View Full Version : Experience of 4x10 Film DIY?

Regular Rod
8-Sep-2014, 15:07
Has anyone here experience of cutting 8x10 sheet to make two 4x10 sheets. How did you do it? Did you get away without scratching the substrate or the emulsion? I'm wondering if all I need do is put a few layers of tape 4 inches in from the blade of my rotary trimmer to act as a stop for the left hand side long edge, lift the plastic guard so it doesn't scratch the film as I load it emulsion side up onto the cutting bed, carefully put it back down, hold the film firmly in place and make the cut emulsion side up, then load the film holder making sure I don't somehow invert the un-notched half...

Your experiences please. You may save me not only some money but also from having to wait another year to get a ULF order into the ILFORD channel...


8-Sep-2014, 15:54
23 threads on the subject of cutting film:http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/search.php?searchid=3431322
I'll soon be cutting some myself after I compete my 4x10 back.

Daniel Stone
8-Sep-2014, 16:21
When I cut down 8x10 film to 5x7(so 2 cuts :)), I tape a piece of computer paper on the under side of the plastic strip on my rotatrim where the film will slide/rest under.

I haven't had any issues with dust or scratches thus far


Light Guru
8-Sep-2014, 16:25
If you are worried about scratching the film while cutting then put the film I between two sheets of paper to protect it when cutting.

Keith Pitman
8-Sep-2014, 17:32
It's easy. Just try it.

8-Sep-2014, 18:11
I currently cut 9.5 aerial and 8x10 to get 4x10s.
For the 8x10s I built a base using a paper cutter easily found in craft stores. No issues with scratching the emulsion so far.

Tin Can
8-Sep-2014, 19:27
I use a dedicated to film cutting only, Dahle 18E blade cutter. It has a soft rubber 'automatic film holder downer' which clamps the film. As I say, I use it only for film, no paper, no dust. It can get a little unsquare on a cut, but there is a built in fudge factor to LF film holders that allow slightly undersized cut film to work fine. Oversize is absolutely no good.

I chose the Dahle 18E because it can cut 14x17 X-Ray down and it was cheap. A smaller 12E would be fine for 8X10 cutting and cheaper.

I have had good luck using the built in Dahle squaring arm and using the grid pattern.

With my old setup, I used an even cheaper cutter and set production stops up with matt board taped down with Gaff tape. But that cutter was a very cheap Costco cutter. It had a roller cutter and a chopping blade. The roller cutter on that unit was terrible at cutting. The chopping blade became dull. Plastic garbage. Purple Cow was the brand I believe. Not kidding.

Some day I will grow up and buy a commercial roller cutter, they are not cheap.

Bob Mann
8-Sep-2014, 22:23
This is the job when having night vision goggles makes it a whole lot easier.

8-Sep-2014, 22:42
I've always found that cutting down had too high a risk for error. Dust, uneven cuts, etc.

I find simply cutting a darkslide in half was a much better plan.


Then I just leave the 8x10 as it is, scan or make a mask for printing, either way a lot easier and storing in normal Printfile selves instead of having to find some other solution for storage.

That's my take. Good luck!