Make a Black&White Contact Proof SheetDarkroomSource

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Basic Darkroom Techniques: Contact Sheet

Making a Black&White contact proof sheet consists of several steps. (This is sometimes called a contact print, incorrectly, because a contact print is the printing of a single negative onto a sheet of paper - usually large format negatives)
  • Develop the film
  • Prepare the print chemistry and trays
  • Setting up for a contact print
  • What you need
  • Using a sheet of glass
  • Using a contact proofer
  • Using a Light box
  • Using the contact proof
  • Make a test print
    •

    Setting up for a contact print

    There are two kinds of contact prints, one is where you print all the negatives from a roll of film onto one sheet of paper, the other is where you print one negative onto a sheet of paper. The second is usually done for large format photography only (4x5 or 8x10 negatives), so here we'll discuss the first kind of contact print. However, the method used is the same for large format contact prints too.

    There are two ways that I know of to hold the negatives on a sheet of paper when making the print. One is to use a sheet of glass to press the negatives onto the paper, the other is to use a contact print holder. These holders allow you to slide the rolls of negatives into them and they can then be set on the paper. Either way works fine, and I have done both with equal success. The holder has the advantage in that you can easily lift the negatives off of the paper, develop the paper, and then replace the negatives on the next sheet (assuming that you have to make multiple exposures in order to get the correct exposure and f-stop).

    Contact prints can be made using an enlarger, or a lamp over the paper, or even room light. There are even contact printers that are made like a viewing box, where the negatives are placed on a glass with a light under the glass, the paper is placed on top of the negatives, the lid closed and the light turned on. These are usually preferred in communal darkrooms since they don't put white light into the darkroom.

    Need:

    Using a sheet of glass

    1. You can have the safelight on when making a Black&White contact print, but not for a color contact print.
    2. If you are using an enlarger, adjust the height of the enlarger so that the light will cover an entire sheet of paper.
      Measure the height of the enlarger, on the column, and record this measurement in your notebook. You will want to make all future contact proof sheets with the same setting.
    3. Place the paper on the easel, or on the baseboard, or on the countertop, depending on where your light source is located.
    4. Put the negatives, emulsion side down, on the paper, the strips should not overlap, but be butted against each other.
    5. Place a sheet of glass over the negatives, pressing them against the paper.
    6. Expose the paper to light. Until you know your process well enough, you will need to make a test print. Once you know your camera / film / developer / paper combination, however, you will know the exposure for a normal contact proof sheet.
    7. Develop the print, when it you have established the correct exposure, wash and dry the print.
      When making your test print, instead of looking at the blacks in the pictures, look at the edges of the film, where the sprockets are. Establish an exposure / f-stop combination that is just enough to make the edges maximum black. The exposure strip that is just prior to this would show the edges as a little grayer than the holes in the sprockets.

      On the back of the final print, record the film roll information (year and number) and the enlarger height, paper brand and type, exposure and f-stop. You can use pencil for this notation.
    8. When you have established the exposure / f-stop, record this, in a notebook, because it should remain the same for all contact proof sheets with the same parameters (film, developer, time, temperature, paper, enlarger height).

    Using a contact sheet holder (contact proofer)

    1. You can have the safelight on when making a Black&White contact print, but not for a color contact print.
    2. Slide the negatives into the holder, emulsion side down.
    3. If you are using an enlarger, adjust the height of the enlarger so that the light will cover an entire sheet of paper.
      Measure the height of the enlarger, on the column, and record this measurement in your notebook. You will want to make all future contact proof sheets with the same setting.
    4. Place the paper on the easel, or on the baseboard, or on the countertop, depending on where your light source is located.
    5. Put the contact sheet holder (proofer) on the paper.
    6. Expose the paper to light. Until you know your process well enough, you will need to make a test print. Once you know your camera / film / developer / paper combination, however, you will know the exposure for a normal contact proof sheet.
    7. Develop the print, when it you have established the correct exposure, wash and dry the print.
      When making your test print, instead of looking at the blacks in the pictures, look at the edges of the film, where the sprockets are. Establish an exposure / f-stop combination that is just enough to make the edges maximum black. The exposure strip that is just prior to this would show the edges as a little grayer than the holes in the sprockets.

      On the back of the final print, record the film roll information (year and number) and the enlarger height, paper brand and type, exposure and f-stop. You can use pencil for this notation.
    8. When you have established the exposure / f-stop, record this, in a notebook, because it should remain the same for all contact proof sheets with the same parameters (film, developer, time, temperature, paper, enlarger height).

    Using a contact print box

    1. You can have the safelight on when making a Black&White contact print, but not for a color contact print.
    2. Place the negatives on the glass, emulsion side down.
    3. Place the paper on top of the negatives, emulsion side down.
    4. Close the lid.
    5. Expose the paper to light. You can't make a normal test print with a contact print box, so you have to make multiple contact proof sheets to find the proper exposure. Once you know your camera / film / developer / paper combination, however, you will know the exposure for a normal contact proof sheet.
    6. Develop the print, when it you have established the correct exposure, wash and dry the print.
      When making your test print, instead of looking at the blacks in the pictures, look at the edges of the film, where the sprockets are. Establish an exposure / f-stop combination that is just enough to make the edges maximum black. The exposure strip that is just prior to this would show the edges as a little grayer than the holes in the sprockets.

      On the back of the final print, record the film roll information (year and number) and the enlarger height, paper brand and type, exposure and f-stop. You can use pencil for this notation.
    7. When you have established the exposure / f-stop, record this, in a notebook, because it should remain the same for all contact proof sheets with the same parameters (film, developer, time, temperature, paper, enlarger height).

    Using the contact proof

    You can now look at the contact proof sheet, many people use a loop or magnifier, you can see which negatives you wish to make enlargements of. Since the proof sheet was made on grade 2 paper, you can also get a good idea as to which grade of paper you will need for the enlargement. You can also tell if the print will require less or more exposure than your "normal" print, based on how dark or light the negative prints on the proof sheet.

    The next step is to Make an enlargement.

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