Where the name comes from
In the darkroom, a photographer would lay strips of negatives directly on a sheet of photographic paper, press them flat under glass, and expose the lot. Because the negatives were in contact with the paper, the prints came out the same size as the film: a roll of 35 mm film fits on one 8 × 10 inch sheet. The sheet was a record of the roll and a way to choose: photographers and editors marked the frames they wanted with a red grease pencil.
Digital photography kept the idea and the name. Lightroom, Bridge, Photoshop, Windows and macOS all have some way to print one, and photographers still send proof sheets to clients.
What to put under each frame
- A frame number, so people can say "number 12". The simplest thing to quote on an order form.
- The filename, so you can find the original. Essential for anything you'll go back to.
- The date taken, for archives, events and family albums.
- Camera, lens and exposure (shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focal length), for your own learning, shoot logs and teaching.
- Your own text, such as a client reference or roll number.
Keep it to two or three lines: more text means smaller photos.
How many to a page
It depends what the sheet is for. As a guide on A4 or US Letter:
- 12 to 20 per page (3-4 columns): client proofs, portraits, anything where expressions matter.
- 30 to 36 per page (5-6 columns): a roll of film, a day's shooting, general archiving.
- 48 or more (7-8 columns): an index of a big folder, where you only need to recognise the picture.
Light or dark?
A traditional contact print is black around the frames, because the paper outside the negatives is fully exposed. The Dark film style here imitates that, with sprocket holes and edge numbers. It's lovely on screen and heavy on ink. The Light proof style puts the same grid on white paper, which is cheaper to print and easier to write on.
Make one
Drop your photos at the top of this page. You'll see the first page straight away and can download it as a PDF, or as PNG or JPEG pages.