First Print

From your contact sheet, decide on an image to print

Collect the negative carriage from your selected enlarger and centre your negative over the hole using a light box if necessary – negative should be upside down and shiny side up

Put the negative holder back into the enlarger 

Filters out and aperture wide open to focus

Adjust the enlarger until the image is the size that you want. Use an old print to size to with reasonable border, make the most of the photo paper.

Open up the aperture to check the focus – use an old print, turned over to the white side and you will need to use a focus finder.

Stop down the lens 2 stops as a sensible setting for the test

Set the filters to a sensible grade for a test (grade 3)

Switch on the light to decide where to test the image – trying to pick an area which will give you skin tone if you are doing a portrait and which incorporates some background

Cut or tear your photographic paper into either four quarters or into strips depending on the size needed for your test strips

Put photographic paper upside down under shelf and do a final check on where to lay the strip to achieve a reliable test of your image

Expose the whole test strip to the light for 1 second , then using the card to cover your test strip, cover a quarter, expose 1 second, cover the next quarter, 2 seconds, cover the next quarter and finally 4 seconds on the last quarter., finishing up at the opposite end of your paper

Process your test strip.  2 minutes in the developer, remembering to agitate the tray to ensure that the entire image is covered by the chemicals.  30 seconds in the stop bath and at least 5 minute in the fix.  Dip your test strip in the water bath to remove any chemical residue

Make sure that between each process you drain the chemicals back into their own trays and that you wash the tweezers.  This will stop any chemical contamination between the trays.

Check your test strip with your teacher and then put the test strip back into the fix for 5 minutes before rinsing thoroughly in the water bath for at least 10 minutes.

After analysing your test strip for tone and contrast etc. it may be necessary to prepare more test strips.  Repeat the above process until you are happy with your test strip

Once happy with your test strip – print a full size print of your negative