Once the print has been exposed and worked under the enlarger the print is removed from the easel and submerged in the developer bath. As with film development there are many variables when it comes to print development, time/temp are important factors as is developer type, there are many types that produce different effects such as cold tone or warm tones, and its all down to personal preference.
The print development stage is what’s commonly described as the magic of the darkroom process when the image finally starts to appear, and to see if the printing techniques carried out have worked..
After the development bath as with film, the print goes through an acid stop bath to arrest the development and then into the fixer to make the image permanent. The print is then washed.
