Contact Print
A print made with the negative in direct contact with the paper, producing an image the same size as the negative.
Formula / rule
Magnification = 1:1
In depth
With no enlarging lens in the path, a contact print records everything the negative holds, giving a sharpness and tonal delicacy that enlargement cannot match. This is the reason large-format photographers work at 8×10 inches and beyond: the contact print is the finished object, not a proof.
Examples in practice
An 8×10 contact print on platinum paper shows detail and tonal subtlety no enlargement from 35 mm can approach.