By
eHow Hobbies, Games & Toys Editor
Difficulty: Moderately challenging
Things You’ll Need:
- Enlarger Timers
- Piece Of Cardboard
- Enlargers
- Fixer
- Negative Strips
Step1
Review your contact sheet and pick a negative to enlarge.
Step2
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.
Step3
Close the enlarger head using the lever to the right of the negative carrier slot.
Step4
Switch on the enlarger light.
Step5
Focus the image on the easel using the white side of a piece of exposed print paper.
Step6
Switch the enlarger light off.
Step7
Place a strip of print paper on the easel. Make sure the ends are held in place by the easel arms.
Step8
Place a piece of cardboard over the test strip, leaving a small part exposed. Set the timer for 2 to 5 seconds.
Step9
Switch the light on.
Step10
Move the cardboard after each exposure to reveal more of the test strip until it is completely exposed.
Step11
Develop the test strip. Once the strip has been in the fixer for 2 minutes, it is safe to take it into the light.
Step12
Take the test strip into a lighted room and decide which exposed segment looks best.
Step13
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.