689. Negatives

Negatives. It is often desirable to place a title of some nature on negatives or prints, and to accomplish this, great care must be taken to form the letters neatly. Considerable labor will be saved if the title be placed on the negative, especially when a number of prints are to be made from it. Where only one or two prints are required the lettering may be done on the print itself. Where one has had some experience at free-hand lettering they will experience no particular difficulty in lettering or titling negatives, the only difference being that the letters must be made to read backwards. To simplify the work one might sketch the title on a piece of transparent paper and then invert the lettering and attach to the glass side of the negative and then place the negative in the retouching easel and trace the letters onto the film. This you will find a very simple method and one that is generally in use.

690. There are various mechanical methods of lettering negatives, one being the applying of an opaque ink by means of a reversed rubber-faced type. Another is the use of small opaque metallic letters, which come in outfits known as the " Titleit" outfit. These letters are fastened to the film of the negative in a reversed order, by means of a special gum which comes with the outfit. Another method is to write the title on a narrow strip of thin celluloid (perfectly clean roll film will answer the purpose) with an opaque ink, such as draftsmen's waterproof black ink. This is then fastened to the negative in a reversed position - i. e., so that it reads from right to left on the negative.

691. Still another method is to write with the water-

proof black ink on transparent tissue or tracing paper, laying it over a piece of ruled white paper as a guide. A No. 1 brush should be used for applying the ink. A little retouching medium is then applied to the part of the negative where the title is to go, the title placed carefully on this space, printed side down (next to the film), and after being pressed into contact another fairly level coating of medium applied. This will make the paper less transparent. With a little practice the lettering can be done very neatly and effectively, and if the superfluous paper is trimmed off before being applied to the negative, nothing but the lettering will show on the finished print. The retouching medium must be applied with the brush, coating before and after placing the title on the negative, for by rubbing in the usual way there will be insufficient dope to make the paper properly transparent.

692. For large quantities of prints, and especially when negatives are to be used for post-card work alone, an excellent plan is to make a saturated solution of Potassium Cyanide in equal parts of Glycerine and water. Cut a very narrow strip of stout blotting paper and soak in the solution; then gently apply it to the negative at the place where the title is to be inserted. In a very short time the silver image will be dissolved or bleached, and can be fixed out by dipping into the fixing bath, leaving a strip of clear gelatin. The title may be transferred to this with the reversed rubber-faced type, or with the small letters which accompany the " Titleit " outfit.