The llfoprint processors are part of a series of products based on the photo-stabilisation system, in which the developing agents are actually incorporated into the emulsion of photographic papers and other materials. When a special solution is applied, the developing agents are activated and extremely rapid development takes place. Activation is followed by stabilisation, which takes the place of fixing and washing, and which is accomplished by applying a chemical solution which rapidly converts all the unexposed silver halides to colourless compounds which are stable to light. The whole process is rapid. Ilford's own processors can deal with a 6 1/2 x 8 1/2 inch print in six seconds, and a 16 x 20 inch print in 16 seconds. The llfoprint processors were in fact developed initially as a result of llford's technical staffs success in producing the firm's own kind of stabilisation paper.

Once the decision had been made to market processing machines, the firm had to make up its mind about the kind of products it wanted to manufacture. It looked at rival products which were already on the market and saw that by setting its sights high it could gain a considerable sales advantage. It therefore aimed at a device which would be robust enough to stand up to hard wear, sophisticated enough to provide prints comparable to normal black-and-white professional standards, and user-oriented enough to give ease of use and maintenance and be available in different models producing a range of different print sizes.

Throughout this stage llford's US subsidiary, llford Inc. was able to add a great deal of valuable knowledge about the important American market. Partly as a result of this, llford approached Plessey Ltd with a view to putting the series into production in a run of several thousand. During the evolution of the first prototypes, llford called in Design Research Unit-which has been design consultant to llford since 1946 -to advise on the final stages of the project. Kenneth Lamble, who handled the work, was briefed to establish a cladding which would meet the technical requirements and be economic to produce. Because llford was out to make something that was functionally better than anything else on the market, he says, "l saw my job as one of expressing precision". He was therefore anxious to avoid soft lines; he wanted a square, edgy appearancethat called for much smaller radii at the corners of the processors than would have been possible with the glass fibre casing that had been envisaged, and he successfully suggested the use of injection moulding processes to give the desired effect. He also used stainless steel to emphasise the impression of precision and quality. Close co-operation between him and llford's technical team ensured that all materials were compatible with photographic solutions. The end result of this careful development is a technically advanced product which is presented in a refined and convenient form. The processors are neat and uncluttered in appearance; they take up little space; and they are easy to use.

The machines are ready to start processing as soon as the starter switch is pressed. They are easily remountable without the need for skilled fitting, and access to solution trays and drainage is simple, while the whole of the roller system can be readily removed for rinsing under a tap. The roller system has been carefully engineered so that the machines, together with the papers with which they have been designed to process, give print quality of a standard acceptable to professional, commercial and industrial photographers to whom a print system giving rapid access processing is necessary. Built-in safety factors include a thermal cut-out, a fuse, and the use of non-inflammable material in the vicinity of the motor - which is itself cooled to prevent excessive temperature during operation. The firm llford Ltd is the largest British owned company making photographic sensitised materials and equipment. Its product range covers the requirements of amateur, professional and industrial photographers, and a substantial proportion of its output of sensitised materials is in the form of x-ray film. More than half its output is exported -to over 100 countries. The designers llford's technical team consists of scientists and engineers from the engineering research and development department. Design Research Unit is one of Britain's largest design consultancies: its work covers all aspects of design, from bottle labels to heavy engineering products. Kenneth Lamble is a partner in DRU.

Design Journal no.221, Ilford's New Technique in Print Processing, editorial, May 1967, pp.78-79.