Using Sharpie marker on back of prints?
Peter Nelson
I just started a B&W darkroom this year, and I've been marking the
exposure info on the back of my prints with a 'Sharpie' permanent marker
(Sanford Sharpie Autograph, actually - KMart was out of the 'standard'
sharpies :>). I'm using an RC paper (Kodak Polymax), and I mark the
backs of my prints after they've dried. So far, no ink seems to have
bled through in the past couple weeks - but I'm wondering if it will
eventually. I'm guessing that it will be OK, since I'm using an 'RC'
paper.
What else could I use to mark my prints, if not a Sharpie? And what
about marking them before putting them into the developer?
Richard Knoppow
Peter Nelson <> wrote:
I use a Sharpie sometimes when experimenting, and mark prints before
developing them. Marks on the back have no effect. The ink in a
Sharpie is not water soluable.
Having said that, I would not mark a print I expected to have a long
life since who knows what the ink may do in twenty or fifty years. A
better way is to attach a note to the print with a hinge of Scotch
Magic Tape. If you are really fussy make the note on acid-free
archival paper.
I've been told that many of Weegee's prints have become unusable for
reproduction because of the "Credit Weegee the Famous" he stamped on
the back migrating through the paper.
---
Richard Knoppow
Los Angeles, Ca.
dick...@ix.netcom.com
Donald Nelson~
In article <32E613...@exit109.com>, Jean-David Beyer <jdb...@exit109.com> writes:
> Peter Nelson wrote:
> >
> > I just started a B&W darkroom this year, and I've been marking the
> > exposure info on the back of my prints with a 'Sharpie' permanent marker
> > (Sanford Sharpie Autograph, actually - KMart was out of the 'standard'
> > sharpies :>). I'm using an RC paper (Kodak Polymax), and I mark the
> > backs of my prints after they've dried. So far, no ink seems to have
> > bled through in the past couple weeks - but I'm wondering if it will
> > eventually. I'm guessing that it will be OK, since I'm using an 'RC'
> > paper.
> >
> > What else could I use to mark my prints, if not a Sharpie? And what
> > about marking them before putting them into the developer?
>
snipsnip
> I would worry about Sharpies, and similar markers, since the chemicals
> may reduce the archival permanence of the prints. Of course, this is
> much less of a consideration when using RC paper, since it will not
> soak in and migrate to the image.
While I do not use RC paper, perhaps another interesting analogy can help
you decide not to use Sharpies on the rear of your prints.
I have quite a number of
8x10 holders, some of them as old as 3 years. On each side, you'll find a
small chunk of white plastic for writing/numbering the holders. I did so on
each of the holders, using a fine point SHARPIE (black).
Looking at some of the oldest holders, I can clearly see that there
is a nice yellow smudge, not particularly faint either, surrounding the
black lettering.(about 2 mm halo around the lettering!)
This appears to be a further migration of the pigments/
solvents of the Sharpie ink (it does not appear on the unlettered white
plastic areas on the holders, so I do not think it is the attachment solvents
or glue migrating further.
(And remember that what appears to the eye as a "black" or "blue" ink
is often resolved by Chromotography as a mixture of pigments.)
Whether the plastic is the same in the white areas of the 8x10 holders and
an RC print is probably doubtful. What is **not** in doubt is that the ink
is migrating under relatively benign conditions(I do not subject my 8x10
holders to high heat or moisture which might tend to accelerate such
conditions).
YMMV.
> --
> Jean-David Beyer
> Shrewsbury, New Jersey
--
ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN AND NOT NECESSARILY THOSE OF INTEL CORP.
DON NELSON
Jean-David Beyer
Peter Nelson wrote:
>
> I just started a B&W darkroom this year, and I've been marking the
> exposure info on the back of my prints with a 'Sharpie' permanent marker
> (Sanford Sharpie Autograph, actually - KMart was out of the 'standard'
> sharpies :>). I'm using an RC paper (Kodak Polymax), and I mark the
> backs of my prints after they've dried. So far, no ink seems to have
> bled through in the past couple weeks - but I'm wondering if it will
> eventually. I'm guessing that it will be OK, since I'm using an 'RC'
> paper.
>
> What else could I use to mark my prints, if not a Sharpie? And what
> about marking them before putting them into the developer?
If you are going to mark them before processing them (and I mark mine
before even exposing them), I used to use a china marking crayon.
I have since started using a very soft pencil (i.e., 3B). Be sure
not to press too hard. If you press very hard, you will emboss the paper
and this will show. Some papers are sensitive to pressure and it will
usually desensitize (to a certain extent) the paper where the pressure
is applied.
I would worry about Sharpies, and similar markers, since the chemicals
may reduce the archival permanence of the prints. Of course, this is
much less of a consideration when using RC paper, since it will not
soak in and migrate to the image.
Eric Hunter
I make a contact print of each roll of film and keep notes on the back,
sometimes on the front of the print as well. I keep the film in an
archival holder and keep the film and contact print together in an
archival binder. I have different binders for different film
formats/subjects. This system works very well for me.
-Eric
Tony Cekolin
> I use a Sharpie sometimes when experimenting, and mark prints before
>developing them. Marks on the back have no effect. The ink in a
>Sharpie is not water soluable.
Interesting, I have marked the emulsion side of rc paper before exposure with
sharpie and had the ink come off in developer. Made quite a mess. Fortunately I
was experimenting and so it wasn't disaster. Just had to toss that tray of
dektol.
tony
Richard Knoppow
tcek...@rd.qms.com (Tony Cekolin) wrote:
I marked the back, that may be the difference, unless you have some
other version of a Sharpie. I just tried it again on a scrap print
and the ink didn't come off of either side.
I don't mark prints I want to last, only to keep track of
experiments.
CharlesW99
I've done this for years on lens test prints (a "standardized" high detail
industrial scene; brick buildings are so boring!) on the back of RC paper
(as you know, regular pencils and pens don't seem to work most times on
most RCs). Some of these are 4 or 5 years old and there does not appear
to be any chemical reaction (yet) to the image on the reverse.
Regards,
Charlie charl...@aol.com
Christian
BTW, did you know that if any ink ends up on the emulsion PEC-12 cleaner
will remove it.
chris