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Agfa Rapidoprint

ccross

Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2007
Messages
105
Location
Canada
Format
Multi Format
Hello all,

I'm still pretty new to analog, so I wasn't sure what I was getting when I bought a bunch of paper from a guy cleaning out his darkroom. Quite a large selection from 5x7 to 16x20. I found a box of Agfa Rapidoprint TP6WP in the pile. I did a quick google search, but didn't come up with much. One site said it can only be processed with a special machine, another says it can be tray processed. Anybody got any suggestions/information how to work with it?

Thanks,
Craig
 
Graphics arts material from another world. The paper contains developer, and was developed in a powerful alkaline bath, not washed, and stablised in a second bath, squeegeed and dried. This is a pre RC material, and was used when you needed prints in a hurry, but they didn't need to last. I don't remember the full range of materials Agfa produced, but it is likely this is a material for halftones, or line illustrations and a copy camera: black and white.

You might be able to develop this in a less active solution (say, Dektol) and get an interesting image with it, then fix it. Think circa 1970. Roll up your sleeves !
 

Hi Craig,

Agfa Rapidoprint TP6 was a VERY high contrast paper used in the graphic arts industry. Think of it as a grade 10 paper. When used for making prints from regular negatives in an enlarger, it would produce two tones in the print, black and white, with no grayscale whatsoever.

It is what was known as a "stabilization process" paper. That means that there is a developing agent incorporated in the emulsion and the print is fed into a stabilization processor that contains two chemicals, activator and stabilizer. The process worked as follows; a print was exposed and fed into the rollers of the processor. The print was first transported by the rollers into a very alkaline chemical bath called the Activator. This chemical activated the developing agent in the paper emulsion, developing the print completely in just a few seconds. The print then continued through the next set of rollers, which would squeegee the excess activator from the print and transport the print into the next chemical bath, the Stabilizer. The stabilizer was essentially an extremely concentrated fixer. The print would then continue out the back of the processor where another set of rollers would squeegee the print so it emerged damp-dry. The entire process took about 15 seconds per 8x10 print.No wash was used as these prints were only intended for short time use. If the stabilizer was washed out of the print, it would fade soon thereafter. The print could be fixed in a regular fixer and washed, but would probably not last a long time.

The primary use for stabilized prints was to provide a print where speed, not permanence was the main consideration, such as in the newspaper industry.

TP6 was used in graphic arts applications, where extremely high contrast was needed, for such uses as copying line art or making half-tone prints for reproduction. Rapidoprint was Agfa's trademark name for stabilization papers and their related chemicals. Kodak used the name "Ektamatic" for their stabilization papers and chems.

If one wanted to use the stabilization process for regular prints, a "continuous tone" stabilization paper was needed. The same chemicals could be used for either paper.
 

Good answer. You got yours in while I was typing up my much more verbose answer

'TP6 was indeed a graphic arts product, and I got to work with it to make halftones in the darkroom at the local newspaper when I was in High School. We actually made our halftones from the original 35mm camera negative using an enlarger. The quality of the halftones resulting from this method could be quite decent if the print was correctly made.
 
I used Ektaprint in the 70's and it wasn't bad. I used a Spiratone machine in which I only used the "Activator", but I used two bottles of it, one where it is supposed to go and the other where the stabilizer was supposed to go. Then, I would run it through the usual stop bath, fixer and wash, just like any other print. It made really adequate prints - not like Portriga Rapid, though. Since I was freelancing for a magazine at the time, and had lots of deadlines, it was perfect. Also, since the halftoning process that RH Donnelly was using at the time didn't work very well with very deep blacks, it was a great way to go because it didn't make really deep blacks. However, the paper was good enough to make prints that I didn't mind showing if they were of a type that worked with the process.

I still have many of these prints and they are as good as new after 30 + years.

If you want to expose and develop the Agfa paper you have, I would suggest just developing in a regular print developer, such as Dektol or Ilford MG. You actually COULD develop in a tray of sodium carbonate solution, preferably with a small amount of bromide added. I'd suggest looking up some print developer formulae and just use a typical value. It is simpler just to use a normal developer, though; should work fine. Using a carbonate bath may NOT work if the included reducing agents have oxidized. In that case, you may get some fog if you develop in normal developer, but might be able to control that with a bit of benzotriazole added. Somebody else may be able to provide better information on that; there are some actual chemists around here.

My suspicion is that you will get a contrasty image, but might be able to get continuous tone. Whether it was a multigrade paper type, I can't say, but you could experiment and see whether it responds to filtration. Maybe it has a tip sheet packed with it. Many of the papers around then for halftone purposes (like "stats") were not intended for anything but blank white and dead black. Your journey will reveal. Good luck.
 
The old Rapidoprint range included normal graded papers as well, while developer incorporated for the activator stabiliser process they could also be fixed and washed afterwards, they then had the same permanence as any other paper. In addition they'll process in a normal print developer in a bout 20 seconds.

There have been more recent Rapidoprint materials that aren't developer incorporated.

Ian
 

I also used Ektaprint, also in the 70's, when I was in university. It was great for making contact sheets and quick prints.

After the standard activation process, I would store the dried prints in a special box marked "NOT FIXED." When I had accumulated enough, or had the time, I would tray-shuffle the prints through a tray of F-5 fix, which was only used for the prints made via the activation process. That had to be done under an 0C safelight, as the info packed with the paper contained a warning that washing or otherwise wetting the prints until they were fully fixed could cause them to fog or to fade. AFAIR, the fixing times were really long, 20 minutes for single weight paper versus the usual 10 minutes.

They were then tray-shuffled through a tray of Hypo Clearing Agent, and then they were put in the workflow with the rest of the conventionally processed prints.

I still have the prints and contact sheets that I made 30+ years ago, and they are fine.
 
Thanks everyone. I'll have to try a few prints and see what happens.

Thanks again,
Craig
 
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