Genral paper that is also good for lith?

[stradibarrius]

Recommendation far a paper that is a good all round paper but also is a good lith paper? Is there such a thing? I have only used Ilford RC paper up to this point.

 

[heart of stone]

I settled on Fomabrom variant IV 123 (velvet) for my primary paper. It's a really nice paper for both straight pnints and lith. And, it's relatively inexpensive. I'm not sure how it would compare with Ilford RC paper but it had about a 1/4 stop less contrast than the Ilford MG WT paper using the same negative and the same contrast filter. My primary complaint is it is hard to straighten out. Ilford MG WT lies flat after a couple of weeks at the bottom of a stack of books. The Foma takes about two months.

 

[thebanana]

Check out Tim Rudman's web site. If you sign up for his newsletter you'll get a good idea of what paper and chemistry is out there for Lith printing.

 

[Mark Fisher]

No question...Fomatone Variant in the surface of your choice. Fomabrom Variant is nice, but it is about the most gritty paper you can use for lith. I use it for an occasional print when I want that look. Fomatone is also nice because the color can be manipulated pretty easily with developer concentration, selenium toning and gold toning. If you want to try something cheap for lith, you might consider Slavich Unibrom. It is fairly neutral (as lith goes) and gritty, but not as gritty as Fomabrom. It is cheap enough, that you can afford to have an extra box around just for lith printing if you like the look. I have a lot of lith examples in the gallery or on flickr using both Fomatone and Slavich.

 

[jglass]

Has anyone used Kentmere Fineprint VC for lith?

Heart of Stone: What hues/tones did you get with the Fomatone 123?

How do the tones;hues compare with MGIV WT?

thanks

 

[Mark Fisher]

Kentmere Fineprint VC is a nice paper but it doesn't lith. Fineprint Warmtone does, but like its neutral brother, is discontinued. Ilford WT does lith, but not strongly...pretty subtle, put wonderful for straight printing. I like it for some stuff. To get a feel for the difference between fomabrom and fomatone, here is some Fomabrom lith prints. And here are some Fomatone lith.

 

[heart of stone]

To see the colors take a look at a scan of a lith print I did on the Foma IV 123paper in the standard gallery. It's titled "Earthly Treasures" and was posted a couple of weeks ago so you'll probably have to go back a few pages. It was done with Arista Lith from Freestyle (dry, mix it yourself stuff). I used the Kentmere fineprint wt for lith but wasn't crazy about it. It worked well for some subjects not for all. I think the Foma is more versatile. On straight prints I think the Ilford MGIV WT has a richer look. However, I've already taken one pay cut at work, and with another looming I'll get by with the Foma.

 

[jglass]

Is fomatone mg classic (which is used in many of the lith images mark fisher points to under fomatone) the same paper as variant iv 123?
I hope so. looks good. thanks.

 

[Bob Carnie]

Ilford Warmtone for sure

 

[mooseontheloose]

What kind of surface do you want? Fiber? Glossy? I'm sure everyone will give you a different answer. However, most (if not all?) of the Foma papers lith, are beautiful for regular black and white prints, and are responsive to toning. There's a variety of surfaces in both RC and fiber, so if you want to stick with one brand that might be the way to go.

 

[stradibarrius]

Do their RC papers lith also? I have been told that RC papers do not lith but Tim Rudman in "The World of Lith Pringting" gives a list of RC papers that will lith... The copyright was 2006 so many of his recommendations are not available any longer.
It would be nice to have a FB and RC paper that would work for both. I know that Ilford MGWT will do both. are ther others?

 

[mooseontheloose]

You should sign up for Tim's newsletters -- he has frequent updates on what papers are available (or not ) now, and how they lith. I haven't tried the RC versions, but according to his newsletter, Fomatone MG 331 and 332 (RC) do lith similar to the 532 (FB) version.

 

[heart of stone]

No, the Fomatone Classic is not the same as the Fomabrom Variant IV. My mistake, I hadn't realized the conversation had moved on from the OP. I was still in the "good all around paper" mode. For straight prints I don't think you can beat Ilford MGIV WT. For lith, I think Mark Fisher is right Fomatone Classic is best. As I said, I think the Variant IV is a good all around paper. It does both well, not great, just a good all around paper.

 

[stradibarrius]

Since I first ask this question I have read, learned and experienced a fiar amount. I have tried lith with both Fomabrom Variant IV 123 and Adox MCC110. Because papers seem to change quite often tim Rudman's site is not even up to date.
Does the Oriental paper lith good?
What are your most recent good experiences with paper and lith??