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What went wrong?

My print came out blank or almost blank

Darkroom prints

What you're seeing

The paper comes out of the developer white, or with only a faint ghost of an image.

Check this first

Check this first

Fog a scrap of paper in room light and drop it in the developer. Fresh paper developer starts to darken it within seconds. If it stays white or pale, the developer is at fault.

Likely causes, most common first

  1. 01

    Developer contaminated with fixer or stop, or dishes mixed up

    Common
    How to tell
    Even a fogged scrap won't go properly dark. Ilford warns that a trace of fixer or stop in the developer can give completely blank prints.
    Test it
    Repeat the scrap test in freshly mixed developer in a clean dish. If that works, the old tray was contaminated.
    The fix
    Label the dishes developer, stop and fix, keep separate tongs, and discard contaminated developer.

    Source Ilford Photo / Harman technology, Making your first black & white print (information sheet)

  2. 02

    Exhausted developer

    Occasional
    How to tell
    The image appears slowly and stays weak. In fresh Multigrade developer 1+9 the image should begin after about 10 seconds on RC paper and about 20 seconds on Multigrade FB Classic.
    Test it
    Time image appearance on a test strip in the old developer and in fresh developer.
    The fix
    Mix fresh developer and respect its capacity and tray life.

    Sources HARMAN technology / Ilford Photo, MULTIGRADE RC Papers Technical Information (Oct 2020, 'J20'); HARMAN technology / Ilford Photo, MULTIGRADE FB CLASSIC Technical Information (Oct 2013); ILFORD Imaging UK Limited, Processing and Finishing ILFORD Fibre Base Papers (Fact Sheet, December 2001)

  3. 03

    Far too little exposure, or paper upside down

    Occasional
    How to tell
    The developer passes the scrap test, but the print shows only a faint image.
    Test it
    Make a test strip of 2, 2, 4 and 8 seconds (giving 2, 4, 8 and 16 seconds), with the shiny emulsion side up. If every strip is too light, Ilford says to open the lens two stops and repeat.
    The fix
    Put the paper in the easel shiny side up and base the exposure on a test strip.

    Source Ilford Photo / Harman technology, Making your first black & white print (information sheet)

Avoiding it next time

  • Label dishes and tongs and keep them in the same order every session.
  • Make a test strip for each new negative.

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