Silver Halide Darkroom Tools & Reference
3D Studio
5 tools

Enlarging & Printing

The optical half of the craft. Magnification, aperture, filtration and paper choice decide whether a negative becomes a print worth keeping.

4Enlarging5Printing & Finishing
Enlarging & Printing illustration

About this category

The optical half of the craft. Magnification, aperture, filtration and paper choice decide whether a negative becomes a print worth keeping.

How these pages are written Specifications come from published manufacturer documentation. Development times are stated for a small inversion tank at 20 °C. Always treat them as starting points and confirm against the data sheet for your own materials.
Wear PPE & Ventilate Nitrile gloves Eye protection Cross-flow air Label every bottle Dispose of fixer properly
Enlarging & Printing Enlarge

Enlarger

A vertical projector that turns a small negative into a large print.

Enlarging stage
Enlarging & Printing Enlarge

Enlarging Lens

A flat-field lens optimised for close working distances and even illumination.

Enlarging stage
Enlarging & Printing Finish

Photographic Paper

Resin-coated or fibre — the two papers behave completely differently in the tray.

Printing & Finishing stage
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Focus Finder

A magnifying scope that lets you focus on the grain instead of guessing.

Enlarging stage
Enlarging & Printing Finish

Easel

Adjustable masking blades that hold the paper flat and set the print borders.

Printing & Finishing stage
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