Transporting prints from community darkroom

farpointer · Saturday at 1:57 PM

I don’t have a full printing darkroom at home yet and I’m using a great community darkroom, but it’s 30 minutes away on a good day, more in traffic.

They have drying racks for prints but it’s not easy for me to get back there just to pick them up.

I’m considering collecting my (only partially dry) prints at the end of the session, transporting them home in a blotter book ( if those are even still available) and then transferring them to some kind of drying rack as soon as I get home.

Does that seem like a usable approach? I’m open to other advice too.

I made a bunch of contact sheets on RC paper the last time I was there, brought them home damp, and didn’t separate them and now they’re stuck together.

wiltw · Saturday at 2:04 PM

Why not bring a blotter book to the darkroom, and put the prints in them for transportation home?

Amazon.com: Doran Blotter Book (9 x 12", 10 Sheets) : Electronics

Buy Doran Blotter Book (9 x 12", 10 Sheets): Portfolios - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

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(I have never owned or used a blotter book,)

Alex Benjamin · Saturday at 2:05 PM

farpointer said:
I made a bunch of contact sheets on RC paper the last time I was there, brought them home damp, and didn’t separate them and now they’re stuck together.

For RC paper, if you don't have time to let the prints dry completely (usually not that long a wait if they are hanging), bring a hair dryer, use it on low setting to finish drying them.

For fibre paper, no choice but to wait a day or two before taking them home.

GregY · Saturday at 2:10 PM

Alex Benjamin said:
For RC paper, if you don't have time to let the prints dry completely (usually not that long a wait if they are hanging), bring a hair dryer, use it on low setting to finish drying them.

For fibre paper, no choice but to wait a day or two before taking them home.

I wouldn't leave prints in a shared public darkroom.
Transporting them home in a blotter book seems like a good idea for FB prints

pentaxuser · Saturday at 2:13 PM

Assuming you are using RC paper, and not FB is there no means of using a heated dryer such as an Ilford 1250 RC or heated drying rack? The Ilford machine dries RC paper instantly and if the community darkroom is well frequented it is surprising there isn't a means of drying prints quickly.

Short of this ,what wiltw has said sounds pretty good to me.

pentaxuser

Alex Benjamin · Saturday at 2:14 PM

GregY said:
I wouldn't leave prints in a shared public darkroom.

Depends on what the rules and procedures are. In the community darkroom I use, fibre prints are left to dry on the racks for 16 to 24 hours. You're supposed to leave an empty box next to them so that if you don't have time to come and pick them up, the next person to use the racks simply puts them in the box so they have room to put their own prints.

Since not that many people use fibre, it doesn't happen that often. Most important, people are all extremely respectful of each other's work, so they handle the prints very carefully.

GregY · Saturday at 2:18 PM

Alex Benjamin said:
Depends on what the rules and procedures are. In the community darkroom I use, fibre prints are left to dry on the racks for 16 to 24 hours. You're supposed to leave an empty box next to them so that if you don't have time to come and pick them up, the next person to use the racks simply puts them in the box so they have room to put their own prints.

Since not that many people use fibre, it doesn't happen that often. Most important, people are all extremely respectful of each other's work, so they handle the prints very carefully.

"Most important, people are all extremely respectful of each other's work, so they handle the prints very carefully."
If........

cliveh · Saturday at 2:25 PM

How about a partial wash in the community darkroom, squeegee them on a flat surface and stack between cling film (if that would work?), take them home and wash and dry at home.

GregY · Saturday at 3:11 PM

cliveh said:
How about a partial wash in the community darkroom, squeegee them on a flat surface and stack between cling film (if that would work?), take them home and wash and dry at home.

Clive that sounds reasonable, but i guess it depends on what size photos and what washing facilities you have at home. (I don't use a community darkroom..... but i can wash prints up to 20x30.")

Chuck1 · Saturday at 3:15 PM

I used to use a spiral bound archival watercolor paper pad after washing to transport them home

cliveh · Saturday at 3:22 PM

GregY said:
Clive that sounds reasonable, but i guess it depends on what size photos and what washing facilities you have at home. (I don't use a community darkroom..... but i can wash prints up to 20x30.")

Bath or sink with plug half in allowing continuous flowing water, hang with clothes pegs to dry.

GregY · Saturday at 3:31 PM

cliveh said:
Bath or sink with plug half in allowing continuous flowing water, hang with clothes pegs to dry.

Clive, apart from unexpected time pressure, I can't see any reason not to complete the wash cycle in the darkroom? We were discussing the drying part....

cliveh · Saturday at 4:19 PM

GregY said:
Clive, apart from unexpected time pressure, I can't see any reason not to complete the wash cycle in the darkroom? We were discussing the drying part....

But my suggestion gives the option of not having to wait for complete washing. Purely optional depending on when you want to go home.

Ben 4 · Saturday at 9:08 PM

I used a shared darkroom for the better part of a decade and have lots of experience with this. RC prints were easy—squeeged then held on drying racks until the end of the session. They were always dry by the time I was ready to go. Fiber prints were fully washed and, exactly as you suggest, carried home in a blotter book. Don’t sweat it—this is the easy part!

mshchem · Saturday at 9:16 PM

Hair dryer

MattKing · Saturday at 9:18 PM

Our darkroom group darkroom includes what is referred to as "***'s (one of the owner's) hair dryer". Given his bald head, that always makes me chuckle!

mcfitz · 2026-01-11T02:36:21-0500

pentaxuser said:
Assuming you are using RC paper, and not FB is there no means of using a heated dryer such as an Ilford 1250 RC or heated drying rack? The Ilford machine dries RC paper instantly and if the community darkroom is well frequented it is surprising there isn't a means of drying prints quickly.

Short of this ,what wiltw has said sounds pretty good to me.

pentaxuser

I did a web search for the Ilford 1250 RC dryer. Found links to instructions for its use, but only one link to an available dryer. Used, in good condition (apparantly) for a mere £1795.

ILFORD 1250 RC PAPER DRYER*** – Secondhand Darkroom

www.secondhanddarkroom.co.uk

Too bad, an RC dryer would indeed be very useful. Do you know if this Ilford dryer is even manufactured now?

The handheld hair dryer solution is a great alterntive, as has been stated.

Andrew O'Neill · 2026-01-11T10:35:03-0500

A blotter book is a good idea. I you cannot source one, I always thought my pad of Canson XL Watercolour could do the job.

Chromium VI · 2026-01-11T11:20:12-0500

Hello everyone.
I'm the responsible of a community darkroom in my town. For RC prints I have a 2000W hot air blower over de drying racks. After squegeeing the prints it takes a couple of minutes to dry. For FB I mounted a two sided ferrotyping press. If you want to ferrotype you can use the chrome plate, if you just want to dry just put the image facing the fabric and press. It takes just 5-10min to dry 8 18x12 prints at a time.

Paul Howell · 2026-01-11T11:35:15-0500

I would get a large plastic container with a water tight lid, fill the container with enough water to cover the prints, take the prints home and finish washing if needed, then dry. RC prints, use a hair dryer, FB, blotter book or buy a set plastic window screens, large enough to fit your largest prints, use wooden craft stick as spacers to proved air flow between the screens and let dry. I use a set of expanding window screens for FB, will take 11X14 and air dry. Living in the Desert Southwest I can dry on my patio.

GregY · 2026-01-11T11:35:54-0500

cliveh said:
But my suggestion gives the option of not having to wait for complete washing. Purely optional depending on when you want to go home.

Clive, some of us consider the. darkroom a safe haven & are in no rush to leave it....

Doremus Scudder · 2026-01-11T14:23:26-0500

I would transport the prints wet. You don't need a whole lot of water to keep them from sticking together. Something like a Tupperware flat container of the right size with a lid that seals well would work. Stack the wet prints in the container, add enough water to barely cover them, snap on the lid and put them on a low flat surface in your car (trunk floor or the like - seats aren't good if you have to brake unexpectedly!).

Then, when you get home, take them out, squeegee them on a clean flat surface and put them on your drying racks.

Blotter books might work, but they easily get contaminated and can grow mold and other nasty things if they aren't dried completely between uses.

Best,

Doremus

mcfitz · 2026-01-11T14:39:52-0500

I've tried the plastic container, wet fiber prints and water thing.

It did not work to my liking. The prints do move around in the water (inevitable) and since wet fiber paper is fragile, they were easily damaged.

I bought plastic folders that are open on two sides, for documents. Two wet prints placed back to back in each folder, the pile of them into an old printing paper box. No damage to the prints, which are then dried flat on large screens at home.

Transporting prints from community darkroom

farpointer

wiltw

Amazon.com: Doran Blotter Book (9 x 12", 10 Sheets) : Electronics

Alex Benjamin

GregY

pentaxuser

Alex Benjamin

GregY

cliveh

GregY

Chuck1

cliveh

GregY

cliveh

Ben 4

mshchem

MattKing

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mcfitz

ILFORD 1250 RC PAPER DRYER*** – Secondhand Darkroom

Andrew O'Neill

Moderator

Chromium VI

Paul Howell

GregY

Doremus Scudder

mcfitz

Transporting prints from community darkroom

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