Quote Originally Posted by Michael E View Post
I should do that, too. It has happened way too many times that I just couldn't tell which one was the "final" print and which was hours earlier in the process...
I do not clip the corners of the work print (straight print with no burning/dodging, Print #0). I then clip the upper left corner of the next print (print #1) -- going around clockwise, clipping only the upper right corner for #2. Working around, print #5 would have both upper corners clipped, and so on. Print #9 (and the last one from the pack) will have all four corners clipped. Works for me.

Generally, I was disappointed by what I would see on the work print. But somewhere in the 12 hour printing session, the image would change and come alive in my eyes. I think this is one of the reasons I like printing so much and find it equal to the joy of exposing the film. But it was always a bummer to see the dry prints from one of these sessions and find that none of the prints were good enough. If the problem was fixable, I would print it again. If it was a problem with the original seeing, or if would require too much work, I would put the negative away and print an equally enticing negative instead. Life is too short for shitty negatives.