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AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY. 327 
It is then necessary to sensitize the cards 
for printing. The simplest form of sensi- 
tizer is the ordinary blue print solution. 
Formulas for thé solution can be found in 
any of the annuals devoted to photography. 
For those who do not care to compound the 
blue print solution there are sensitizing 
powders on the market which are readily 
dissolved and easily manipulated. 
I can not urge_too strongly the careful 
selection of the negative for the small print 
which ig to be used to decoraté the post 
card. It ofteti happens that a choice view 
may be found in some corner of a nega- 
tive which taken as a whole would be utter- 
ly lacking in interest. The close study of 
the négatives on hand is recommended. 
These should bé €xamined not only as a 
whole but with reference to tiny portions 
which might be selected and used as an en- 
largement or a reduction, as their size may 
require. ’ 
The choice of the best portion of the 
negative may be aided and time saved by 
the use of several differently formed masks, 
the opening of which is to represent the 
size of the picture. The masks exclude 
other portions of the negative from con- 
sideration. This enables the mind to se- 
lect with much greater readiness stich por- 
tions of the negative as may seem of the 
greatest interest. _ 
In sensitizing the cards cover with a 
piece of blotter such portions of the card 
as are not to be included in the picture. 
Apply the sensitizer with a wad of absorb- 
ent cotton, remembering that a thin coat- 
ing of the sensitizér is all that will be fe- 
quired. The fingers should always be pro- 
tected from contact with the sénsitizer by 
rubber finger tips. 
With the blue print picture card a thor- 
ough washing is all that is needed to com- 
plete the picture after it has been printed. 
With other sensitizing solutions some chem- 
ical method of fixation is usually required. 
For that ample directions are contained 
with the sensitizing powders. If the words 
“Post Card” are to be printed by the use 
of a rubber stamp, Omit such printing until 
the picfure has been printed and fixéd and 
washed. Otherwise the ink used for the 
Stamp might become so much washed out 
and mingled with the picture, that an un- 
desired effect would be obtained. 
For that class of néeatives which seem 
to be so well composed that a small portion 
¢an not be used without destroying the best 
effect of the picftire it will be well fo make 
a reduced transparén¢y on a lantern slidé 
platé, and from this make a small negative 
by contact. To those who own an enlare- 
ing and reducing camera this will be easy. 
but for fhosé who are obliged to depend 
on homemade apparatus, the reducing of 
negatives will entail no small labor. 
A board will be needed, of sufficient 
length to represent the distance required 
from the negative to the camera, in order 
to reduce the negative to the size of a lan- 
tern plate or smaller. At one end of this 
board fasten rigidly a box large enough to 
admit the largest negative to be reduced. 
In the bottom of the box cut an opening 
slightly smaller than the negatives from 
which the reductions are made, and fur- 
nish the box with parallel cleats so that 
the negatives can be placed in the grooves 
thus formed. At the other end of the 
board nail parallel strips of 34 inch board 
so that the view camera will slide between 
these strips with just enough friction to 
keep it in proper position. A groove should 
also be cut through the board to admit 
the tripod screw, by which the cam- 
era can be secured at any point after the 
correct size of the reduction has been 
found. The distance between the camera 
and the box containing the negative can 
be covered by the focussing cloth laid on 
strips of wood resting at one end on the 
camera, and at the other end on the box in 
which the negative is secured. This appar- 
atus can be easily prepared by any one from 
the usual articles found about the home; 
and the flat-dweller can utilize the family 
ironing board for the camera stand if other 
boards are not available. 
It will naturally suggest itself to the 
camera worker that the box containing the 
negative will have to be placed so it may 
receive the light from a window, and 
that the light should be diffused by the use 
of tracing cloth or tissue paper. It will 
also be known to all that a kit to contain 
the lantern slide plate can be made from 
card board so it can be used in the ordi- 
nary plate holder in the same manner as 
the usual negative plate. When it seems 
necessary to enlarge a portion of the nega- 
ative a similar apparatus will answer the 
purposé, provided the camera is furnished 
with a sufficient length of bellows. 
It may be, however, that some of thé 
téaders of this article have little time dur- 
ing the day that can be devoted to photo- 
graphy. For this class there is abundant 
opportunity to prepare the post cards from 
papers which are designed for use by ar- 
tificial light. Several manufacturers of bro- 
mide or gaslight papers have placed on the 
market post cards ready for exposure. 
These goods are easily manipulated and the 
results are all that the most exacting could 
wish. In this kind of work use printing 
frame of liberal size, so that all sizes of 
negatives can be accommodated with one 
frame. Cover the inner portion of the 
glass of the printing frame with a heavy 
nonéactinic paper. In the lower right 
corner of the paper mark off a space of the 
exact side of the post cards to be used, and 
