Contact Print

A contact print is a photographic image produced from a film, usually a negative, The defining characteristic of a contact print is that the photographic result is made by exposing through the film original onto a light sensitive material pressed tightly to the film. Since this process produces neither enlargement nor reduction, the image on the paper print is exactly the same size as the image on the negative meaning a whole 35mm film can be viewed as one contact sheet if needed. Useful as an aid in the selection of images for further enlargement, cataloguing and identification.