Development time for paper.

[Joe O'Hara]

Doremus said: "Evaluating the prints is an art in itself." So true!

The right viewing light for wet (damp) prints is very important. If it is way too bright (or is fluorescent), your prints will probably look dull when viewed in your regular display conditions. I make it a practice to carefully mop the surface of the print with a cellulose sponge (reserved for this purpose, it must not be considered clean for washed prints) to get all of the surface water off before evaluating them.

Then the experience part kicks in. Michael Smith (whom I respected as a technical expert in his process which was Lodima chloride paper and amidol) swore that "dry-down" is a myth. However that may be, in my experience, using Ilford MG FB products, highlight tone seems to magically appear when the print is dry that appears blown-out when wet. (I notice little change in the low values). So I just adjust exposure and contrast to get the highlights just "blown" by appearance when wet, and when dry, there they are.

There's a real craft to this, and there's no getting around it, and expending many boxes of paper in the process.

[Grandpa Ron]

Sorry for the confusion, it was a typo error, I am using Arista Paper developer. and mixing the Arista fixer to the recommended paper fixing ratio.

The paper developer has a 1:9 ratio so I am using, 3 oz of developer to 27 oz of water for a total of 30 oz solution.

Judging when to move the print from developer to stop seems to be the initial challenge.

[david@bigeleisenlaw.com]

I keep the paper in the developer for 1 minute and 45 seconds. I pull it out with bamboo tongs and let it drain for 15 seconds. Then i put it in the stop bathe for about half a minute. Drain again for about 15 seconds and the fix according to manufacturer's instructions. Works fine. Don't worry too much, just do.

David

[Jim Noel]

Most papers come with minimal instructions concerning development times. RC papers are generally one minute.
Fiber papers are generally between 2 and 3 minutes. 3 minutes is my personal choice and i never use RC papers.

[Rick A]

Sorry for the confusion, it was a typo error, I am using Arista Paper developer. and mixing the Arista fixer to the recommended paper fixing ratio.

The paper developer has a 1:9 ratio so I am using, 3 oz of developer to 27 oz of water for a total of 30 oz solution.

Judging when to move the print from developer to stop seems to be the initial challenge.

You really need to do your own testing to see what works best for you. That being said, For RC paper, I have fixed my developing time to two minutes total(actual develop+drain time)then into the stop (10secs for RC) then fix as per manufacturer instructions. You need to keep the process time consistent and vary print exposure (time under enlarger or contact frame) to suit The trick is to find in camera exposure that matches your process and a fairly consistent print exposure time. FB papers respond slightly different than RC, again, run tests to determine YOUR personal preference.

[Ben Calwell]

When it comes to development time, I just follow the recommendations of the paper manufacturers.

[Doremus Scudder]

... Judging when to move the print from developer to stop seems to be the initial challenge.

Don't judge. Standardize on the recommended time for your developer and paper type (RC or fiber base). You can use a bit longer time as your standard, but going shorter than recommended times is not a good idea as the print will not have time to develop its maximum black and full contrast range.

RC print-developing times range from 1-2 minutes depending on developer. Recommended developing times for fiber base paper are longer, usually in the 1.5-3 minute range, again, depending on developer used.

Check out the Ilford tech sheets for their papers and compare the processing times for RC and fiber-base papers and the various developers they list (yes, they are all Ilford products, but it will give you a general idea).

Short version: read the label on your developer and use the time recommended for your paper type. If you're using Arista Liquid Paper Developer, the directions clearly state: "Processing Times: RC Papers: 1-2 minutes. Fiber-based Papers: 2 minutes." I'd choose either 2 minutes for RC papers, or at least 90 seconds and then standardize on that. Don't deviate from that time without a good reason.

No brainer, really.

Doremus

[Andrew O'Neill]

For fibre based papers, such as Ilford MG, I always developed for 2 minutes in conventional paper developers.

[MartinP]

I am curious to know why the instructions from the chemical and paper manufacturers are thought to be incorrect by the OP ?

EDIT: That reads to be a bit rude. What I mean is that you have chosen decent 'cheap-and-cheerful' materials which have a very wide 'sweet spot'. You probably won't get something that could hang in a museum for the next century, but you can easily have something that will hang on your living room wall. Just follow the times in the instructions that match the products and it will be fine. I'd only add that you could try changing the light-source using filters, or a colour-head, with the variable contrast paper -- start out at grade two and play around from there. Good luck!

[Huub]

I fully agree with following the instructions on the manual, but as i have written before, it is easy enough to development time yourself. Just make 4 test strips of a good shadow area and develop them at different times. Do that one time for a given paper and developer combination and you're set.