BW Photo Paper Print Time

B&W Photographic Paper Printing Time

In a wet darkroom, the enlarger (Beseler 23C, Durst M605, LPL 7700) throws the negative down onto the photo paper. Your exposure is just how long the lamp burns, and you set that on an electronic timer. Most prints land somewhere in the 5–30 s range, though where you fall depends on aperture, whatever neutral-density filter you've dropped in, and the contrast grade. One stop either doubles the time or cuts it in half: t₂ = t₁ × 2^stops.

Here's how it usually goes. Start with a test strip, exposing bands at 5, 10, 15 and 20 s. Develop in Dektol (Kodak D-72) diluted 1+2 for 60–90 s at 20°C, then a 30 s stop bath, 2 min in the fixer, and a final rinse. Look at the strip, find the band with the best tonal range, and that becomes your base time. Two paper families exist. Resin-coated (RC) stock like Ilford Multigrade IV RC and Kodak Polymax dries flat in 10 min. Fiber-based (FB) stock like Ilford MGFB Classic and Foma Fomabrom is the archival choice, but it asks for 2 h of washing plus pressing.

Applications

Built with analog photographers in mind, plus darkroom workshops, fine-art print sessions, and large-format work (4×5", 8×10"). It also helps when you're reproducing negatives out of a family archive, or putting together a show with variable-contrast Ilford Multigrade paper and magenta/yellow filters dialed into the enlarger head.

FAQ

What if my print is too dark? Knock the time back by 1 stop (cut it in half), or close the lens aperture down one f-stop. Either move gets you to the same place.

Why use Dektol over other developers? Dektol (D-72) leans toward neutral-to-cold tones with crisp blacks. Ilford PQ Universal behaves about the same, while Moersch Eco 4812 pushes things warmer.

Does paper expire? It does. Sealed Ilford/Foma paper holds up for 1–2 years from the manufacture date. Keep it refrigerated, though not frozen, and you can stretch that to 3–5 years before fogging sets in.