When I was learning how to use a darkroom, I had access to a school photography lab and was able to use their convenient electric dryer for RC papers. When I started to work at home, I was not at liberty to purchase a print dryer, but I quickly found that I didn’t need one anyway. By using clothespins and a thin rope (in this case, the cat’s leash which never gets used), I can hang my black and white prints to dry on the shower curtain rod. The prints are usually done drying in about an hour if I’m using RC paper, and a little more time if I’m using fiber. Make sure that the prints really are dry before taking them down and stacking them up. Moisture left from the wash makes the prints a little gummy and you can cause damage to the prints if they come into contact with hard surfaces. However, if you find that your print is dirty or did not get washed long enough to remove all the fixer, simply throw it back in the wash and dry again.

Another, perhaps safer way to dry prints is to get a blotter book . This is especially a good option if you are using fiber paper, because a blotter book will help fight the curl of the fiber paper as it dries. Slower drying and added pressure on top of your blotter book (like pressing leaves in a book with your grandmother’s volume of Shakespeare) will help to make a flatter print.