Glassine Or Print File Negative Sleeves

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Ian-Barber

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I have always used the Glassine type negative sleeves as as I am needing some more I have been looking at the Print File clear plastic type. They are less money than the Glassine ones.

Anyone any experience with the Print Files sleeves verses the. Glassine ones
 
I've used both over the years, these days I use Print File because that's what my supplier sold I prefer them as I can evaluate negatives while in the sleeves. Some people also make contact sheets with the negatives in these sleeves.

Long term I find the Print File sleeves stronger.

Ian
 
Worst were the Kenro thin acetate negative files with a paper edge, that comes apart.

I need to get some more Print Files :D

Ian
 
I switched to PrintFile several years ago for the advantage of being able to contact print without removing the negatives. I haven't found any problems with them, and now use them for all film sizes. Mine are stored in ring binders. If you'd like to try before you buy, let me know and I'll post you one (no guarantees as to its condition on arrival after traversing the postal system though :D).
 
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I, too, have used the PrintFile sleeves for years; 35mm up through 5x4. I lay a “sheet” on my flatbed scanner and that is my contact sheet. I file this along with the negatives in binders. At least, that’s what I tell myself I do...not to good at staying on top of all that, though. :D
 
There is always Secol if money is no object (they have the Royal Warrant). But I also use PrintFile, though, as with Secol, trying to determine which sleeve is which is not that easy.

Nick
 
Man, i must be old-school. I've used glassine for over 40 years and have had no problems whatsoever.

Once i've done the scanning and contact sheet, the negs are filed away and stored in a drawer system lying flat.

I recently took delivery of another couple of hundred 5x4 sheets in glassine, so i'm not likely to change soon (if ever).

Mike
 
In the past, I have found that the older glassine negative holders become slightly 'yellowish'... a 'something' going wrong??? So I'm now looking to discard the all packages of glassine in favour of Print File "Archival Preservers"

Ken
 
i don't know about the life span but it is certainly easier to lay them on the light box for a look.
 
I've used glassine with no problems at all. I do take care to have the emulsion side away from the centre seam.
 
Hello from France!

Glassine or PrintFile(TM)?

Coming late to the discussion, actually I use both.

I had been using glassine sleeves in 135 and 120 for a long time (French brand Panodia(TM), still in business), and when I visited California in 1990, I bought some PrintFile(TM) polyethylene sheets. I had never heard of this brand before; nowadays they are well distributed in the Old World.

The only (minor!) problem I had at the time was: those sheets were punched on the edge for the traditional US-type 3-ring binder, so I had to re-punch them at home for the European metric 8-8-8-cm type of ring binder.

This problem no longer exists with current PrintFile(TM) products, on the edge, as far as I have seen on their web site, they have all kinds of holes required for many kinds of ring binders.

Actually I find glassine sheets easier to load and unload than PrintFile(TM) polyethylene sheets.
Hence I continue to use glassine sheets for B&W or colour negatives, and I use PrintFile(TM) mostly for slides.
However, glassine paper is very sensitive to water drops! I did not invent the expression "wet darkroom" (we do not say that in French ;) ), but those who bring their glassine sleeves in the darkroom know what I mean!

As far as the 5x4" format [and may be larger formats for me in the future] is concerned, so far I have no LF colour slide in my archives, so I use glassine sheets bought from Macodirect on the Continent (German for glassine is Pergamin). 4x5" pockets work also for the smaller 9x12 cm format.

Regarding Secol(TM) products, this raises the painful question of how long our images on film will survive us.
Secol(TM) supplies museums: there, all kinds of documents have to be preserved for future generations: time scales are centuries ... and how documents are preserved is of the utmost importance, hence the choice of trusted plastics like polyester or non-acid papers. At a nominal cost ...
 
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