Print Color

In a so-called "black and white" photograph true blacks and true whites are rare. Blacks range from deep blue to yellowish brown and whites from silvery white to creamy yellow. The color of the print can add to or detract from the mood of an image and therefore controlling it is a necessary element of successful print making. The biggest determining factor of print color is in the make-up of the photographic paper itself and this basic color can be enhanced through the use of toning baths.

Why Tone?

Besides the obvious reason of changing the mood and feeling of an image there is another benefit that can be gained through toning and that is protection of the print from bad elements in the atmosphere. When a printer puts the energy into a fine print that is demanded he or she wants the print to last. More so than ever before, oxidizing gasses present in the atmosphere can do harm to photographic prints. Toning in selenium or sulfide toners can greatly slow down this deterioration process. These toners actually convert the image silver to a more stable state.

Selenium Toner

I currently am using Ilford Multigrade Warmtone as my main paper and I tone it in a 20:1 dilution of Kodak rapid selenium toner for three minutes to make it more "archival". I find that at this dilution the image color is not affected and that there may be a deepening of shadows. I tried this toner at 8:1 for three minutes and it gave a beautiful purple-brown. My preference is still more of a deep "chocolate-brown" so I don't use the stronger dilution. If I want a warmer brown than is inherent in Warmtone I use polysulfide toner which will deliver anything from a chocolate brown to a rich reddish brown depending how long it is treated.

Brown Toner

Kodak brown toner is a single-solution, sulfide toner that is very easy to work with. I have used it on a variety of papers and haven't had good results with it. It gives me a pinkish-brown hue that I find unpleasant.

Poly-Toner

Kodak Poly-Toner is another single-solution toner made up of a combination of selenium and sulfide. It is said to make prints more archival than any other toner but it also gives my prints a pinkish hue that I find objectionable.

Polysulfide Toner

If I want a warmer brown than that of untoned Ilford Warmtone I use polysulfide toner which will deliver anything from a chocolate brown to a rich reddish brown depending how long it is treated. Polysulfide toner gives me a brown that I like in all warm toned papers that I have used. It's major drawback is that it is not commercially produced. It is necessary to purchase the chemicals and make the solution yourself. I am told that it is basically the same as Kodak brown toner but, in my experience, I find it to be different. This may have something to do with the chemistry of my water supply. Polysulfide is also known as potash sulfurated, liver of sulfur, sulfurated potassa, and hepar sulfuris.

Polysulfide Toner Formula

Immerse the well-washed print in the bath and agitate it Until the desired tone is achieved. This might be as long as 15 to 20 minutes at 20°C. Heating the solution to 100°C will greatly speed up the process. After the desired tone has been reached the print should be placed in a 10% sodium sulfite solution to stop the toning action. If this is not done the print will continue to tone even while in the wash.

CAUTION!!! Polysulfide is a flammable solid and is harmful if swallowed or inhaled. It causes irritation to the skin, eyes and respiratory tract. Dust may form a flammable mixture with the air.

Viradon

Agfa Viradon is (was) a commercially available toner that gives results quite similar to polysulfide toner.

Sepia Toner

There are a lot of two-bath sepia toners on the market and they all work basically in the same way. The print is first reduced in a potassium ferricyanide solution, next it's washed for a few minutes and finally redeveloped in a sodium sulfide solution giving a sepia tone and a permanent image. The image color color of print that has been fully toned in sodium sulfide redeveloper is a yellowish-brown that I don't particularly care for. Interesting results can be obtained by not completely bleaching the print before redevelopment.

Sulfide Sepia Toner Formula

Make sure that all traces of fixer are washed out of the print before immersion into the reducing bath. The presence of fixer makes the reducer act like Farmer's Reducer and reduction becomes irreversible. Use the reducer full strength or dilute it 1:1 with water. Hydrogen sulfide is poisonous so toning should be done in a well ventilated area.

Redeveloping Bath
Water	750 ml
Sodium Sulfide	30 g
Water to make	1000 ml

Development will take place immediately after immersing the print in the sulfide solution and will be completely finished within 30 seconds to a minute. Leaving the print in the redeveloper longer will will not increase development. The print should be thoroughly washed after toning.

Thiocarbamide Sepia Toner

Thiocarbamide, also know as thiourea, is used in this toner as the source of sulfur instead of sodium sulfide. The process is odorless but an even greater advantage is that image tone can be controlled by altering the ratio of thiocarbamide to sodium hydroxide in the redeveloper. Tones from yellowish-brown to purplish-brown can be achieved.

This currently is my toner of choice with conventional photographic papers such as Ilford Multigrade or Oriental Seagull. I have tried it with Ilford Multigrade Warmtone but, even at the greatest sodium hydroxide to thiocarbamide ratio, the image color was too yellow for my taste. I have also found that the the ratio of potassium ferricyanide to potassium bromide has an effect on the final image tone. Each can be decreased or increased. Also the time the print is left in the reducing bath is important with short immersion times making split-toning possible. With experimentation you can find just the warm tone that you are seeking. The tone variations are never ending with thiocarbamide.

Thiocarbamide Sepia Toner Formula

Reducing Bath
Water	750 ml
Potassium Ferricyanide	20 gm
Potassium Bromide	10 gm
Water to make	1000 ml

Redeveloper Stock Solutions

Use the following ratios as starting points for your working toner. Results will vary from paper to paper.

Desired Tone	Solution A	Solution B	Water to Make
Yellowish-Brown	40 ml	20 ml	500 ml
Medium-Brown	30 ml	30 ml	500 ml
My Preference	15 ml	45 ml	500 ml
Purplish-Brown	10 ml	50 ml	500 ml

The amounts listed in the reducer and toner formulas are not carved in stone and there is great latitude for experimentation. I reduce prints for one minute and then wash them for about ten minutes until all of the yellow is gone. I have read that you should print dark since some print density will be lost in the reducer. This has not been my experience and I expose my prints normally as delicate highlight detail seems to hold up well in this toner. Thiocarbamide toner is very easy to work with and success is nearly guaranteed. After the working solution has been mixed it doesn't last very long and it should be discarded after each toning session.

CAUTION!!! Great care should be taken when mixing the sodium hydroxide (lye) solution since it is a very caustic substance. It should always be mixed in very cold water as it gives off a lot of heat, even when mixed with water. Never mix the sodium hydroxide solution without eye protection and rubber gloves. Care should also be taken with thiocarbamide since it is thought to be a carcinogen. Always wear rubber gloves and work in a well ventilated space when using this material.

For information on chemical hazards go to the Safety Information Resources, Inc. MSDS Index. There you can find information on almost every chemical used in photography.