Fiber paper advice

theinvisiblecity · Feb 17, 2006

hey....as Kodak glossy was my prefered paper for most prints, does anyone have a suggestion as to what to try next?.....I prefer the grey/silver look that the Kodak gave, as opposed to the more brownish Illford look....I'm interested in trying Forte, Kentmere, Foma, Oriental, etc...but wanted some opinions before I start buying.......thanks...

Michael

terri · Feb 18, 2006

Those are all very good papers. You can't really "go wrong" with any of them. You seem to prefer the cooler tones with the Kodak, so you'll probably want to stick with cold-toned papers - although there are wonderful warm-toned papers out there that look great for portraits and landscapes alike.

I personally love Ilford papers - the cold toned glossy MG IV is a fave. :thumbup: Not sure why you got a "brownish" tone; was it a warm toned paper or cold?

You might just try the smallest samplers, like 10 pages per box. That's not a huge investment and you can make a couple prints from the same negative with different papers - a great way to evaluate new papers.

Good luck with it!

theinvisiblecity · Feb 19, 2006

hmm...maybe I'll rephrase that......In the past I have only used Kodak and Illford paper - simply because that's what they sold at my local supplier - I've used them both for years - both quite a bit. An image printed on Kodak paper, and the same image printed on Illford papers do not look the same - both neutral tone, same prosessing etc.... (hopefully I'm not the only one who has noticed this...I would doubt that very much)

for some prints I prefer the Illford for it's "look" and for some I prefer Kodak. Now that Kodak is no longer making paper I was wondering if anyone else had the same concern, and knew what other brand looked most like kodak. I realize I'll probably just have to try them all and see what I like, but I was hoping to get a head start in the right direction. Maybe I'm just the only one who liked Kodak stuff? anyone?....

Thanks in advance!

Mike

theinvisiblecity · Feb 19, 2006

btw...thanks terri!

Torus34 · Feb 19, 2006

Question: why fiber paper?

theinvisiblecity · Feb 19, 2006

by Fiber I mean Fiber base as opposed to plastic or "RC" paper.....I like black to be black

theinvisiblecity · Feb 19, 2006

do you prefer RC paper?....and if so I'm curious to know why?

Torus34 · Feb 20, 2006

Ilford VCRCs provide me with a choice of shades [cold, 'normal', warm], a full tonal range and a quick final wash 'n dry. They respond well to dry tissue mounting. The warm paper tones easily [sepia & selenium.] They're readily available here in the States. The VC feature makes contrast control very simple with my chromatic head enlarger. And finally, the papers are not very expensive and provide me with fully acceptable prints of the types of subjects I photograph. BTW, it took a while for me to give up fiber base paper.

KevinR · Feb 20, 2006

For me the coolest toned paper is Oriental. I love the stuff. I am also very pleased with the Kentmere papers. The developer you use can also make a difference on the blacks. Go to Freestyle, they have a cold toned developer that is really nice.

terri · Feb 20, 2006

I was very impressed with the tonal range I got from a Kentmere RC paper. I bought it exclusively for playing with toners, since it's reputed to tone nicely with certain combinations.

I still prefer FB papers. There's no question RC papers have come a long way in archival stability and are easy to handle. If you're making lots of quick prints, it makes sense to use RC since they are much cheaper. But if you are really looking for longevity in a special print, you should keep some FB around.

I like having both. I enjoy trying different papers, just as a general rule.