{"id":4542,"date":"2011-09-04T12:24:09","date_gmt":"2011-09-04T17:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jbhphoto.com\/blog\/index.php\/2011\/09\/03\/"},"modified":"2023-07-16T21:17:35","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T03:17:35","slug":"writing-on-the-negative-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jbhphoto.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/04\/writing-on-the-negative-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"WRITING ON THE NEGATIVE EDGE"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/jbhphoto.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/04\/writing-on-the-negative-edge\/pens04s-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4554\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-4554 size-medium\" title=\"Pens04s\" src=\"http:\/\/jbhphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Pens04s1-300x176.jpg\" alt=\"WRITING ON THE NEGATIVE EDGE\" width=\"300\" height=\"176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jbhphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Pens04s1-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.jbhphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Pens04s1.jpg 490w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>I was recently asked what type of writing device we use to mark the catalog number on the edge of our film. I had not given it much thought since we have been using the same pens for marking film for many years. I have heard of people using various mechanical pens and India ink. Some say they use a common Sharpie. There are numerous ways to do this, but the easiest and most effective way I have found is to use a pigment liner pen.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Specifically, I have used a Staedtler pigment liner pen for years. They are clean, easy to use, make very dense letters and numbers that easily show up on proofs, and are filled with permanent black ink. The ink used is lightfast and will not fade. One nice thing about the Staedtler pigment liner pen is it will not dry out. The manufacturer says, \u201cThe unique cap-off feature of the ink enables pens to be left uncapped for 18 hours without drying up. Even when left open during long breaks in writing, they remain ready for action without delay.\u201d They also last a long time. We have not had to buy new pens in years.<a href=\"http:\/\/jbhphoto.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/04\/writing-on-the-negative-edge\/pens01\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4550\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-4550 size-full\" title=\"Pens01\" src=\"http:\/\/jbhphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Pens01.jpg\" alt=\"Staedtler pigment liner pen\" width=\"149\" height=\"216\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Staedtler pigment liner pens are available in nine writing widths from 0.05 mm to 0.8 mm. My favorite sizes are the 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 mm widths. I use the smaller diameter pen for small film where the clear edge is very narrow. You still get very legible writing along the film edge that prints well on the proofs. I prefer the larger diameter pen for the really big film. These have worked well for me for over 30 years, and should work well for you also.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/jbhphoto.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/04\/writing-on-the-negative-edge\/pens02\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4547\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-4547 size-medium\" title=\"Pens02\" src=\"http:\/\/jbhphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Pens02-300x60.jpg\" alt=\"Staedtler pigment liner pen\" width=\"300\" height=\"60\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.jbhphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Pens02-300x60.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.jbhphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Pens02.jpg 576w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Here are a few things I have learned over the years that may help when using these pens to mark your film. I always mark my negatives on base side opposite the emulsion, this way the file number prints correctly on the edge of prints and proofs. Be sure to let the ink dry thoroughly before you place the film into a storage sleeve. It should only take a minute to dry. I have found that if you make a mistake, you can remove the ink using a cotton swab lightly moistened with acetone. And, one more thing; the biggest mistake you can ever make is not using a filing system for your negatives. If you choose to mark your film on the edge, these markers will do the trick.<\/p>\n<p>If you are interested in learning more about Staedtler pigment liner pens, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a title=\"STAEDTLER\u00ae pigment liner\" href=\"https:\/\/www.staedtler.com\/pigment_liner_gb.Staedtler\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/span> is their web site.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JB <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I was recently asked what type of writing device we use to mark the catalog number on the edge of our film. I had not given it much thought since we have been using the same pens for marking film for many years. I have heard of people using various mechanical pens and India ink.Continue reading &rarr;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11,12,9],"tags":[16,17,18,20],"class_list":["post-4542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-film","category-how-to","category-photography","tag-film-photography","tag-fine-art-photography","tag-jb-susan-harlin","tag-ulf-photography","no-thumb"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>WRITING ON THE NEGATIVE EDGE<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Staedtler pigment liner pen is best for writing on film edge....\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jbhphoto.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/04\/writing-on-the-negative-edge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"WRITING ON THE NEGATIVE EDGE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Staedtler pigment liner pen is best for writing on film edge....\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.jbhphoto.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/04\/writing-on-the-negative-edge\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"jbhphoto.com Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-09-04T17:24:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-17T03:17:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/jbhphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Pens04s1-300x176.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"JB Harlin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"JB Harlin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jbhphoto.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/04\/writing-on-the-negative-edge\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jbhphoto.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/04\/writing-on-the-negative-edge\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"JB Harlin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jbhphoto.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6041e95988ddc41210c0c9b10cf7d900\"},\"headline\":\"WRITING ON THE NEGATIVE EDGE\",\"datePublished\":\"2011-09-04T17:24:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-17T03:17:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jbhphoto.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/04\/writing-on-the-negative-edge\/\"},\"wordCount\":433,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jbhphoto.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6041e95988ddc41210c0c9b10cf7d900\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jbhphoto.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/04\/writing-on-the-negative-edge\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/jbhphoto.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Pens04s1-300x176.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Film Photography\",\"Fine Art Photography\",\"JB &amp; 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