APHS Film -- Which Side is Up?

**Jeff Buckels** · 3-Mar-2004, 09:20

I just acquired and started using a box 20x24 APHS film (making enlarged negatives). The film is packed in a black plastic envelope, emulsion side up, at least in the box I got. This film is not "notched" to show which side is which, and it is very hard to tell under the red (1-A) safelight. What if I get turned around, etc. -- can you tell which side is which? Granted, I could notch it myself, but is there some way just to tell? -jb

**Michael Mutmansky** · 3-Mar-2004, 10:01

Jeff,

Under the safelight, the emulsion side is lighter, and the backing side is darker. Until you know the film well, it's hard to tell them apart, unless you compare.

Take a sheet and curl over one corner of the film so you can see both sides at the same time. Then it should be pretty apparent which side it lighter. That's the emulsion side.

If it's too dark in the darkroom, you can hold it up to the safelight briefly to compare. That shouldn't cause any fogging. I have enough light in the darkroom that it is easy to see the difference and I have no problems with fogging. I once did a test to confirm this.

One note, you absolutely must have a black backing paper behind the film as it lets a good bit of light through. If you have an easel with the normal white base, it will reflect back, and cause problems with consistancy and cause unpredicatble fogging.

If you get an image that seems a bit thin (or thick, if you are doing the reversal thing) and the image is reversed, you exposed through the wrong side.

---Michael