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What went wrong?

My prints have white specks, hairs and lint marks

Darkroom prints

What you're seeing

Small white dots, white squiggly hairs or fibres, often in the same place on every print from that negative.

Check this first

Check this first

Print a different negative with the same carrier. If the specks stay in the same place, they are on the carrier or enlarger. If they move with the negative, they are on the negative.

Likely causes, most common first

  1. 01

    Dust and hairs on the negative

    Common
    How to tell
    Sharp white specks and hairs that follow the negative.
    Test it
    Look at the negative with a loupe under raking light. Blow it clean and make the print again.
    The fix
    Clean the negative before it goes in the carrier, using a puffer brush as Ilford suggests.

    Sources War Department (United States Army), TM 11-2368: Enlarger PH-275 technical manual; Ilford Photo / Harman technology, Making your first black & white print (information sheet)

  2. 02

    Dust on the carrier glass

    Common
    How to tell
    Specks stay in the same place when you change negatives. Glass carriers have more surfaces to trap dust than glassless ones.
    Test it
    Swap in a different negative and print it. If the same specks appear in the same place, clean every glass surface and print again.
    The fix
    Clean all the glass surfaces each session, or use a glassless carrier, which has only two surfaces to keep clean.

    Source Lloyd Godman (lloydgodman.net technical pages), Advanced enlarger: negative carriers

  3. 03

    Dust dried into the emulsion, or scratches on the negative

    Occasional
    How to tell
    Specks that won't blow off, or fine lines along the length of the film. Ilford warns that grit on a squeegee scratches the whole film.
    Test it
    Try a blower. If the speck stays, look at the negative at an angle with a loupe: if it is in the emulsion, it can't be cleaned off.
    The fix
    Next time dry film in a still, dust-free place and keep any squeegee spotless. Retouch the prints.

    Source Ilford Photo, Ilford: Processing your first black & white film (information leaflet, Oct 2003)

Avoiding it next time

  • Clean negatives and carrier glass before every session.
  • Dry film in a still, dust-free place.

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