Making a Test Strip and Making the Print
Dedicated color enlargers contain an adjustable filter mechanism between the light source and the negative, enabling the user to control the amount of cyan, magenta and yellow light reaching the negative.
Step1
Review contact sheet and pick a negative to enlarge. Take negative strip out of sleeve and place inside the frame in the center of the negative carrier. Make sure the emulsion side of the film, or shiny side, faces up. Close the enlarger head using a lever usually located to the right of the negative carrier slot. Switch on the enlarger light.
Step2
Focus the image on the masking easel – a flat metal plate with sliding arms on all four sides for cropping the image manually – on the baseboard. Adjust the easel arms to mask off a portion of the image that gives a fair representation of the range of colors in the image. Switch the enlarger light off and place a piece of print paper on the easel. Make sure the ends are held in place by the easel
Step3
Place a piece of cardboard over the test strip leaving a small part exposed. After each exposure move the cardboard to reveal more of the test strip until it is completely exposed.
Step4
Make several test strips using the same time intervals, but increasing the amount of two of the colors on the color dial each time. For example, the color dial in the first test strip might read yellow 60, magenta 30 and cyan 0, the next one yellow 70, magenta 40, and cyan 0.
Step5
Develop the test patch and take it into a lighted room. Decide which exposed segment looks best. Use this as a gauge for deciding how long to expose the print paper and how to set the color dials when making an enlargement.
Step6
Switch on enlarger light to make the print. Place a piece of used print paper white-side-up on the easel and focus the image. Create a border around the image by sliding the easel arms up to the edge of the image so it just overlaps.
Step7
Set the color dial and timer based on the test strip and switch on the timer.
Step8
Remove the print from the easel and begin developing.
