Removing branding from polaroid film

[fannylou]

Hi all,

I should start by saying I'm not personally 'into' polaroid photography and have had no exposure (excuse the pun) to it. I've bought some type 600 film for a friend and it turns out across the bottom white area (where I guess you might write something) this is some branding for a sports company. Does anyone have any clever tricks that might get rid of the branding leaving a clean white space?

Many thanks

[Greg Miller]

What you have is Polaroid promotional film, probably something that was given out for an event, or possibly used for an event and you have come across some of the leftovers. The fat white tab at the bottom is the packet that holds the developer- when the frame comes out of the camera, this liquid is spread over the surface of the materials sandwiched inside and develops the picture. Polaroid made many different versions of this film utilizing this area for everything from promotional to (as you've figured) writing messages. You may want to try some nail polish remover or similar solvent to test a small area and see if the print comes off without destroying the picture. Polaroid prints are made up of many layers of material and have liquid trapped in between- compromising these layers can ruin your print, or at least leave it very fragile.

Out of curiosity- what is printed on your film and how did you come across it? Some of the promotional films are desirable under certain circumstances and people may be interested in a source.