Questions about Photographic Paper

mgilbuena

mgilbuena

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I've been taking a local community college B&W course to take advantage of their darkroom. This is my second semester of wet printing and I have only used Ilford Multigrade MGIV RC Pearl paper thus far. Since I have just about run out of paper, I have a few questions prior to making my next purchase:

1> In comparison to Pearl paper, how would you compare printing with matte? Are you more happy with your B&W prints using matte? Are there other changes in your technique that must occur when switching from pearl paper?
2> I've heard stories about how Arista EDU Ultra curls badly. What about Arista's Pearl Private Reserve? Does anyone have any experience using this paper?
3> I've also noticed Adorama's Pearl Variable Grade paper; I understand it's produced in the EU. Is this the same paper as Arista's Pearl Private Reserve? Any curling issues with this paper? Would you recommend this over Arista?
4> Are there any other papers I should consider? I rather like Ilford's Multigrade MGIV, but I wanted to see if there are other alternatives I should consider on a performance/cost basis.

I typically have been printing using the enlarger's contrast set to 3 or 3.5 to make nice grainy high-contrast photos. My photographs are typically shot with classical lenses, such as Leica's Summitar, Canon's LTM 50 1.4 or Voigtlander's 35 Nokton Classic 1.4. I develop using three trays and the paper is dried through a heater. I like dark, dark blacks.

Thanks in advance.
 
1. The glossy is a bit glossy in RC, but with fiber I always print on glossy, which looks great. In RC, the more textured your surface, the less clear the photo, but overall it might look better with some texture to cut down on reflections. So, I would try the least amount of texture and see if you like it.

4. Adox RC semi-matte is awesome. I mainly use the glossy for proof sheets, but have used both. It prints very nicely, and dries flat. Available from Freestyle.
 
One caution if you decide on a fiber based paper. In a college darkroom setting be sure that you have a seperate set of chemistry, because RC prints will scratch the surface of fiber paper.
 
Ralph Gibson, the King of Very Black Blacks, recently said, decrying the lack of anything to print on, "You can use Ilford, or if you don't like that, you can try Ilford."
Me, I like my MGIV RC in glossy. On the rare occasions when I print on FB, I also like glossy.
 
Thanks for the multitude of responses. Yes, we do have a fiber printer dryer. However, I was under the impression that there were resin-coated matte papers as well. I was not aware that the matte prints have less clarity due to the surface texturing.

Is there a favorite 16x20" paper amongst the RFF community?
 
Chris101 said:
One caution if you decide on a fiber based paper. In a college darkroom setting be sure that you have a seperate set of chemistry, because RC prints will scratch the surface of fiber paper.
Click to expand...

I did not find this to be true when I took photography in college. Sometimes I used fiber based, sometimes RC right after that, never a problem. Same trays...
 
I am using Arista EDU Ultra paper right now. Was using Ilford. Not a lot of difference in performance, to be honest. Even the times are similar. The Arista does seem to a little thinner and does have more curl than the Ilford, but it is irrelevant if you use an easel.

Even with shipping, the Arista costs less than half of what Ilford cost me locally.
 
I've been using Ilford RC Glossy for 'everyday' prints. RC as opposed to Fibre because of the washing hassle. But if you are in a hurry, chances are you will make a mistake or rush through a print, and end up using more paper because you don't like how it looks when it's bone dry and viewed in proper light.
There's a print currently hanging in my study, which uses RC Satin ( as opposed to Glossy and Pearl ), everytime I look at it, I felt it's best printed on Satin rather then Glossy. The blacks are more 'matte' but still black, but not the shinny black. The non reflective nature of the paper really brings it out.
Some photographs however, don't have the punch, when printed on Satin.

One of the most important thing in the darkroom, in my opinion, is skill on the easel. How hard can it be, 4 blades moving around to hold the paper down ? To me, very easy to get the print looking good, but a lot of patience and practice to get it 'perfect'. Getting straight edges, mm thick borders, and perfectly centered.
I took a long time to understand my easel, and will never swapped it for another, we have a relationship, and I know where all the notches and where the paper needs to be held in. Once dialled in for a particular print size, doesn't need adjustment later.
 
MIkhail said:
I did not find this to be true when I took photography in college. Sometimes I used fiber based, sometimes RC right after that, never a problem. Same trays...
Click to expand...

It's not a problem if you are careful, but in a communal darkroom these days, kids just toss their prints in on top of whatever is there. The corners of RC paper will dig into the the emulsion of fiber paper, leaving a white gash in the print. I have seen this happen with my own eyes, a few weeks ago (and have known about it for many years.)
 
"These days?" Having managed a University darkroom, 20 years ago (can it really be 20 years ago?), I can *assure* you that this is nothing new.
 
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