Do You Remember Film Mailers? Another Blast form the Past!

PK36 Film Mailers, Rolls of 35mm Kodachrome 25 and 64 (click to enlarge)

Remember film mailers?  I was rummaging through my photography storage drawers and found these mailers.  I used to buy them to process all of my Kodak Kodachrome slides, which was my primary 35mm film. (I used more 120 film in my Pentax 6X7s than 35mm film, but I used Kodak Vericolor III and Tri-X primarily in that camera system) Film mailers were the least expensive and easiest way for me to get my slides processes, mounted and quickly back to me.  Kodak made them for both slide and print film.

Back in the film days, I would "call" B and H Photo in New York, as there was no Internet, to order Kodachrome 35mm and 120 film.  I still have some of each in my freezer, if only for nostalgic reasons.  But, I would also order Kodak PK36 film mailers, which were a way of prepaying for film processing and which were discounted through B and H.  Digital is certainly not free, but film was much more expensive.

Typically, you would fill out the envelope inside the cardboard container you see in the image above, add two stamps, then drop  it in a mailbox.  But, if you had a local retailer who knew and liked you, you could ask if you could drop off your film mailers at the store.  The courier would pick up and deliver Kodak film for processing everyday.  I could fill out my mailer with my name and address, drop it off at my local photo retailer, then magically only two days later, the processed box of Kodachrome slides would show up at my door courtesy of U.S. Mail!  That was about as good as it got for me before digital photography.  Film and processing were discounted and the service was fantastic!

(As an aside, Kodak processing was absolutely first rate.  The slides came back mounted and they were clean.  After Kodak merged with Colorcraft and they formed Kodalux, processing become horrible.  The slides all came back with dust and debris all over them.  It was at that time I quit using the service.  It really was a shame.  Kodak's reputation, in my eyes, suffered.)

I don't miss film photography anymore.  I did for a long time, but I have found that, with its ongoing maturity, digital is so much, much better for me, process-wise, and I believe the images I make are much, much better as well.  I was conflicted and overly nostalgic for a long time.  No going back now.

Thanks for looking.  Enjoy!

Dennis Mook

Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com.  Please pay it a visit.  I add new images regularly.  Thank you.


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