Making your first print

1.  Find an enlarger you like, set the timer to 3 seconds

 

2 Place the negative to be enlarged in the negative carrier of the enlarger.  Turn the enlarging lamp on, and the lens set at maximum aperture, adjust the height of the head (BE SURE IT IS UNLOCKED) so that the image fills the size of the easel you intend using.

3 Focus the image, using a grain focuser, so that the picture looks sharp on the baseboard. You may have to re adjust the head if the focusing action has now made the enlarged image area bigger or smaller than the paper area.

When you use a focus finder it magnifies the grain so it is easier to see when the image is sharp. You will see the grain structure when the image is perfectly focused.

4 Now take out a sheet of paper and make a test strip

5 With the correct exposure determined, place the sheet of printing paper in the enlarging easel, or position it on the baseboard. If your enlarger has a red filter you can swing this under the lens and switch the enlarger on to help position the paper.

6 Make the exposure and when done transfer the paper into the developer. Make sure it is submersed quickly so the whole print gets similar and even development. The print should remain in the developer for two minutes. Agitate the developer gently.

7 When developed the image is visible, but not stable. The print then needs transferring to the stop bath for about 30 seconds. Its still not stable and the paper is still light sensitive. Agitate. 

8 After stop bath slip into the fixer. Leave it in the fixer for two minutes, before washing thoroughly.

9 Once washed (about three minutes for resin coated and 30 minutes for fibre based papers) place the print in a drying rack, hang it up or lay it flat to dry.