Really big contact printer

digital_archivist

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• Dec 23, 2025

• #1

No connection with the seller: https://www.ebay.com/itm/389302502578 .

How common is a contact printer this big? I'd by it just to swap out the bulbs for UV LEDs, bit it seems a shame to trash something this nifty.

 

koraks

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• Dec 23, 2025

• #2

The pressure/clamp system is nice. I briefly had one that was much smaller but even more sturdily built. I think I gave it away. Good riddance. Lumpy box, takes up a lot of space.

 

blee1996

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• Dec 23, 2025

• #3

I think if you have extra space and time, this contact printing box seems quite handy if you do a lot of contact printing. Since almost all of the bulbs are working, you might not even need to convert into LED. You can still find NOS 7.5W incandescent bulb in the US.

But the biggest issue might be control the light intensity and filters for multi-grade paper.

 

wiltw

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• Dec 23, 2025

• #4

Don't throw it away....it is an 'antique' ! When I think of all the gear that I used routinely as a teen, that was already 30 years old, and now it is 60 years older!

 

glbeas

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• Dec 23, 2025

• #5

Nice antique, though I wouldnt call it big. Mines about four times that size.

 

pbromaghin

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• Dec 24, 2025

• #6

So if you want to do contact prints, be it 35mm whole roll prints or 8x10 single exposure prints, you just put the film on there and cover it with a sheet of light sensitive paper?

 

MattKing

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• Dec 24, 2025

• #7

It might have been used for all sorts of things, including contact prints from formats like whole plate.

 

koraks

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• Dec 24, 2025

• #8

pbromaghin said:

So if you want to do contact prints, be it 35mm whole roll prints or 8x10 single exposure prints, you just put the film on there and cover it with a sheet of light sensitive paper?

Click to expand...

Yup. Clamp the top shut and turn on the lamp for the correct time.

 

OP

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• Dec 26, 2025

• #9

OK - you’ve convince me it was worth buying. We’ll see if it survives shipping.