Recommendations on paper for 5x7 contact prints?

HalideReducer · Jun 25, 2020

I haven't made any analog prints in decades, having adopted a hybrid workflow. I've wanted to change that for a while, but COVID-19 has shut down the local community darkroom and I have some space limits at home. So I'd like to start with some contact prints from my 5x7 camera.

My primary goal is just to expand my skills and practice. I'd like to make edge-to-edge prints on 5x7 paper. I have a wooden 5x7 contact frame and soon I'll have an old Kodak printing box with an integrated 5x7 contact frame. I'm not entirely sure what I'll do with the box, but I'm hoping to fix the wiring, add a light source, and put it to use. It's not very large though, from eyeballing the auction photos I think light source would be no more than 10-12" from the film. It was cheap so I'll find out what I can make of it.

I also have a closet I could clear out and darken. It doesn't have electricity and there's not enough room for an enlarger, but I could suspend a light from the ceiling (battery powered? or maybe an extension cord and duct tape light seal) and be like Weston.

Looking at paper in 5x7, I don't see the Fomalux or Adox papers people like for contact printing. It seems those are only available in 8x10 and larger. It doesn't look like anyone is making slower silver chloride papers like Azo/Lodima.

What's my next step?

Put a very low power bulb in the developing box and attempt to contact print to 5x7 VC enlarging paper.
Clean out the closet and hang a bulb from the ceiling to get 20-30s exposures on VC enlarging paper.
Fix the box, make my own silver chloride|cyanotype|insert_alt_process, and print using some UV light source.
Get an 8x10 contact printing frame, and print on the larger Fomalux or Adox "contact speed" paper with a border (and a bulb in the closet)

mshchem · Jun 25, 2020

Fomalux was actually available as a RC paper in 5x7. That would be super easy. I have Fomalux and it's amazing, but I contact print under an enlarger with VC paper and using the VC head of an enlarger. Try a 5x7 package of Ilford's new multicontrast RC.

mshchem · Jun 25, 2020

BTW I have tried old contact printers with modern papers. Light is too strong and uneven on the hobby type. Get a brooder lamp , try and find a 7 1/2 or 15 W bulb.

Jerevan · Jun 25, 2020

You could also cut down 8x10 paper to size. There is also the possibility of doing alternative processes, such as Van Dyke or Cyanotypes or similar.

locutus · Jun 25, 2020

Don't over think it, bulb on the ceiling and foma fixed grade rc paper works great

Alan9940 · Jun 25, 2020

I've never used any kind of contact printing box, but all you need is something like this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-75-...ERCH=REC-_-pipsem-_-205031467-_-205139241-_-N

with a low-watt bulb hanging above the printing area. If using modern VC or fixed grade papers, I would think a 7 1/2 watt bulb (as others have suggested) would work fine; if using slower papers like Lodima or Adox Lupex, you'll probably need something in the 15-watt range. Place the light fixture high enough to provide nice, even lighting, but not so high as to cause abnormally long exposure times. Make a contact printing frame or simply use a piece of heavy glass, gather all the other necessary paraphernalia, and you're good to go.

Have fun!

Donald Qualls · Jun 25, 2020

BTW, you can buy red LED bulbs at the same Big Box store as the clamp lamp, and have a safelight so you don't have to work in the dark. A second clamp lamp, aimed at the ceiling, and a low-lumen red bulb will do that job for cheap. Be sure to do a safelight test, just to be sure the bulb is safe...

mrosenlof · Jun 25, 2020

I shoot 5x7 and *really* like the look of a contact on 8x10 paper. It makes a nice presentation. I use rubylith to mask for white borders.

That said, you can use the equipment you have to make contacts on 5x7 paper. If you use enlarging paper, you'll need a pretty dim bulb in the closet to get exposures in a reasonable range. True contact-speed paper is pretty rare these days. A printing frame is going to give you the ability to dodge and burn while printing, something the box probably won't allow.

lantau · Jun 25, 2020

Fomatone is slower than other multigrade papers. In the data sheet Foma recommends it as contact paper, but concedes that it can also be used in an enlarger. I also have 5x7 Fomalux RC, but only used it for a few 4x5 pinholes.

I bought a Sinar F2 in February and will have better use for the Fomalux. I'll also try my Fomatone papers for contacting. Unfortunately I forgot to bring the LF negatives to the last darkroom sessions.

138S · Jun 25, 2020

HalideReducer said:
not enough room for an enlarger,

Let me make a recommendation:

You expose a certain time in blue and another certain time in green, so you vary the contrast of your print.

This $6 thing may be may be a good illumination source for Variable Contrast paper, you have a red safe and light and blue-green. (Magenta and yellow are the same as you add the "no effect" red to blue and green, but you see more because of the red). So you don't need filters. Filters are also good because are easy to use when changing grade...

but you may adjust the green exposure with a test strip in the highlights and the blue exposure with a test strip in the shadows...

Burn the shadows with blue and the highlights with green.

Well, you have a refined Split Grade system. And of course you also have a Safe light, just press the Red button to finish the exposure...

HalideReducer · Jun 25, 2020

mshchem said:
Try a 5x7 package of Ilford's new multicontrast RC.

vs

locutus said:
foma fixed grade rc paper works great

I think variable vs fixed grade is 6 of one, half a dozen of the other for me at this point. In 5x7, I can only find grade 2 & 3 paper. The variable papers available all seem to be grade 2 or 3 when unfiltered. Tie-breaker, I'll start with a variable grade paper for now in case I need the contrast control.

mshchem said:
BTW I have tried old contact printers with modern papers. Light is too strong and uneven on the hobby type.

Thanks for the feedback. I suspected this would be the case. Is it even worth trying with enlarging paper and a ridiculously small light source? Ex: a single LED or an automotive bulb?

Jerevan said:
You could also cut down 8x10 paper to size. There is also the possibility of doing alternative processes, such as Van Dyke or Cyanotypes or similar.

This is probably the future for the printing box. Maybe I'll put some UV tubes in there. Project for another day I think.

mrosenlof said:
I shoot 5x7 and *really* like the look of a contact on 8x10 paper. It makes a nice presentation. I use rubylith to mask for white borders.

I figure I'll practice on cheaper 5x7 paper for now, but I hear you. I may well decide to go that direction once I've figured out how to make prints worth looking at.

lantau said:
Fomatone is slower than other multigrade papers. In the data sheet Foma recommends it as contact paper, but concedes that it can also be used in an enlarger.

Well this is interesting. I didn't catch that when looking through the papers at Freestyle & at B and H. I didn't see any details on sensitivity or exposure times in the datasheet.

Assuming I'm printing with a 7.5-15 overhead bulb and I'm doing 20-30 second exposures on more common enlarging paper, how much slower might the fomatone be?

138S said:
Let me make a recommendation:
View attachment 249149

Have you tried this? I'm a little LED-skeptical for photo purposes just knowing that there can be gaps in how continuous the frequencies of light from an LED is vs a tungsten bulb or even the sun, and I know some red LED light isn't a good safelight.

138S · Jun 25, 2020

HalideReducer said:
Have you tried this? I'm a little LED-skeptical for photo purposes just knowing that their can be gaps in how continuous the frequencies of light from an LED is vs a tungsten bulb or even the sun, and I know some red LED light isnt a good safelight.

With LEDs you may have issues with RA-4, as cross-channel can be different, but like many others I found no problem for Variable Contrast BW paper, yes, I tried it well for 8x10" contact copies.

mshchem · Jun 25, 2020

Fomatone is amazing paper. It's definitely got a lot of silver chloride in the emulsion. I would use a tungsten bulb.

HalideReducer · Jun 26, 2020

Alright, it's decided then. The printing box is going to the back of the project list. I'm going to pick up some 5x7 glossy fomatone and some kind of variable grade RC enlarger paper, a low wattage light bulb, and experiment away.

HalideReducer · Jun 27, 2020

138S said:
With LEDs you may have issues with RA-4, as cross-channel can be different, but like many others I found no problem for Variable Contrast BW paper, yes, I tried it well for 8x10" contact copies.

How did you determine exposure times? I'm wondering what 7.5-15 watts in a tungsten bulb translates to in terms of the LED's brightness settings. I suppose there's so much variation that trial and error is way.

138S · Jun 27, 2020

HalideReducer said:
How did you determine exposure times? I'm wondering what 7.5-15 watts in a tungsten bulb translates to in terms of the LED's brightness settings. I suppose there's so much variation that trial and error is way.

The LED power you need is 1/8 or 1/10 of the tungten power, but that bulb has adjustable power from the remote command... You also may use a bare cardboard with a hole under the bulb, to adjust power.

You determine exposure times with a paper test strip like with prints. For speed grade you may adjust your green (or yellow) exposure to have the right highlights and then adjusting blue (or magenta) exposure to have the right shadows.

HalideReducer · Jul 11, 2020

Usually I like to go to superbrightleds.com for this sort of thing but they were out of stock on remote control RGB LEDs in a standard e26/27 socket. They only had ones controlled by apps. My local hardware store didn't have any using a remote either, so I turned to the auction site of doom where I found a number of options frustratingly rated in terms of LED watts.

I chose a 3w RGB bulb, as I estimated that to be around 160 lumens or roughly equivalent to a 15ish watt tungsten bulb. It's also dimmable.

The thing is not very bright but we'll see how it goes when I get a chance to finish blacking out the closet to test it.

Recommendations on paper for 5x7 contact prints?

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency