How are black and white photographs developed and printed?

Black and white photographs are developed using a chemical process that involves several steps. First, the exposed film or photographic paper is submerged in a developer solution, which reduces the exposed silver halides to metallic silver, creating an image. After development, the photograph is rinsed and then fixed in a solution to remove any unexposed silver halides, making the image permanent. Finally, the print can be washed to eliminate any remaining chemicals and then dried.