Black Border Prints!

Gast

Does anyone know how to create prints with a black border? This might seem like a very silly question, but I read somewhere that you can create a 'negative border' and overlay it onto the image you want to frame – if you know what I mean – does anyone know how to do it? Niall

Gast

Niall, this question is anything but silly. The easiest way to get prints with a black border is to use a negative carrier that is slightly larger than the frame, i.e. 25mm x 37mm for 35mm film. Ferdinand

cfb_de

Hi Niall, Another way is to use a piece of cardboard. How do you use it? Zoepfl Versamask (PDF, may take a while to download, requires Acrobat Reader.) Replace "Abdeckblech" with "cardboard" and you’ll know what to do. The first two steps are done with white light; the third step with the negative produces the image. I recommend using two to four seconds of white light with the aperture open. It depends on the paper you use. Make sure the cardboard is stable, rectangular and in close contact with the paper. This technique does not require any special enlarger easel or frame and will produce ‘sharp’ black borders. Ferdinand’s technique will produce ‘soft’ edges, similar to some HCB or ‘modern fine art printer’ prints. The third technique is to use a medium-format negative carrier and its strips together with a 35mm negative. Use the strips to create a frame around your negative. This will produce “very soft” borders. Best regards, Franz

Gast

I can't open PDF files on my computer, so if anyone knows of a website that can help, please let me know! Niall

Gast

Hi Niall, OK, here we go: Bordering Your B&W Prints (in English). What he writes about hairline borders is exactly what I mean: You don’t need a special easel; just cut a piece of cardboard slightly smaller than your print:

After your basic print exposure, place the mask directly on the paper, effectively shielding it from further exposure. By sliding the mask towards one corner, the opposite two sides of the image are left slightly uncovered. You then expose the print to white light from the enlarger after removing the negative from the carrier. Following this exposure, push the mask towards the opposite corner of the image and expose again. As a result, all four edges of the picture have now been exposed to direct light from the enlarger. All you have to do next is remove the paper from the easel and develop as normal.

Hope this helps, Franz

Gast

...can you get 25mm x 37mm negative holders?? Niall By the way, Franz and Ferdinand, I have a Meopta enlarger with a 50mm lens and a 24 x 36 holder! But when I try to make an 8 x 10 print, I seem to lose some of the image on the negative – is this normal?? Niall

cfb_de

Hi Niall, No "24x36" carrier will give you full-frame prints. That’s down to tradition: the first Leicas didn’t have a defined film exposure format; it was determined by the focal length of the lens. So, carriers were designed to the minimum size required to ensure sharp edges. If you want full-frame prints, you’ll need to make a plastic carrier yourself or, better still, ask someone with access to a laser cutter to do it for you (it will fit much better). But be sure to order exactly the size your camera requires. In my experience, Zorki/FED/Canon/Olympus/Pentax/Zenit vary from 24.5x35/23x37 to 22x33. This will affect the ‘natural’ black borders. My Meopta holders are 23x35 (metal ones for the Opemus-5) and won’t work without any unwanted frame if I use my 4.5/105 Bonotar on my Zenit. Next point: Due to the US market, many papers and easels do not correspond to classic German photographic dimensions, such as 24x36. Try finding any paper with a border ratio of 2:3 unless it is 20x30cm... And even 20x30cm is cut approximately because the imperial system won the Second World War :-) Best regards, Franz

cfb_de

Sorry, I forgot to post something. Try using a glass mount. This will give you full-frame prints. Or try using the "top" mount frame "bottom-up" and insert an AN glass plate upside down. The "top" mount frame on my enlarger measures 25.1 x 37.2 cm. Give it a go. It fits on my Opemus, but I lose focus – help! I need to use brute force to get the whole tray into my enlarger and have to take it out to get to the next negative. “Upside-down carrier frames” are a bit thicker than “downside” ones. Best regards, Franz (Mirko: Can you switch off this annoying feature please? I have no need to wait before posting again.) P.S.: Any errors in my English posts are due to a lack of knowledge. Corrections will be gratefully appreciated.

Gast

I'm still a bit confused, Franz!! If I place a negative in my negative carrier, the whole negative is visible, but when I enlarge the negative, it either doesn't quite fill or overfills a 10x8 sheet of paper, so some of the negative is lost!! Niall

Gast

Well, for historical reasons, not all paper sizes have the same proportions as a 35mm negative – you either have to crop something off your negative, or leave a bit more space on your print, e.g. at the bottom. Roman

Rolleijoe

I'm still a bit confused, Franz!! If I put a negative in my negative carrier, the whole negative is visible, but when I enlarge the negative, it either doesn't quite fill or overfills a 10x8 sheet of paper, so some of the negative is lost!! Niall

[color="#FF0000"][font="Garamond"][size=3]Niall, make it quite easy for yourself. If you currently own a "regular" 35mm negative carrier (preferably metal), simply purchase a metal file, then trim some of the border away [testing the amount by periodically inserting a negative as a reference] until you have what you want. Otherwise, look for a “bantam” negative carrier, which will give you a full-frame 35mm print (black borders). I have also filed away some of my 6x6 negative carrier, so I also have full-frame prints. When printing on 8x10 paper, you will also need to print slightly smaller than the full sheet of paper; there will be plenty of room for your black borders[/size].[/colo