Mural printing

Dwayne Martin · Jun 29, 2025

Are any of you making big prints? Like 40x30” or more? If so what equipment are you using to do it with? I have been lately. I started with a sheet of plywood with a layer of sheet metal glued to it, and strip magnets to hold the paper down. I found that to be really tricky to deal with so I built myself a two bladed easel capable 30”x 48” exposed area. I’m curious what others are doing. My enlarger is a D5 that I converted to 8x10 with klaus lundsgaard’s conversion kit. My stand is basically a old super heavy duty commercial model with a table that drops all the way to the floor…

F4U · Jun 30, 2025

And you're here asking questions as to how it's done? Sounds like WE need to be asking YOU. My first question would be how to afford a few sheets of 40 inch photographic paper without ending up in the poorhouse. From there, it's a matter of being a cabinet maker or carpenter to fabricate the needed things. Sounds like you got it going on already, and no I'm not being a troll with my post. Regards and good luck

Lachlan Young · Jun 30, 2025

The important things I've found are: getting the relevant optimised lenses (Rodagon-G or G-Componon) if needed for your relevent size of enlargement; working out a means of paper handling that works in your space (not least as roll dispensers were so comprehensively scrapped about 15-20 years ago that they currently are about as easy to find as rocking horse excreta, and when one does appear it sells in minutes); and ensuring that you have a means to wash and dry (ideally taped out under tension) the resulting print. Some real brute power from the enlarger can help too.

Dwayne Martin · Jun 30, 2025

I’m using a 240mm Rodagon G for 8x10, and a 135mm Companon S for 4x5. Even at 30”x40” the results with the Componon are good but my style of photography allows for that. I’m Rolling the prints in 24x30 trays. Not sure what others do but I make two rolls with the print then twist back and forth keeping as much paper flat in the tray as the space will allow. Then I tone out side using a pool to wash made from a sheet of plastic and 4x4’s or a border. I learned the hard way you can’t roll a print in bleach, atleast not a mat sheet of Ilford lV. It won’t tolerate the friction involved in the rolling. I ended up finding a use tray for the purpose, it’s about 36x58. It was made for some industrial purpose and was relatively inexpensive.

xkaes · Jun 30, 2025

For murals, I do horizontal exposures. My Beseler 45MX flips easily to horizontal and I have an 8'x5' easel (foam-core in a wooden frame) hanging from hooks on the ceiling. I use masking tape on the edges to keep the paper in place. Processing is in four, 5-foot long, half-tubes -- created from 12" PVC pipes. I use a 50mm Rodagon G for 35mm, and a 150mm G-Componon for 4x5.

Since your enlarger does not have horizontal printing, you can attach a 45° front surface mirror to the lens, such as a Spiratone Mirrotach -- very inexpensive.

Dwayne Martin · Jun 30, 2025

xkaes said:
For murals, I do horizontal exposures. My Beseler 45MX flips easily to horizontal and I have an 8'x5' easel (foam-core in a wooden frame) hanging from hooks on the ceiling. I use masking tape on the edges to keep the paper in place. Processing is in four, 5-foot long, half-tubes -- created from 12" PVC pipes. I use a 50mm Rodagon G for 35mm, and a 150mm G-Componon for 4x5.

Since your enlarger does not have horizontal printing, you can attach a 45° front surface mirror to the lens, such as a Spiratone Mirrotach -- very inexpensive.

Interesting, I also have the Beseler 45mx back to back with my D5. The reason I opted to go the floor route is the trouble of moving things around to set up the Beseler horizontal. That mirror idea is a good one…

xkaes · Jun 30, 2025

Whether flipping the enlarger or using a mirror, you have to have enough space between the enlarger and easel to make the size print that you want. You're lucky, you have a high ceiling. Going horizontal was my only option.

mshchem · Jun 30, 2025

Dwayne Martin said:
Interesting, I also have the Beseler 45mx back to back with my D5. The reason I opted to go the floor route is the trouble of moving things around to set up the Beseler horizontal. That mirror idea is a good one…

Giant pictures of beautiful women! I wouldn't be able to get away with that

I have a beautiful 8x10 enlarger setup that I haven't used in a long time. It's not going to waste as I have a couple things planned. I doubt I'll be going beyond 20x24, more likely 16x20.

I make no effort to sell prints so I don't know what I'd do with too many of these.

DREW WILEY · Jun 30, 2025

30X40 inch is hardly mural size. And if you're enlarging 8x10 film, or even 4x5, the degree of magnification does not call for any kind of special enlarging lens like a Rodagon G. I have a variety of enlarging lenses, including the 240/9 and 305/9 Apo Nikkor process lenses for 8x10, which are better corrected than any kind of official enlarging lens. For 4x5, I mostly use a 180 Rodagon and 150 Apo Rodagon N.

There was a time when I used a horizontal enlarger for 30X40 prints, along with a vacuum easel on the wall. Now I use a couple of tall vertical 8X10 enlargers instead, in a room with a high ceiling.

Carnie Bob · Jul 1, 2025

I have set up my darkroom to do 30 x 40 inch murals in Silver and PT PD , I live work in a long narrow building and we have a fantastic basement with floor drains that lead out. to a back yard .
I have built a 30 x 40 washer and am very excited to put it to use later this summer. We have a 11 x 14 Devere which is located in the center of the darkroom and we actually cut a hole in the ceiling and the enlarger head actually can lift up into the main floor. This enlarger is very unique as its focus is controlled at the baseboard , so its a dream to focus. For this enlarger we will dedicate to only 4 x 5 and up to 11 x 14 films . We have a second Omega Condensor enlarger which we use for mural 30 x 40 and small prints due to a Baseboard that can be driven by hydraulics to variable position- this enlarger is for 35mm and medium format film. We just finished a show that required 30 x 40 inch prints and 20 x 24 inch prints from 35mm and it was a breeze.
For the PT Pd and multilayered Gum over pd prints we can go up to 30 x 40 inches as we purchased a 32 x 44 inch LED exposing unit from Cone Editions which we attached to the base vacumn frame of a 30 x 40 Nuarc plate burner.

I am very happy with this size and really see no reason to go larger as its a real PIA , quite doable but not my cup. of tea these days.

In my past life I was a mural printer at a very large mural house called Jones and Morris Murals in Toronto and I learned how to use huge horizontal Durst Enlargers to make up to 10ft by 60 ft murals in 72 inch strips.
Its much easier today to cap off a size due, to space , trays , water usage. If I have to make larger prints I use Griffin Editions in New York who do monster silver prints via enlarger or Lambda.

Ron789 · Jul 2, 2025

I once did, together with/for a photo academy student, a 60*90cm print on wool fabric treated with Rollei Black Magic liquid emulsion. The print was part of her graduation exhibition. We used a simple Meopta enlarger and taped the fabric to the wall with duck tape. I don't recall the negative size but it probably was 35mm. In her graduation exhibition she hung the print free-hanging so people could walk around and see through. The image was a female nude. It was a big success, she received many compliments!

Dwayne Martin · Jul 3, 2025

Carnie Bob said:
I have set up my darkroom to do 30 x 40 inch murals in Silver and PT PD , I live work in a long narrow building and we have a fantastic basement with floor drains that lead out. to a back yard .
I have built a 30 x 40 washer and am very excited to put it to use later this summer. We have a 11 x 14 Devere which is located in the center of the darkroom and we actually cut a hole in the ceiling and the enlarger head actually can lift up into the main floor. This enlarger is very unique as its focus is controlled at the baseboard , so its a dream to focus. For this enlarger we will dedicate to only 4 x 5 and up to 11 x 14 films . We have a second Omega Condensor enlarger which we use for mural 30 x 40 and small prints due to a Baseboard that can be driven by hydraulics to variable position- this enlarger is for 35mm and medium format film. We just finished a show that required 30 x 40 inch prints and 20 x 24 inch prints from 35mm and it was a breeze.
For the PT Pd and multilayered Gum over pd prints we can go up to 30 x 40 inches as we purchased a 32 x 44 inch LED exposing unit from Cone Editions which we attached to the base vacumn frame of a 30 x 40 Nuarc plate burner.

I am very happy with this size and really see no reason to go larger as its a real PIA , quite doable but not my cup. of tea these days.

In my past life I was a mural printer at a very large mural house called Jones and Morris Murals in Toronto and I learned how to use huge horizontal Durst Enlargers to make up to 10ft by 60 ft murals in 72 inch strips.
Its much easier today to cap off a size due, to space , trays , water usage. If I have to make larger prints I use Griffin Editions in New York who do monster silver prints via enlarger or Lambda.

That Devere sounds pretty nice. My arm isn’t quite long enough to reach the knob on my D5. I know there is more than one way to solve the problem but I started by ordering one of the Magna Sight grain enlargers, the big fat one that is supposed to be viewable from some distance. I got it in the mail today. As far as I can tell it’s nearly useless with fine grain film, so for now I’ll keep doing it the hard way going back and forth until I get it right.

I actually have a nuarc plate burner also, mine is the mercury type. I actually got the itch to buy one from watching your videos on YouTube so thanks for that. The way I make gum prints and the way you do it is radically different but that’s gum printing isn’t it!

I‘m curious how you store your big prints? Assuming you don’t just mount them and send them out the door. So far I‘m sandwiching mine on big pieces of foamcore with conservation corners holding them in place.

MattKing · Jul 3, 2025

Dwayne Martin said:
I know there is more than one way to solve the problem but I started by ordering one of the Magna Sight grain enlargers, the big fat one that is supposed to be viewable from some distance. I got it in the mail today. As far as I can tell it’s nearly useless with fine grain film, so for now I’ll keep doing it the hard way going back and forth until I get it right.

I use mine in combination with a higher magnification magnifier.
I use the Magna Sight in order to get some image detail as sharp as possible, and then swap it out with the higher magnification unit to do the incremental and small back and forth adjustments to bring the grain into focus.

DREW WILEY · Jul 3, 2025

I have a special close-viewing telescope mounted to one of my 8x10 enlargers. It gets me very close to easel magnifier results.

Dwayne Martin · Jul 3, 2025

MattKing said:
I use mine in combination with a higher magnification magnifier.
I use the Magna Sight in order to get some image detail as sharp as possible, and then swap it out with the higher magnification unit to do the incremental and small back and forth adjustments to bring the grain into focus.

It had occurred to me I might be able to use it just to get close, then switch to my Peak focuser. Omega made a flexible extension that connects to the focus knob so you can reach easily but they’re not easy to find. I’ll end up making something like that I’m sure. I will say I can get focused reasonably fast going back and forth making tiny adjustments though. I’ll try the magna sight again later, right now I’ve got my 8x10 enlarger torn apart trying to find the source of some bizarre looking reflections showing up on the edges of my prints….

Carnie Bob · Jul 4, 2025

Dwayne Martin said:
That Devere sounds pretty nice. My arm isn’t quite long enough to reach the knob on my D5. I know there is more than one way to solve the problem but I started by ordering one of the Magna Sight grain enlargers, the big fat one that is supposed to be viewable from some distance. I got it in the mail today. As far as I can tell it’s nearly useless with fine grain film, so for now I’ll keep doing it the hard way going back and forth until I get it right.

I actually have a nuarc plate burner also, mine is the mercury type. I actually got the itch to buy one from watching your videos on YouTube so thanks for that. The way I make gum prints and the way you do it is radically different but that’s gum printing isn’t it!

I‘m curious how you store your big prints? Assuming you don’t just mount them and send them out the door. So far I‘m sandwiching mine on big pieces of foamcore with conservation corners holding them in place.

Storing big prints is a PIA for sure, these days I only print big ones that are actually going to live on walls and not to be stored, I. learned that mistake years ago with my own work I have thrown out a few that got banged around , but now if I do keep them I put them in bigger matts with window frames , then protect them with lets say foam and hope someday they reach a wall.
All my gum prints are either over cyanotype, silver or pd, I rarely if ever make gum only prints.

Carnie Bob · Jul 4, 2025

Dwayne Martin said:
It had occurred to me I might be able to use it just to get close, then switch to my Peak focuser. Omega made a flexible extension that connects to the focus knob so you can reach easily but they’re not easy to find. I’ll end up making something like that I’m sure. I will say I can get focused reasonably fast going back and forth making tiny adjustments though. I’ll try the magna sight again later, right now I’ve got my 8x10 enlarger torn apart trying to find the source of some bizarre looking reflections showing up on the edges of my prints….

Years ago there was a focus device that was quite long so you could focus and still reach the knob, it worked brilliantly for me made out of some kind of plastic. The devere is magnificent for its focus abilitys, but when using the omega I still bring in assistance to move the grain in and out to finally reach good focus.

bdial · Jul 4, 2025

The big Magna Sight doesn’t magnify enough to show grain, but it does let you focus on image detail. And, you can use it without bending over, which is a blessing if you’re printing hundreds of prints a day.

Dwayne Martin · Jul 4, 2025

bdial said:
The big Magna Sight doesn’t magnify enough to show grain, but it does let you focus on image detail. And, you can use it without bending over, which is a blessing if you’re printing hundreds of prints a day.

yeah that's consistent with what I'm seeing, can't see grain but I can see the image pretty well...

Lachlan Young · Jul 4, 2025

Carnie Bob said:
Years ago there was a focus device that was quite long so you could focus and still reach the knob, it worked brilliantly for me made out of some kind of plastic. The devere is magnificent for its focus abilitys, but when using the omega I still bring in assistance to move the grain in and out to finally reach good focus.

The remote focuser that I've got is essentially a digital sensor in a box (with magnets on the back for attaching to vertical easels) hooked up to a CCTV monitor that sits at enlarger position. It's incredibly precise for grain focus without the constant fiddling for optimal focus. Something very similar could be done very easily with current technology.

Dwayne Martin · Jul 5, 2025

Lachlan Young said:
The remote focuser that I've got is essentially a digital sensor in a box (with magnets on the back for attaching to vertical easels) hooked up to a CCTV monitor that sits at enlarger position. It's incredibly precise for grain focus without the constant fiddling for optimal focus. Something very similar could be done very easily with current technology.

Sounds like a gadget that could sell like crazy if there weren't so few people making big prints. Did you make it?

xkaes · Jul 5, 2025

When you are dealing with murals -- with the print several feet from the enlarger -- you focus with the lens wide open. When you stop down to make the print, you are going to get a sharp print -- excluding you perfectionists, of course!

Lachlan Young · Jul 5, 2025

Dwayne Martin said:
Sounds like a gadget that could sell like crazy if there weren't so few people making big prints. Did you make it?

It dates to the early 90's and came from a lab that had used it with a horizontal HK enlarger (mainly for multi-strip mural scale work) with some pretty high tech control systems (the sort of machine that made the bigger Dursts look like toys - the carriers were milled from solid aluminium, and there was a comprehensive range of stretching glassless carriers for 135-8x10). I don't think these focusing devices were particularly common at all, and went away very quickly with the move of things like multi-strip to digital output. By today's standards it is not a sophisticated device at all.

Carnie Bob · Jul 6, 2025

All the high end horizontal enlargers on rails had a focus device that you could walk up to the wall and focus with a good loupe. I worked on Devere, Durst and HK. I preferred the Durst 2501.

Dwayne Martin · Jul 6, 2025

Carnie Bob said:
We have a 11 x 14 Devere which is located in the center of the darkroom and we actually cut a hole in the ceiling and the enlarger head actually can lift up into the main floor. This enlarger is very unique as its focus is controlled at the baseboard ,

I’m curious what sort of easel you use with this set up?

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