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Silverlog

What went wrong?

My darkroom prints look flat and muddy

Greyish blacks, dull highlights and low contrast, even though the negative looks fine.

Check this first

Does an unexposed strip of paper stay pure white when developed?

Likely causes

  1. 1.

    Paper fog from a safelight or light leak

    Common
    How to tell
    Highlights and borders are slightly grey. Do the coin test: put a coin on paper under the safelight for a few minutes, then develop. If you can see an outline, the safelight is fogging.
    Fix
    Move the safelight further away, use the correct filter, or shorten your exposure to it.
  2. 2.

    Wrong contrast grade

    Common
    How to tell
    No fog, but the print still lacks punch.
    Fix
    Raise the contrast grade or filter. Try split-grade printing.
  3. 3.

    Exhausted or cold print developer

    Occasional
    How to tell
    Blacks never reach full black even with long exposure.
    Fix
    Use fresh developer at around 20°C and develop for the full time.
  4. 4.

    Old or fogged paper

    Occasional
    How to tell
    An unexposed developed strip comes out grey.
    Fix
    Replace the paper and store it cool and sealed.

Avoiding it next time

  • Do the coin test whenever you change your safelight or setup.

Go deeper

Other darkroom prints problems

Last checked October 2026. Seen something different? Tell us.

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