Colored edge banding on Fujicolor 200/400

[laingsoft]

Film from fuji always has the thee color lines running on the edge band of the film opposite the DX coding. am I correct in the assumption that these strips serve as a sort of "sanity check" that the developer being used is actually forming dye molecules? Or do the strips serve as nothing more than just branding?

 

[dourbalistar]

The little bar code at the bottom edge is a DX bar code. According to Fujifilm's Professional Film Data Guide brochure:
Edge markings are used for identifying processed film. In addition to edge markings, "DX" codes are also seen on 135-size color negatives. Code patterns are designated for each film type. The correlation between film type, edge markings, and "DX" and frame number bar codes is indicated below.

 

[AgX]

The OP does not refer to any digitized code, but to long lines running along the one or both rebates.

Through-going full- or dotted-lines have a long history, found at several manufacturers, but their function never officially explained.


Here a example From Fujicolor 100:

One red line troughout the rebate, a green one appearing only at intervals. Moreover at varying lengths, about at synch with each 24x36mm image only at one end.

 

[AgX]

Basically those lines could have been applied by the finisher too, but there they do not make much sense. They would have had to be more elaborated to indicate basic filtration values for re-prints in pre-DX times.

 

[AgX]

Fuji calls theirs in their totality just "side line":

This sketch however looks different in its side line from the real Fujicolor 100, which I described above.

 

[Steve@f8]

Anyway, they look really nice. Sometimes adding greatly to the image by the photographer, either scanned or printed. Sometimes the edge marking is the star of the show.

 

[AgX]

I dislike edge signing, especially if the film is cluttered with these. That is why I would not do any film strip composites with such films or exposing over the whole width.

 

[laingsoft]

I suppose a test for this would be to fix a blank strip of film and see if the "side line" is printed on the base itself rather than present in the emulsion.

 

[foc]

I don't think it is a "sanity check" and that the developer is doing it's job in all the layers, but then you never know.... it might.... but then again it might not.
Fuji also call the markings, edge stripe and they are different for each film so I assume it is for ID.
See the image below and you will see that the markings for C200, X400 and pro400H.
Whatever the reason, it makes Fuji negs instantly recognisable.

 

[koraks]

I've always assumed this to be part of basic QC at Fuji where they can verify the C, M and Y density of these bands on processed negatives against their own database to identify (the cause of) possible problems.

 

[AgX]

I suppose a test for this would be to fix a blank strip of film and see if the "side line" is printed on the base itself rather than present in the emulsion.

In film manufacture never anything is printed along the edges on the film base itself. Even hardly ever something is (non-exposing) printed at all, aside of leader or tail printing (in the meaning of start or exposed).

In the case of such lines any varnish or ink printing would be unnecessary technological step that could be safed and included in the signing stage.

 

[laingsoft]

In film manufacture never anything is printed along the edges on the film base itself. Even hardly ever something is (non-exposing) printed at all, aside of leader or tail printing (in the meaning of start or exposed).

In the case of such lines any varnish or ink printing would be unnecessary technological step that could be safed and included in the signing stage.

If that's the case, then it should be a decent litmus test for developer activity then. Comparing lab developed negatives to home developed ones, if there was a difference or shift of colors, those lines would shift as well, independent of whatever happened in the camera.

 

[koraks]

Comparing lab developed negatives to home developed ones, if there was a difference or shift of colors, those lines would shift as well, independent of whatever happened in the camera.

Yes, that's correct. Gross deviation from processing parameters can be seen even with the naked eye when looking at these bands. Somewhat more subtle deviations can be assessed making prints that include the bands. Quite subtle errors can be tracked down with color densitometry. These bands can be quite useful if you shoot a lot of Fuji!

 

[cmacd123]

Almost every maker of colour film used a "system" like this to identify the brand and type of film to the person at the photofinisher who was making prints on a semi-automatic Printer. the old printers had to have a "channel" for each type of film. to make up for slightly different response between the photocells on the machine and the colour paper.
AGFA had colored squares and Ferrania had plus signs, Konica had Blue lines (to go with the blue film box I guess) and fuji had green or magenta stripes. every new version would have a new colour or position code. Wide or narrow, continuos or dashed etc.

this no doubt helped with private label film where their was no brand anywhere, but the operator seeing green plus signs could punch up the Ferrania Channel.

the Bar code also contains a reference with should be almost always be unique for each version, and the bigger printers would identify the type of film by that reference. the frame number is also encoded, so the printer could put the frame number on the back of the print for easier ordering of reprints.

 

[cmacd123]

note on the fuji examples above that the "in perforation" lines are different in length and width for each type of film, Long and short dashes etc.

 

[foc]

Almost every maker of colour film used a "system" like this to identify the brand and type of film to the person at the photofinisher who was making prints on a semi-automatic Printer. the old printers had to have a "channel" for each type of film. to make up for slightly different response between the photocells on the machine and the colour paper.
AGFA had colored squares and Ferrania had plus signs, Konica had Blue lines (to go with the blue film box I guess) and fuji had green or magenta stripes. every new version would have a new colour or position code. Wide or narrow, continuos or dashed etc.

this no doubt helped with private label film where their was no brand anywhere, but the operator seeing green plus signs could punch up the Ferrania Channel.

the Bar code also contains a reference with should be almost always be unique for each version, and the bigger printers would identify the type of film by that reference. the frame number is also encoded, so the printer could put the frame number on the back of the print for easier ordering of reprints.

Thank you for that, you have refreshed my memory regarding the Konica markings.
If I remember correctly Kodak always had the film type, speed and generation in written form. For example: Kodak 400-2 VR, Kodak T400 CN, Kodak CG 400.
Some of their films had edge markings ( a straight purple line, interrupted by the sprocket holes) and some didn't.

 

[AgX]

Almost every maker of colour film used a "system" like this to identify the brand and type of film to the person at the photofinisher who was making prints on a semi-automatic Printer.

But to my understanding (please correct me on this) these varied so strongly that one hardly can assume that all could have been read. Then either the person feeding the splicer had to sort out certain brands or old films and later feed them in with basic filtration data taken from a table and added to the tag of the respective film-strip. Or those films had to be printed based an a standard setting.

Problem is little of these issues from early times are wellknown today, one would have to dig deep into old industry magazines and such.

 

[foc]

But to my understanding (please correct me on this) these varied so strongly that one hardly can assume that all could have been read. Then either the person feeding the splicer had to sort out certain brands or old films and later feed them in with basic filtration data taken from a table and added to the tag of the respective film-strip. Or those films had to be printed based an a standard setting.

Problem is little of these issues from early times are wellknown today, one would have to dig deep into old industry magazines and such.

When I worked in a small wholesale lab in the late 1970's, the Durst printers we used didn't read any edge markings. The individual film was fed into the printer manually. Before starting to print, the operator dialed in a base colour filtration for the negative film strip, based on film make, speed and generation. This was read visually by the operator from the film edge markings.
Each printer had a chart with all the different films makes ( Kodak, Fuji, 3m/Ferrania, Agfa, Konica) and then film speed and then generation. The chart could be a few A4 pages. Having said that Kodak and Fuji had the biggest list of generations.

 

[cmacd123]

Each printer had a chart with all the different films makes ( Kodak, Fuji, 3m/Ferrania, Agfa, Konica) and then film speed and then generation. The chart could be a few A4 pages. Having said that Kodak and Fuji had the biggest list of generations.

I recall seeing a "Late" Ferrania Data sheet, where they mentioned that part of the film design was so it could print on the "Kodak Channel" presumably whatever was the then current version of Kodacolor.

the kicker of course is that ONLY the bar code and the stripy lines would hint at the brand of "Joe's Drug store wondercolour film" - generaly the only marking besides the the frame numbers would be an emulsion batch code (like 7643) .