Contact Printing - ILFORD Photo Darkroom Guides

Video number 9 in our Darkroom Guides Series gets to grips with contact printing.

Contact printing is a quick and simple way of creating prints from your negatives at their original size.

In this video @Rachel Brewster-Wright from Little Vintage Photography shows how to use this method to create contact sheets to review all the negatives on a roll of film before deciding which ones you want to print. And, also to provide a permanent record of your negatives for filing.

She shares contact prints made from a range of film formats including 35mm, medium format 120 film and large format 4x5 film. She also showcases contact prints made from paper negatives and shares the technique that she uses.

[jpcgordon]

This series is incredible.
I hope there are more videos in the works.

[clarewilliams]

Excited to try this, a whole new range of possibilities just opened up in my mind. Thank you!

[IainHC]

What a cracking way to print!! Thank you for this video 🙂

[terrywbreedlove]

I like the new ilford portable darkroom. Might be good to use on my road trips to load the 4x5 film. And develop and make contact prints in the down time.

[ethanbunch]

Im about to start making contact sheets for my 35mm film instead of scanning mine 😁 thank you for the great video im definitely motivated to try paper negatives!

[andyvan]

good video, as a side note Ilford, Mat Marrash (LF photographer) also shows the RA-4 and Kalitype printing for LF prints, which inverts the image and is a kind of contact printing too, and another great resource, to perhaps include in the description box, as well.

[DannerPlace]

Another great Ilford video. Thanks for posting this :-)

[steveverhoef]

Going to try this process to make personal postcards.

[vinceplatini]

Another great lesson.👏👏👏 Contact printing is history.

[joaofreitas]

Nice video ! Please specify details about light from the enlarger: Filters in the enlarger or not ? Lens in the enlarger ?? If yes, what aperture? Exposure for how long ? Thank you.

[justinkingery]

I LOVE THIS SERIES, AND I LOVE RACHEL! Keep them coming!

[trainroomgary]

Like - Large negatives come out great, I always look for old negatives at antique stores & bring them back to my home darkroom 📷
• Cheers from the Detroit & Mackinac Railway 🚂

[jianxu]

great！ i have printed a 4x5 film tonight but the contrast is considerable low for i used my phone screen as the light souce

[itsahoax]

really appreciate these lessons, thanks!

[CrivRex]

I love it. I remember my dad's darkroom and can still smell the room. I'm curious who would make a living doing something like this and earn somewhat of an income.

[bryantmercedes]

WHAT PAPER IS BEST FOR CONTACT PRINTING?

[silvestersze]

I’m hoping🤞🏻 to watch a video of ILFORD enlarger models comparisons... 😂😂

[petegerardini]

Ah, bring back memories of '80s darkroom days. If you get just a regular sheet of glass, put duck/gaffers tape around edge to prevent cuts on you fingers. I can't even recall how many packages of Ilford paper i went through in my darkroom days.

[iflowslow]

very nice. is there a specific glass one should use when creating contact prints or any glass will do?

[Cyberplayer]

AH yes contact sheets the old fashion way of getting a proof, nice.