Deciding when to use what paper?

ChristopherCoy · Mar 25, 2021

When do you use fiber paper? When do you use glossy paper? When do you use RC paper? Why are there so many choices?

I’ve taken over half the family farm house and set up a darkroom. My dry area has a king size bed, a leather recliner, and a couch in it. My wet area is the bathroom just off the big room.

My experience has always been matte RC paper, but now it’s time to make some decisions. I’d like to find a “stock” paper - one that I use for all general prints, and I’d like to consider fiber paper, but don’t know much about it, other than the wash times are significantly longer.

Any input, advice, or personal experiences are appreciated.

cjbecker · Mar 25, 2021

My stock paper is the ilford mgv rc pearl. Comes in all sizes and quantities. Since you will be always fighting water issues, I would recommend rc paper. The perks of rc outweight the perks of fiber for me.

MattKing · Mar 25, 2021

I am an RC advocate.
The RC papers are so much better than when I started using them. I've worked in temporary darkroom facilities for years, so RC has huge advantages. And it isn't like RC papers are necessary cheap.
All my exhibition prints are RC. They tend to be framed and behind glass, so it is unlikely that any viewer could tell.
But good quality fibre based prints are very nice.
If you have the facilities for drying and dry mounting fibre based, it can be wonderful to work with.
As your most important darkroom accessory is likely to be the trash can*, I would suggest that you should choose a paper based on availability and suitability for your work area, not on what others like to use. When or if you get to the point of your abilities straining the capacities of the paper(s) you are using, you probably will want to use a variety of papers anyway.
*The trash can is the most important darkroom accessory for all of us. The only difference that experience brings is that the quality of some of our trash is probably better than yours will be for a while.
FWIW, my favorite RC paper has been the Ilford Multigrade Cooltone RC. I've yet to try the new Ilford Multigrade V RC.

gone · Mar 25, 2021

You're going to have to make some prints and see for yourself. I know of no other way, and be advised that different papers and developers are going to give you quite different looks. Just make some small 8x10's and see what you think. The drying part can be a PITA. Glossy fiber will look more subtle in it's gloss than w/ RC glossy papers. Also be advised that as soon as you find a paper you love, they'll certainly discontinue it. This happened to me w/ the MCC 110, and now I'm waiting on a Freestyle order in the hope of finding some papers and developers that looks reasonably close, or at least as good.

Valerie · Mar 25, 2021

RC for contacts sheets or "I just want some quick prints to see how these negs look". FB for the rest.
There are so many delicious papers out there....just buy some 25 packs of different ones (or ask a certain analog-loving friend for some samples), print, and decide what you like best.

MattKing · Mar 25, 2021

You probably can't make a bad choice.
For RC paper, I prefer pearl surface, but use glossy surface for contact proof sheets and certain subjects that call out for gloss.
And I try to have some satin surface paper on hand, because it really suits some subjects, and because it scans better than any other surface I've tried.
If you think there is lots of choice now, take a look at the paper sampler in a typical Kodak Darkroom Dataguide:

MattKing · Mar 25, 2021

Valerie said:
RC for contacts sheets or "I just want some quick prints to see how these negs look". FB for the rest.
There are so many delicious papers out there....just buy some 25 packs of different ones (or ask a certain analog-loving friend for some samples), print, and decide what you like best.

I forgot - he has you as a somewhat local enabler. Take Valerie up on the offer Christopher

Paul Howell · Mar 25, 2021

I use RC for work prints, I use glossy 8X10 and 11X14, Foma, Ultrafine, and Multitone. I use FB for I call presentation prints, processed for longevity, what others call archival, toned, I use glossy and dry face down on screens for semi gloss, on rare occasion I use a ferrotype plate for a glossy.

removed account4 · Mar 25, 2021

if you like the "heft" of fiber paper look for Ilford portfolio rc paper
it feels like fb but its rc, its really beautiful stuff.

Brendan Quirk · Mar 25, 2021

MattKing said:
You probably can't make a bad choice.
For RC paper, I prefer pearl surface, but use glossy surface for contact proof sheets and certain subjects that call out for gloss.
And I try to have some satin surface paper on hand, because it really suits some subjects, and because it scans better than any other surface I've tried.
If you think there is lots of choice now, take a look at the paper sampler in a typical Kodak Darkroom Dataguide:

I have that Dataguide! From 1970 for me.

Brendan Quirk · Mar 25, 2021

I admit to an initial prejudice against RC papers - I think many photographers, and artists, have that inertia against new ideas (emotional response!) I have tried to adjust to RC, especially since the shorter wash times are attractive. I have, however, identified two issues that drove me back to fiber base.

1. RC prints mounted and displayed on the wall eventually cracked. Of course, the fact that they had no glass and saw direct sun every afternoon was not ideal. Also, early 1980s RC papers may have been inferior to today's paper.
2. The second issue is peculiar to the fact that I have never had running water in my darkroom. I store prints in a bucket of water until the session is over, then tone, wash, and dry. I found that this long exposure to water allowed it to penetrate into the paper from the edges. Prints that were then displayed, eventually yellowed along the edges. The only way out of this was to process each print through the wash and dry stages before moving on to the next. This I am not willing to do.

I find that the constraints on long washing times etc. have greatly diminished since I have made my darkroom light-tight enough to use at any time of the day. In my earlier years, I would start after dark, finish at 4 AM, and would do anything to cut short my labors in the early hours and go to bed. Now I can hit the darkroom first thing in the morning on a weekend day, and am completely done by afternoon. Long washes are not a problem if you can go about your normal activities during the wash (this of course if water is plentiful and cheap!) PS. I use Ilford Multigrade Classic Fiber Based.

ChristopherCoy · Mar 25, 2021

cjbecker said:
My stock paper is the ilford mgv rc pearl. Comes in all sizes and quantities. Since you will be always fighting water issues, I would recommend rc paper. The perks of rc outweight the perks of fiber for me.

What do you mean by fighting water issues? I’ll be connecting a washer to the shower head and running it in a bath tub.

ChristopherCoy · Mar 25, 2021

MattKing said:
I forgot - he has you as a somewhat local enabler. Take Valerie up on the offer Christopher

See what I heard was “move into @Valerie’s darkroom.” Can you repeat what you said for clarity?

MattKing · Mar 25, 2021

ChristopherCoy said:
What do you mean by fighting water issues?

I think the reference is to Texas, and much of the warmer parts of the world in general.

MattKing · Mar 25, 2021

ChristopherCoy said:
See what I heard was “move into @Valerie’s darkroom.” Can you repeat what you said for clarity?

No, I would never invite you to move into someone else's darkroom .
But if Valerie wants to give you the chance to see and feel and learn about a variety of darkroom papers, then she must have saint like tendencies (in these pandemic times).

ChristopherCoy · Mar 25, 2021

MattKing said:
I think the reference is to Texas, and much of the warmer parts of the world in general.

Like humidity?

Cause the farmhouse is on city water, we’ll county (or parish as they are called there) so it’s not like it’s going to run dry.

MattKing · Mar 25, 2021

ChristopherCoy said:
Like humidity?

Cause the farmhouse is on city water, we’ll county (or parish as they are called there) so it’s not like it’s going to run dry.

Is the water metered, or is there likely to be pressure to make it so?
More generally though, RC paper after a two minute wash air dries easily. It is relatively easy to add a drying rack to your workflow, and move a print up to the rack every time another one is added to the fixer.

cjbecker · Mar 25, 2021

ChristopherCoy said:
What do you mean by fighting water issues? I’ll be connecting a washer to the shower head and running it in a bath tub.

I assumed it would all be done at the unit that you have the enlarger in, working out of the 50gal drum of water.

Valerie · Mar 26, 2021

ChristopherCoy said:
See what I heard was “move into @Valerie’s darkroom.” Can you repeat what you said for clarity?

MattKing said:
No, I would never invite you to move into someone else's darkroom .
But if Valerie wants to give you the chance to see and feel and learn about a variety of darkroom papers, then she must have saint like tendencies (in these pandemic times).

Saint-like?? Wow! I've been called lots of things, but never saint-like!!

Also look into using Formulary's fixers for shorter wash times..... TF4 or TF5

Don_ih · Mar 26, 2021

If you use fibrebased - mount it. The difference is impressive.

ChristopherCoy · Mar 26, 2021

cjbecker said:
I assumed it would all be done at the unit that you have the enlarger in, working out of the 50gal drum of water.

yeah, that’s gone out the window. I set everything up at the farmhouse. I took everything over there on Wednesday and set up the enlarger and safe lights etc. it’s a 2.5 hour drive that I’ll be making every few weeks, but it will be nice to get away out in the country without any distractions and just work.

BradS · Mar 26, 2021

I always only use Ilford multigrade, resin coated, glossy. Only variation is whether to print on 5x7 or 8x10.

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