D-9 lith developer

Description

A two-part lith developer for lith printing: a heavily diluted hydroquinone solution in which development runs away with itself. Grainy black shadows and delicate, almost coloured highlights.

How lith printing works

Hydroquinone in a very dilute solution with little sulphite develops unevenly: where silver has already appeared, the reaction accelerates itself. Shadows explode into coarse black grain while highlights stay soft and tinted. What controls the print is not a time from a chart but the moment you lift the sheet out of the tray.

Why two bottles

Solutions A and B are mixed immediately before printing — together they do not keep. The working solution ages through the session, and that is part of the technique: the first and last prints differ, which is why lith is never fully repeatable.

Questions and answers

Does any paper work?

No. Lith needs a paper prone to infectious development; on most modern variable-contrast papers there will be little or no effect.