Dumb question about Kodak Tmax 400

This may seem like a dumb question, but I've never sent in a roll of

Kodak Tmax Black & White film before. If I'm not mistaken, this is a

C41 process. If I take this to my local drug store where I have my

color print film processed, will there be any problems? I assume, that

C41 processing is just that, and I will get back B&W prints back, with

out any problems.

WRONG. You must use black and white developers for this film.

You're thinking (or talking about) Kodak's TCN films which develop in C41. Your local drug store would print these negs most likely on color paper, and the results you'd get would vary by operator (ie. how good they are at neutralizing color cast completely from your pics). Alternatively, you can these C41 negs printed on B&W paper -- but this will cost more and check with your drug store if they can do this.

 

TMAX is a regular B&W film, developed with B&W chemicals and printed on B&W paper only.

 

For future reference, if a film is to be developed in C41, it will say so right on the film cartridge.

That ain't a dumb question. When Kodak's C41 process chromogenic monochrome film first came out it was called TMax. No wonder lotsa folks, including me, were confused. I couldn't just ask my daughter to pick up a roll of the stuff at the store - did I mean the C41 stuff or the "real" b&w stuff?

 

Later Kodak changed the packaging, tho' I don't know if it's any less confusing: Kodak B&W+? T400CN? I dunno.

 

To make matters worse Kodak is completely inconsistent (but they are complete, to their credit) regarding what they call their films. Take the traditional (non-C41) version of T-Max 400. On the box it's variously referred to as:

 

T-MAX 400

 

400Tmax (tho' the "max" is actually upper case, just smaller fonts in upper case - dunno how to show this on photo.net 'cause I'm an HTML dunce)

 

And, in teeny tiny letters on the box, T-Max, upper and lower case.

 

With the current packaging scheme the film is labeled "TMY400" only on the film cannister and nowhere on the 24-exposure version of the box. Meanwhile the 24-exposure version of T-Max 100, TMX, is labeled TMX on the box and cannister.

Kodak first called the C41 process "Flexcolor" I got a free "flexcolor" home process kit from a kodak rep...I still have the 18oz bottles from the kit; 3+ decades later..