Computing Print & Mounting Board Sizes for my Fuji 690 Medium Format Cameras

The Fuji 690 camera is one of the best cameras ever made. It fits my style of image-making for landscapes in particular, and it is super easy and simple to use.

I own the Fuji GW690II (90mm) and the Fuji GSW690II (65mm) versions of this camera. They are fixed-lens cameras, so I own both models. The 90mm version equals about 38mm in 35mm terms, and the 65mm is about 28mm. These lens equivalents feel more expansive than the focal lengths on a 35mm camera.

This camera model had three generations, but I opted for the second-generation Fuji GW and GSW 690II versions because they are solid metal versus plastic (newer generation III models).

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The aspect ratio of 6×9 medium-format negatives is 2:3, meaning the image’s width is 1.5 times the height. To maintain the correct proportions when printing, the print dimensions should also have this ratio.

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When I printed professionally for other photographers, I specialized in making huge prints (e.g., 30×40, 40×50, 48×72, etc.). I no longer do that, and I make smaller, more intimate prints now. When working with my Fuji 690 cameras with a 2:3 aspect ratio, I like making 4×6 postcard prints using Ilford 4×6 RC Portfolio paper because it is thick and feels great in the hand. For a little larger size that is suitable for framing, I like to make 6×9 prints mounted on 10×13 and 8×12 mounted on 12×16. For the 6×9 and 8×12 sizes, I print on 8×10 and 11×14 paper and trim the print to the final size.

While cropping is always an option when making prints in the darkroom, I like to get it right in the camera and carry that through to the printmaking part of the workflow. I think all of my years as a large and ultra large format contact printer has shaped my mind in this direction.

I have included these sizes along with medium and larger sizes that are correct for the aspect ratio in the section below.

• Small prints:
  • 4″ x 6″ (good option for postcards or sharing individual prints with people)
  • 6″ x 9″ (I mount on 10×13 and print on 8×10 paper)
  • 8″ x 12″ (I mount on 12×16 and print on 11×14 paper)
• Medium prints:
  • 10″ x 15″
  • 12″ x 18″
  • 16″ x 24″
• Large prints:
  • 20″ x 30″
  • 24″ x 36″
  • 30″ x 45″
• Extra-large prints:
  • 40″ x 60″
  • 48″ x 72″

These sizes are ideal for keeping the proportions of the original negative intact. If you choose different dimensions, the image will need to be cropped.

Visualizations

Before I make prints, I model print sizes mounted on various board sizes, as shown below, for my vertical (portrait) and horizontal (landscape) orientations. Click on the images for a larger full-screen view.

You probably don’t know that I am a long-time computer programmer, and I use this to my creative advantage when laying out print sizes on mounting boards.

I wrote Python code to model these two print and mounting board illustrations.

#############################################################
# 12/20/2024
# Developer: Tim Layton - tim@timlaytonfineart.com
# Copyright: All Rights Reserved, 2024
# Program Purpose: Illustrate 8x12 Print Size on a 12x16 Mounting Board
#############################################################
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

# Define the dimensions of the print and the mounting board
print_size = (8, 12)  # 8 inches x 12 inches (vertical orientation)
mount_size = (12, 16)  # 12 inches x 16 inches (vertical mounting board)

# Set up the plot
fig, ax = plt.subplots(figsize=(8, 10))
ax.set_aspect('equal')
ax.set_xlim(0, mount_size[0])
ax.set_ylim(0, mount_size[1])
ax.set_title("8x12 Print on 12x16 Mounting Board")
ax.set_xlabel("Width (inches)")
ax.set_ylabel("Height (inches)")

# Draw the mounting board (white background)
board = plt.Rectangle((0, 0), mount_size[0], mount_size[1], facecolor="white", edgecolor="black", linewidth=2)
ax.add_patch(board)

# Center the print on the mounting board
print_x = (mount_size[0] - print_size[0]) / 2  # Centered horizontally
print_y = (mount_size[1] - print_size[1]) / 2  # Centered vertically

# Draw the print (gray rectangle)
print_rect = plt.Rectangle((print_x, print_y), print_size[0], print_size[1], facecolor="gray", edgecolor="black", linewidth=1.5)
ax.add_patch(print_rect)

# Add labels
ax.text(print_x + print_size[0] / 2, print_y + print_size[1] / 2, "8x12 Print", color="black", ha="center", va="center", fontsize=10)
ax.text(mount_size[0] / 2, mount_size[1] - 0.5, "12x16 Mounting Board", color="black", ha="center", va="top", fontsize=10)

# Show the plot
plt.show()

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