6x7

[Kev M]

I suppose the same can be said of any format but why 6x7? I like the format when I've cropped some 6x6s but nowhere prints 6x7 or 12x14 for that matter. The closest seems to be 10x12 which is actually 10.2x11.9 so what's the point in having a format where you have top crop to print in any form of standard format?

 

[Knikki]

so what's the point in having a format where you have top crop to print in any form of standard format?

Was not always the case Kev.

Because 6x7 "is the ideal format" according to the book The Medium Format Manual by Micheal Freeman written in 1988.

"It corresponds closely to the standard printing paper size 8x10in, 10x12in or 16x20inch, More over it is close to what most people would consider to be the eyes normal view....." also from the same book.

I suppose of you had a fully working darkroom with a MF Enlager it would not be an issue as you could straight print on to those papers with out cropping. Paper that we use in todays inkjet printers and the corresponding paper sizes A4, A3 etc are an invention of the office.

If you have one of thes machines then it proably best to scan the neg/tranny then crop and print or print with a border.

 

[Kev M]

You'll have to forgive my ignorance Knikki as I'm still waiting to get into the darkroom but surely even with those enlargers you either end up with a border or by losing some of the image or does the enlarger gently skew the negative to fit the paper size?

 

[Knikki]

I think you will end up with a small border yes but the enlarger should not skew the image. Crank the head up, place the paper and expose

However if you say take a 35mm neg and print onto a 8x10 you will loose a fair bit, as I found out, if you are wanting a "border less print" but I think that 98% of the time people tend to print with a small border around their images.

Just with the 6x7 neg you will loose far less as it will happly fit in those print sizes.

Mind you, you may have to crank the enlarger head up a fair way to get the 16x20 size

 

[Kev M]

That's probably the thing, I'm thinking borderless whereas I guess most print with a border so that when you mount it you don't lose any of the image.

That's a good point that I'll remember when I come to printing these that I hadn't previously considered.

 

[foodpoison]

It's why they invented rotary cutters

 

[Knikki]

Ahhh! well have just been speaking to a friend that has more knowledge on these things.

It seems that the 6x7 format was one of the very early formats used in photography and because of it the 8x10in,10x12in or 16x20inch paper came out the need to print these negs.

So you can print onto those paper sizes full frame and borderless.

 

[Ally]

That's probably the thing, I'm thinking borderless whereas I guess most print with a border so that when you mount it you don't lose any of the image.

That's a good point that I'll remember when I come to printing these that I hadn't previously considered.

You've hit the nail on the head. I always found it diffcult to print because you lose some of the image but I love MF so I didn't bother. I always mount them too which took away any border problems etc.