Why is an orange cast appearing on my Polaroid 600 black-and-white prints months later?
Asked 3/23/2020
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I shot Polaroid Originals 600 B&W film last year. The prints looked normal at first, but several months later a narrow blurry orange band started appearing near the top of all frames. I’ve also noticed a slight loss of sharpness and contrast over time. The film pack was refrigerated until first use, then left in the camera while shooting. After developing, the prints were stored in a box in a closet with no major temperature swings. What causes this kind of delayed color cast and image degradation on Polaroid B&W instant film?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
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That may be one of the effects of humidity affecting the dyes in the print.
These, like original B&W SX70/600 film, are dye prints, rather than direct silver image, but the silver and undeveloped halide are still present. The sensitive layer is roughly similar to Ilford or Kodak C-41 black and white negative films, but the process for integral instant prints is rather different in detail. The development binds the dyes, and then the unbound dyes (associated with undeveloped halide regions) migrate through the sequestration layer to form the visible image,just as with color integral prints.
One problem that has affected Impossible and Polaroid Originals materials from day one has been that the finished print isn't proof against humidity, and the reaction of the humidity may cause dyes to fade or migrate when they hadn't originally. You may be seeing an effect where normal room humidity has reacted with the undeveloped halide and caused magenta and yellow dyes to migrate at the edge (the top is the last edge through the rollers). This may also be affected by incomplete spreading of some component of the chemicals in the pod.
The original Impossible Project B&W prints would fade -- you may be seeing a case of the cyan, magenta, and yellow dyes fading at different rates where humidity can enter the print at the top edge.
Originally by user89902. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user89902
6y ago
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This is most likely print aging rather than anything you did during exposure. Polaroid/Impossible B&W integral film is not a traditional silver-only black-and-white print; it uses dye-based chemistry in an instant-film structure. Over time, humidity can affect those dyes and cause staining or color shifts, including orange or brownish bands, and can also reduce contrast and apparent sharpness.
The top-edge band suggests uneven chemical stability or environmental exposure across the print rather than a camera fault. The fact that it appeared months after development also points to storage-related degradation of the finished print.
Keeping undeveloped film refrigerated is good, but once the print is processed, long-term stability depends on cool, dry storage. Instant prints are generally more vulnerable to humidity than conventional lab prints.
So the most likely cause is humidity and the known archival weakness of this type of Polaroid/Impossible film, not the use of a single cartridge over several months.
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