HARMAN Direct Positive FB Paper : Note From HARMAN technology Limited :

Simon R Galley · Feb 4, 2014

Dear All,

As you are aware we have been manufacturing this paper for over three years.

Following the financial difficulties last year that subsequently led to the insolvency at ILFORD Imaging Switzerland GmbH, we are advising that when our very limited stocks of HARMAN Direct Positive FB paper are exhausted we will be UNABLE to supply product for the medium term.

The emulsion for this product was developed and manufactured by ILFORD Imaging Switzerland in Marly and became part of our product range when we sourced the emulsion and coated it onto FB base here at HARMAN technology in Mobberley.

Despite attempts to source more emulsion last year we were unable to do so. We will continue to try and secure the emulsion formula and to manufacture it ourselves, but being realistic it will take many months before we will be ready to coat again and we may not succeed in our endeavours.

As you know our whole marketing philosophy is to maintain all our ILFORD Photo product range in production and this we have been able to do, we also hope to return HARMAN Direct Positive FB to manuafcture and we will keep you informed on progress.

Simon : ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

MDR · Feb 4, 2014

Dear Simon I am sad to hear this but thank you for the information and good luck with getting the formula.

I also hope that if you were able to get the formula that the paper will distributed more widely and would it be possible to introduce a mat version of the paper glossy is nice but mat even nicer.

Again thank you

cjbecker · Feb 4, 2014

Looks like I will have to make an order soon. Thank you for the heads up.

NB23 · Feb 4, 2014

Makes me realize just how spoiled we are to even have Ilford-Harman around.

removed account4 · Feb 4, 2014

NB23 said:
Makes me realize just how spoiled we are to even have Ilford-Harman around.

+1 !

MartinP · Feb 4, 2014

Oops . . . I hope the product is recoverable. I know some children who will be unhappy that their pinhole camera will need an extra stage for seeing the image in the future. And there are a lot of people who use Direct Positive for serious things too of course!!

Having the emulsion supplied from an external source may also go some way to explaining the difficulties in the RC version of the product too?

Dr Croubie · Feb 4, 2014

Ah man. I only just heard about this paper a few months ago, and made my first shot this year (and loved it). I do hope that it does end up coming back, I'll definitely be buying more of it.

gleaf · Feb 4, 2014

The very best of wishes for problem solutions and production resolutions.
And I was hoping that solving the problems with coating direct positive to the RC backing was close to complete..
Time to stock a bit more than one box.

Roger Cole · Feb 4, 2014

MDR said:
Dear Simon I am sad to hear this but thank you for the information and good luck with getting the formula.

I also hope that if you were able to get the formula that the paper will distributed more widely and would it be possible to introduce a mat version of the paper glossy is nice but mat even nicer.

Again thank you

+1.

I haven't tried this yet and had been meaning to do so. I appreciate the transparency.

Ian Grant · Feb 5, 2014

This could be a problem as I am planning a project which ideally needed the paper over the next year or so. May have to plan a work around using reversal processing of conventional B&W paper (which can give superb results).

Ian

bvy · Feb 5, 2014

I was still waiting for the RC version, but at this rate, better take what I can get.

Roger Cole · Feb 5, 2014

Ian Grant said:
This could be a problem as I am planning a project which ideally needed the paper over the next year or so. May have to plan a work around using reversal processing of conventional B&W paper (which can give superb results).

Ian

Where is such processing documented? Might be interesting to try.

I still have some frozen Panalure. That might be ideal, but unfortunately no longer available new of course.)

donkee · Feb 5, 2014

NB23 said:
Makes me realize just how spoiled we are to even have Ilford-Harman around.

I am 100% in agreement.

Just snagged a couple 25 packs of 4x5 to play with before it all disappears.

MDR · Feb 5, 2014

Roger Cole said:
Where is such processing documented? Might be interesting to try.

I still have some frozen Panalure. That might be ideal, but unfortunately no longer available new of course.)

+ 1

Pretty please

RalphLambrecht · Feb 5, 2014

Yes,thanks for the heads-up and all the best in obtaining your goals. I have now fully converted from Kodak to Ilford films and Papers. For Processing chemicals ,I mix my own from bulk;just because I can and it's a lot of funfun to be a photographicalchemist.

Dr Croubie · Feb 5, 2014

donkee said:
I am 100% in agreement.

Just snagged a couple 25 packs of 4x5 to play with before it all disappears.

Bad idea.

When you realise how good it is you'll just want to go and buy more and bigger sheets (ask me how I know), and the pain will be all the worse if it does go the way of the efke.

pgomena · Feb 6, 2014

I have found this material to be a wonderful teaching tool for pinhole photography workshops and for my own use. Best wishes to Ilford/Harman in keeping this product alive.

PeterB · Feb 7, 2014

Simon R Galley said:
we may not succeed in our endeavours.

I know you were just offering the typical disclaimer here Simon. If your sister company could do it, you guys most certainly will !!

SMBooth · Feb 7, 2014

We finally get a local supply here in Australia (at twice the cost) and you go and stop production....

Ian Grant · Feb 7, 2014

Roger Cole said:
Where is such processing documented? Might be interesting to try.

I still have some frozen Panalure. That might be ideal, but unfortunately no longer available new of course.)

The reversal processing of conventional B&W papers is similar to film but for the highest quality results it's a case of balancing the developer and the incorporated silver halide solvent to suit the particular paper. It's not particularly difficult and the process is/was used in B&W Photo booths.

Ian

PeterB · Feb 7, 2014

Yeah I saw that too !! Got an encouraging regular email bulletin from Vanbar just today that read:

[h=1]Hallelujah! HARMAN Direct Positive Photographic Paper[/h]

Many moons ago we received the first ILFORD pinhole camera, we eagerly inspected the box contents with dreams of long exposures and surreal imagery. To our delight, contained within this vessel of creativity, was a lone pack of HARMAN Direct Positive Photo Paper. That's right, photo paper that you expose like any other, but with the 'negative' effect. With our artistic juices flowing we quickly contacted the local HARMAN people to seek more of this hidden gem. Our dreams, it seems, were dashed as this item was not available separately here in Australia.

We asked politely, a lot, for this to change. We're pleased to announce it has! Direct positive is now available in 4x5" 20 sheet packs. Hallelujah!""

jojonas · Feb 7, 2014

glad to hear that it's back so fast!

Ian Grant said:
The reversal processing of conventional B&W papers is similar to film but for the highest quality results it's a case of balancing the developer and the incorporated silver halide solvent to suit the particular paper. It's not particularly difficult and the process is/was used in B&W Photo booths.

Ian

Ian, this interests me! I have a dream of building my own bw photobooth in the future and information like this would certainly help. do you know of where I can find more info on this?

AgX · Feb 7, 2014

jojonas said:
glad to hear that it's back so fast!

It is not back fast, but seemingly on offer for the first time. In Australia. That means supply from an ended production.

Joe VanCleave · Sep 13, 2014

This note is for Mr. Simon Galley of Ilford. Simon, do you have any progress report or update on the situation regarding re-engineering/re-manufacturing a direct positive paper? Many of us are down to our last bits of supply on hand, and would like to see a new direct positive paper on the market.

Personally, if I had my wishes granted, I'd like to see an RC-base direct positive paper, along with FB, as this would be nice for on-location processing in portable darkroom box cameras.

~Joe

RalphLambrecht · Sep 15, 2014

MDR said:
Dear Simon I am sad to hear this but thank you for the information and good luck with getting the formula.

I also hope that if you were able to get the formula that the paper will distributed more widely and would it be possible to introduce a mat version of the paper glossy is nice but mat even nicer.

Again thank you

Simon, I wish you all rhe success in the world for this. Sounds like a full-service Tier1 issue,which is always difficult and should always be covered by full disclosure agreements up front.thanks for the info.

HARMAN Direct Positive FB Paper : Note From HARMAN technology Limited :

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