Making a photographic print is where the magic happens—transforming a negative into a physical image you can hold. The process is straightforward once you understand the steps, and deeply satisfying when you pull a well-made print from the wash.
This guide walks through the complete printing workflow: contact sheets, test strips, and making your first print.
Active time: 1-2 hours Total time: 2-3 hours (first session, including setup and drying)
The Printing Workflow Overview
Every print session follows the same basic sequence:
- Set up — Darkroom, enlarger, chemistry, safelight
- Contact sheet — Preview all negatives on one sheet
- Select frames — Choose which images to enlarge
- Test strip — Find the correct exposure
- Work print — Make a full print, evaluate, adjust
- Final print — Apply dodging, burning, and refinements
Setting Up for a Print Session
Safelights
Photographic paper is not sensitive to all light—you can work under safelights that emit wavelengths the paper doesn't respond to.
Common safelight colours:
- OC (light amber): Traditional Kodak colour, safe for all B&W papers
- Red: Darker, safe for most papers, some find it easier on the eyes
- Ilford 902 (dark brown): Specifically designed for Ilford multigrade
Positioning:
- Mount at least 1.2m (4 feet) from work surfaces
- Use the correct wattage bulb (usually 15-25W)
- Too close or too bright will fog paper
Testing your safelight:
Under safelight, place a coin on an unexposed sheet of paper on your easel.
Leave for 4 minutes—longer than any typical print exposure cycle.
Process the paper normally (develop, stop, fix).
If you can see a coin shadow, your safelight is too close, too bright, or the filter is faded. Adjust and retest.
Chemistry Preparation
Prepare your trays before you turn off the lights.
Standard three-tray setup:
- Developer — Diluted per instructions (e.g., Ilford Multigrade 1+9)
- Stop bath — Diluted indicator stop bath, or plain water
- Fixer — Diluted rapid fixer (e.g., Ilford Rapid Fixer 1+4)
Dilution notation like "1+9" means 1 part concentrate to 9 parts water (total 10 parts). So for 500ml working solution at 1+9, use 50ml concentrate + 450ml water. Similarly, 1+4 means 1 part concentrate to 4 parts water (100ml concentrate + 400ml water for 500ml total).
Tray arrangement: Developer on the left, stop in the middle, fixer on the right. This keeps the workflow consistent.
Quantities: Fill trays to about 2cm (¾ inch) depth—enough to submerge paper easily.
Temperature: 20°C (68°F) is standard. Cooler slows development; warmer speeds it. Consistency matters more than the exact temperature.
Prepared developer in a tray oxidises within hours. Mix fresh for each session, or use just before the previous batch exhausts. Stop bath lasts until the indicator changes colour. Fixer can be tested and lasts longer.
Paper Handling
Under safelight:
- Remove paper from the box with dry hands
- Handle by edges only—fingerprints show on prints
- Keep unused paper in the bag, bag in the box
- Emulsion side (the shiny side on RC) faces up toward the enlarger
Making a Contact Sheet
A contact sheet is a same-size print of all negatives on a roll, made by laying the negatives directly on the paper under glass.
Why Contact Sheets Matter
- Preview all frames at once
- Compare exposures and compositions
- Select frames for enlargement
- Create a permanent record of the roll
- Reference for printing decisions
Contact Printing Procedure
Set up your enlarger with no negative in the carrier. Exposing paper with no negative in the carrier provides even, diffused light for making test strips and establishing a baseline exposure. Raise the head until light covers an area larger than 8×10 inches.
Set aperture to f/8 or f/11. Set a starting exposure time—10-15 seconds is typical.
Under safelight, place a sheet of paper emulsion-side up on the baseboard.
Lay your negatives emulsion-side down directly on the paper. (Emulsion to emulsion = correct orientation in the final print.)
Understanding emulsion-to-emulsion: The emulsion is the light-sensitive coating. On negatives, it's the duller side (slightly matte); on paper, it's the shinier side. Place them emulsion-to-emulsion (negative dull side facing paper shiny side) for sharpest results—any gap between the emulsion layers causes softness.
Place a clean sheet of glass on top to hold everything flat. A contact printing frame is ideal but glass works fine.
Expose for your test time (10-15 seconds).
Process normally (develop, stop, fix) and evaluate.
Reading the Contact Sheet
Too dark overall: Reduce exposure time Too light overall: Increase exposure time Proper exposure: Full black from the film rebates (the edges between frames), clear differentiation in the image frames
A well-exposed contact shows shadow detail in most frames while keeping the film rebates solidly black. Some frames will be too dark (overexposed in camera), some too light (underexposed)—that's information about your shooting, not the contact exposure.
Use a red grease pencil or marker to circle frames you want to enlarge. Make notes on the back: crop ideas, contrast adjustments, etc.
Test Strips
A test strip shows multiple exposures on one piece of paper, letting you find the correct exposure without wasting full sheets.
Making a Test Strip
Insert your chosen negative into the carrier, emulsion side down. Position it in the enlarger.
Turn on the enlarger and open the lens to its widest aperture for focusing. Raise or lower the head to compose and size your image on the easel.
Focus critically using a grain focuser. Check the centre and corners.
Stop down to your working aperture—f/8 or f/11 for best sharpness.
Set a starting exposure. For a typical negative and 8×10 print, 10-15 seconds at f/8 is a reasonable starting point.
Cut a sheet of paper into strips (or use a full sheet for more data). Place one strip on the easel, positioned across important tones in the image—include shadows, midtones, and highlights if possible.
Cover most of the strip with cardboard, exposing only one portion.
Expose for your base time (e.g., 5 seconds), then move the cardboard to reveal more of the strip and expose again. Repeat in increments (5 seconds each, or 2 seconds for fine-tuning).
Process the strip. You'll have bands showing 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 seconds (or your chosen increments).
Incremental Exposure
Coarse test strips: 5-second increments. Use when you have no idea of the correct exposure.
Fine test strips: 2-second increments. Use when narrowing in on exact time.
Very fine: 1-second or even half-second increments for critical final prints.
Reading the Test Strip
Identify the best band:
- Shadows should have detail, not be blocked black
- Highlights should have texture, not be paper white
- Overall density should feel "right"—not muddy, not washed out
Choose your exposure: The correct time is where important shadow detail just emerges and highlights aren't lost.
Between two bands: If best exposure is between 15 and 20 seconds, try 17 or 18.
Test strips determine exposure (density). If the print is too flat or too contrasty at the correct density, that's a contrast issue—adjust filters, not exposure time.
Making Your First Print
With the correct exposure from your test strip, you're ready for a full print.
Step-by-Step Procedure
Confirm your enlarger settings are unchanged from the test strip—same negative position, same focus, same aperture.
Under safelight, place a full sheet of paper in the easel, emulsion side up.
Start the timer. The enlarger light should turn on automatically.
When the timer ends, immediately slide the paper into the developer tray.
Rock the tray gently for even development. Use print tongs to keep paper submerged if needed.
Develop for the full recommended time—typically 60-90 seconds. Don't pull the print early because it "looks right."
Lift the print, let it drain for a second, then transfer to stop bath. Agitate for 30 seconds.
Transfer to fixer. Agitate occasionally. Fix for 2-4 minutes (RC paper) or follow fixer instructions.
After fixing, you can turn on room lights to evaluate. The print is now light-safe but still contains fixer and must be washed.
Wash the print (5 minutes for RC, 30+ minutes for fiber or use washing aids).
Development Time Matters
Why develop for the full time?
Development time affects more than density—it affects contrast and maximum black. Pulling prints early produces flat, muddy results without proper blacks.
Standard development: 60-90 seconds at 20°C.
Exception: Some warm-tone papers and developers produce warmer tones with extended development. Follow paper instructions.
Evaluating Your Print
Wet vs Dry Evaluation
Wet prints look different from dry prints.
Prints darken as they dry—typically 5-10% darker, sometimes called "dry-down."
How to compensate:
- Experience with your paper teaches you the amount
- Hold wet prints at an angle under light to reduce surface reflection
- Some printers reduce exposure by 5-10% to compensate
- Or simply accept that work prints are slightly lighter than finals
Judging Density
Too light (underexposed):
- Shadows lack depth
- Overall "thin" appearance
- Blacks are grey
- Fix: Increase exposure time
Too dark (overexposed):
- Shadows blocked without detail
- Midtones too heavy
- Lost separation in darker tones
- Fix: Decrease exposure time
Correct density:
- Shadow detail visible
- Midtone separation clear
- Highlights have texture
- Good range of tones from black to white
Judging Contrast
Too flat (low contrast):
- Blacks are grey, not black
- Whites are grey, not white
- Overall muddy appearance
- Fix: Use higher contrast grade (more magenta filtration)
Too contrasty:
- Harsh jump from light to dark
- Lost shadow detail (blocked)
- Lost highlight detail (blown)
- Few midtones
- Fix: Use lower contrast grade (more yellow filtration)
Correct contrast:
- Full range from black to white
- Smooth transitions between tones
- Shadow and highlight detail preserved
- "Snap" without harshness
If both density and contrast are off, fix density first. Exposure time (density) is easier to judge when contrast is correct. Make test strips at different contrast grades if needed.
Adjusting Exposure and Contrast
Exposure Adjustments
Think in stops and fractions:
- 2x time = 1 stop more exposure (darker)
- 0.5x time = 1 stop less exposure (lighter)
- 1.4x time ≈ ½ stop more
- 0.7x time ≈ ½ stop less
Example: Test strip shows best exposure is between 10 and 15 seconds. The middle is 12-13 seconds. Try 12.
Contrast Adjustments
With Ilford Multigrade filters:
- Grade 2 is "normal"
- Each full grade change is significant
- Half grades (2½, 3½) allow fine-tuning
With colour head:
- More magenta = higher contrast
- More yellow = lower contrast
- 20-30 units of M or Y ≈ one half grade
When to adjust:
- If the test strip shows correct midtone density but blocked shadows or blown highlights, try lower contrast
- If the test strip has correct midtones but lacks punch, try higher contrast
Split-Grade Printing Introduction
An advanced technique: make separate exposures through high-contrast and low-contrast filters on the same sheet.
Why it works: You can control highlight and shadow density independently.
Basic method:
- Expose through yellow (low contrast) filter for shadow density
- Expose through magenta (high contrast) filter for highlight contrast
- Adjust each exposure independently
Split-grade printing offers precise control but adds complexity. Master single-grade printing first.
The Work Print Cycle
Making a final print is iterative:
- Test strip → find base exposure
- Work print → evaluate overall density and contrast
- Adjust → change time or contrast, make another print
- Refine → identify areas needing dodging/burning
- Final print → apply local adjustments
How many prints?
A simple negative with good exposure might take 2-3 prints. A challenging negative might take 10 or more iterations to perfect.
Don't be discouraged by the process—each print teaches you something. The goal isn't perfection on the first attempt but steady improvement toward your vision.
Common Beginner Mistakes
Pulling prints early
Symptom: Muddy prints lacking proper blacks Fix: Develop for the full time (60-90 seconds minimum)
Forgetting dry-down
Symptom: Final prints are too dark when dry Fix: Learn your paper's dry-down and compensate
Ignoring the test strip
Symptom: Wasted paper from guessing Fix: Always make a test strip for a new negative
Wrong safelight handling
Symptom: Fogged prints with grey highlights Fix: Test safelights, don't leave paper out too long
Overworking too soon
Symptom: Frustration from trying to dodge/burn before base exposure is correct Fix: Get density and contrast right first
Equipment Checklist
- Enlarger with timer
Enlarger must have a timer for consistent exposures.
- Enlarging easel
Holds paper flat, creates borders. 4-blade easels offer most flexibility.
- Grain focuser
Magnifier for precise focus on film grain.
- Processing trays (3)
Developer, stop, fix. One size larger than your paper.
- Print tongs (3)
One per tray. Keep chemistry separate.
- Safelight
Correct colour filter for your paper type.
- Multigrade filters or colour head
For contrast control with VC paper.
- Timer or clock
For development timing.
- Thermometer
To verify chemistry temperature.
- Contact printing frame
Glass with hinged back for contact sheets.
- Cardboard for test strips
Opaque card for covering paper during stepped exposures.
What Success Looks Like
Good results:
- Full tonal range from deep blacks to paper white
- Sharp detail across the entire print
- No chemical stains or handling marks
- Smooth tonal transitions in midtones
Signs of problems:
- Print too light overall — indicates underexposure; increase exposure time
- Print too dark overall — indicates overexposure; decrease exposure time
- Muddy midtones with grey blacks — indicates pulling print from developer too early; always develop for the full recommended time
- Uneven development or blotchy areas — indicates inconsistent agitation or chemistry issues
If you encounter issues, see our printing troubleshooting guide.
Summary
- Make a contact sheet first to preview and select negatives
- Always make a test strip before a full print
- Develop for the full time (60-90 seconds)—don't pull early
- Evaluate density (exposure time) separately from contrast (filter grade)
- Expect dry-down—prints darken 5-10% when dry
- Printing is iterative: test strip → work print → refinement → final print
The darkroom rewards patience and observation. Pay attention to what each print teaches you, keep notes, and trust the process. Before long, making prints becomes intuitive—but it always remains satisfying.