Do you keep work prints or test prints?

Craig · Feb 21, 2023

I have a binder that I keep printing notes in, but I don't keep work prints or test strips. I shouldn't say that, as I do have a test strip that I use a bookmark in the Ilford tech book at the temperature conversion chart page, but that's all.

Cholentpot · Feb 21, 2023

I make them into a book and give it to my kids.

Chuck1 · Feb 22, 2023

I haven't been in a darkroom in 20+years.
but for really involved dodging and burning I would try to record what I did and even keep the burning+dodging tools in a binder with the negs (which made it easier to find in the future)
anyone find that the schneider angulon 90/6.8 was a tricky lens for 4x5 film with 16x20 prints? now that I know center filters exist...
that was college and the shutter stopped working, so my new thing was pinholes
to keep the binder managable I would edit/scrap(or see if a local shop wanted them for silver recovery) negatives before I added new one's.
I had a few working binders and a portfolio(keeper)binder.
anything you can do to prevent future headaches and unnecessary expenses are worth it.

redbandit · Apr 7, 2023

It depends really on the strip or test, etc.

If you have good negative storage setup, say each roll gets its own sheet. its easy to take a marker, give each sheet a unique serial number, and write a small number on each frame.

Start a print book like others do, and i just started, write sheet number and negative frame number down, and aperture stop, timer length, dichro head settings, and enlarger height.

If you have an image that needs dodging, etc, keep a print of THAT one, and use a magic marker to outline the area you need to dodge/burn, and write the timer settings on that.

JerseyDoug · Apr 13, 2023

I do not keep work or test prints, but I do keep many more "final" prints than I can ever hope to mount or display. I do keep all of my negatives and contact prints.

Bill Burk · Apr 14, 2023

Chuck1 said:
I haven't been in a darkroom in 20+years.
but for really involved dodging and burning I would try to record what I did and even keep the burning+dodging tools in a binder with the negs (which made it easier to find in the future)
anyone find that the schneider angulon 90/6.8 was a tricky lens for 4x5 film with 16x20 prints? now that I know center filters exist...
that was college and the shutter stopped working, so my new thing was pinholes
to keep the binder managable I would edit/scrap(or see if a local shop wanted them for silver recovery) negatives before I added new one's.
I had a few working binders and a portfolio(keeper)binder.
anything you can do to prevent future headaches and unnecessary expenses are worth it.

Are you planning to get back into the darkroom?

Do you keep work prints or test prints?

Craig

Cholentpot

Chuck1

redbandit

JerseyDoug

Bill Burk

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