Kodak Toning Black-and-White Materials user manual

TECHNICAL DATA /

REFERENCE

Toning Black-and-White Materials

May 2006 • G-23

Photographic print toners are chemical solutions used to treat
black-and-white prints after processing. What does
treatment with a toner solution do to a black-and-white
print?

• Changes or enhances the image color to convey a

mood or impression, from subtle to extraordinary.

• Extends the life of the print image during di sp lay or

storage. Toning converts the black-and-white silver
image to an inert compound, which reduces the harmful
effects of intense light, ultraviolet radiation, oxidizing
gases, extremes of temperature and humidity, and
fumes. All Kodak toners will protect the image whether
or not they produce a color shift.

• Enhances the maximum density (D-max) in the

image. With some toners, you can increase the shadow
densities in prints with little or no change in the image
tone. For example, you can treat KODAK
PROFESSIONAL POLYMAX Fine-Art Paper
(discontinued) in KODAK PROFESSIONAL Rapid
Selenium Toner to produce a richer range of tones in the
shadow areas. The curve below shows the increase in
upper-scale contrast and D-max of KODAK
PROFESSIONAL POLYMAX Fine-Art Paper toned in
Rapid Selenium Toner (diluted 1:40).

SELECTING A KODAK PROFESSIONAL
PACKAGED TONER

The visual effect of a toner depends on a combination of
factors:

• the toner and toner dilution

• the paper emulsion type, surface, and stock tint

• the length of the toner treatment

• the processing of the paper
Not all toners perform the same way with all papers. Be

sure to select a compatible paper/toner combination. See the
tables Tones Produced by Paper/Toner Combinations and
Degree of Toning Produced by Paper/Toner Combinations.

KODAK Packaged Toners

KODAK PROFESSIONAL Rapid Selenium Toner.

Produces several cool chocolate-brown hues with warm-tone
papers, purplish brown tones with neutral-tone papers, and
very little or no change with cold-tone papers. Use the 1:20
dilution for print protection. To increase shadow contrast
and maximum density with a minimum tone change, use a
1:20 or 1:40 dilution. You can also use this toner with
black-and-white films. It converts the silver image to silver
selenide.

3.0

KODAK PROFESSIONAL POLYMAX Fine-Art Paper
KODAK PROFESSIONAL DEKTOL Developer
20 C (68 F) for 2 minutes
treated in KODAK PROFESSIONAL
Rapid Selenium Toner (1:40)

2.0

for 4 minutes

DENSITY

1.0

0.0

F002_1087AC

1.0

0.0 1.0

LOG EXPOSURE (lux-seconds)

(1:2).

Toned

Untoned

2.0

KODAK PROFESSIONAL Brown Toner. Produces a

variety of brown tones on neutral- and warm-tone papers.
You can also use it to treat black-and-white negatives and
slides for long-term keeping. It converts the silver image to
silver sulfide.

KODAK PROFESSIONAL Sepia II Warm Toner.

Produces noticeably warmer brown tones on most
black-and-white papers than KODAK Sepia Toner. It
includes a bleach and a redeveloper. It converts the silver
image to silver sulfide.

KODAK PROFESSIONAL Sepia Toner. Produces warm

brown tones on cold-tone papers or yellowish brown tones
on warm-tone papers. It includes a bleach and a redeveloper .
It converts the silver image to silver sulfide.

©Eastman Kodak Company, 2006

Tones Produced by Paper/Toner Combinations

Tone KOD AK Tone r Dilution

Reddish Brown Brown Dilute according to the packag e instructions.

Chocolate-Brown Brown Dilute according to the package instructions.

Warm Brown

Sepia (full)

Cool Brown Sepia Dilute according to the package instructions.

No Tone Shift Rapid Selenium 1:20

Sepia II Warm Dilute according to the package instructions.

Note: To produce the tones listed in the table, the papers were developed in KODAK PROFESSIONAL DEKTOL Developer (1:2)
at 20°C (68°F).

ADJUSTING PRINT EXPOSURE AND
DEVELOPMENT

Some toners will have an effect on print density and contrast.
If you know you will treat your prints with a toner before you
expose and process them, you can plan ahead to allow for
changes.

• KODAK PROFESSIONAL Sepia Toner, KODAK
PROFESSION AL Sepia II Warm Toner, and KODAK
PROFESSIONAL Brown Toner will reduce print
densities. Develop prints fully, and make them slightly
darker than normal.

• KODAK PROFESSIONAL Rapid Selenium Toner
tends to intensify the image. You may want to shorten
print development time slightly. However, toning a fully
developed print with this toner yields an increased tonal
scale.

Note: Exposure and development modifications also depend
on the paper emulsion type and grade.

GUIDELINES FOR PRINT PROCESSING

Toning cannot disguise poor print quality. Use a properly
exposed and processed print made from a high-quality
negative. A good candidate for print toning should have a
full tonal scale with good detail in the highlights and
shadows.

To obtain consistent results with toners, follow processing
instructions exactly, use fresh processing solutions, and
establish a consistent technique. Use standard materials and
methods to control the factors that can cause toning
variations.

Development

To obtain uniform image color, use the development
temperature and time recommended in the paper instructions
(unless you adjust the time for a specific toner as described
under Adjusting Print Exposure and Development). Avoid
contaminating the developer with other solutions; don’t
exceed the capacity of your developer. De veloper
contamination or exhaustion can cause image-color
variations.

Stop Bath

Bathe the prints in the stop bath according to the
recommendations in the paper instructions.

Do not use an exhausted or overconcentrated stop bath.
Replace your stop bath frequently, or use a stop bath such as
KODAK PROFESSIONAL Indicator Stop Bath, which
signals when to change the bath.

If you leave stop bath in a tray for more than three days or
in a tank for more than one month, evaporation may cause
overconcentration. An overconcentrated stop bath can cause
mottle in the base of a toned print.

Insufficient agitation of prints, especially during the first
few seconds in the stop bath, can also cause mottle. The
mottle won’t be evident until you tone the print with a
selenium or sulfide toner.

Fixing

Improper fixing is probably the major cause of stains in
toned prints. Use two-bath fixing for best results.

Note: We do not recommend using a hardening fixer for
prints that you intend to tone, because it will make the paper
emulsion less receptive to the toner solution. Use a
non-hardening fixer, such as KODAK PROFESSIONAL
Rapid Fixer Part A only. With some toners, use of a liquid
hardener, such as KODAK Liquid Hardener (CAT 146

4239), is required after toning. (See the instructions for
specific toners under Using KODAK Packaged Toners and
Using Mixed Toners.)

Do not exceed the capacity of your fixer. An exhausted
fixing bath contains insoluble silver compounds that will
remain in prints; you can’t remove them completely by
washing. When these residual silver compounds come into
contact with a toner, they form a dark yellow stain that is
especially noticeable in print borders and highlights.

Proper agitation in the fixer is important. Stains
commonly occur when prints stick together or float on the
surface of the fixer. For example, air bubbles trapped
between or under prints during fixing can later produce
round purple stains in prints toned with selenium or sulfide
toners.

2 Toning Black-and-White Materials • G-23

Also avoid excessive fixing. Do not fix prints for longer
than the recommended time (approximately 10 minutes for
fiber-base papers, 2 minutes for resin-coated papers).
Prolonged fixing expands the paper and allows the solution
to penetrate the base. Fixer that is trapped in the base is
difficult to remove, and will make prints that are toned in
selenium or sulfide toners turn yellow. Prolonged fixing can
also reduce the silver image.

Washing

Thorough washing is especially important when you prepare
prints for toning. Residual silver salts and traces of hypo in
the paper may cause stains, uneven tones, and fading.

Wash fiber-base prints for one hour with agitation in a
tank or tray; the wash-water flow rate should provide a
complete change of water every 5 minutes. To reduce
washing time and conserve water, use KODAK Hypo
Clearing Agent according to the instructions.

Wash resin-coated papers for 4 minutes in running water.
The wash-water flow rate should be sufficient to change the
water completely during the 4-minute wash. We do not
recommend using Hypo Clearing Agent with resin-coated
papers.

Agitate prints and keep them separated during washing.
Don’t overload your wash tank.

Toning

Do not use metal trays or tanks to hold your toning solutions.
Use only unchipped enamel, hard-rubber, or plastic trays.

You can tone prints immediately after washing. (See the
instructions for specific toners under Using KODAK
Packaged Toners and Using Mixed Toners.)

If you tone prints that are already dry, soak them in water
for 2 to 3 minutes before toning.

Note: Prints toned after storage may show stains due to
adverse storage conditions.

When you tone resin-coated papers, keep toning times to
a minimum to prevent the solution from penetrating the
edges of the papers. If you tone resin-coated prints for longer
than 8 to 10 minutes, leave a large border around the image
so that you can trim off the edges if the toner penetrates
them. (It is difficult to wash toner from the edges of a print.)

After you have soaked prints in toner solution, wash them
as directed in the toner instructions.

SAFE HANDLING OF PHOTOGRAPHIC
CHEMICALS

• Handle all chemicals carefully.

• Packages of Kodak photographic chemicals carry
precautionary labels when necessary. Always read the
labels and follow the instructions carefully. For
safe-handling information for particular Kodak
chemicals, see the product label or the Material Safety
Data Sheet (MSDS). To obtain MSDSs, go to

www.kodak.com/go/MSDS.

• Keep the darkroom and mixing room clean. Clean up
spilled chemicals as soon as possible.

• Wear protective clothing, such as a waterproof apron
and rubber gloves, when mixing solutions. Always wear
goggles or a safety glasses when handling acids or
strong alkalis.

• Avoid contact of any chemicals with your skin. Some
photographic solutions and powders can cause skin
irritation and an allergic skin reaction. (Use plastic print
tongs and wear clean rubber gloves when you use
KODAK Brown Toner, because the solution is quite
alkaline.)

• Keep chemicals and processing solutions out of the
reach of children and pets. Do not store chemicals where
you handle or store food. Do not eat, drink, or smoke in
chemical-handling areas. Always wash your hands
thoroughly after handling chemicals, especially before
eating or drinking.

• Maintain proper ventilation in the mixing room and
darkroom.

• Dispose of used chemicals safely. Do not discard
sulfide-type toners with stop baths or fixing baths. The
combination of these solutions will generate hydrogen
sulfide gas. (Hydrogen sulfide gas can fog unexposed
paper and film, and will oxidize unprotected silver
images in negatives and prints.) Discard the solutions
individually, and flush the drain with plenty of water
after you discard each solution.

Drying

Dry toned fiber-base prints slowly between sheets of blotting
paper or on a drying rack.

Remove excess water from the surface of resin-coated
prints, and air-dry them at room temperature or use
circulated warm air.

Note: Drying with heat causes a shift to a cooler tone with
some paper/toner combinations. Set the speed and
temperature of the dryer to the lowest settings. You may
have to adjust the amount of toning to compensate for the
shift to a cooler tone.

Toning Black-and-White Materials • G-23 3