There are two main controls that you can use in the darkroom for making black and white photographic prints: Print density and contrast.

Brightness (or print density) is the overall lightness or darkness of the photographic print as the result of exposure in the enlarger (time and aperture setting).

Contrast is the range of difference between light and dark values in the print.

This is a two step process. Print density should be determined before you try and determine contrast.

1. Start with the #2 filter in place in the enlarger.

2. Produce a test strip with 10 increments of 3 seconds each.

a. Evaluate. A good test will have some sections that are obviously too dark and some that are obviously too light.

b. Adjust the aperture on the enlarging lens if your sections are too light or too dark.

3. Choose an exposure time that lies between sections that are obviously too dark and those that are too light. The light print values (light subjects) are good to look at here. You should perceive detail or texture in the light print values. You do not want the light print values to be washed out (no detail) or too dark. Don’t be concerned with the shadows or dark values at this point.

4. Set the timer for the proper exposure time. Keep your exposure times longer than 10 seconds.

5. Make a "Work Print". Expose a piece of photo paper at your determined time. You may want to use a small piece [ 1/3 to 1/2 of a full sheet] of a sheet of photo paper to see if your exposure calculations are correct.

You may need to adjust the exposure slightly – change the timer. If this first "work print" is really off (too light or too dark) better run a new test strip.

6. Once the print appears to have been exposed properly (the print doesn’t look too light or too dark overall) you can consider your second primary printing control; contrast.

7. Contrast is the range of difference between the light and dark values in the print. In other words, how white are the whites and how black are the blacks? We adjust this relationship with the contrast printing filters after the print density is correct.

8. Number #2 printing filter is considered "normal". If your print has been exposed properly and there is an overall gray cast to your print (flat, muddy, underscaled) you need to increase the range of difference by using a higher numbered contrast printing filter (such as #3 - #5).

9. Number #2 printing filter is considered "normal". If your print has been exposed properly (the light areas have texture and detail) and the dark values are solid black and everything looks too harsh (contrasty, jumpy, graphic, overscaled) you need to decrease the range of difference by using a lower numbered contrast printing filter (such as #1 - #00).

10. Think of contrast adjustments as changes in the relationship of the dark print values to the light print values. You are either adjusting the dark print values to be grayer (more visible) or blacker (less visible) in contrast to the light print values.