Hello, In my 3 year B&W printing life I have tried various print sizes on various paper sizes. However, my taste seems to fluctuate in time. My most used print size has been ~14x21cm on 18x24 paper. This leaves a ~2cm border. But I've also made 16x24cm prints with a very narrow border on 20x25cm paper, and just recently 13x20cm prints on 20x25cm paper with a broad 2.5cm border.

I wonder what print size on what paper size people use in this forum. Do you leave borders? How wide? Or do you print borderless?

My question is not related to exhibiton printing where the print will be usually mounted -hence rendering borders useless- anyway.

Regards, omar

-- Omar Ozenir (omar.ozenir@turkcell.com.tr), May 02, 2001

Answers

If you think of your print as having any value (even if only to you) then it should be printed with borders similar to those found on lithographs, etchings, or other fine-art works on paper. It boggles my mind when someone hands me a photograph that they think highly of that has a 1/4 inch border. What am I supposed to hold it with, tongs? If you don't want a collection of fingerprints on your image, put a substantial border on it!!!!!!

RICARDO

-- (ricardo_spanks@yahoo.com), May 02, 2001.

I like the look of a 5x6 inch image on 8x10 inch paper.

-- Chris Ellinger (chris@ellingerphoto.com), May 02, 2001.

On 11x14 sheets an 8x10 or 6x9 looks good also but this can be achieved with archival matting... It really is personal preferences here...

-- Scott Walton (f64sw@hotmail.com), May 02, 2001.

I tend to use my Durst Commask, a 8x10 easel with set size borders of about 1cm. You can also flip it over and print either 2 5x8's (less the 1cm border) or 4 4x5 (less 1cm borders between images) on one 8x10 peice of paper although I mostly print at 8x10 size. I use this easel mostly due to the simplicity of it (open, insert paper, shut... always get same border) and it's almost identical thickness (height off the baseboard) as my test strip device (Paterson I think) so although I refocus after doing a test strip, the image size is almost identical and no exposure alterations need to be made.

When printing larger, I'll use a 12x16 sheet (as large as I print at the moment) and put the image in the middle at whatever size I decide to print at.

Also, I guess it depends on who (and how) you show your work too. No one see's mine unless it's in a display book I use or been matted so they don't get a chance to put their grubby fingers all over them!

-- Nigel Smith (nlandgl@unite.com.au), May 02, 2001.

Hi there, A rather unconventional solution which happens to be the way I present my work, ( which is in 35 mm full negative always ) Cut 16X20 to 16X16 square size,

print the horizontal compositions leaving equal space say abut 2 - 2.5 inches from top and left and right side leaving some more space at the bottom,

Print the vertical compositions leaving the same constant space on top, bottom and one the right hand side leaving some more space on the left hand side

With square size, its easy to view horizontal and vertical prints without much neck bending :)

thanks

-- shreepad (middlegray@hotmail.com), May 06, 2001.