Several prints can be processed at one time, provided they are separated and agitated sufficiently during the process. Each entire print must be wetted uniformly by the solutions so all parts of each print are processed uniformly.

When you are processing several prints at one time, immerse them in the developer separately at regular intervals and, at the end of the proper developing time, remove the prints in the same order and at the same regular intervals. To prevent the prints from sticking together, you should let each one be completely immersed before the next print is put in the developer. Agitation should be done by rotating the prints in the solution. To do this, take each print, in turn, from the bottom of the tray and place it on top of the other prints.

As the prints reach full development, transfer them one by one to the stop bath. Treat them for 10 to 20 seconds; then place them in the fixer and agitate each print to make sure none of them stick together.

After the prints are fixed, they must be washed and dried. The RC or polyethylene coating on paper prevents absorption; therefore, they require a short wash time. Wash prints for 2 minutes in a good supply of running water to ensure they are completely free of chemicals. The water temperature should not be lower than 41F (5C). Prints may be dried in a print dryer designed for polyethylene or RC papers not to exceed 190F (68C). Adjust the print dryer to the minimum temperature required to dry the paper sufficiently. If the print dryer is too hot, the polyethylene coating on the paper will melt. When a paper dryer is not available, remove the excess water and dry the prints naturally at room

Courtesy of Ilford Photo

Figure 11-6. Ilford 2150 black-and-white paper processor.

temperature. The prints should be dry in 10 to 15 minutes.

In the Navy today, most imaging facilities process prints through automatic processors (fig. 11-6). It is important for you to know how to process black-and-white prints in trays, because not all of the small facilities have automatic machines. Like all machines, automatic processors breakdown and require maintenance periodically.

When processing photographic prints through an automatic processor, you feed the unprocessed print into the machine; and within seconds, it exits the processor washed and dried. Your hands never get wet, and you can process a large number of prints rapidly. The two most common black-and-white print processors used in the Navy are manufactured by Ilford and Kodak.

When contact printing an entire roll of negatives that are not consistent in exposure, it is necessary for you to make more than one proof sheet from the same set of negatives. Each sheet of paper should be exposed to print some of the negatives correctly on that roll. The result is a composite proof sheet where all the frames are readable. After all, a proof sheet is a tool to select

the best frames for enlargement and delivery to the requester. The proof sheets can be stapled together for filing. This is why, as a photographer, you should strive to expose each and every photograph correctly. Amateur snapshooters can shoot film with wildly varying exposures; professional photographers cannot. A good print shows detail in both the highlights and the shadows.

Cleanliness is essential to produce good prints consistently. Keep a supply of clean towels handy, and wash and dry your hands before handling paper and negatives. Clean, dry fingers should touch only the extreme edges of the emulsion side of these papers. When developer is on your hands, dark fingerprints show on the print. Fixer produces white fingerprints. These fingerprints develop and show clearly on the finished prints. You should use two print tongs one for the developer and one for the stop and fixing baths.

It is not economical to use minimum quantities of developer. Small quantities oxidize (turn brown) very quickly. Oxidized solutions cannot produce clean, brilliant, pleasing photographs.