Method and apparatus for applying one or a plurality of superimposed layers of a photographic coating composition by the curtain coating method onto a moving support. The spacing between the edge guides, used to maintain the width of a curtain throughout its free fall from the coating hopper to the impingement line on the support, is arranged to coat less than the width of the support so as to provide an uncoated margin on the support. The curtain fluids are extracted from the edge region of the falling curtain by connecting a suction device to the edge guides near the point of impingement of the falling curtain, thus substantially reducing the thickness of the curtain at its edge region and thereby reducing the thickness of the coated edges.