Developing prints is a rather simple process that can be done in the most basic of darkrooms. And before the master printers attack me for such a statement, let me clarify that I’m talking about the basic process of going from exposed paper to fixed print. There are, of course, many ways to make this process more complicated and difficult, but we’ll be focusing on the basic foundations for now.

While I’d like to lay out everything in one post, there’s just too much content to cover. So this article will take a look at the equipment needed to develop basic black and white prints. Once we have our equipment list, we’ll talk about how to use it.

Safelight

Black and white photo paper is not sensitive to red light, allowing us to use a “safelight” without exposing the paper. You could develop without any lights, but it would be a real pain to grab the paper and find the next tray during the process — not suggested that you try this.

Safelights come in 2 basic forms: the housing/filter unit shown here, and as a coated bulb. Both work fine — I actually use a coated bulb plugged into an old shade-less lamp. One thing you’ll see is different color lights — “OC” or “amber” is for b/w printing and “red” is for b/w printing and other orthochromatic materials. They will both work, but the amber lights are brighter and easier to see.

Paper

Black and white photo paper comes in many sizes and flavors. You’ll need to decide on four main things: size, type, contrast, and finish.

Papers come in all standard photo sizes typically from 5×7 up to 20×24 (and I’m sure you can get sizes outside this range too).

There are two main types of photo paper: resin coated (RC) and fiber based (FB). RC is cheaper and easier to work with, but less archival. FB is more expensive and takes more time to develop, but is the standard for archival and fine art work. Go with RC for use with paper negatives and personal prints.

Most papers today are variable contrast (VC) and require the use of contrast filters during exposure. But you can also buy graded paper that has built-in contrast. Stick with VC paper unless you have a specific need for graded paper.

Paper also comes with many different finishes: matte, semi-matte, satin, pearl, lustre, glossy, and I’m sure a few others. This is totally up to you and how you want your images to look. I tend to prefer glossy for fine art stuff and pearl for home use or personal portfolio use.

Just remember that the paper is basically a film — it’s sensitive to light, so only open the package in the darkroom with a safelight.

Developer

There are lots of developers out there, and they all work just a bit different from each other. The discussion is so big that I won’t get into it here and now. I’ve always used the Ilford Multigrade developer for my prints because it’s easy to mix and it works. I’m sure others have their favorites too. Also note that film developers and print developers are not the same thing.

One thing to keep in mind if you choose liquid concentrate developers (such as Ilford Multigrade) — they go bad after a while. Once you open the container, the chemicals begin to react with the air and break down. It’s not uncommon for me to leave 1/4 or less in the bottom of a bottle and forget about it for a few weeks. The dark red/brown color will tell you that it may be best to crack open a new bottle.

Stop Bath

Stop bath isn’t totally necessary, but nice to have if you can get it. This chemical stops the developer immediately and allows for better control of development times. You can also replace the stop bath with plain water.

I’m not sure if this is the case for other brands, but the Ilford stop bath can be used for both film and print developing.

Fixer

Unlike the stop bath, fixer is totally necessary. This is the stuff that removes the light sensitive material from the paper and stabilizes the print. Without it, your print will continue to expose and develop itself until you have a nice black piece of paper. Fixer is also pretty smelly stuff, so you’ll want to work in a ventilated area.

Just like the stop bath, the Ilford rapid fixer (and probably other fixers too) can be used for both film and paper. Just be careful that you don’t get a hardening fixer unless you are sure you want it — non-hardening fixers are fine for most film and paper.

Liquid Measurement Devices

Mixing chemicals is a necessary task when preparing your darkroom, so you’ll need something to measure the liquid and/or powder (depending on what chemicals you use). I would suggest getting an assortment of beakers from about 50ml to 500ml. Plastic or glass, doesn’t really matter.

Depending on the chemicals you use, you may need to measure out small amounts well under 50ml (like in the 5ml range). If this is the case, pick up a 10ml graduated cylinder for better precision.

Trays

You’ll need at least three trays, but I would suggest getting four. One tray for the developer, one for the stop bath or water bath, and one for the fixer. Depending on where you plan to wash, you’ll probably need a fourth tray.

I like to work with the smallest tray possible for a given print size because they’re more economical. Some people like to work in trays one size up from the print so they’re easier to handle. Either way is fine, you’re the one buying the chemicals!

For my wash tray, I just use a 16×20 and set it in the bathtub. There’s no reason to have a separate wash tray for every size that I might print.

Tongs

Print tongs are optional if you don’t mind your hands turning colors and smelling weird. I prefer to use them so I don’t have to worry about getting residual chemicals from my fingers on a clean sheet of paper. Get a set of three because you don’t want to mix any stop bath or fixer in the developer — you gotta keep ‘em separated.

I’ve got these cheap bamboo tongs and they pop out of the handles sometimes… but for $3 I can deal with it and glue them back in from time to time.

Thermometer

While black and white printing isn’t terribly finicky about temperature, it does matter and it will affect your prints. The easiest thing is to keep the temperature right at 20C so you can get more consistent results.

I’ve got one of these cheapie glass thermometers and I have no issues with it. They take a little while to register to temperature change, but they work. I usually just throw mine in the developer tray and leave it there.

Squeegee

After you’re done washing the print, you’ll need to get the excess water off so you don’t end up with water spots or marks. Just slap your print down on a smooth surface and run the squeegee across it.

If you plan on printing larger than 8×10, make sure you grab a larger squeegee — you’ll want to cover the whole print in one swipe.

Hanging Clips

And finally, you’ll need to hang your prints for drying, so grab some clips! You could do clothes pins or binder clips too.

OK! That’s quite a list of things… more than I had expected when I started writing this. It may seem like a lot of stuff if you have none of it, but most things here are one time purchases. The only items you’ll have to buy again are the paper and chemicals (and the occasional safelight bulb).

For the existing printers out there, what other items would you add to this list? Or what optional items would you suggest for making the darkroom experience better?