LETTERING Insertion of titles and lettering on negatives is a necessity in commercial work. Almost every print delivered in merchandise work for traveling men's sample books will be numbered or lettered to a more or less degree. There are many different ways of putting this lettering on. If on a white ground, it can be scratched in reverse through the opaque with a sharp point. A good point for this kind of work is what is known as an engraver's needle. How ever, there is considerable trouble, at times, in preventing this lettering from be coming ragged. A far better method is to put it in with a hot point, which, in the simplest form, consists of a 1-16 inch machinist's drill, with the shank end filed off and driven into a piece of wood for a handle, and the drill end ground down to a fine point. Heat this point up hot and letter on the negative. You will be surprised how easy it is. The hot point, in its more elaborate form, is heated with electricity, alcohol or gas, much the same as the old wood-burning outfits so popular a few years ago.
Figure No. 70 is an example of hot point lettering.
Figure No. 71 is an example of inserted printing on an opaque ground. The way this was done was to have a printer set the titles up and make a press proof on a pure white paper. This printing was then photographed with a process film developed with contrasty developer. The film was then cut up and the lettering inserted on the negative. The method of inserting these film strips on the negative is as follows: Cut up pieces of blotter just a little larger than the titles you wish to insert. Dip the blotter in water and pull it right out and place on the negative where the title is to go on. Go around the edge of the blotter with an etching knife, cutting through the film. Allow the blotter to stay in place for a minute, remove, and then with the etching knife, catch tip the edge of the film and pull it off. The title negative may be inserted in the clear space and bound in place with binding strips. This makes a very neat and satisfactory job.
Another method pursued is to make a paper negative in the camera direct from the original copy, using contrasty developing paper. The exposure will
be somewhat long, usually five or ten minutes, but oftentimes it has to be done that way. This paper negative, after it is developed, fixed, washed and dried, should be rubbed over with castor oil to make it transparent and then may be inserted on the negative the same as the film strips mentioned above.
Titles may also be double printed in, that is, make the title negative the same as mentioned above by tither the film or paper method and attach them to a mask covering the whole plate. Then, by first printing the picture, taking the negative out and replacing it with the mask with the titles in, making a second exposure and developing up. your title will be in. This takes rather longer to accomplish, but makes a neat job.
The simplest and the best way when you have long titles or descriptive matter is to have a printer set up type, using a light face, and print the inscrip tions exactly where required on a piece of film support, using A printing ink used for printing on celluloid and then bronzing it to give greater density. This is the method used by the paper makers to title sample prints. Of course, the printed title and the negative are placed face to face and printed at one time. In enlarging, the printing will show much better than as if done by hand.
Inserting titles on black grounds is far easier. They can be lettered in directly on to the negative, using India ink and a pen, lettering in reverse, or you can use opaque, which is really better. If you have trouble in lettering reverse, procure some film support from your stockhouse, the same size as the negative you wish to title and letter on it. Then reverse and attach it to your negative and print through the two of them.
A lot of attention should be given to titles, as they are important, if you wish to help the customer sell his goods, as many an otherwise excellent photo graph is spoiled in appearance by untidy lettering.