what film format was 3"x3"?

jacnorectangle · Sep 22, 2015

I'm looking at snapshots from 1953-1964, most of them say Velox on the back which I've read was used only for contact printing. The image minus the border is 3 inches by 3 inches, but I can't find any record of a film in this size.

wiltw · Sep 22, 2015

According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_format

Format 101 was made until 1956, but it was 3.5 x 3.5". The 106 format was same size, but discontinued in the 1920s. Nothing listed exactly 3" or 76mm.

Jim Noel · Sep 22, 2015

Velox was designed for use in auto printing facilities. Some of these auto machines actually made very slight enlargements. Velox was a fast contact paper, several stops faster than Azo, thus handled well by these machines. I ran one for a time as a teenager.

Prof_Pixel · Sep 22, 2015

Jim Noel said:
Velox was designed for use in auto printing facilities. Some of these auto machines actually made very slight enlargements. Velox was a fast contact paper, several stops faster than Azo, thus handled well by these machines. I ran one for a time as a teenager.

Yup, 3 1/2 inch paper was a very common photo lab size for images from 120/620 giving 3 1/2 square or 3 1/2 x 5 inch prints. I don't think 127 film became much of a player until after the introduction of the Kodak Star line of cameras for Christmas 1957.

Peltigera · Sep 22, 2015

jacnorectangle said:
I'm looking at snapshots from 1953-1964, most of them say Velox on the back which I've read was used only for contact printing. The image minus the border is 3 inches by 3 inches, but I can't find any record of a film in this size.

I suspect the negative size included the border, the masking frame for the contact prints overlapping the image slightly.

jacnorectangle · Sep 22, 2015

Jim Noel said:
Velox was designed for use in auto printing facilities. Some of these auto machines actually made very slight enlargements. Velox was a fast contact paper, several stops faster than Azo, thus handled well by these machines. I ran one for a time as a teenager.

That's neat. What did these machines look like? Did roller transport exist back then?

randyB · Oct 5, 2015

3x3 velox

jacnorectangle said:
That's neat. What did these machines look like? Did roller transport exist back then?

Ditto what Jim said. My first job in high school (1968) was working at a small town photo store/studio/film processor. I helped out in the lab when the volume was more than the 1 person crew could handle. I have very fond memories, especially the smell of Pakosol in the morning. For you youngsters out there, Pakosol is a glossing solution, the last chemical in the processing line before the prints went into the ferrotype dryer, it is what gives fiber glossy prints the high gloss.

frank · Oct 5, 2015

Medium large format?

what film format was 3"x3"?

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