light safe question?

[stradibarrius]

At what point in the developing process does the print become light safe?
After the stop after the print enters the fix????

[El Gringo]

Its probably fine after its been in the stop for a short while*, but to be on the safe side I always wait until the print has been in the fix for around 10-20 secs before I turn on the room lights.

* I can attest to this with film, not paper, as I process my sheet film in BTZS tubes and the film gets exposed to light before its gets placed into the fix but after its been in the stop bath.

[Anon Ymous]

Why rush things? If you want to save some time, do it only with test strips. Turning on the lights after it has spent 50% of the normal time in the fixer is ok IME, but I only do it for strips, not the final print.

[wclark5179]

I found that turning on the lights for a peek after stop bath the print picks up some light which the fixer could wash out but why? I wait until the print is fully fixed then I fix the lights!

[fotch]

After the fix. Why risk the print at this stage?

[MattKing]

I use RC paper, and acid stop bath.

I turn on the lights after the print has been in the fix at least 30 seconds.

Matt

[jeroldharter]

Its probably fine after its been in the stop for a short while*, but to be on the safe side I always wait until the print has been in the fix for around 10-20 secs before I turn on the room lights.

* I can attest to this with film, not paper, as I process my sheet film in BTZS tubes and the film gets exposed to light before its gets placed into the fix but after its been in the stop bath.

Ditto. In my darkroom, I have to reach for a switch to turn the lights on. So I move the prints to the stop, agitate, move to fixer, agitate briefly, and then flip the switch.

"After the fix. Why risk the print at this stage?" fotch

There is no risk. Why wait? When I am doing test prints, I want to evaluate them as soon as I can to save time. I don't process them through the second fix for example. I flip the switch maybe 10 seconds into the fixer, take some time to evaluate the test print while it fixes, and then off to the next print. For final prints which I often do in a batch, I am busy with both hands so I don't flip the switch until the second fix simply because I am busy.

[Rich Ullsmith]

I do what Jerold does. With resin prints, it's a 15 second fix then into a holding bath. The second fix is at the end of the session, many prints at a time, with the lights on. Saves a helluva lotta time, and nary a problem.

[Rick A]

I wait until my print has reached 50% of fix time for my test, Then final print doesn't see room light until fully fixed. Just because the print has been in the stop does not mean the light sensitive halides wont expose some more. My old Kodak manuals taught me that, so I've done it that way for over four decades without any problems. I'm never in a rush in the DR, its where I go to get away from the rush of life.

Rick

[Kirk Keyes]

Ditto. In my darkroom, I have to reach for a switch to turn the lights on. So I move the prints to the stop, agitate, move to fixer, agitate briefly, and then flip the switch.

"After the fix. Why risk the print at this stage?" fotch

There is no risk. Why wait?

Me too.

This is another good reason to use stop bath.