I'm about to embark on my first alt prints,

rorydancarl002 · Oct 23, 2025

Hey guys, I'm about to embark on my first alt prints, aiming at platinum eventually.
I think both because of cost and my location (I have neighbors and very thin walls), a vacuum frame is out of the question for me. I am going to go straight to 16x20 to minimize costs (I want to only build a frame/light setup once). Having said that, I DO plan on making the actual printed area small, as I'm learning, and very often the printed area itself will not be bigger than 8x10, ie, in the middle of the 16x20 paper. I print on vellum and plan on continuing to do that with the wet processes, with much encouragement from what I've already seen online.

fgorga · Oct 23, 2025

Welcome!

With regard to light sources...

See this post herein: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/diy-uv-box.180065/.

Also see: https://www.alternativephotography.com/diy-uv-light-boxes-alternative-photography/

These 395 nm LED strips are very easy to use and inexpensive. They work well for all processes except direct to plate photo polymer gravure which require 360 nm LEDs. For a 16x20 unit, I would use 8 of the 24" long strips.

With regard to print frames...

There is lots of good information (about both DIY and commercially available frames) in the alternativephotography.com link above. You'll need to scroll way down the page past the light box stuff.

Photographer's Formulary makes nice frames with two different methods of closure, see: https://stores.photoformulary.com/contact-print-frames/. These are sometimes in stock at B&H with free shipping.

I prefer the swing arm style but went with the snap back style for my 16x20 frame because of the cost and the fact that I don't make a lot of prints that large. The snap back style works just fine but it can be tough on my old, arthritic fingers. If I was to buy another one I would go with the swing arm style. (The rest of my random collection of smaller frames are the swing arm style.)

The key to a print frame is to insure that there is good contact between the negative and the sensitized paper. One can fine tune the pressure, if needed to get good, uniform contact, by adding a sheet or two of 250-300 gsm paper to the 'sandwich'. This is sometimes needed with thin sensitized paper and with the larger frame sizes. I just leave the extra paper (sized to fill the frame) in my frames (both 11x14 and 16x20) for every exposure.

Regards,

--- Frank

rorydancarl002 · Oct 23, 2025

fgorga said:
Welcome!

With regard to light sources...

See this post herein: https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/diy-uv-box.180065/.

Also see: https://www.alternativephotography.com/diy-uv-light-boxes-alternative-photography/

These 395 nm LED strips are very easy to use and inexpensive. They work well for all processes except direct to plate photo polymer gravure which require 360 nm LEDs. For a 16x20 unit, I would use 8 of the 24" long strips.

With regard to print frames...

There is lots of good information (about both DIY and commercially available frames) in the alternativephotography.com link above. You'll need to scroll way down the page past the light box stuff.

Photographer's Formulary makes nice frames with two different methods of closure, see: https://stores.photoformulary.com/contact-print-frames/. These are sometimes in stock at B&H with free shipping.

I prefer the swing arm style but went with the snap back style for my 16x20 frame because of the cost and the fact that I don't make a lot of prints that large. The snap back style works just fine but it can be tough on my old, arthritic fingers. If I was to buy another one I would go with the swing arm style. (The rest of my random collection of smaller frames are the swing arm style.)

The key to a print frame is to insure that there is good contact between the negative and the sensitized paper. One can fine tune the pressure, if needed to get good, uniform contact, by adding a sheet or two of 250-300 gsm paper to the 'sandwich'. This is sometimes needed with thin sensitized paper and with the larger frame sizes. I just leave the extra paper (sized to fill the frame) in my frames (both 11x14 and 16x20) for every exposure.

Regards,

--- Frank

Thanks for getting in touch, and I appreciate the details you shared.

koraks · Oct 24, 2025

fgorga said:
They work well for all processes except direct to plate photo polymer gravure which require 360 nm LEDs.

DAS carbon transfer also needs 365nm. There may be other processes.
Actual exposure efficiency is another matter; this can go either way depending on the cost and spectral sensitivity of processes.

I still see LED strips being recommended a lot, but have personally moved to high-power COB LEDs because the light is more collimated, which helps certain processes. For flat-paper processes like Pt/Pd etc. it doesn't matter much, although there's a slight advantage in terms of rendering of fine detail to the advantage of (quasi-) point sources.

rorydancarl002 said:
the printed area itself will not be bigger than 8x10, ie, in the middle of the 16x20 paper.

So you need a big contact frame; for 16x20" it's probably best to look at a vacuum frame if you can afford/obtain one. Alternatively some kind of clamp/pressure frame will also work for most purposes. The light source can be more modest.

Your choices will depend mostly on what kind of processes you'll be printing. Requirements on light source and frame can vary quite wildly between process. If you're going to stick to the regular routine of salted paper, cyanotype, Van Dyke/Kallitype and Pt/Pd, requirements on the setup are generally less strict. If you also intend to do processes that involve thicker media (carbon, photogravure, gum) and/or imagesetter negatives, it's a different story.

cliveh · Oct 24, 2025

Do you have a garden? The reason i ask is that many alternative processes work well with sunlight (UV blue range).

Vaughn · Oct 24, 2025

I usually would not recommend a 16x20 contact printing frame for smaller prints. Maintaining good firm, even, contact will be much harder over the glass of that size. Not impossible, but you would be risking soft areas. Also size and weight makes constant handling more difficult. But if built with an extra clamp(s) over the image area, it might do the trick -- the rest of the paper does not need the pressure.

I use frames from Bostick and Sullivan. Nice heavy maple 12x15 frames. Fits paper to 12x15 and the image area is 115/8 x14 5/8. Great size for exposing carbon tissues for 8x10 and 11x14 negatives (9x11 and 12x15 tissues respectively) -- good even pressure with my thick tissue. It is a good size for my 8x10 prints platinum prints (using either 11x14 or 12x15 paper).

For 11x14 platinum/palladium prints, like you, I would prefer to coat a larger piece of paper than 12x15. I recently got a 17x21 frame of the same type as the 12x15s that I will be trying out for the 11x14 platinums soon...wish me luck with good contact!

tnp651 · Oct 24, 2025

Might I suggest you try kallitypes while you’re refining your system? A platinum-toned kallitype uses about 1/3 the platinum of a platinotype but the end result is chemically identical. I’ve finally splurged on platinum toner and find the result very much like cheaper palladium toning. UV sensitivity will be the same between kallitypes and platinotypes and you can work out problems with coating and flatness on the cheap.

Sirius Glass · Oct 25, 2025

Welcome to Photrio!

I'm about to embark on my first alt prints,

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