CONTACT PRINTING
A contact print is a print made from positioning a
negative in direct emulsion-to-emulsion contact
with the photographic paper rather than project-
ing the negative via an enlarger. This process cre-
ates a print that is the same size as the negative.
While this might seem, at first, only applicable to
being used with large- and some medium-format
negatives, there are ways to get an enlarged film
negative even from 35-mm or smaller negatives.
Both film and paper negatives (thus called even
though a positive print can be used to make con-
tact prints) can be used to create contact prints.
Contact prints can go through many generations,
with each iteration being manipulated or modified
between prints.
Contact prints can be made with or without a
specific ‘‘printing frame’’ easel. Printing frames are
used to hold the negatives firmly against the photo-
graphic paper. They are built so that the top side is
clear (either plastic or glass), and the base side is
opaque. One can accomplish the same result by
simply placing the unprocessed photographic
paper on the base of the easel and then pressing
the negative to it with a heavy piece of smooth
glass. In either case, the negative-and-paper stack
is then exposed to white light to make the print.
One should make sure that the white light is uni-
formly distributed over the entirety of the photo-
graphic paper to ensure consistency in exposure
across the whole sheet.
Just like other darkroom uses of unprocessed
photographic paper, the paper needs to be handled
carefully to avoid fogging or otherwise prema-
turely exposing it to light. When using black and
white paper, a red or orange photographic safe-
light can be utilized to allow the photographer to
see and move around in the darkroom while set-
ting up a contact print. While admittedly limited,
the sight allowed by the use of a safelight can help
a photographer ensure that his negative-and-
unprocessed-paper sandwich is set up neatly. Low-
ering the top piece of glass must be done carefully
so as to avoid disrupting the arrangement of nega-
tive and paper.
When making contact prints, one can utilize test
strips, which are small strips of photographic
paper exposed for different lengths of time in
easily-remembered intervals, processed, and exam-
ined in order to determine the best exposure time
for the print. In order to make a test strip, the
negative is positioned on top of a small strip of
unprocessed photographic paper. Shielding most
of the strip with something opaque (often, a
piece of heavy cardboard or opaque plastic), the
unprotected small portion of one end of the strip is
exposed to light for a short amount of time (say,
two or three seconds). The process is then metho-
dically repeated by moving the opaque shield
along the length of the strip as it is exposed in
consistent increments of time. The test strip is then
developed for approximately the same amount of
time judged necessary to develop the final print.
At the end of the developing process and after it
has been ‘‘fixed,’’ the test strip can be examined
under white light to see which exposure time is
most desirable to produce the final print. Test-
strips are invaluable for allowing the photographer
to make an educated guess as to what the correct
exposure time for the overall print might be both
in making contact prints and in creating enlarged
prints as well.Common Uses for Contact Printing
Most photographers first become acquainted with
contact printing when making a contact (or
‘‘proof’’) sheet of film negatives in order to have a
better notion of what the images look like in order
to choose which ones to print. This is accomplished
by cutting the roll of exposed negatives into man-
ageable lengths (photographic suppliers offer a
variety of negative-holding sheets or sleeves,
which often require the negatives to be cut into
strips of between three and seven frames for inser-
tion) and then placing these negatives together
directly atop a piece of photographic paper. If
contact printing is regularly used to make proof
sheets, after one establishes the best position and
exposure time, this same position and time can
often be used for subsequent sheets without the
need to make test strips each time, especially if
the negatives are consistent.
Proof sheets offer a number of advantages. They
are especially helpful in cataloging images. SinceCONTACT PRINTING