Where to get contact printing frame?

Richard Man · Nov 6, 2005

I am thinking about getting into making Digital Negatives from scanned B&W 35mm and then contact print it on traditional silver gelatin paper. Where can I get some good quality contact frame etc.?

Thanks!

luvmydogs · Nov 6, 2005

www.pellandphoto.com

I've read good things about these, but have not used them myself (yet).

brent8927 · Nov 7, 2005

When I was making contact prints I purchased a contact printer off ebay; it might have been made by Pelland Photo because it looks the same.

Just curious, but why do you want to contact print on traditional silver gelatin paper? Scanning, enlarging, and then printing will just degrade your image and will cost a lot more, so I think unless you are doing the alternative processes or just really want to do contact printing, you'd be much better off just printing using an enlarger.

kjsphoto · Nov 7, 2005

I have a contact frame from www.pellandphoto.com and they are just excellent. If I ever need another I am going to buy it from him. High quality, great craftsmanship and excellent customer service. Thumbs up all the way.

Richard Man · Nov 7, 2005

brent8927 said:
...
Just curious, but why do you want to contact print on traditional silver gelatin paper? Scanning, enlarging, and then printing will just degrade your image and will cost a lot more, so I think unless you are doing the alternative processes or just really want to do contact printing, you'd be much better off just printing using an enlarger.

I knew someone will ask that The number 1 reason is that I don't have an enlarger right now and may be this will be a first step into yet another slippery slope I do develop my own films, E-6 for a couple years, and now back to B&W, both using the Jobo. I have both a Nikon LS-4000 and the Minolta Elite 5400 so my scans should be pretty darn good. I have been printing using Epson 1280 and the MIS UT-FT2 B&W ink, but thought may be I will dip my toes back into analog printing slowly. When I was in High School many moons ago, I used the teeny bathroom as a portable darkroom. Just put the enlarger on a wooden board proped on the sink

seadrive · Nov 7, 2005

Pelland's printing frames sound very nice, but if you need to save a few bucks, here's one from Photographers' Formulary for about half the price:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...s&Q=&sku=209108&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

cjarvis · Nov 7, 2005

I've owned a couple frames from B&S (www.bostick-sullivan.com) - an 11x14 and a 16x20. I still own and constantly use the latter. Made of ash with three sprung sections/two hinges. Sturdy and maintains good contact even with the thinnest of papers, including Bienfang 360.

brent8927 · Nov 7, 2005

didjiman said:
I knew someone will ask that The number 1 reason is that I don't have an enlarger right now and may be this will be a first step into yet another slippery slope I do develop my own films, E-6 for a couple years, and now back to B&W, both using the Jobo. I have both a Nikon LS-4000 and the Minolta Elite 5400 so my scans should be pretty darn good. I have been printing using Epson 1280 and the MIS UT-FT2 B&W ink, but thought may be I will dip my toes back into analog printing slowly. When I was in High School many moons ago, I used the teeny bathroom as a portable darkroom. Just put the enlarger on a wooden board proped on the sink

That makes sense; I hope your analog printing turns out wonderful.

Also, someone recommended a Photographer's Formulary printing frame; I bought one of theirs and I hated it; I didn't even use it once. It uses clamps instead of springs (and the clamps will hurt you a lot if you're not careful!); the Pelland Photo frame is much better and as a few people have said, just a work of art in itself; you really wont need another frame until you break it (I dropped mine and just the glass broke; the frame itself didn't crack/chip or warp at all). Well... OK, you might need another frame if you want to print bigger. What's great about the Pelland frame is that it applies pressure at the center; the Photographer's Forumarly frame only applies pressure on the sides and this can cause your paper and negative to not be in contact in the center.

Maybe Photographer's Formulary has changed their frames since I used one, but I really hated it; but I'm sure some people like it though, otherwise they wouldn't make it!

Anyway, if money is an issue, buy a printing frame off of Ebay; they usually show up in all kinds of different sizes; just make sure if you do go the Ebay route you ask the seller if the frame has warped at all over time.

Lukas Werth · Nov 9, 2005

Another thought: it would be interesting to hear about your light source, and your setup. I have long used a contact frame for my 8x10s, but since soem time I use another light setup in which UV-tubes are below a thick glass plate. The contacts go on the glass plate, and I have two thick wooden boards cut into shape which go on top. If the paper is thick and very warped, I put some additional weight on it, books usually (some volumes of my old encyclopedia).
In this way I do not need a contact frame at all, and I am able to print quite large without problems. Because I use two wooden boards, I can even check exposure inbetween (useful with some processes).

gr82bart · Nov 9, 2005

kjsphoto said:
I have a contact frame from www.pellandphoto.com and they are just excellent.

I wish I knew about this company before I bought the one from B&H Photo. These look amazing. I think I'll buy one from them anyway and donate/sell/throw away the one I bought from B&H.

Art. (Now I know what they are called!)

rrankin · Nov 9, 2005

I also tried one from Photgraphers Formulary and hated it. It never worked correctly and they tried to send plastic clamps to replace the metal ones that didn't work. It was poorly conceived and poorly constructed. And, as mentioned, physically painful to use.

The best one I've ever used was from Doug Kennedy. You can google and find him. Excellent in function and appearance.

Cheers,
Richard

scootermm · Nov 9, 2005

my experience with contact printing frames has been good in some regards and not so good in others.
I have three contact printing frames. one very old 8x10 contact printing frame... Mateo mailed it to me about a year ago and it was what I used to do my first 4x5 contact prints in silver and cyanotype. It works amazingly well even with how old it is.
The second one I got was a 11x14 photographers formulary frame. it was great at first... lasted about 4 months and the clips/pressure springs along the edges started wearing out and eventually 3 of the 6 clips completely disintegrated.
after that, I bought a 16x20 frame from bostick and sullivan and after adding some foam kitchen drawer/cabinet liner and felt it works wonderfully for everything from a couple 4x5s all the way up to making 7x17 contact prints. The foam and felt helped to create enough added pressure for all the different sizes.
so from my experience Id steer away from the formulary ones (no offense to the photographers formulary - just seemed a minor design error) and get one of the bostick and sullivan ones because the spring design is really nice and works well.
The pelland frames seem very nice as well. I spoke with Dan Pelland and he quoted me a very reasonable price on getting a custom designed frame for 7x17 contact printing.

Quinten · Nov 9, 2005

Doesn't a simple glass plate do the job?

I place my negs on the paper, press the glass plate on it and give it some light, can't be easier.

cheers

gbroadbridge · Nov 9, 2005

I just use a sheet of 10x8 foam rubber as the base, and a piece of 9x11 glass (tape around the edges).

The 10x8 foam rubber helps with placement when doing colour prints in total darkness (i just feel for the edges and align the paper on them), and then just plop the sheet of glass on top.

Graham.

Where to get contact printing frame?

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