Stopbath

[mortallis288]

Do you actually need stop bath to develope paper and film?

 

[terri]

You'll get varying opinions on this, but I always use an acid stop when developing paper. You want to kill the development, not just slow it down.

For film, I've used regular strength stop, half strength stop, and plain water.

 

[fmw]

No, fixer also has acetic acid and stops the developing process, albeit somewhat more slowly than a stop bath. I don't use stop bath with film. I do with paper, however, just to extend the life of the fixer.

 

[JamesD]

This was part of your question in the Darkroom forum, which I saw first, so I answered it as part of my reply to the rest of your question there.

 

[mortallis288]

ahh didnt see anyone answering that when i posted this

 

[JC1220]

No, it is not always required.
If you are looking to achieve consistent results, just do the same thing for the same times, either with a water bath or stop bath. I would not let film or prints sit in a water bath, or stop for that matter, more than a minute.

As part of my printing process, I use a combination of developer with a water bath before going into the stop. The water bath is used to achieve a compensating action, stoping development in the dark areas while allowing the highlights to continue developing.