P3D Re: Difficulty with Nimslo /Loreo prints

[Linda Nygren <lnygren@xxxxxxx>]

penultimate@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
> 
> I have tried several photofinishers in an attempt to get two frames
> evenly centered on a 4 X 6 print.  None seem to be able to manage this.
> The black dividing line is off anywhere from a little to a lot.  Has
> anyone found a way to have Nimslo negatives printed so as to see the
> frame lines on the sides as well as in the middle.  This would greatly
> facilitate the ability to cut the frames accurately for mounting on a
> viewcard.
> 
> Thanks,
> Duke

I prefer to have my Nimslo prints done separately with each image 3.5 x
5 and then I can crop each down to about 3x3 for the card. The 3x4 you
should theoretically get from half of a 4x6 is never quite big enough,
and would be even smaller if you got them to do want you want re: frame
lines on both sides of the print. Most machines seem to crop unevenly
("off center" seems to be standard for most printing machines, even with
standard 35mm negs) and if asymmetric than one chip will be narrower
than 3". Since the Nimslo neg frame lines are themselves uneven (4
frames bunched together with a larger gap between each set of 4), I
don't think that automatic machine printing can achieve what you are
seeking in terms of alignment.  And I prefer a little extra width anyway
for cropping to adjust the stereo window. Of course, some labs don't
have machines that will do the half frame printing at all, so perhaps
you are in that situation and two per print is your only option, not
just the most economical option. If you check around you can probably
find a lab that does half frame prints if you want to do it this way.

Since I want the whole image printed so that I can do my own cropping, I
have found a  photofinisher (MN Photo in Maplewood MN) who will print
them for me approximately 3.5 x 5 but on 4 x 6 paper leaving a white
border. This can't just be done automatically, but they "zoom out" to
achieve this. They have the particular machine settings written down in
a book that they can consult if there is a different person working that
day. Just standard 3.5 x 5 printing on a machine that does half frame
prints would probably be OK most of the time. (The small amount of image
loss with standard machine "cropping" is only occasionally crucial since
the print is a little larger).

I once did try the two frames to a 4x6 print on some closeups from my
modified Nimslo (on adjacent frames). When done as a reprint and with
special instructions, they were able to get this centered. [Viewing
options include crosseyed freeviewing (which I can't do) or cutting the
print in half then reversing the chips and taping back together for
viewing in a Loreo type viewer or parallel freeviewing.] 

Incidentally, I found in the past when I was trying Loreo format that I
couldn't get the lab (I tried several at the time, not my current lab)
to properly center these prints either; very frustrating that these easy
supposedly foolproof prints didn't come out well with "standard
processing". Way off center, losing much of one image. -Linda
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