Look more closely and I bet you find a finger print on the end fram of each cut strip
where they pulled the film through without wearing gloves. Even pretty good labs do
this. If I'm trying for a good scan of the end frame I automatically grab the PEC-12
because I know the print is going to be there.
-----Original Message-----
From: Gerald F. Cermak [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2001 2:17 PM
To: Pentax Discussion List
Subject: Lab Sleeving machines and scratches
I've been intermittently using a lab near work (with a fine Fuji mini-lab
machine). However, initially they were not cleaning the machine well
enough, and I was getting occasional scratches and torn emulsions. After
some complaints, they cleaned things up. But lately, my print film has been
coming back with scratches along the non-emulsion (plastic) side of the
film, horizontal, except for one vertical scratch every fourth frame
(corresponding to the film strip width produced by their sleeving machine).
The prints no show signs of scratches (at 4x6's or 6x8's). The scans I make
later on are ruined though, because of the scratches. I even shot a test
roll in a new body, and had the lab manager run it end to end, and they also
had the same scratch pattern. They said I'm the only one complaining,
suggested I think about going digital, or go to a pro lab. I refused all
these. I'm probably their only customer that scans 3600 dpi film at home,
and most people don't get reprints of their film. They finally believed the
scratches were coming from them, but don't know why. It appears to me that
their automatic sleeving machine is dragging the plastic side of the film
across something, and then when it clamps the film for cutting every 4th
frame, producing a vertical scratch too. It really seems it couldn't be
coming from anywhere else in the process.
Have other people noticed scratches on film coming from labs that use
automatic sleeving machines? Are their any particular quirks about using
these machines that can cause problems, things the lab may not have learned
about yet? I'd really like to continue using them, as they are quite
convenient to work, and when they get things right, the results couldn't be
better.
Thanks,
Gerald
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