Need darkroom lighting advice

[langedp]

I'm in the process of constructing a new darkroom in the basement and I'm evaluating lighting (white light, not safelight) alternatives. I like making my own color prints from negatives which I also process myself. I'm wondering about the color temperature of the white (or not so white) light when evaluating color balance in RA-4 prints. I've built several darkrooms in the past but never really evaluated this aspect of darkroom design. For those of you who print RA-4 from negatives, what kind of lighting do you use for evaluating your prints?

 

[glbeas]

A good bright tungsten source will do, might even try those blue tinted reading bulbs they make. Stay away from flourescent or anything with a discontinuous spectrum, they will make color evaluation next to impossible.

 

[mike the limey]

I just got back into photograply after an absence of 23 years. Many years ago I too paid little attention to the evaluation light that I had in my darkroom, the result was poor colour print evaluation. In my recently built darkroom I use a "daylight simulation" bulb, it works a treat and colour quality evaluation is spot on. In the UK the photography mail-order suppliers charge about £5 (Sterling) but Tesco have the same bulb for about £1.50 (Sterling). Do you have Tesco in the big old US of A?