasion.

However, I will print EVERY color and B&W frame I have taken at 4x6 - even brackets, tests, and stereo images. I have a lot of back-logged negatives. I will eventually do the same with the negatives I've inherited from family. (I have contemplated standardizing future albums at 5x7, but am not quite sure at this point. Even if I do, my 5x7 or smaller choice still stands.)

 

[Sirius Glass]

I mostly print square. 11"x11"

 

[mooseontheloose]

Is this the size of the paper used, or the size of the print on the paper? For example, I often print 5x7 (or 7x7) on 8x10 paper. For lith (and important) prints I like using 9.5x12 paper (with a smaller image on it) which unfortunately is not popular in North America (but a very nice size considering the difference between 8x10 and 11x14). It would be nice if the poll had more options for non-standard sizes (panoramas, etc) and contact prints.

 

[Gerald C Koch]

I am surprised at the number of people who checked 11x14 or larger. Where do they display them all and if not then why print such a large size? I have a fairly large house but there is only enough wall space for a couple of dozen prints of that size. In fact any of my prints larger than 8x10 were made for exhibitions.

Edward Weston and many other photographers seldom printed larger than 8x10. For example the pepper prints. Large does not necessarily denote good or effective.

 

[Theo Sulphate]

I checked "5x7 or smaller" because that's what I have printed whenever I have a roll of film developed. Just today I had 84 prints made from photos I shot last week.

From these I select images for display on my wall, for enlargements, and for permanent display. Those on permanent display are mostly 16x20 but a few are 8x10 or smaller.

Some photos are rotated through being displayed on my wall as a small collection; that way there's variety and the photos don't stay hidden in an album or envelopes.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I mostly print square. 11"x11"

I am surprised at the number of people who checked 11x14 or larger. Where do they display them all and if not then why print such a large size? I have a fairly large house but there is only enough wall space for a couple of dozen prints of that size. In fact any of my prints larger than 8x10 were made for exhibitions.

Edward Weston and many other photographers seldom printed larger than 8x10. For example the pepper prints. Large does not necessarily denote good or effective.

That is what I mostly print. For my walls I print larger prints. For the answer to that you will have to start a new thread poll, "What size prints do you make for hanging on your walls?"

 

[Arklatexian]

I am surprised at the number of people who checked 11x14 or larger. Where do they display them all and if not then why print such a large size? I have a fairly large house but there is only enough wall space for a couple of dozen prints of that size. In fact any of my prints larger than 8x10 were made for exhibitions.

Edward Weston and many other photographers seldom printed larger than 8x10. For example the pepper prints. Large does not necessarily denote good or effective.

Gerald, back in the 1940s/50s, us advanced amateurs had a "tongue-in-cheek" saying: "if you can't make them good, make them big and if you can't make them good and big, make them Big, Blue and Glossy". The prints hanging in my house are mostly 11 x 14 mounted in 16 x 20 frames and number less than your 24. I like to rotate them thereby making room for more. A few are left over from competitions in the local photo society before it went all digital and I once sent prints to international salons. 11x14 put me at a disadvantage as most prints submitted at that time were 16x20 and 14 x 17 (another nice size mounted on a 16x20 mount and yes, you do crop a piece of 16x20 paper. That size was available commercially until about 1950) If I am able to print in the future, it will probably be on 8 x 10 paper and mounted on 11 x 14 mount boards. As anyone can tell, I like mounted prints......Regards!

 

[M Carter]

I got no answer - I start with straight prints at 4x5 (cut 8x10 MGWT into quarters). Decide if I want to make any masks. Dial in mask exposures and rough manipulations at 4x5. Really just "getting to know the image" and where I want to go with it at this point.

Then go to 8x10 or 11x14, depending on how I like the shot. Recalculate all those times and use the larger print to look for dealbreaker issues with focus or process. Then I switch to lith developer after deciding if I want grit (plenty of classic papers) or smooth tonality (Ektalure or MGWT) and beef up exposure. Lith often points me down an entirely new path or expression of the shot - MGWT in lith doesn't really jack with the essence of the image as much as classic papers do though.

If I really love it, I may go to 16x20 lith, but by then, my notes are process are complete and it's minor mods if the larger size seems to affect my perception of the shot.

I just sat down with something like 30 prints of the same image, the bulk of them 4x5 and 8x10 with maybe a dozen 11x14... and a trash can. Maybe 18 keepers (the 4x5's are cool and make nice gift cards) and xmas will be here before I know it. Everyone wants prints and I usually sell a handful online before the holidays.

 

[tim48v]

Here's a link to a more detailed survey and a rendering of our Compact Darkroom Technology:
https://shop.stearmanpress.com/blogs/news/shrinking-the-darkroom

 

[mnemosyne]

In continental Europe 8x10 inch is rather exotic, I would reckon that 18x24 cm or 24x30 cm are the most popular paper sizes here. But I assume you are not targeting the European market, so this is probably not relevant to you.

 

[R.Gould]

Can't vote as I always use 91/2 by 12,

 

[sepiareverb]

Generally 8x10, but I make very small prints often and go up to 20x24" on occasion.

 

[removed account4]

sometimes smaller than 5x7, sometimes bigger than 11x14, it all depends ...

 

[darkosaric]

On a regular basis: 24x36cm on 30x40cm paper.

 

[Bob Carnie]

this week the biggest print I am making is 58 inches x 77 inches , and the smallest is 5 x 7 inch.. but on a whole I would think 24 x30 would be my average size.

When printing Alt Prints its usually on 16 x20 sheet of paper

 

[jim10219]

I am surprised at the number of people who checked 11x14 or larger. Where do they display them all and if not then why print such a large size? I have a fairly large house but there is only enough wall space for a couple of dozen prints of that size. In fact any of my prints larger than 8x10 were made for exhibitions.

Edward Weston and many other photographers seldom printed larger than 8x10. For example the pepper prints. Large does not necessarily denote good or effective.

I don't hang a lot of photographs on my walls or even print a ton of my own work. Usually, I'll just scan them into a computer and store the negatives. I generally only print something if I am absolutely floored by it, or if somebody buys a print. In fact, the majority of my prints are experiments (lots of alternative processes) that are never meant to be displayed. In any event, usually when I want to hang a new print, I take down an old one. I don't like the look of cluttered walls, so I am really judicious about what gets displayed. I tend to view it as "I have a space that needs a photo" rather than "I have a photo that needs a space". Therefore the size of the print is determined by the size of the space (or the visual weight it occupies), so 11x14 isn't all that big to me, especially when hanging next to one of my paintings (which are often quite large).

This method not only makes my house look nicer, but it gives the impression that I'm a lot better artist than I actually am. When people come over, they only see my greatest hits and are left to infer what all of my other work must look like. God help them if they were to flip through my negative collections or scanned files on my computer!

 

[tim48v]

The survey link above offers more options.

Here's an update: https://shop.stearmanpress.com/blogs/news/details-on-shrinking-the-darkroom

 

[LarsAC]

I print 5x7 in RC for most family album stuff. Good photos get printed on FB, mainly 9.5x12, some 12x16, few in 16x20, very few in 20x24.

Lars

 

[BMbikerider]

I normally produce only 12x16 prints or close to it. All other pictures if they are worth keeping and using I scan, and turn into digital images to be projected. If I print for anyone else I print what they want, but they are in the tiny minority.