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How to Make a Proof for Printing

A proof sheet, sometimes referred to as a contact sheet, can make a photographer's job much easier. The proof sheet is a single piece of photo paper onto which all the frames from a roll of film are exposed. The resulting sheet presents the photographer with his photographs in a condensed, chart-like arrangement so that he may choose which frames he wants to print. The proof sheet can eliminate wasting hours in darkroom printing photographs that aren't up to par.

Things You'll Need

Enlarger
Photo paper
Developed negatives
Sheet of glass
Developer

Instructions

- 1
  Turn on your enlarger's light source and slide it up or down until the light is bright enough to expose a piece of paper. Make a note of the height setting to use for other proof sheets, thus eliminating this step in the future. Turn the enlarger's light off.
- 2
  Turn the safelight in your darkroom off unless you are printing a black and white proof sheet. For color printing the room will need to be entirely dark.
- 3
  Place a sheet of photo paper onto your enlarger's easel, which can be found below the light source.
- 4
  Lay your negatives, emulsion side down, onto the photo sheet. Line up the strips of negatives so their edges are touching without overlapping. Fill the entire sheet with negatives if needed.
- 5
  Lay the sheet of glass on top of the negatives so that they are pressed flat onto the photo paper.
- 6
  Turn on your enlarger and expose the paper to light for your usual amount of time. Test multiple time settings if needed.
- 7
  Develop the exposed print in your regular chemical developer. Rinse and dry the print thoroughly.

Photography