Developing the Picture

Step 3

Okay, you may need to try this once or twice to get the procedure right, but I’ll try to give you the basic idea.

First, you need to pull the white tab. Hold the camera in your left hand and pull the tab with your right hand in asingle, swift, straight-line motion all the way out of the camera. Remember– if you have a non-folding camera or ‘new style’ folding camera, hold the camera by the T-handle (if present) rather than by the camera body itself.
Now you should see another, wider tab sticking out of the tab slot. [You might also see the next white tab, but do not pull another white tab at this point or you may ruin the next few exposures in your film pack! If the second tab doesn't appear, then see the quick troubleshooting section]
Now for the biggie– pulling the wide tab. This is what starts the actual development of your film.
Remember: Pull the tab in a single, swift, straight-line motion. If you pull the tab at an angle, not only could you rip the film, but you also run the risk of leaving a big mess of developer goo inside your camera, so be especially careful here. Pull the tab at moderate speed, but do not hesitate or pause in the middle. Doing so will cause uneven development. You’ll find that there’s a ‘natural’ speed at which the tab will pull easily– some Polaroid manuals suggest that it’s about the length of time it takes to say the words “Pull it!”.

Start timing the development the moment you pull the tab. The ‘wide tab’ you just pulled out of the camera is actually the ‘sandwich’ which transfers the image from the negative (which you just exposed) to a ‘receiving sheet’ which forms the positive print.

Wait the amount of time indicated on the film box. For most color print films, this is 60 seconds, and for most coaterless B&W films this is 30 seconds. [Keep the temperature in mind! There's a good reason Polaroid provides a chart of different development times for various temperature ranges.] While you don’t need perfect accuracy here, do try to time the development as closely as possible with color film to avoid unwanted color shifts.

While waiting, just let the film ‘sandwich’ hang by the tab in your right hand. Avoid placing it on a table, say, or otherwise handling it– you could get stray developer on your hands or other surfaces. [If you do get developer on your hands, wash it off immediately! See film packaging for safety information.]
Now, just peel the print away from the negative, and presto! You’ve just made yourself a Polaroid picture! How’d it turn out?

A few post-picture tips:

  • The picture surface of the print will be slightly damp at first. Don’t let the print surface come in contact with your fingers or other objects until it dries completely. Handle the print only by its edges during this time. In addition, don’t stack your prints on top of each other before they’ve had time to dry, or they may stick together.
  • The negative should be quickly disposed of. It’s a good idea to fold it over once before tossing it in the trash in order to make it slightly less ‘messy’ to handle. [Of course, if you're using Type 665 film, you'll probably want to hold on to the negative instead-- the negative from this film can be washed and 'cleared' to make more prints using conventional photographic processes.]
  • Some B&W films (i.e. Types 107 and 665) are supplied with a print coater. Prints from these films must be coated or they will eventually fade. Instructions supplied with these films will give brief coating information. Do not use print coaters with color films or ‘coaterless’ B&W films (i.e. Type 667).
  • Note that Polaroid pack films tend to produce a lot of debris as you use them– each print results in a negative (yellow tab) and a white tab to dispose of, plus there’s the empty film pack, the foil wrapper, the film box, and the black tab. If you’re using your camera in the field, be sure to bring something to collect all this trash so as not to litter the landscape. [As a matter of fact, in response to this problem, one of the design goals of SX-70 integral film was that it be as "garbage free" as possible compared with the peel-apart pack film.]