7.99 Polymax T Developer (Liquid) #KOPMTDQ. 5.95 Indicator Stop Bath (Liquid) #KOISB8G. 5.79 Fixer f/B & W (Powder) Gallon #KOFG. 5.79 D-76 Film Developer (Powder) #KOD76L. The order is only important when making the test strips because it minimizes the interaction of the two filters and lets you make the most accurate exposure determination with the minimum of effort.170 PHOTOGRAPHY Darkroom Darkroom Chemistry Cont. When it comes time to make the final print it does not matter which exposure, #5 or #00, is made first. The #5 test strip to determine the shadow exposure will have little effect on the highlights, but the #00 exposure will already have contributed to the shadow exposure. For low contrast prints it is a good idea to make the #00 test strip first to determine the low contrast exposure in the highlights.The #00 test strip to determine the highlights will have little effect on the shadows, but the #5 exposure will have already have had some effect on the highlights. For high contrast prints it is a good idea to make the #5 test strip first to determine the high contrast exposure in the blacks and deep shadows.Although the term 'grade' doesn't have a fixed meaning in split grade printing, a grade 2 print is one that has the same contrast as one made with white light, and generally has roughly equal exposures with the #00 and #5 filters. If you use test strips for determining exposure then it is a good idea to treat high contrast prints (grade >= 2) differently from low contrast prints (grade <= 2). Although the note is written for meter users, it has a lot of information on the workings of split grade printing.

There is an application note on split grade printing on the Darkroom Automation web site that you may find useful.

The lack of a true grade #5 with this paper shouldn't be a real impediment, printing at grades 4 and above isn't (and shouldn't be) common. There is no speed difference with split-grade printing techniques. It is not strictly a function of the paper and it applies to printing with all VC papers, not just Kentmere. The one-stop speed difference only applies if you use the fixed contrast multi-grade filters that have a (pseudo)neutral-density component.

Kentmere fineprint vc fb neutral