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Thread: Development time for paper.

  1. #1

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    Development time for paper.

    It has been a while since I have printed any film. As I recall the last time, I tried burning through a lot of time and paper trying to determine the correct exposure/ print development time.

    I have search the web and some older photography books and the time for developing paper seems to be between 1 1/2 minutes to 3 minutes.

    So to prevent as lot of tail chasing, I would like some opinions.

    I prefer to mix as I go, so I have new bottles of Arista film developer and Fixer concentrate and an older bottle of indicator Stop bath concentrate. I am working with Arista 5x7 Grade 3 and VC glossy resin coated paper. I can hold the chemical temperatures between 68 and 72 degrees.

    * My plan is to mix a quart of each solution in 8x10 trays.
    * Keep my paper development time between 1 1/2 and 1 3/4 minutes.
    * Adjust only the enlarger time, using time exposure test strips as references.

    I believe this is a good starting point, but I am open to suggestions.

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Huub
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    Re: Development time for paper.

    I have my doubts if film developer will work well for developing paper, as it paper developer should be much more active then film developer. Do yourself a favour and get a bottle of paper developer. They come in a few tastes: cold tone, neutral and warm tone developer. The choice has some influence on the tone of the emulsion, not on the paper base. The exact effect depending on the paper you use.

    Developing VC paper means developing to completion. How long that takes will depend on temperature, dillution, your paper and the choice of developer, but it is easy to check.

    Make a few test strips of the paper of choice, using a negative with good shadow detail. Expose 4 test strips of the same shadows area with a time that gives you a fairly decent print. Develop the first strip for 1 minute, the second for 1.5 minutes, the third for 2 minutes and the fourth for 3 minutes. Fix, rinse and dry and check in the light in which you are going the view your prints. Choose the one with the best shadows: it should give a good black, but also plenty of detail. You can use that development time for all your prints.

  3. #3
    Tin Can's Avatar
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    Re: Development time for paper.

    Use a safelight for printing, watch the development

    I sometimes use Ilford PQ as it was designed to be Universal developer, film or paper

    Dilutions are varied

    Don't use very old chems, mix Vitamin C powder for stop, a tablespoon mixes quickly in tray, then down the drain. I buy cheap food grade
    Tin Can

  4. #4

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    Re: Development time for paper.

    Paper is generally developed to completion when using a paper developer. When I was a newbie the instructor taught us to use 90-30-60 seconds for dev-stop-fix times with 15 second drip times in between. However I find on Fiber paper and the Ansco/PF 130 developer I use I like dev time at a minimum of 2:00 minutes. Ethol LPD I use very dilute and let it run to 4 mins on warm tone paper.

    You can test full development time by creating a simple test sheet of different exposure stripes of different white>gray>black tones. Then cut the test sheet into strips and develop each one for different times. IE 1:30, 2:00, 3:00 , stop, fix, and wash, but evaluate when dry.
    RC paper will develop faster than Fiber usually.
    The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
    http://www.searing.photography

  5. #5
    Joe O'Hara's Avatar
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    Re: Development time for paper.

    Agreed that film developer is generally not suitable for paper. In any event, it will die quickly in the tray and give inconsistent results.

    I develop all my prints for 3 minutes using a D-72 variant at 1:1 dilution (Ilford MG FB Warmtone mostly). I see practically no change in the prints extending the time
    to 5 minutes. People who like glycin-based developers (e.g. Ansco 130 type) often recommend longer times. I never saw any difference in prints or step
    wedge tests between glycin-based developers and D-72, so I stopped using them, but as usual YMMV.

    It is always a bad idea to yank a print from the developer if it looks like it's getting too dark. That just means it's overexposed, so try again. Pick a developing
    time (the manufacturer's instructions are a good starting point) and stick to it. Adjust density and contrast in the enlarger.

    Some people move a print into a water bath and let it sit there after the image is mostly developed. It is reasonable to think that this will affect the response of
    the paper in some way, perhaps one that you like. I personally have never tried this. I suppose you'd want to use fresh water for every print, because after one use
    it's not all water any more.
    Where are we going?
    And why are we in this handbasket?


    www.josephoharaphotography.com

  6. #6

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    Re: Development time for paper.

    The Arista papers come with instructions, which state: "Arista.EDUŽ Ultra VC RC can be processed in any standard black and white photographic paper developer (emphasis mine). Generally development of 60 - 90 seconds at 68 ̊F/20 ̊C should be required. The developer manufacturer’s recommendations should be followed."

    RC (resin coated) papers all pretty much process in the same way; 60-90 seconds in the developer and then a stop and fix of 60 seconds in any rapid fixer. Don't waste your time, money and resources trying to make prints using FILM developer. Its not made for that. Its made to spend a much longer time in contact with film to develop it slowly and allow density to build gradually. A print developer is meant to act in seconds.

    And I would also point out that unless your 8x10 trays are four inches deep (or more), you won't get a quart of chemistry into them without overfilling.

  7. #7

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    Re: Development time for paper.

    I would never use a film developer for paper; why take the edge off your results? The only advantage I can think of in using one developer is convenience, and that would be taking convenience too far. Nor do I think there would be much of any savings involved.

    In workshops I've taken, the recommendation for fiber paper has been 2 minutes in Dektol 1:1 at 68 or 70 degrees. That said, an early workshop I took during the 70's recommended 3 minutes in Dektol 1:1 at 68 or 70 degrees for fiber. That's what I've always used (at 70 degrees), to make sure that the print has been fully developed.

    Whatever you decide, never vary the developing time . . . always be consistent. I have two viewing lights that I use: one adjusted for wet prints and one adjusted for completed dry prints. Using controlled viewing lights is the only way that one can effectively make and retain in subsequent prints, subtle changes in exposure time (to darken or lighten print), in burning, or in dodging.
    Last edited by neil poulsen; 7-Nov-2021 at 17:44.

  8. #8

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    Re: Development time for paper.

    Don't use film developer for prints. I doesn't work well and it just wastes money. Save it for film and buy some print developer.

    Be aware that RC papers have a different (shorter) developing time than fiber-base papers. Minimum developing time for most RC papers in most developers is one minute. Err on the side of longer, not shorter. Standardizing on 90 seconds would be my recommendation.

    For fiber-base papers, two minutes is the lower limit. I develop all my prints on fiber-base for 2 min. 30 seconds as a standard, deviating from that only for a specific reason.

    If you keep development time adequately long and always the same, then you simply make whatever adjustments you need with exposure time. Being consistent with developing time saves time and money.

    If you change contrast settings by more that a half-grade for a second print, it's a good idea to run a new test strip to find a starting exposure time (even with the Ilford "speed-matched" filters, you'll find that exposure time varies quite a bit with changes in contrast unless you just happen to be basing your print exposure on the middle grey that Ilford matched their speeds to...).

    Evaluating the prints is an art in itself. Having the right brightness light for viewing is important. Be aware of dry down and either compensate for it or dry your prints to evaluate them (this is what I do).

    Best,

    Doremus

  9. #9
    multiplex
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    Re: Development time for paper.

    HI Grandpa Ron

    With a lot of RC papers you know your exposure time is pretty close when the image begins to appear at about 20 seconds.
    Have fun!
    John

  10. #10

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    Re: Development time for paper.

    Film developers are far too inactive for papers. One can develop film in paper developers, but not the reverse.

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