Apparatus and method for producing photographic prints with write-on

Abstract

Apparatus for producing photographic prints (10) with write-on borders (14) from filmstrips (26, 46, 48, 58) having images (28-34, 38, 42) with varying orientation from image to image or from filmstrip to filmstrip or both, includes a mechanism (56, 60, 86) for intermittently conveying a filmstrip (58) through a filmstrip print gate (62); a system (80-86; 180-280) for determining an orientation of each image on the filmstrip to identify a top (18), bottom (16), left (20) or right (22) edge of each image; a controller (86) for selecting for at least some images on a filmstrip a common edge on which to provide a write-on border on at least one photographic print of each image; a system (72, 76, 86) for intermittently conveying a photographic paper strip (74) through a paper print gate (78); at the photographic paper print gate, a mechanism (88-94; 96-116; 118-148) for masking at least one edge of the paper print gate which corresponds to the selected common edge; and an illuminator (64) for each image at the filmstrip print gate to project each image onto a photographic paper at the paper print gate, so that at least some images printed on the photographic paper will have a write-on border along the selected common edge. A corresponding method is taught.