# printing from slide?



## DIRT (Apr 5, 2005)

i searched this but found little.  how exactly do you print from slides?  do you use a regular enlarger?  i want to shoot some slide stuff but dont know how to print it.  thanks


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## oriecat (Apr 5, 2005)

You could put a slide in an enlarger, but of course since the slide is a positive, you would end up with a negative image.  You could then contact print that negative back to a positive.   Not sure how well that works, I haven't tried it.


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## DIRT (Apr 5, 2005)

but my question is...  what is the "normal" way to print slides?  is there a special process?


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## ksmattfish (Apr 5, 2005)

As far as the enlarger is concerned, it's a lot like printing a negative, but you need a positive to positive printing process.  The one I'm most familiar with is the Ilfochrome (Cibachrome) process.  I do all BW, so I don't even know much about that, but one of my photog buddies used to do all of his color work that way.  I know it's expensive and highly toxic.


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## omalley (Apr 6, 2005)

You need an internegative, either a film or paper one. I've had interesting results with PolaPan slide film (you'll need a special processor for that type) and making a high-contrast paper internegative. It gives a kind of softy look, so if you want sharply focused you may want to try something else. There are not very many b+w slide films available, and none that you can process using regular negative chemistry. So maybe you are talking about Cibachromes? For those you would need a dichroic head enlarger, processing drum, whole different set of chemicals, process in complete darkness, etc. Is there a certain look you are going for? Maybe there is a way to do it using negative film.


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## sbalsama (Apr 6, 2005)

Surprised no one has mentioned it, but Vivitar and Daylab (I believe?) sell slide printers that utilize Polaroid materials. Granted they're limited in size, though I wonder if you could use traditional printing methods, with Polaroid film under the enlarger instead of paper...I wouldn't know, far too expensive for me


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## omalley (Apr 6, 2005)

Oh, yeah, completely slipped my mind. You can get an 8x10 film holder and load it with (very expensive) polaroid 8x10 and simply expose that under the enlarger. Or you can use a Daylab, but to me they produce too small of prints. And they have color balance problems.


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