Print copying, or the copying of any printed material can be a
very useful technique for a photographer for all sorts of
reasons.

First, a warning. BEWARE OF COPYRIGHT !!!

If someone brings a wedding picture to you, and asks you to copy
it, it is quite likely that, whilst that person owns the actual
print, a proffessional photographer owns the COPYRIGHT of that
print. If you copy it you are committing a breach of copyright,
and could be sued !

So, with that over with, here are some of the things I copym or
am asked to copy...

Old postcards and old family pictures where the negative has been
lost.

Pictures with people on who are long gone - can I just copy the
person ?

My own prints that I have doctored a lot - one way or another. A
copy negative means that many copies can then be made without
having to work on each one.

THE CAMERA.. A 35 mm SLR usually, but I have used a medium format
SLR for maximum quality.

THE LENS.. One that can fill the frame with the item to be
copied. Not a problem with a large print, but can be quite
difficult with a postcard or smaller. A modern close focusing
zoom will do the job, but there can be a little distortion due to
the design of such lenses.

A fixed focus lens will be marginally better, using extension
tubes to get closer if necessary - but the best lens is a macro
lens. These are not cheap, but anyone copying a lot and intending
to get really close to the subject with maximum quality results
will find such a lens very useful. They are designed to give
sharp, distortion free images at close range.

THE FILM.. Use slow material, again for maximum quality - and as
the camera will be on a tripod, long exposures will not cause
shake. Monochrome film for black and white copies, although
colour print and slide films can be used to copy monochrome
prints with excellent results.

Old, sepia toned - brown - postcards can look really good
projected.

LIGHTING.... If you are going to work indoors you will need a
light sorce - a window possibly - but beware of shadows. Also
remember that the 'colour' of the light MUST match the type of
film that you are using if you are copying in colour.

It is also necessary, if using artifial light, to light evenly
from each side, otherwise there may be reflections and a fall off
in light intensity across the copy. A light should be mounted at
each side of the original, shining onto it at 45 degrees - see
the graphics - this prevents reflections into the camera lens.

The light should NEVER be on the camera itself.

OUTDOORS... The lighting problem is the reason that I copy, if I
can, outdoors on a cloudy/bright day. This means that my light
source is the correct colour - daylight - and diffused to give
even lighting.

SETTING UP... I have a matt black painted board onto which I
attach the original- carefully - with Blu-Tak or similar
material. I have even been known to attack origianls to the
garage door !

The camera is - ALWAYS - fixed to a good, solid tripod, and lined
up so that the camera back is as near parallel with the print as
possible. The picture is then framed and focused.

Should there be a little reflection, it is likely that a slight
angle between camera and print will remove it. This is not
normally recommended due to distortion - but, if it works ?

EXPOSURE..  The critical bit. Auto expose can be quite adequet,
but look at the original. Is it a bit dark, are there lots of
light areas in it ? Such factors effect auto systems. I use
common sense after determining exposure, but I use an incident
light meter. This reads the light FALLING ONTO THE SUBJECT. The
reading is then set n the camera in manual.

Most people will not have one of these. Use the camera meter and,
if using mono or colour NEGATIVE film, give slight extra exposure
- 1/2 to 1 stop. A slightly dense negative always gives a better
print than an under exposed one.

Slide film MUST be correctly exposed.

Use a longer time in order to select a medium to small aperture.
This gives some depth of field to cover focusing errors, and the
highest quality from any lens is usually delivered towards the
middle of it's range - f5.6, 8 or 11.

FINALLY.. Make the exposure(s). I always shoot more than one at
different settings.