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Basic Darkroom Techniques: Developing B&W prints
Once you have exposed your photographic paper to the light from your enlarger, you will develop your print. Prepare for the developing prior to the exposure, so you can develop test prints along the way. You will need:- Three trays large enough for your paper, one for developer, one for stop and one for fixer.
These trays should be labled, and they should always be used the same way. The developer tray should not be used for fixer, etc.
- A print washer or another tray for washing the prints.
- Developer, the kind recommended by the paper manufacturer
- Acetic acid stop, most papers use a stop bath
- Fixer, the kind recommended by the paper manufacturer
- Bottles to store the developer, stop, and fixer
Many people use dark glass bottles, not because they let in less light, but because they let in less air. Oxygen deteriorates most developers.
- Tongs, one set for developer, one set for stop and fixer, labled as such and not mixed.
- Water to wash the prints with
- A place to dry the prints.
Resin Coated (RC) paper can be hung from a line with clothes pins, Fiber paper is usally dried on drying racks. You can use a hair dryer to quick dry RC prints or to dry test fiber prints.
- Mix the chemicals for the Developer, Stop, and Fixer according to the manufacturers instructions.
Be sure to not mix the chemicals by using contaminated measuring or stirring tools.
- Store the mixed chemicals in bottles labled for that purpose.
- Determine the optimum temperature for your developer, per manufacturers recommendations.
- Set the trays on a counter or in a large sink, most people place the trays from left to right in developer, stop, fix, wash order.
- Measure the temperature of your developer, if it's too cold or too hot, you can put hot or cold water into a balloon and put the balloon in the developer to adjust the temperature. Or you could use 35mm canisters. Another way is to run water around the tray to cool or heat it. There is normally a range of temperatures acceptable, and it's best to be within that range.
- Turn off all the white light in the room, you can have a tested safelight on.
- Expose your print, either as an enlargement, or a contact sheet.
- Place the exposed sheet in the developer tray. Most people put it emulsion side up, but it doesn't really matter, except for that thrill of seeing the image "come up". Place one edge of the paper under the developer, then let the paper "fall" into the developer, the first rocking of the tray will cover the print in developer.
- Agitation during print developing is a gentle rocking back and forth of the tray every so often (30 seconds or so).
- Develop for the full time recommended by the manufacturer, for consistent results - usually 2 minutes.
- Upon completion of the full time, pick the print up, by a corner if possible, using the developer tongs. Allow any runnoff to drip back into the developer tray before the next step.
- Place the developed sheet of paper in the stop tray. Do this by sliding one edge of the paper under the stop, and then letting go of the paper, so the developer tongs don't get stop on them. The first rocking motion of the tray will make sure that all of the paper is covered with stop.
- Agitate once or twice during the stop bath.
- Upon completion of the full time - usually 30 seconds - pick up the print, by a corner if possible, using the stop / fixer tongs.
- Place the stopped sheet in the fixer tray, the same as you did for the other trays.
- Agitate every 30 seconds or so.
- Leave the paper in the fixer for the recommended time - usually 2 minutes.
- Remove the paper from the fixer, as before.
- Place the fixed sheet in the wash bath.
- Wash according to the manufacturers recommendations. (that's easy to say!)
- I built a print washer, so I have a running water wash.
- I use RC paper, almost exclusively, so I don't need to wash as long as with fiber paper
- I let the print sit in the water for 10 to 15 minutes.
- I don't usually use a hypo-clearing agent
- Quick drying:
- Squeegee the print to remove most of the water.
- Hang the print from a line with clean clothes pins - I use the overhead cord that turns my safelight on and off.
- Use a hair dryer to dry off the remaining water.
- Hanging RC paper:
- Squeegee the print to remove most of the water.
- Hang the print from a line using clean clothes pins - I use the overhead cord that turns my safelight on and off.
- Let the paper dry, it usually takes several hours - unlike film, you can continue to work in the darkroom.
- If the paper curls too much, then use two pins at the top, and two pins at the bottom to weight the paper.
- Using print drying racks for fiber or RC paper
- Squeegee the print to remove most of the water.
- Place the print(s) on a print drying screen and put the screen into a stack or on the print drying rack.
- Let the paper dry, it usually takes several hours - unlike film, you can continue to work in the darkroom.
