Does anyone use RA-4 paper in rolls?

[filip0502]

A shop that's local to me sells this, and it seems to me that it's cheaper than buying sheets (especially since I would have to order them from another country).

I'm thinking about making a jig from wood (or 3d printing one) to help me cut the paper in the dark. I was hoping a masking frame would keep the paper flat enough for printing (I assume the paper will be curled from the roll)

 

[koraks]

Yeah, plenty of people do. Also several on this forum.

A DIY jig will work. I used one for several years. I took a roller cutter/trimmer (that I already had), made a frame to suspend the roll from and clamped everything in line with each other so I could pull paper from the roll into the trimmer, against a stop I clamped to the table to get the desired length, and then cut the sheet. Put sheet into light-proof bag and into a box. Hey presto. You get pretty fast at it with some practice.

A dispenser is nicer, but they come up for sale only once in a blue moon.

And a regular enlarging easel will be fine for your self-cut sheets. The last sheets from the roll will curl quite badly, but if you leave them in a stack inside a box, they will flatten out a bit. It can help to weigh down the stack of cut papers in some way to facilitate this process. The curl is not much of an issue during exposure as any regular enlarger easel will hold the paper flat just fine. It's a little more problematic during processing depending on the approach you use. It's not much of an issue with drums, but if you use trays or a roller transport processor, the curl can be an issue. However, I've always found it manageable regardless of what I was doing.

Note that Kodak ceased making paper several years ago. Today in Europe you'd buy Fuji. The equivalent to the Royal paper in your picture would be plain-Jane Crystal Archive: https://www.originalphotopaper.com/products/ca/ I recommend using DPII as it's readily available in many roll lengths and an excellent product overall (much better than plain Crystal Archive!)

 

[filip0502]

Thanks. I didn't know Kodak doesn't make the rolls anymore. I saw this listed on a local web shop, and it said that they have it in stock. I guess it's an error.

Yeah, plenty of people do. Also several on this forum.

A DIY jig will work. I used one for several years. I took a roller cutter/trimmer (that I already had), made a frame to suspend the roll from and clamped everything in line with each other so I could pull paper from the roll into the trimmer, against a stop I clamped to the table to get the desired length, and then cut the sheet. Put sheet into light-proof bag and into a box. Hey presto. You get pretty fast at it with some practice.

A dispenser is nicer, but they come up for sale only once in a blue moon.

And a regular enlarging easel will be fine for your self-cut sheets. The last sheets from the roll will curl quite badly, but if you leave them in a stack inside a box, they will flatten out a bit. It can help to weigh down the stack of cut papers in some way to facilitate this process. The curl is not much of an issue during exposure as any regular enlarger easel will hold the paper flat just fine. It's a little more problematic during processing depending on the approach you use. It's not much of an issue with drums, but if you use trays or a roller transport processor, the curl can be an issue. However, I've always found it manageable regardless of what I was doing.

Note that Kodak ceased making paper several years ago. Today in Europe you'd buy Fuji. The equivalent to the Royal paper in your picture would be plain-Jane Crystal Archive: https://www.originalphotopaper.com/products/ca/ I recommend using DPII as it's readily available in many roll lengths and an excellent product overall (much better than plain Crystal Archive!)

 

[koraks]

It's either an error or the paper is several years old. Either way, I would not order it. If only because Kodak Royal was OK when fresh, but really nothing special.

 

[Samu]

nd a regular enlarging easel will be fine for your self-cut sheets. The last sheets from the roll will curl quite badly, but if you leave them in a stack inside a box, they will flatten out a bit. It can help to weigh down the stack of cut papers in some way to facilitate this process. The curl is not much of an issue during exposure as any regular enlarger easel will hold the paper flat just fine. It's a little more problematic during processing depending on the approach you use. It's not much of an issue with drums, but if you use trays or a roller transport processor, the curl can be an issue. However, I've always found it manageable regardless of what I was doing.

I normally cut the whole roll into sheets at the same time, and put them into boxes. I just use the box with the most curled sheets the last. After months in my freezer, they will be almost straight.

 

[filip0502]

It's either an error or the paper is several years old. Either way, I would not order it. If only because Kodak Royal was OK when fresh, but really nothing special.

Ok so the manufacturing date says it was made in 2019. Do you think I should return it, or should I give it a try. It was less than 40€ for the whole roll, I don't think I can get anything as cheap as that.

 

[koraks]

I personally wouldn't waste my time on it, but I can imagine you'd want to use it to learn the basics of color printing. Then when you've figured out how to go through the motions, purchase some actually good paper.

With this paper you can expect that the whites will never become truly white; i.e. they may be distinctly yellow or cyan.

 

[filip0502]

You're probably right. I won't feel bad wasting this. I'll get some proper paper later down the road.

 

[koraks]

In the best case scenario the paper is still OK and you have lots of prints fot very little money!