How to Make a Test Strip for a Black-and-White Print

Making the test strip is the third step in printing a black and white photograph from a negative - and one of the trickiest procedures.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Enlarger Timers
• Piece Of Cardboard
• Enlargers
• Fixer
• Negative Strips

1. Review your contact sheet and pick a negative to enlarge.
2. Take the negative strip out of its sleeve and place it inside the frame in the center of the negative carrier. Make sure the emulsion side of the film - or shiny side - faces up.
3. Close the enlarger head using the lever to the right of the negative carrier slot.
4. Switch on the enlarger light.
5. Focus the image on the easel using the white side of a piece of exposed print paper.
6. Switch the enlarger light off.
7. Place a strip of print paper on the easel. Make sure the ends are held in place by the easel arms.
8. Place a piece of cardboard over the test strip, leaving a small part exposed. Set the timer for 2 to 5 seconds.
9. Switch the light on.
10. Move the cardboard after each exposure to reveal more of the test strip until it is completely exposed.
11. Develop the test strip. Once the strip has been in the fixer for 2 minutes, it is safe to take it into the light.
12. Take the test strip into a lighted room and decide which exposed segment looks best.
13. Use this as a gauge for deciding how long to expose the print paper when making an enlargement, whether to use filters, and which aperture setting to use.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to expose a cross-section of tones in each exposure made on the test strip by positioning the cardboard at an angle, horizontally or vertically as needed.
• Make more than one test strip, narrowing the time intervals to fine-tune your measurements.
• Try to expose the final print for a minimum of 5 seconds by adjusting the aperture. If the test strip is too dark after 5 seconds or exposure, close the aperture on the enlarger lens one f-stop. Change f-8 to f-4 and try making another test strip with the same time intervals.