kishan_barot Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 This is going to be a very conspiratorial and circular question: So I just started processing film at my house. Pretty awesome. I almost always shoot 36exposure rolls. Now, I was just looking into negative sleeves. I usually buy 8x10 paper, just because it is a good cheap size for a student. If I want to make a contact sheet, my negatives have to be cut to 5 exposures per piece. That leaves me with 1 strand negative. I could combine this last negative with the last piece and make two 3 negative sheets. Then I'd have to use *two* negative sleeves per roll, which sounds kinda wasteful and pricey. Then I make the contact sheet. I'll need more than an 8x10 for this! So now I have to use one 8x10 and then a fourth of another 8x10. No problem, I guess. Then I make the print. Why do we have 8x10s? That means if I want to print full size, I'd have to crop from my negative. I usually don't shoot film planning on cropping. So then I have to reduce the size and not use the entire sheet. Which i wouldn't normally care about, except that will force me to do custom matting for each print I wish to frame! Okay, so I'm sure others experience this problem? Am I being inefficient? Is there something I could do better to ease these processes? What do you guys do? Or should I just shut up and take it like a man? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_kim2 Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 Why dont you just get a 6x6 negative sheet and just negs in strips of 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricM Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 I use the print file savers, they have many choices, and for 8x10 contact sheets with 36 exp. they have a 6 frame by 6 srip neg saver, and it it just fits...like just fits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_kim2 Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 Or for that matter why not just shoot 35 exposures? Nothing saying you cant 'waste' 1 exposure. Last time I checked you can make a 8x10 contact sheet with a 7x5 sheet if youre not anal about having the top with the label showing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_davis2 Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 The last batch of sleeves I bought hold 42 frames! What's up with that?? Now I need to find longer rolls. It never stops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_sullivan Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 you can get virtually anything configuration you want <br><br><a href="http://www.printfile.com/products.cfm?Action=Products&SectionID=21018009#product">Print File Archival Storage</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_sullivan Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 whoops.........any configuration......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kishan_barot Posted October 4, 2004 Author Share Posted October 4, 2004 Wow, you guys are too logical. I never thought about cutting off the film grids in my contact sheets. Yeah, that makes sense. I own sheets that are 7 strips of 6 frames. They're perfect for contact sheets if I don't print the grids. I don't mind if I lose that last frame. Thanks. But what about the prints and frames? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arjen van de merwe Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 I often use 8x12 paper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheec Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 Kishan, How about scanning the negs on a flat bed scanner, resize and print on A4 size paper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick_ingram Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 I'd just shoot 35 exps. I find that the rows of six don't contanct print well. And 8X10 paper is around because of 8X10 film. 35mm film is only a small percentage of the market, most of which lives and dies by the demands of the 8X10 large format B&W consumer :). Seriously, though, 6X9 is a very nice print size, and it fits nicely on an 8X10 sheet. You want to leave a little border for aesthetic reasons anyways, don't you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick_ingram Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 Oh yeah: if you really want to stick it to the man, shoot LF. The man hates that. He HATES it. The man likes digital cameras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan_w. Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 Solution: Shoot 35 exp on a 36-exp roll, cut into seven strips of five each, use a Printfile page designed for this format to sleeve your negs. These pages contact-print on 8x10 paper just fine (you may lose the edge of one of your strips). 35mm negs have an aspect ratio of 1.5, while 8x10 paper has an aspect ratio of 1.2. There is no way around this. Either crop to 8x10 and compose accordingly while shooting or do as the others have suggested and print 6x9 on the 8x10 paper. Find somewhere cheap to purchase mats cut to these dimensions and you'll be golden. A 6x9 print matted in an 11x14 frame gives a pleasing 2.5-inch border all around. Now, if there was only a convenient way to contact print 10 6x7 frames on a 8x10 sheet, we'd be golden... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
User_502260 Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 It might be easier for you to find 8.5 X 11" paper for making contact prints. This way you can leave your negatives in 6 strips of 6 negatives each. I use the sleeves which have room for 7 strips of 6 exposures. This way if I am using a bulk loaded roll and I have a 37th or 38th frame I have room for the extra negatives. It also helps when I use a Rollei 35 and routinely get more than 36 frames. Some people like to use the 8.5 X 11" paper and store the proof sheets in a 3 ring binder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdanger Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 Agfa makes a great RC 8 1/2 x 11" paper which I order from B&H and use for not only contact sheets but for proof printing square negs as well. I love this size for RC paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernardMiller Posted October 5, 2004 Share Posted October 5, 2004 Like Jeff said, use 8.5 x 11. I started doing that a long time ago--works fine. You can get a 100-sheet box of Agfa MC in that size from B&H for about $35 including shipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kishan_barot Posted October 5, 2004 Author Share Posted October 5, 2004 Awesome! Thanks guys. I never really was good at this whole photogrpahy thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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