Pro tip: those plastic negative sleeves can wreck your film over time - $12 lesson learned

I bought a pack of those cheap Print File sleeves for like $12 and thought my negatives were safe. After about 6 months I saw these weird white marks showing up on a roll of Tri-X I shot last summer at the lake. Turns out some sleeves off gas or trap moisture if the film isn't TOTALLY dry first. But I've also heard people swear by the higher quality polypropylene sleeves from brands like Clear File and say they never had issues for years. So is it really the product or are we all just rushing the drying process? I'm torn on whether to buy better sleeves or just wait longer before sliding the film in. What do you all use for long term storage of your negatives?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliotc1026d ago

I had the same argument with myself last year over $12 sleeves versus the $40 Clear File ones, and it reminds me of how people treat their phone chargers like they're all the same until one fries a battery. The real answer is probably both factors matter, because even expensive sleeves won't save film that went in with a tiny bit of humidity left in the emulsion. I just started laying my negatives out in front of a fan for an extra hour before sleeving and that cheap pack hasn't given me any trouble since.

wrenwilson26d ago

Drying time matters more than sleeve cost but everyone skips that step.