Apparatus and method for producing an enlargement of a graphic image

Enlargement apparatus for producing an enlargement of a graphic image on a coated surface of a base material located comprising

• a light tight housing having an extended hollowed out central area and at least one opening from the exterior of the housing into said hollowed out central area, said housing including a door for providing access to said hollowed out central area, and means for covering the edge of said door to make the hollowed out central area light tight;
• means adapted to position a graphic image to be enlarged at a predetermined location at one end of and within said housing;
• means for positioning a fixed focal length lens within said housing a preselected distance from said predermined location, said fixed focal length lens having a focal length which is at least equal to said preselected distance;
• means for supporting a base material having a coated surface thereon a predetermined distance from said fixed focal length lens on the side opposite said graphic image at the other end of said housing, said coated surface being responsive to a selected actinic radiation to produce an exposed enlargement of the graphic image located in said predetermined location;
• light sealing means affixed to the interior of said door adjacent said plurality of parallel spaced lens support slots and affixed to the interior surface of the housing opposite to the interior of the door, said door when closed in light tight engagement with said housing urging said light sealing means into contact and light sealing engagement with the edge of the planar lens support urging the opposite edge thereof into light sealing engagement with the light sealing means on said housing interior surface forming a light tight seal around the edges of the planar lens support and between said one end and said other end of the hollowed out area;
• and
• means positioned adjacent said predetermined location for actinic radiation which illuminates said graphic image and which is directed onto said coated surface by said lens.

The method of producing an enlargement of a graphic image using a light tight housing comprising the steps of

• inserting the graphic image into a platen located in the housing;
• placing a planar lens support having a fixed focal length lens into a preselected slot in the housing to position the lens a predetermined distance from the graphic image;
• placing a planar matt support having a sheet of material having a sensitized surface into a preselected slot in the housing located on the opposite side of the lens relative to the platen to position the sensitized surface in alignment with and spaced a predetermined distance from the lens;
• closing a door having a light sealing material located on the interior surface thereof in the vicinity of the planar lens support urging the light sealing material into light tight sealing engagement with the edge of the planar lens support and urging the other edge of the planar lens support into light tight sealing engagement with light sealing material located on the opposite interior surface of the housing forming light tight chambers at each end of the light tight housing;
• and
• controllably illuminating the graphic image with actinic radiation which is received by the lens to expose the sensitized surface to produce a developable latent image of the graphic image.