Printing 35mm Full Frame?

images39 · Sep 13, 2004

I'm fairly new to black & white and printing, but am enjoying the learning process. My problem is this: I shoot 35mm and have never gotten used to having to crop images down from the 2:3 ratio. I find this ratio appealing as compared to what an 8x10 print gives, I also like composing images in the viewfinder and not having to think about leaving extra space at the edges for cropping. My question is, how can someone print this ratio on paper? 5x7 paper is close to the right ratio, but I'd like to print a bit larger. If they made 8x12 paper that would do it, but I've not heard of paper this size. Do I have to buy 11x14 and cut it? Seems kind of wasteful. Any suggestions would really be appreciated...

Thanks,
Dale

Les McLean · Sep 13, 2004

When I print full frame from 35mm using 8 x 10 paper I usually make the longest side of the image about 8" leaving a 1" border each side and at the top with the bottom slightly wider. I don't like prints made almost to the edge of the paper so I don't consider a smaller image on larger paper a waste, more a part of the presentation of the image.

TPPhotog · Sep 13, 2004

Dale,
You could try 8.25" x 11.75" (A4) not a perfect 2:3 but very close
Tony

harveyje · Sep 13, 2004

Ganz? makes a one size easel for the 35mm format on an 8x10 sheet of paper. Its called the "Speed-E-Z" or something like that. It comes in many sizes.

Nige · Sep 13, 2004

To print 35mm full frame I usually do what Les suggests. Sometimes I do 4x9's in a Durst Commask easel that has fold up flaps to change the size you wish to use (you end up with 5mm borders). If the prints for someone I make it 5x7 to suit a regular frame. I also crop them but those get printed to 8x10 dimensions (with a border)

roteague · Sep 13, 2004

TPPhotog said:
Dale,
You could try 8.25" x 11.75" (A4) not a perfect 2:3 but very close
Tony

Note sure where Dale is, A4 is a bit hard to find in the US.

TPPhotog · Sep 13, 2004

Robert oops good point Les beat me to the reply in any case, I must learn to type faster LOL

glbeas · Sep 13, 2004

When I was shooting a lot of 35mm sometimes I would split an 11x14 sheet in half for a full frame. Came pretty close to a good fit.

roteague · Sep 13, 2004

TPPhotog said:
Robert oops good point Les beat me to the reply in any case, I must learn to type faster LOL

You know what they say about the US and UK: "two peoples, separated by a common language", and sometimes by measurements (although, I still say, we drive on the correct side of the road over here . )

ann · Sep 13, 2004

try 6 x 9. Speed easel does make an easel that is basically 8 x10 but the border is not the 1/4 inch around. the sides are the standard 1/4 inch with the long side being deeper. i can measured and get back to you.

I always shoot full frame and encourage my students not to crop. It has been my experience that too many people use cropping in place of careful viewing and thinking.

That does not mean one should not crop, just don't use it as a clean up method. Then with 35mm film we have so little surface to begin with why take away any.

Flotsam · Sep 13, 2004

I bought a box of 11x14 Ilford FB MG with the idea of cutting it and printing 7"x11". Then I started printing on 8x10 Polymax single weight and never got around to it.

jimgalli · Sep 13, 2004

Flotsam's approach is the correct one. Any 4:5 ratio (all papers are) when cut in half come VERY close to 2:3. Your full frame 35's will fit perfectly onto a half sheet of 11X14 ie. 11X7, or 8X5 or 16X10.

titrisol · Sep 14, 2004

6x9 is the size for 8x11, that leaves a 1" margin in each side, which is great for toning.
You'll find after a while that cropping a bit here and there is the way to go

Juraj Kovacik · Sep 14, 2004

when you cut 30x40 cm paper to two halfs, you take two 20:30 pieces - and that the ratio you are looking for.

rogueish · Sep 14, 2004

Just like Ann and Titrisol said to try, we printed 35mm @ 6x9 on 8x10 sheets in night class. No cropping required. If you want to trim the paper, you have handy test strips...

sparx · Sep 14, 2004

I always print the full frame on 10x8 paper, aiming for an image of approx. 7 1/2 x 5. I usually mount in a 400mm square frame and i'm happy with the final results.

images39 · Sep 14, 2004

This was my first post, and I appreciate the great response. I'm probably going to have numerous "rookie" questions about printing, and there seem to be a lot of very helpful people here. I have only used fixed easels, and am not familiar with the adjustable type. Is this what you would use to print some of the sizes suggested above, such as 6x9 on 8x10 paper, or on an 11x7 sheet cut from 11x14?

Robert, I notice that you're in Kaneohe, Hawaii. I grew up in the next town over (Kailua). I've been gone 14 years, but sure miss it now and then!

Dale

Nige · Sep 14, 2004

When I print 6x9 on a 10x8 I hold the paper flat in an fixed easel but size and focus the image on the paper so that it doesn't touch the easel borders.

images39 · Sep 14, 2004

Nige,

Does this method give you sharp image borders? I would have thought they'd be a bit fuzzy?

Dale

Nige · Sep 14, 2004

a bit fuzzy. Depends on your neg carrier. If you want sharp edges then you'll need to mask the paper at the easel, and to do that with the paper/printing size we're talking about you'll either need a 4 bladed easel or to make up a mask out of cardboard (matt board with a beveled edge would work well I think).

livemoa · Sep 14, 2004

roteague said:
You know what they say about the US and UK: "two peoples, separated by a common language", and sometimes by measurements (although, I still say, we drive on the correct side of the road over here . )

Interesting statistic that I came across a while ago, around 40% of the world drive on the left, the natural side of the road.... lol. Hope this dosen't start a flame war or something ;-)

Though, what my reply has to do with printing full frame 35 mm I don't know

Claire Senft · Dec 12, 2004

35mm ratio for print paper.

Almost all of my 35mm film is exposed to use the full frame. I take almost 100% of my photos which are landscape, cityscapes, nature and still life with the use of a Majestic 2501 tripod. I am sure that many of you will consider this to be a lot of tripod to lug around for use with a 35mm camera. Be that as it may it has proven itself to be a most satisfactory device. When I compose a photo and circumstances allow me to fill my frame the way I want I make mental note of how the image will be printed and fill my frame with either the left/right or bottom/top fills my viewfinder to the edges...assuming that I cannot fill the frame so that the bottom/top and left/right do not give me the composition I desire. Most of the time the full frame is what I am able to use.

I then print to negative to the maximum size that can be accomodated by the size od the paper. I then use the paper trimmer to get the visualized composition. For example in making prints on 8x10 paper I project the image size as 6-1/2"x9-3/4 ". I most cases this is my trimmed print size. If my intended composition used less than the full left/right portion or had excess top or bottom when I took the photo I trim it down so that it might become for example 6-1/2"x8" or 5-3/8"x9-3/4 inches. I cut myself no slack in doing this because it forces me to be much more careful about my composition. This practice has, in my opinion, improved my composition dramatically because every time I look at one of my prints that has undesirable composition it serves as a very strong reminder to pay attention to what I am doing.

Then again I take handheld photos of my active grandchild and my cropping happens during projection.

bjorke · Dec 12, 2004

It's all a scam designed to make you waste paper (which you pay for): http://www.botzilla.com/blog/archives/000176.html

Same deal with mattes, unless you cut them yourself (4x6" is the only decent 35mm size that's standardized).

rbarker · Dec 12, 2004

bjorke said:
It's all a scam designed to make you waste paper . . .

Yeah, sorta like model portfolio shots, the standard size for which is 9x12. The agencies demand that size, forcing you to print on 11x14 and trim, just because they can. If the agencies weren't so money-hungry, I'd suspect they were commies. ;-)

Printing 35mm Full Frame?

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