"reverse hybrid" printing

[tmbg]

My family wants me to try to reproduce some photographs they have of my great-great-grandparents, they want 11x14" prints. However, I suspect all they have for source material is 2000x1600 scans. Is there a workable technique I can use to print those optically? Something along the lines of maybe printing to transparency and enlarging from that?

I have a 45MXT, so perhaps I could reverse the scans digitally and print a 4x5" transparency...

anyone have any experience with a process like this? I'm hoping I'll hear back from them and they'll tell me that they have negatives to work from, but I'm not sure I'm that lucky!

[Snapper]

There is such a thing as a digital optical enlarger, which projects a digital source onto photographic paper. They are a bit pricey, but you may be able to hire. There's one down this way available - where are you based?

[Thomas Bertilsson]

I'm not sure you can get a good 11x14 print from files that small, but what you might wish to try is to post a thread over at http://www.hybridphoto.com - they can answer all sorts of questions like that there.
Digital negatives and contact printing, for example.

[David A. Goldfarb]

Yes, this is off topic for APUG, but there is fairly extensive discussion of this kind of hybrid technique at APUG's sister site, http://www.hybridphoto.com .

You could also dupe them on film conventionally, if you can obtain the original photographs.

[tmbg]

what would be the conventional way to do that if i can get original prints?

[David A. Goldfarb]

Copy on a copy stand or using a tripod with a horizontal copy arm, two lights 45-degrees to the lens axis, about 4 feet from the work to be copied.

Use a relatively neutral film like T-Max 100, ideally the largest format that you can enlarge.

[Ian Grant]

Copy with a large format camera using a film like Ilford Ortho Plus then conventional B&W printing.

If they are Scans & B&W then send the files to APUG sponsor Ilford and they'll make RC prints for you. The links are on their website.

[Snapper]

But with a 2000x1600 px file, you'll only manage a 7x5" print. You'd need to get a bigger scan.

[jnanian]

hi tmbg

you can photograph the photographs
it isn't hard and can be done outside in overcast-sunlight on
a black cloth if you don't have lights.
use whatever camera you have, 35mm mf or lf,
the bigger the negative the better the print some say.
i did this same thing for my inlaws. i believe i used ilford hp5 35mm film.
i shot down on a cloth, and used a 135 or 100mm lens and a tripod ...
it is easy to make 11x14 enlargements from 35mm and larger film.

good luck!
john

[tmbg]

I mostly work with 645... I have a Mamiya m645 outfit. If I can get ahold of the original prints I'll try rigging up a copy setup.

If no originals, I guess I'll try printing a 4x5" transparency and enlarge from that. It'll likely have some amount of visible pixelation at 11x14, but I can't put detail back!

Thanks for the ideas!

Ian