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🚀 Turn Your Contact Sheets into Art: The Darkroom Trick You’ll Love
Learn how to combine a large photo and a contact sheet on one print—it's easier than you think.
Yusuke Nagata
February 04, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 13 minutes
I love contact sheets.
I believe they can stand alone as works of art. But, I wanted to create something more unique, so I once printed a contact sheet and a large photo together on the same paper. (Thank you guys, now there are only 3 editions left of this “Smoking Lady” contact sheet.)
Meanwhile, over on Reddit, a thread popped up titled “How would I go about making a print like this?” where people were discussing how to recreate something similar to my “Smoking Lady” contact sheet and the steps needed to do it in the darkroom.
Some of the answers were spot on, but others were a bit misleading. Since my photo had become a topic of conversation, I figured it’d be a good idea to share exactly how to create this kind of contact sheet print in the darkroom.
So, this time, I’ll be sharing How to Print a Contact Sheet and a Large Photo on the Same Sheet of Paper in the Darkroom.
Table of Contents
🚨 How to Print a Contact Sheet and a Large Photo on the Same Sheet of Paper in the Darkroom
First off, the “Smoking Lady” contact sheet print mentioned earlier is actually an archival pigment print—a museum-quality INKJET print. In other words, it wasn’t made in the darkroom.
That said, it’s absolutely possible to create the same effect in the darkroom.
For this guide, I’ll walk you through the steps of printing a large photo and a contact sheet together on the same piece of black-and-white darkroom paper.
If you’re working with color, the process is generally the same, but there’s one major difference—since color paper is sensitive to all types of light, you can’t use a safelight.
That means you’ll be working completely blind, which makes it much more challenging. (Basically, you’ll need to get so good that you can do it with your eyes closed!)
🔨 What You’ll Need
Non-reflective glass (for creating the contact sheet)
Paper the same size as your darkroom paper (for layout checks)
Masking tape
Black cardstock for masking
I use 10x12" darkroom paper for my contact sheets. This size works perfectly because it fits a PrintFile negative sleeve that holds seven strips of 35mm film.
Normally, I place the entire PrintFile sleeve directly on the darkroom paper, press it down with non-reflective glass, and make the contact sheet print that way.
Step 0: Understand the Overall Process
First, let’s break down the general flow of printing a large photo and a contact sheet on a single sheet of darkroom paper:
Expose the large photo onto the paper.
Cover the exposed photo area with black cardstock.
Expose the contact sheet onto the same paper.
It’s a simple process—each part is exposed separately, and that’s basically it. But without knowing the steps, the finer adjustments can be tricky to figure out. That’s why I’ll guide you through each step in detail.
Final printing example
Step 1: Decide on the Layout
Now, let’s go through the steps for printing a large photo and a contact sheet together on a single sheet of darkroom paper.
The first step is deciding the layout. I positioned the large photo at the top, with one row of negatives above it and three rows below.
To make the actual printing process easier, I cut the negative sleeve into sections containing three rows.
Then, using a sheet of paper the same size as the darkroom paper, I marked the area where the large photo will be exposed.
This step will come in handy later, which I’ll explain in more detail in the next step.
Step 2: Set the Easel and Determine the Exposure Area for the Large Photo
Use the guidelines you marked earlier to decide where the large photo will be exposed. One important tip is to position the photo slightly larger than the guideline to ensure clean coverage.
Next, cut a piece of black cardstock slightly smaller than the photo. If you miscalculate the sizes—either for the photo exposure or the cardstock—you may end up with unexposed areas, creating unwanted white borders like this:
Example of unwanted white borders due to improper coverage
Once you’ve determined the correct size for the photo exposure, note down the height of the enlarger.
Personally, I find writing it down a bit tedious, so I marked the enlarger’s column with masking tape. This makes it easier to adjust the height smoothly when switching between the large photo exposure and the contact sheet exposure.
Mark the enlarger for both the contact sheet height and the large photo height.
Step 3: Create a Test Print to Determine Exposure Settings
With the setup complete, it’s time to create a test print as you normally would. Since the enlarger heights differ between the contact sheet and the large photo, refer to the masking tape marks from earlier to switch between the two.
For each section, test and adjust the exposure time accordingly.
Here are my exposure notes:
Large Photo: F5.6, 45 sec
Contact Sheet: F2.8, 65 sec
Step 4: Expose the Large Photo and Cover It with Cardstock
Once the exposure time is determined, it’s time to print.
Set the easel, check the positioning, and begin by exposing the large photo. After the exposure, cover the photo area with the piece of black cardstock you prepared earlier. I secured the cardstock to the paper with masking tape to prevent it from shifting.
Step 5: Return the Negative to the Sleeve and Expose the Contact Sheet
Next, return the negative used for the large photo exposure back to its sleeve. Then, remove the easel and place the negative sleeve directly on the same sheet of darkroom paper.
This step can be a bit tricky in a color darkroom. With black-and-white prints, you can rely on the safelight to visually check the positioning of the negative sleeve on the paper. However, in a color darkroom, you won’t be able to see anything, so you’ll need to practice placing it by feel.
Of course, all of these steps should be done under darkroom conditions. If you find it difficult to return the negative to the sleeve while in the dark, you can store the exposed paper safely and turn on the lights to complete the task. Alternatively, if you prefer to avoid that step, rely on the safelight to guide you as you return the film to its sleeve.
By the way, when exposing the contact sheet, I place masking tape marks on the baseboard of the enlarger to prevent the paper from shifting. This allows me to position the darkroom paper accurately, even under darkroom conditions, using touch and visual cues under the safelight.
This is the non-reflective glass used to press the negative film and darkroom paper together. I’m wearing gloves here for the photo, but during actual darkroom work, I handle the edges of the glass with bare hands.
As you can see, the white areas of the darkroom paper will all turn black, so any parts of the image that slightly extend beyond the edges of the cardstock will blend seamlessly into the black background.
And that’s it! Once you’ve exposed the contact sheet, you’re done!
🎉 A Single Darkroom Print with Both the Large Photo and Contact Sheet—Complete!
Congratulations! You’ve made it to the finish line.
The contact sheet alone already looks cool, but having a large photo next to it takes it to the next level. You can see what happened before and after that single shot, giving you a better sense of the context and making the photo more engaging with a stronger narrative.
By the way, these photos were taken during the Sanja Matsuri, also known as the “Yakuza Festival,” held every May in Asakusa. The traditional Japanese tattoos (wabori) look incredibly cool.
🕺 See You Again Next Tuesday
That’s it for this week’s edition.
If you try printing like this, let me know! I’d love to feature your prints in this newsletter. (Reply to this email or send me a DM on Instagram.)
That wraps up the guide on printing a large photo and a contact sheet on the same sheet of darkroom paper.
Next week, I’ll be sharing details about a publishing project I’m currently working on. This project holds deep meaning for me—it’s made me reflect on the importance of creative freedom, raising minority voices, and the role zines play in delivering our raw, real messages to the world.
When my newsletter hits your inbox next week, I hope you’ll take the time to read it. I’d really appreciate it.
See you again next Tuesday!
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