Roller Transport Processors
An alternative to tray processing is a roller transport system. Roller transports are automated processing machines that you load with all the necessary chemicals needed to complete a specific developing line, i.e. color or black and white. A roller transport replaces the mess that conventional tray processing generates. You don't touch chemicals, you don't have to stand over a tray and watch and you don't have to handle the print until it emerges from the machine. Depending upon how complete you purchase the machine, some machines will run what is called "dry-to-dry". You feed in a dry piece of exposed paper and take out a dried, finished print.
 Once an exposure is made on a piece of photographic paper, the paper is fed through a first bath (first module) and then automatically "rolled" through additional modules for the various stages of development. Time, temperature and agitation are controlled internally. Inasmuch as the machines are light tight, a roller transport can be set up so that the initial module is inside your darkroom while the rest of the system is on the other side of the darkroom wall outside the work area.
 Some roller transports are designed only for color but others have a more modular design. You can change the modules in the developing chain to accommodate whatever process is required. For example, if you are processing black and white, you can have three modules - develop, stop and fix. If you are processing color (C-41), you might add a replenishment module. A wash/dry module is often sold separately or you can wash the print as you might any other print.
Roller transports are controlled by a series of microprocessors that control all the functions. There is a control panel that displays information on print status and can be reset for additional processing data. For the photo pro, or amateur enthusiast, a roller transport can streamline a darkroom and free you up for other darkroom activities. These are high-end expensive machines.
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