My Latest Updates To My LED UV Printer For Making Platinum Prints

January 06, 2021 • 3 Comments

In this article today, I am sharing a couple of simple, but highly effective updates that I just completed for my LED UV Printer.

In a detailed article last year, I shared how I updated my BLB Fluorescent bulb setup to using new LED Black Lights. If you haven't read that article, you will want to check that out first and then come back to this new article.

Like anything in life, the more you do something, the more refinements that you figure out over time.

I printed a lot of platinum and platinum/palladium prints last year and with my newest Great Smoky Mountains Historic Buildings Platinum Print Project, I am going to be printing even more platinum prints.

One of the smartest things that I did last year was to stop using my contact printing frames when making platinum prints.

I got some custom cut heavy 3/8" glass to place in the bottom of my UV printer. This means that I no longer have to fight with the contact printing frame and try and line up the negative and sensitized area on the paper. I can now work from the top, looking down, which makes everything easier and more accurate.

Watch the updates that I discuss in this article in action.

UV Printer Updates by Tim Layton The downside to that decision was figuring out a way to get the top of the printer and the glass out of the way while I am laying down the sensitized paper and negative on top.

I did two things to address this challenge.

First, I got a piece of rope and created a pulley system to lift and secure the top of the print up and out of the way while placing the paper and negative into the UV Printer.

As you can see from the photo on the left, I anchored the rope to the back PVC tube and then looped the rope through the handle on the front of the door, and then ran the rope up to the front PVC tube and used a slip knot to secure the top of the UV printer up and out of the way. The PVC tubes are part of my large print drying screen system.

If you look closely, you can see the heavy 3/8" pieces of glass in the base of the UV printer. I needed way to get the top piece of glass up and out of the way to allow me to place my sensitized paper and negative before sandwiching them together with the heavy top sheet of glass.

I cut a piece of 1x2 pine that extends two inches over each side of the printer and this board acts as a solid brace to hold up the heavy sheet of glass while I am working to place the sensitized paper and negative for exposure.

These simple updates don't seen like a big deal, but I can assure you, these updates make my workflow so much easier, effective, and efficient.

If you enjoy platinum and platinum/palladium printing, then you will want to follow my Free Analog Photography Journal so you want miss my latest platinum printing updates.

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Keywords: analog photography, black and white, fine art, large format, LED, Platinum, Platinum Prints, UV Printer

Comments

Sewing Machine for Beginners(non-registered)

I enjoyed while reading this post for making platinum prints.

Mike in NY(non-registered)

I just realized I mis-spoke in my previous post. Fixed registration between the negative and the paper is still needed in developing out processes; what I meant to say is that a hinged print-frame isn't needed to check its progress.

Mike in NY(non-registered)

That's a great update, Tim, and makes perfect since for Pt/Pd prints and other developing-out processes. I should consider the heavy glass sandwich as an alternative to my 11x16 print frame for Pt/Pd prints. A pressured printing frame would still be needed for printing-out processes so that the hinged half of it could be opened to check the print, but fixed registration isn't needed for developing-out processes. Sometimes we get so accustomed to using a particular tool that we forget there are simpler alternatives, depending on the process.

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