In the darkroom, a timer is an essential accessory to your enlarger. When making prints, every second or half-second added or taken away from the exposure process affects the look of your print. Without an electronic timer, you might be able to ballpark good prints, but you won’t be able to repeat your process exactly when making more than one print.

An electronic timer can be either digital or analog. Digital interfaces on electronic timers appear in red and do not affect the black and white photographic paper in the darkroom. The most popular electronic timer is the Gralab timer, but if you purchase an enlarger, it should come with one. Gralab timers tend to be very expensive new, so check craigslist for someone selling one. Even paying 50 dollars for one in good condition is a savings of around $200.

A good analog timer can assist you in processing times for film and paper. Some people also prefer analog timers, like the Gralab 300, for their enlargers because their clockfaces assist in visualizing time. Still, many people prefer the precision of a digital interface.