How to Print a Flat Negative

Toning and Exposing the Flat Negative

• 1

  Prepare a diluted mixture of selenium toner and fresh water. As dilution instructions vary among manufacturers, refer to the specific instructions on your container of toner. Pour the mixture into your developing tank.

• 2

  Place your flat negative strip into the developing tank. Allow it to soak for the time suggested on the container, typically 10 to 20 minutes depending on the dilution ratio. Agitate the negative gently for 10 seconds each minute to ensure even toning.

• 3

  Pour out the toner. Rinse the developing tank and the enclosed negative under a stream of fresh water for several minutes. This halts the toning process and cleans away any chemical residue from the negative.

• 4

  Prepare the fixer solution according to the instructions on the container. Pour the fixer into the developing tank and agitate 10 seconds for each minute of time suggested on the container. Empty the tank of fixer once the time is up.

• 5

  Rinse out the developing tank with a stream of fresh water for several minutes.

• 6

  Remove the negative from the tank and pinch it between two fingers. Slide your fingers down the length of the negative strip to remove water droplets and hasten the drying process. Allow the negative to air dry completely before proceeding.

• 7

  Insert the negative into the enlarger's negative carrier as you normally would. Attach a high-contrast filter, usually yellow or red, to the front of the enlarger's lens.

• 8

  Place a blank sheet of paper in your easel and switch on the enlarger's lamp. Arrange the easel's borders to attain the desired crop. Turn off the lamp and replace the blank paper with a sheet of high-contrast printing paper. At this point your work area should be completely dark except for a red or orange darkroom safe light.

• 9

  Switch on the lamp and project the negative onto the printing paper for the time suggested by the manufacturer, typically between 10 to 15 seconds. Turn off the enlarger lamp and remove the paper from the easel.

Developing the Paper

• 10

  Prepare your development chemicals in three separate trays: one for the high-contrast developer, one for the stop bath solution and one for the fixer solution. Refer to the dilution instructions on each container for specific instructions.

• 11

  Place the paper into the developer and agitate gently for the amount of time suggested on the container. You may wish to overdevelop the print slightly to increase contrast. Watch as the image forms on the paper to gauge your development time.

• 12

  Transfer the paper to the stop bath solution using tongs. Allow the paper to soak for the time suggested on the container.

• 13

  Move the print to the fixer tray using your second set of tongs. Ensure that the print receives adequate fixing time, which is typically two to five minutes.

• 14

  Fill a fourth developing tray with fresh water. Place the print in the tray and set it under a running faucet for 20 to 30 minutes. Hang the print from a clothesline to dry, or use a print dryer if you have access to one.