I'm posting this in the emulsion thread, which is hopefully appropriate. (Particularly since PE may have some valid insights into this and this is his domain!)
I recently purchased 50 sheets of double-weight 16x20 Ektalure which had been frozen since new. I paid about $165 for the box. Found it to be worth every penny. I have some good stock of Brovira and other classic papers, but I've never experienced anything like Ektalure - the detail looks almost sculpted in, like it's slightly three-dimensional. I know plenty of APUGgers feel the same way about the stuff. (And man, it lith prints like nobody's business. Stunning. Maybe it will bromoil? We'll see.)
I would gladly pay that much for more if it were still in production. I imagine I'm not alone.
I assume the formula exists in some safe at Kodak somewhere. I also understand a big part of Kodak's business value these days is licensing patents, many from decades back. And (I assume) Kodak is completely out of the sensitized paper business, so there would be no cannibalization of their profits.
Would there be any chance that Ektalure could be recreated? I assume it would have to be done by an existing paper manufacturer (unless making a coating factory is child's play). Does anyone know (I can guess as well as the next guy) if Ektalure's end was due to a declining market, or also for things like unavailable chemistry or tightened EPA regulations? And if it's an environmental issue, can those factors be avoided for a more "boutique" production model, perhaps a bi-yearly run of smaller batches where environmental controls and cleanup could be dealt with?
Is there's a demand for a holy-grail, high-end (and expensive) paper - even if it's not your every day paper? I know I wouldn't buy it all the time, but I'd certainly keep some in stock.
Or could Ektalure be recreated by home chefs? I wonder how much I'd pay per sheet if someone was making it as a hobby.
If nothing else, something to toss around for anyone who's a little bored today.
I recently purchased 50 sheets of double-weight 16x20 Ektalure which had been frozen since new. I paid about $165 for the box. Found it to be worth every penny. I have some good stock of Brovira and other classic papers, but I've never experienced anything like Ektalure - the detail looks almost sculpted in, like it's slightly three-dimensional. I know plenty of APUGgers feel the same way about the stuff. (And man, it lith prints like nobody's business. Stunning. Maybe it will bromoil? We'll see.)
I would gladly pay that much for more if it were still in production. I imagine I'm not alone.
I assume the formula exists in some safe at Kodak somewhere. I also understand a big part of Kodak's business value these days is licensing patents, many from decades back. And (I assume) Kodak is completely out of the sensitized paper business, so there would be no cannibalization of their profits.
Would there be any chance that Ektalure could be recreated? I assume it would have to be done by an existing paper manufacturer (unless making a coating factory is child's play). Does anyone know (I can guess as well as the next guy) if Ektalure's end was due to a declining market, or also for things like unavailable chemistry or tightened EPA regulations? And if it's an environmental issue, can those factors be avoided for a more "boutique" production model, perhaps a bi-yearly run of smaller batches where environmental controls and cleanup could be dealt with?
Is there's a demand for a holy-grail, high-end (and expensive) paper - even if it's not your every day paper? I know I wouldn't buy it all the time, but I'd certainly keep some in stock.
Or could Ektalure be recreated by home chefs? I wonder how much I'd pay per sheet if someone was making it as a hobby.
If nothing else, something to toss around for anyone who's a little bored today.