making 4x5 "contact sheets" (i.e. 4 @ 4x5 on an 8x10 sheet) ... but digitally ... is there any way?

<p>I'm looking for a scanner that can basically duplicate the kind of contact sheet you'd get if you just took four 4x5 negs and proofed them to one 8x10 sheet of paper in the darkroom ...<br>

I'm not looking for super high quality, and there's no plan to make reproductions from the scans, etc. -- it's simply for the purpose of cataloguing, and this is the system that the photographer whose work I'm inventorying has used for filing and inventorying everything so far, so I hesitate to reinvent the wheel now ... that being said, I'd also love to not have to dust off the old enlarger and re-hook up the water to the darkroom, etc ...<br>

The Epson 850 and similar scanners only seem to be able to put 2 4x5s on an 8x10 page because of the format of the handler, I guess.<br>

Any thoughts would be most appreciated (maybe just taping the negs to the window and taking a snap against a clear sky?? :)<br>

Many thanks!<br>

NSJ</p>

You could run them on the glass as a

single large transparency on an 8x10

capable Epson. Or you could use

Vuescan with anything that does 4x5,

lock the exposure, and scan

separately. Then use software to print 4 on a page.

<p>Why to print them?<br /> I stopped making contact sheets years ago. You can have a fast, easy to view, zooming capable and almost unlimited image database in something as practical as a pen drive. You can use any tablet to view them, and even to modify anything on them -from the image contrast to the name or number of each image or whatever- without complications. Share them, make multiple copies... needless to say how practical are the digital archives.</p>

<p>If anytime you need a couple prints (to show them or whatever) the digital file can be printed individually on quality paper if desired. Office paper prints are so poor, even for a contact print.</p>

<p>Printing is expensive (ink and inkjet photo papers seem to me even more expensive than traditional photographic paper) and with <em>all</em> the drawbacks of the paper based archives. I have all my enlargers in perfect working order (I print regularly), but I`m not willing to waste a minute or a cent making contact sheets.</p>

<p>Anyway, if you like, with the Epsons I`d simply use the 8x10" masking frame to scan four 4x5" sheets over the glass at a time. As you mention, the 4x5" holder only let you to scan two sheets at a time... and you`ll need to process them (to put four images together for printing in e.g., Photoshop). Another option is to store four sheets on a Printfile (Clearfile or whatever) and to directly scan them. You`ll not get pristine images (obviously) but if you don`t need quality it will save you a load of time.</p>

<p>FWIW, it's faster to make real contact sheets than to scan each negative and print a fake one from Photoshop. Photoshop does do a "contact sheet" somewhere in the file menu. My darkroom is still up and running, though.<br>

You could take a picture of 4 sheets on a light table with a digital and print the result after flipping it to a positive in PS.</p>

<p>My Epson Expression 1680 flatbed came with a holder for 4 4x5 negatives. However unless your printer allows these to be printed same size on a single sheet (2 x 4 inches = 8 inches/200 mm, leaving only a 5 mm margin on A4 paper), you would have to select the "Shrink to fit" option when printing 4 4x5s on a single sheet. Perhaps this would not matter?</p>

<p>It's easier with non-metric "letter" paper. That gives a quarter inch of margin on 3 sides and 3 quarters on the tail end, fitting printer margins without bleed easily.</p>

<p>Epson V850<br>

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1083201-REG/epson_b11b224201_perfection_v850_pro_scanner.html<br>

...or a used V750 will do the trick. I make them all the time...</p>