Contact printing question

[Corran]

I've been contact printing a lot this year, since building out a darkroom in my basement. 4x5 and 6x17 negatives, and moving forward I want to shoot my 8x10 and 8x20 more as well.

I am very happy lately with contacts/enlargements made on Ilford Warmtone paper dev'd in Ansco 130. But I do love playing with different materials to see what is out there, which is why I've tried every (film) developer I can get my hands on.

Anyway, I'm still confused if the "Azo" advertised on the linked page, and the "Lodima" advertised elsewhere is the same thing? Is the page you linked current? I guess I could just email them. Interesting about Art Basil. I was supposed to go last year (not as an exhibitor, my friend and I were just going to take it in) as I live in GA, so not really that far. If I go I will definitely stop by. I very rarely see modern silver gelatin prints (as opposed to gallery prints made before I was born) - those that I know personally doing SG printing are generally using very typical materials - Ilford MG fiber and Dektol. I would love to see other materials used by good printers. Effusive praise online by old pros is all well and good but I want to see it before I drop a boatload on trying something new.

If it gave me a significantly better print then great. The good thing is I generally print straight with no filter and have good enough negatives to do that, so graded papers are not a problem since I basically always print at a Grade 2.

 

[Oren Grad]

C,

From what I understand Paul and Linda somehow have access by being sole distributors of the original Kodak AZO. This is current production and not dated paper.

Seems to be touted for the darkest blacks available and a very long tonal range. Likely the ultimate for fine art printing.

Paul and Linda are fine art printers, and it was in their own best interest to keep AZO going. I remember having to pre-pay and having to wait for the paper to be manufactured. Not really sure how it is today. I do know that originally it was only available in grade 2, but then a grade 3 was added. Evidently there is enough demand to keep production going.

The pricing is high, but not in the realm of fine art printing. I understand that Paul and Linda do very well selling their prints. I know they are at Art Basil every year. Their work is very popular with collectors.

Cal

It's Michael and Paula, not Paul and Linda.

Azo was discontinued along with all other Kodak B&W papers when Kodak abruptly got out of the B&W paper business back in 2005. Any Azo that you see for sale now is old stock, often very old stock. (Azo does tend to have a very long shelf life, so even very old stock can still be usable.) Lodima is a new paper that Michael and Paula commissioned as a replacement for Azo after that was discontinued.

 

[Calzone]

I've been contact printing a lot this year, since building out a darkroom in my basement. 4x5 and 6x17 negatives, and moving forward I want to shoot my 8x10 and 8x20 more as well.

I am very happy lately with contacts/enlargements made on Ilford Warmtone paper dev'd in Ansco 130. But I do love playing with different materials to see what is out there, which is why I've tried every (film) developer I can get my hands on.

Anyway, I'm still confused if the "Azo" advertised on the linked page, and the "Lodima" advertised elsewhere is the same thing? Is the page you linked current? I guess I could just email them. Interesting about Art Basil. I was supposed to go last year (not as an exhibitor, my friend and I were just going to take it in) as I live in GA, so not really that far. If I go I will definitely stop by. I very rarely see modern silver gelatin prints (as opposed to gallery prints made before I was born) - those that I know personally doing SG printing are generally using very typical materials - Ilford MG fiber and Dektol. I would love to see other materials used by good printers. Effusive praise online by old pros is all well and good but I want to see it before I drop a boatload on trying something new.

If it gave me a significantly better print then great. The good thing is I generally print straight with no filter and have good enough negatives to do that, so graded papers are not a problem since I basically always print at a Grade 2.

C,

You are already in a great space/place and are well ahead of me. Here in NYC I am mucho constrained for space. Decades ago I was a very good analog wet printer, and today I'm a much better photographer.

Here is what I know. Azo is only single weight and if not handled correctly it is easily damaged. For framing it generally requires dry mounting. Amadol is the prefered developer and if you do your data mining outlined is a way to extend the contrast grade of Azo via using a water bath. Basically you are exploiting a compensating effect like with film, except with paper.

I am like you: seeing is believing. Know that only recently did I buy a 4x5 Linhof Tech IV, but realize that the way I shoot both digital and analog is more in the style of a large format shooter in that like you I pretty much straight print. I'm a big believer in optimizing the shot at image capture. A friend who is a large format shooter was looking at some of my 6x9 negatives and said, "With negatives like this you don't need a 4x5."

I'm really lucky to see and know great wet prints because I live in NYC. I get to see shows that otherwise I might not see if I lived elsewhere.

All the best. BTW I hope to try to make it to Art Basil in February. Perhaps I'll see you there.

Cal

 

[Calzone]

It's Michael and Paula, not Paul and Linda.

Azo was discontinued along with all other Kodak B&W papers when Kodak abruptly got out of the B&W paper business back in 2005. Any Azo that you see for sale now is old stock, often very old stock. (Azo does tend to have a very long shelf life, so even very old stock can still be usable.) Lodima is a new paper that Michael and Paula commissioned as a replacement for Azo after that was discontinued.

O.G,

Thanks for the clarity. At least I got it right that Lodima is fresh paper.

Cal

 

[rjbuzzclick]

When I first started shooting 4x5 I only made contact prints. I just used a 7w nightlight bulb about 4'-5' or more above the paper. Printing times varied but from what I remember were around 5-10 seconds. It worked quite well.

 

[analogangler]

Stumbled on this on Freestyle - just searched the site for "Azo"

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/58925-ADOX-Lupex-Contact-Paper-FB-Glossy-Grade-3-8x10-25-Sheets

Per the item description, supposed to be a replacement for Azo paper - anyone tried it? More to the OP's questions, the tech sheet gives suggestions about how to use it:

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/static/pdf/product_pdf/adox/58930_5_PDF-Datasheet.pdf

May have to give it a try...recently acquired a 4x5 and may not have access to an enlarger for a while.

 

[Oren Grad]

Contact printing papers are offered only in fixed contrast grade, which either means stocking multiple paper grades if they are available, or tailoring exposure and development on a sheet-by-sheet basis to fit whatever the available grade happens to be.

Variable contrast papers are a major convenience in contact printing as they are in enlarging. I use the same VC papers for both.

 

[Calzone]

Contact printing papers are offered only in fixed contrast grade, which either means stocking multiple paper grades if they are available, or tailoring exposure and development on a sheet-by-sheet basis to fit whatever the available grade happens to be.

Variable contrast papers are a major convenience in contact printing as they are in enlarging. I use the same VC papers for both.

O.G,

Some flexibility is possible with graded papers via using a water bath.

Cal

 

[Pioneer]

Stumbled on this on Freestyle - just searched the site for "Azo"

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/58925-ADOX-Lupex-Contact-Paper-FB-Glossy-Grade-3-8x10-25-Sheets

Per the item description, supposed to be a replacement for Azo paper - anyone tried it? More to the OP's questions, the tech sheet gives suggestions about how to use it:

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/static/pdf/product_pdf/adox/58930_5_PDF-Datasheet.pdf

May have to give it a try...recently acquired a 4x5 and may not have access to an enlarger for a while.

Contact printing is certainly expensive. This Adox Lupex is even more expensive than Lodima, which is itself priced pretty high.

The other problem seems to be availability. I think Lodima is still available by phone order but Fomalux seems long gone, apart from what Stearman Press has, and they are reducing their price to sell it off. At least that is what I would guess since Fomapan appears to have discontinued it.

Once you get used to a paper it seems to up and disappear. It would be nice if you could coat your own.

 

[Oren Grad]

O.G,

Some flexibility is possible with graded papers via using a water bath.

Cal

Yes, a good point! Also by having a second tray of low contrast paper developer to go with your standard developer - the Photographers' Formulary still offers a Selectol Soft clone, or you can mix your own from published formulas.