What size do you print?

I have a box of 6x4 but haven't actually made a dent on that yet, lots of 8x10 so far.
 
I use 8x10 paper for most things but I'm looking into moving up to 11x14 or 12x16 for final prints. I would guess you are for more likely to sell 8x10 than anything larger, but that's just a guess. I would love to be able to get square paper without the need to cut down standard size papers, but I suspect I'm in the minority on that one
 
I tend to use three sizes generally speaking: 5x7, 8x10 and 9.5x12.
I have printed the odd 12x16 but haven't used that size for a very long time now.
 
I use 10x8 for working prints & 12x16 for finals. If you're opening a shop I'd recommend stocking a small supply of larger/less popular sized paper - the only shop that sells it near me only ever has 10x8 & ordering online is a painful wait!
 
I mainly do 8x10's because i can get it dirt cheap through my uni societies account with Ilford. I wish there was a 6x7 aspect ratio paper which is more convenient than chopping down bigger sheets, just seems like a waste to me...
 
I also use 8x10. If I wish to create a smaller print I'll just cut the paper using a guillotine cutter, much like I do to
create paper for test strips. My usual choice is Ilford Multigrade IV Deluxe RC in Satin, it produces wonderful prints.

Perhaps providing a range of unusual papers as well could provide a wider attraction? Best wishes.
 
I know this is probably a long shot, but could you PLEASE somehow make/cut/sell paper of the same dimensions as the pictures going on them? I'm sick of having uneven borders & since I've never once made a perfect cut no matter how much effort I put in I'm stuck with it :runaway:
 
Joenail said:
I know this is probably a long shot, but could you PLEASE somehow make/cut/sell paper of the same dimensions as the pictures going on them? I'm sick of having uneven borders & since I've never once made a perfect cut no matter how much effort I put in I'm stuck with it :runaway:
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I'm sure you could make some sort of 'jig'... even just a guillotine with a block of wood blu-tacked to the right spot.
 
Believe me, I've tried! I've made masks, frames & various other daft things, but the results are always uneven :bang: Maybe I should give up & get a 5x4 camera
 
8x10. is there a size that's closer to 3:2?

Joenail, is it your cuts that are wonky or could your neg holder be wonky?

I have a universal neg holder for my LPL which never makes a square image.

Also, my easel used to be off but I have squared it up and gaffer taped the blades together so that it can't go out of square now.
 
It's not the holder Brian, but I know where you're coming from. I've aligned all the cuts, etc & they can be up to a centimeter off. It's not a big deal though, just something that'd make darkroom stuff a bit easier :thumbs:
 
Joenail said:
I know this is probably a long shot, but could you PLEASE somehow make/cut/sell paper of the same dimensions as the pictures going on them? I'm sick of having uneven borders & since I've never once made a perfect cut no matter how much effort I put in I'm stuck with it :runaway:
Click to expand...

Get a large, heavy duty paper cutter and mark your usual sizes on the board. Then you just fit one side on the board and cut off the remainder (which, if smaller than a half, can be used for proofs for instance).
 
I reckon that if you were cutting paper down to custom sizes you could make a bit of money from selling the trimmings as test strips.

I did a big load of prints last year sized such that I was cutting bits off 8x10 sheets on both axis' so I had tons of test strips, now I print on full 8x10 sheets I'm starting to run out of test strips and I really hate cutting up full sheets of paper to make them. Plus now that my darkroom is in my bedroom and I don't use the public access one in town I don't have access to a guillotine.
 
Sounds like you might need a better easel Joe, one with straight blades.
 
Kev M said:
Sounds like you might need a better easel Joe, one with straight blades.
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My understanding of Joe's problem is that it isn't the easel but that when he cuts paper - down to the size of the image he is printing - things go awry.

Joe, if my understanding is correct could you not print on a full sheet and then trim to the image area?

I have a small rotary trimmer like this,

rotary-trimmer.jpg


That makes doing straight cuts dead easy, there's a guide on it too so you can make sure your cutting at 90 degrees, keeps everything square. Can't really do more than one sheet at a time though.

Quite hard to tell the size fom that image, it's just big enough to fit the long side of a sheet of A4 through.
 
Yes, I have been printing normally & cutting down when dry, but it means wasting paper - I usually use off cuts as test strips as well. Either that or I buy some 5x7 since it's cheapy cheapy & use that. Thanks for the advice!
 
Yeah I suppose trimming after printing means the paper is wasted.

Squitness just shows that it's a proper hand print, not a soulless digital.
 
why not just print to the size of the paper then? I don't understand asking for paper to be made/cut/sold at the size you print without saying what that size is.
 
Because the dimensions are different. 6x6 or 35mm or anything that isn't 5x8 or 10x8 doesn't fit 10x8 paper.
 
Kev M said:
why not just print to the size of the paper then? I don't understand asking for paper to be made/cut/sold at the size you print without saying what that size is.
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I print full neg 35mm so lose a bit off the bottom of every sheet of 10x8.

Well, I actually don't mind the way it looks so long as it's landscape, similar border top and sides and a deep border on the bottom but I'd far rather save a couple quid per box of 100 sheets and get something in a 3:2 ratio.
 
To be fair unless you're going to try and print borderless then even 3:2 paper like 6x4 or 12x8 requires cropping or uneven borders.

I shoot 6x6 so I'm used to cropping or printing at odd sizes.
 
Last time I dabbled with film was 30 years ago. These days I generally use Loxley's for most of my prints.
 
graphilly said:
Last time I dabbled with film was 30 years ago. These days I generally use Loxley's for most of my prints.
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:lol: you are aware that this thread is in Film and Conventional aren't you ? :lol: We LIKE smelly chemical processes and big bits of wet paper hanging from washing lines
 
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