iPad enlarger

[RalphLambrecht]

Did anybody ever try to use an iPad as a contact printer? I'm thinking of displaying an inverted( negative) image and place it on an 8x10 paper to get a positive print thoughts?

 

[Carriage]

How are you going to control it (e.g. turn the screen on or off for exposure timing) while it's in contact with the paper?

 

[Old-N-Feeble]

That's an interesting concept. I would think the screen protector would keep the LCD screen too far from the paper so the print would be a bit fuzzy but I don't know.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

We have two iPads at home. I think, they are 2048x1536 models. So, how good in 3.1MP picture?
I don't think it is good enough for me to try it on this size of paper.

 

[Mr Bill]

I would think the screen protector would keep the LCD screen too far from the paper so the print would be a bit fuzzy but I don't know.

I concur, probably too fuzzy. You ideally would have intimate contact with the actual image-forming part of the setup, which won't happen.

If you want an idea how bad it'll be, hold a piece of thin paper, tracing paper, or perhaps newsprint etc., on top of the screen. This should give roughly the same amount of detail as a contact print. I doubt you'll be satisfied.

If you have a large format camera, you'll get better results by loading the camera with a sheet of paper and deal with a long exposure time. Might need some strong filtration, I dunno. Best of luck.

 

[Ai Print]

There was a startup company out of Croatia called Fojome who created the Enfojer that would use an iPhone in place of a neg carrier. They had an app that would reverse the image to print:

So they did a Kickstarter and once it was met I ordered one. But as time went on and I neared the 180 day mark for getting a refund from PayPal, I canceled it because they were having all kinds of problems and seemed increasingly flakey. I was one of the lucky ones, I got my full refund back, most did not. They took the website down, their Facebook page is dead and a lot of people who paid over $300 for the thing were left hung out to dry.

It was a fun idea and seemed like it had a promising future but they blew it.

 

[ic-racer]

I have used an iDevice in place of a negative stage to project the screen image. I found it 100 times easier to display interesting digital information on a computer screen and make an internegative with a camera and macro lens; taking a picture of the computer monitor.

 

[removed account4]

i've tried somethng like that ralph, for me at least, it didn't work very well ..
i was at a local store for the holidays and they had
a smart phone PROJECTOR .. you stuck your phone in this device
and it allows you to have a slide show on the wall like a new age kodak carousel ..
probably that could be used as an enlarger... .. if you could figure out how to focus it at short distances ..

https://www.amazon.com/Cardboard-Ve...=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B01N0PGU5T

20$

 

[tezzasmall]

There was a startup company out of Croatia called Fojome who created the Enfojer that would use an iPhone in place of a neg carrier. They had an app that would reverse the image to print:

So they did a Kickstarter and once it was met I ordered one. But as time went on and I neared the 180 day mark for getting a refund from PayPal, I canceled it because they were having all kinds of problems and seemed increasingly flakey. I was one of the lucky ones, I got my full refund back, most did not. They took the website down, their Facebook page is dead and a lot of people who paid over $300 for the thing were left hung out to dry.

It was a fun idea and seemed like it had a promising future but they blew it.

Just checking the funding page, it seems that they only just got just over half of what they required, money wise:

Dead Link Removed

Surprised to here about people losing their money though. I have backed a few items over the past few years and I was under the impression that unless the full amount was gotten, people got refunds straight away. Of course, just because the amount needed may be made doesn't guarantee anything. There could be technical issues etc and the item may not arrive so you could lose your money that way I suppose.

It's a real shame as it seemed like a good idea and I loved some of the quirky items that they were going to make. I loved the mini safe-light in the video and the colourful dishes are much better than the grey ones that I have!

Terry S

 

[trendland]

Did anybody ever try to use an iPad as a contact printer? I'm thinking of displaying an inverted( negative) image and place it on an 8x10 paper to get a positive print thoughts?

Well the problem to any idea in such kind is the so called quality lost from "copy generation" You might know this from filming Super8 with Video to tranfer. You might know this from transfer E6 Films with 35mm camera and C41 loaded films.
Or the copy of old VHS tapes ( try to copy a copy 7 times with VHS) your films are bw then. AND the lost in darkroom from negative on paper is real great while enlarging - we did not know because we find no physicaly way without enlarger.
With the exeption of contact prints! But dont worry - also with contact prints there is a lost - and it is also high - but not as high as from enlarging.
So the Idea via Iphone is a real nice gimmic - but in regard of the quality engeneers turn in the graves.

 

[chrisaisenbrey]

Just checking the funding page, it seems that they only just got just over half of what they required, money wise:

Dead Link Removed

Surprised to here about people losing their money though. I have backed a few items over the past few years and I was under the impression that unless the full amount was gotten, people got refunds straight away. Of course, just because the amount needed may be made doesn't guarantee anything. There could be technical issues etc and the item may not arrive so you could lose your money that way I suppose.

It's a real shame as it seemed like a good idea and I loved some of the quirky items that they were going to make. I loved the mini safe-light in the video and the colourful dishes are much better than the grey ones that I have!

Terry S

You can get their app "enfojer" in the google or apple store fo free and play with it.
There is also an Austrian project with an android app:
http://www.ulrikemayrhuber.com/paperlabapp/

 

[RalphLambrecht]

How are you going to control it (e.g. turn the screen on or off for exposure timing) while it's in contact with the paper?

I'll build a manual shutter.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I concur, probably too fuzzy. You ideally would have intimate contact with the actual image-forming part of the setup, which won't happen.

If you want an idea how bad it'll be, hold a piece of thin paper, tracing paper, or perhaps newsprint etc., on top of the screen. This should give roughly the same amount of detail as a contact print. I doubt you'll be satisfied.

If you have a large format camera, you'll get better results by loading the camera with a sheet of paper and deal with a long exposure time. Might need some strong filtration, I dunno. Best of luck.

I don't share this concern but, we'll see.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

There was a startup company out of Croatia called Fojome who created the Enfojer that would use an iPhone in place of a neg carrier. They had an app that would reverse the image to print:

So they did a Kickstarter and once it was met I ordered one. But as time went on and I neared the 180 day mark for getting a refund from PayPal, I canceled it because they were having all kinds of problems and seemed increasingly flakey. I was one of the lucky ones, I got my full refund back, most did not. They took the website down, their Facebook page is dead and a lot of people who paid over $300 for the thing were left hung out to dry.

It was a fun idea and seemed like it had a promising future but they blew it.

not at all what I'm trying to do but thanks for the link.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I don't share this concern but, we'll see.

some folks really struggle with a lack of imagination and sped more energy into finding ways why things won't work rather than putting that energy into finding solutions.

 

[Ai Print]

not at all what I'm trying to do but thanks for the link.

And here I thought you were trying to make a 16x20 iPad...;-)

 

[Frank53]

Interesting.
I will try it tomorrow.
Regards,
Frank

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Well, I ran a first test today and there were some problems but, they were quite different from what was predicted here;
1.there was no fuzziness at all.the iPad screen is almost in direct contact with the paper and that makes for a crisp print.
2. not having s shutter is a problem; accurate timing is difficult; I need to build a shutter or find an app that allows me to turn the screen on for only a specified time.
3. the biggest issue is the brightness of the screen and ts spectral quality I believe the screen is rather blue-rich.
2 and 3 combined cause severe over exposures;
x. Im thinking of the following adjustments:get either a neutral density foil or a uv-filter foil to cut down on the exposure.alternatively, find a less sensitive contact paper.
any other thought to help the issue?

 

[ic-racer]

The thread indicated "enlarge" but it is contact print.
In that case what I considered doing is putting all BLACK 'slides' before and after the 'image' and running a 'slide show.' Exposure could be tuned with the speed of the slide show. That is, how long the image stayed on the screen in conjunction with Rosco neutral density sheets (a few dollars a piece).
Dead Link Removed

 

[M Carter]

Well, I ran a first test today and there were some problems but, they were quite different from what was predicted here;
1.there was no fuzziness at all.the iPad screen is almost in direct contact with the paper and that makes for a crisp print.
2. not having s shutter is a problem; accurate timing is difficult; I need to build a shutter or find an app that allows me to turn the screen on for only a specified time.
3. the biggest issue is the brightness of the screen and ts spectral quality I believe the screen is rather blue-rich.
2 and 3 combined cause severe over exposures;
x. Im thinking of the following adjustments:get either a neutral density foil or a uv-filter foil to cut down on the exposure.alternatively, find a less sensitive contact paper.
any other thought to help the issue?

Dude, please, we're in the modern i-era here, use your head and get with the program!!! Make a couple full screen videos... 30 seconds or so of black, then 1/4 second or 2 or 5 seconds or whatever you need of white - make a bunch of them at different times. Hit "play", load the paper, wait for the pulse of light, then remove the paper (maybe add 30 seconds of black at the end of each video for paper removal in case it jumps back to the playlist or something). Name the files by the "shutter speed".

There - you just made a digital exposure shutter. (Time it by frame rate - most iDevices are happiest at 29.97 FPS, generally referred to as 30p. Do the math and you're there).

 

[RalphLambrecht]

The thread indicated "enlarge" but it is contact print.
In that case what I considered doing is putting all BLACK 'slides' before and after the 'image' and running a 'slide show.' Exposure could be tuned with the speed of the slide show. That is, how long the image stayed on the screen in conjunction with Rosco neutral density sheets (a few dollars a piece).
Dead Link Removed

thank you so much. that is a very good suggestion and I will try it

 

[juan]

I’d be concerned that the “black” iPad screen with a black frame is still emitting light.

 

[Frank53]

Tried it. Just took a b/w picture (no negative, that will come when it really works) and exposed it for 5sec. That was too much, so I turned down the screen light as much as possible and exposed for 2 sec. That looked a lot better. Looked a bit like a grade 5 print, but ok. One challenge is not to move the paper when exposing and switching off the ipad. The slide show software is a good idea, I think. And less sensitive paper. The best candidate for that is Foma warmtone, which has to be exposed for ages. Unfortunately I don’t have any at the moment.
Keep on trying.
Regards,
Frank

 

[DWThomas]

Somewhere among the bazillion apps, mayhaps there is a remote control slide show app that could operate an iPad slide show via BlueTooth from your iPhone -- I'm afraid to look!

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I’d be concerned that the “black” iPad screen with a black frame is still emitting light.

me too