Printing First Steps
Test Strip, Contact Sheet, Print
Overview & Learning Outcomes
Mastering contact sheets and exposure control
This Week's Goals
Master Contact Sheets
Learn to create professional contact sheets—visual indexes of all your negatives that help you evaluate, compare, and select the best frames for enlargement.
Perfect Test Strip Technique
Master the art of creating test strips to determine optimal exposure times before making full prints—saving time, materials, and frustration.
Understand The Zone System
Learn Ansel Adams' revolutionary Zone System for visualizing and controlling tones from absolute black to pure white in your final prints.
Control Exposure with Confidence
Master exposure compensation, metering techniques, and the golden rule: "Expose for the shadows, develop for the highlights."
Today's Workflow
1. Review Negatives
Evaluate your developed film
2. Contact Sheets
Print all frames as thumbnails
3. Test Strips
Determine optimal exposure
4. First Prints
Make your first enlargements
Part 1
Contact Sheets & Test Strips
Essential skills for evaluating and printing your negatives
Contact Sheets Explained
Your visual catalog of every frame
What is a Contact Sheet?
A contact sheet is a photographic print showing all frames from one or more rolls of film as thumbnail-sized images. The name comes from placing negatives in direct contact with photo paper and exposing them under an enlarger.
Archive
Contact sheets serve as a permanent visual record of your work. Even if negatives are lost or damaged, you have a printed reference.
Evaluate
Quickly compare all frames side-by-side to select the best images for enlargement. See patterns in your shooting style.
Reference
Use loupe or magnifying glass to examine details and decide which frames deserve full-size printing.
Professional Practice
Every professional film photographer makes contact sheets first. Icons like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Diane Arbus, and Magnum photographers all used contact sheets to edit their work.
Making a Contact Sheet
Step-by-step process
Prepare Negatives
Cut your developed film into strips of 6 frames (or 5 for 35mm). Clean with anti-static brush. Handle by edges only.
Set Up Enlarger
Raise enlarger head to cover full 8x10" paper. Set aperture to f/8. Remove negative carrier—we're using the enlarger as a light source only.
Position Negatives
Place photo paper on baseboard. Lay negative strips emulsion-side down (dull side touching paper). Cover with clean glass sheet.
Expose & Process
Expose for 8-12 seconds (test first!). Process normally: Developer → Stop → Fix → Wash → Dry. Typical contact sheet = 10 seconds at f/8.
Pro Tip: Make multiple contact sheets! Keep one clean for archiving, and mark up another with grease pencil to select frames and plan crops.
Test Strips Explained
Finding the perfect exposure before printing
Why Test Strips?
Every negative is different. A test strip shows you multiple exposure times on one piece of paper, helping you determine the optimal exposure before committing to a full print.
The Concept
Cut a strip of photo paper and expose it in incremental steps, covering portions with cardboard to create bands of different exposure times.
Example: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 seconds
The Result
After processing, you'll see 5 bands of increasing darkness. Choose the one with the best tonal range and use that time for your full print.
Saves: Paper, chemistry, and time!
Golden Rule
Always make a test strip first. Even experienced printers test every negative—it's not a shortcut, it's best practice.
Making a Test Strip
Step-by-step technique
Set Up & Focus
Place negative in enlarger carrier. Focus on easel at desired size. Set aperture to f/8 (standard working aperture).
Cut Test Strip
Cut an 8x10" sheet into 4 strips (2" wide). Save 3 for later tests. Position one strip to include important tones (face, shadows, highlights).
Expose in Steps
Use cardboard to cover 4/5 of strip. Expose for 3 seconds. Move card to reveal another 1/5, expose 3 more seconds. Repeat until fully exposed.
Process & Evaluate
Develop normally. Look for the band with full tonal range: rich blacks, detailed shadows, clean highlights. That's your exposure time!
Common Test Strip Pattern
Each band receives cumulative exposure
The Enlarger Explained
Your essential printing tool
The enlarger is essentially a projector for negatives. Light passes through your negative and projects the image onto photographic paper below. By raising or lowering the head, you control the size of the projected image.
Light Source
Lamp (usually tungsten or LED) provides bright, even illumination through the negative.
Negative Carrier
Holds your negative flat between two glass or glassless plates for sharp projection.
Lens & Aperture
Projects and focuses the image. Aperture controls sharpness and exposure intensity.
Print Processing Chemistry
Three trays, three chemicals
Developer
Time:
1-2 minutes
Temp:
20°C (68°F)
Brings out the latent image on the paper. Watch your image appear like magic! Common developers: Ilford Multigrade, Kodak Dektol.
Stop Bath
Time:
10-30 seconds
Temp:
18-24°C
Neutralizes developer, halting the development process instantly. Extends fixer life and prevents staining.
Fixer
Time:
3-5 minutes
Temp:
18-24°C
Makes your print permanent by removing unexposed silver. After 1 minute in fixer, you can turn on the lights!
Wash & Dry
Wash:
5-10 minutes
Dry:
30-60 minutes
Running water removes all chemical residue. RC paper dries quickly; fiber-based takes longer but lasts centuries.
Making Your First Print
Bringing it all together
1Select Your Negative
Use your contact sheet to choose a well-exposed negative with good contrast and interesting composition.
2Compose & Focus
Set up your enlarger, compose the image on the easel, and focus critically using a grain focuser.
3Make Test Strip
Create a test strip to determine the perfect exposure time (typically 8-15 seconds at f/8).
4Expose Full Print
Using the time from your test strip, expose a full sheet of paper. Process in developer, stop, and fixer.
5Wash & Dry
Wash thoroughly to remove all chemistry, then dry flat or hang to dry. Congratulations—you've made your first print!
Common First Print Problems
Troubleshooting and solutions
❌ Print Too Dark
Problem:
Image is underexposed with blocked shadows and no detail
Solution:
➜ Increase exposure time by 2-3 seconds. Check that aperture is open enough (try f/5.6 instead of f/11).
❌ Print Too Light
Problem:
Image is washed out with blocked highlights and no detail
Solution:
➜ Decrease exposure time by 2-3 seconds. Check that safelight isn't too bright (test with paper).
❌ Image Out of Focus
Problem:
Print is blurry or soft, lacking sharpness and detail
Solution:
➜ Refocus the enlarger on the easel using a grain focuser. Check that negative carrier is properly seated and negative is flat.
❌ Dust Spots or Marks
Problem:
Black or white spots on the print from dust on negative or lens
Solution:
➜ Clean the negative with an antistatic brush before printing. Clean the enlarger lens with lens paper. Work in a clean environment.
💡 Remember: Every mistake is a learning opportunity. Keep notes of your settings and results!
Part 2
Exposure, Metering & The Zone System
Advanced theory for precise exposure control and tonal visualization
Exposure Triangle & The Zone System
Understanding exposure and Ansel Adams' legacy
Exposure Triangle Recap
Aperture
The size of the lens opening. Controls the amount of light entering the camera.
Effect: Depth of Field
Shutter Speed
The duration the shutter remains open. Controls the duration of light exposure.
Effect: Motion Blur/Freeze
ISO Sensitivity
The film's sensitivity to light. Fixed for film (unless push/pull processing).
Effect: Grain Structure
Balancing these three elements is the key to a perfect exposure.
The Zone System
"The negative is the score, and the print is the performance."
— Ansel Adams
Developed by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer in 1940
The Core Concept
Divides tones from absolute black to pure white into 11 zones (0 to X). This gives you a precise vocabulary for describing and controlling tonality.
Pre-Visualization
Before shooting, visualize the final print. Decide which tones should fall into which zones, then expose and develop accordingly.
The Philosophy
"Expose for the shadows, develop for the highlights." The Zone System gives you total control over the final image.
The 11 Zones
Zone 0 = Pure Black | Zone V = Middle Grey (18%) | Zone X = Pure White
This Week's Assignment
Your Tasks
Make Contact Sheets
Create professional contact sheets of all your developed negatives
Practice Test Strips
Make test strips for 3 different negatives
Make 3 Final Prints
Produce three 8x10" prints from your best negatives
Document Everything
Record all exposure times, apertures, and processing notes
Bring your prints to class!