Hey Ilford, Any chance of getting Deckle Edge Cut Paper?

[mshchem]

As sad the heydays for such papers were one and two generations before me. But so far attempts failed to find out for sure the time of their introduction.

Maybe someone with his home full of catalogs can shed light on this.

Deckle edged snapshots seam to have disappeared here in the USA in the 50's. I have a lot of family pictures, mostly contact prints. This seemed to be popular with the "drug store " prints. Also every thing I have seen is single weight paper.

I have templates, Kodak greeting cards, I'm going to try and make some prints, I will try edging these.

Doesn't sound like this would be feasible?

 

[mshchem]

Maybe later in the 20th Century - Funderburk was pretty explicit that the textured surface finishes evolved from mouldmade papers into something that could be produced on baryta coated paper impressed/ debossed with a dandy roll - the 'deckle' cut will have evolved from the same place into a mechanised and regularised impersonation. I think you are underestimating the extent of mould/ handmade paper in commodity uses until at least the mid 20th century. Suitable mould/ handmades are still readily available, are easily handcoated with liquid emulsion & it's not difficult to print postcard accoutrements on the back via letterpress - and the resultant will not look like a chintzy, plastic-y impersonation.

I live a couple kilometers from a studio that is part of The University of Iowa. Papermaking facility. My wife is connected, I should see if I could observe sometime.

 

[mshchem]

Buy a pair of deckling scissors and a box of fomatone paper and go to town.

I have plenty of Fomatone. I have a trimmer wheel. I need to get busy.

 

[glbeas]

I have a small deckle guillotine cutter for such an effect. Found it used quite a while ago. See if you can find one.

 

[cmacd123]

I recall my parents getting Commercial Photo prints back from their camera film when I was very small, with a deckle edge from the local drug store. The paper was proably "deckle cut" at th efactory, and the cutting machine at the lab would have cut the prints appart with a deckle blade. My parents just assumed that was the way that Photos were made. this would be in the 1950 era.

 

[mshchem]

Polaroid roll film for the early cameras was die cut deckle edged. I always thought that was cool.

 

[AnselMortensen]

I bought a deckle-edge paper trimmer on The 'Bay a couple years ago...
They're out there...

 

[koraks]

I very much doubt people who used deckled photo paper thought of handmade papers when they ordered

I very much doubt that people who apply those silly instagram filters are aware of the mechanics of 35mm film, the notches on sheet film or the peculiarities of glass plate. It's just that it apparently looks nice to them, and 'vintage' in a way.
I don't think it's apples & oranges really. I think it's a pretty good parallel.

 

[AgX]

My thinking is that people using this filters today have no knowledge about analog photography, but want to give their photo a "vintage photo" look, of what they vaguely consider such photo looked like.
Or when a in a tv "documentary" line scratches, smudge and flikker is added to old film footage to indicate wihout saying: "this is old footage".
So in both cases the idea is to make something look like an old photograph/film.

But with those deckle edge prints, peopl at best wanted or just got something that looked "special". But it also may have been that the deckled print got the standard at portrait photographer. That is what people they saw at other people albums and what they were not surprised to get themselves. Just what private photos looked liked, and other prints they never got in hand.

 

[koraks]

Yeah, I understand your thinking.

It's just a pet peeve of mine. I'm not a fan of things that are made to look like something they're not. I rather dislike fake wood, fake stonework, mansions with fake Roman columns, etc. Sometimes there's no really good way around it or it's the best of the worst (we have PVC flooring we once talked about, and yes, it's a faux wood pattern - not a fan of it, but the alternatives were more problematic still).

I think when it comes to photography, particularly darkroom photography, what attracts me to it is the possibility to work with 'genuine' materials. Real paper for instance.

Again, it's my personal issue. Don't let anyone be held back by it.

 

[AgX]

I think you are underestimating the extent of mould/ handmade paper in commodity uses until at least the mid 20th century. Suitable mould/ handmades are still readily available, are easily handcoated with liquid emulsion & it's not difficult to print postcard accoutrements on the back via letterpress - and the resultant will not look like a chintzy, plastic-y impersonation.

I got no idea where a common German in most of the 20th century ordering a portrait print or just looking at other people albums could have come across handmade paper, even more still with those feathered edges.

It was in the 90's that such papers entered the retail (artisan-, decoration-shops) and by the then there was likely also media coverage on handmaking paper. But then those deckled photo prints were long time considered vintage and again no one related them to handmade papers.

 

[BobUK]

Pre WW11 my mother trained as a tailoress in England, and she always called the saw tooth pattern scissors Pinking Shears.
I have envelopes full of old family photos with deckle edges, and they are much nicer than the modern scissor and trimmer methods.

Johnsons used to sell a small deckle-edged guillotine and they can still be seen occasionally on auction sites. They were always too expensive for me to buy when available new, I would love to know if they were as good as the professionally made prints.

I would definitely buy deckle edged as well as postcards if Ilford revived them.



ps. The postcards would have to be available on a decent heavy weight paper.

 

[guangong]

I have a deckle guillotine cutter. Handy for small prints given to friends. My impression is that deckled edges may offer some small protection when handling.
Nothing to do with photography, but what I do miss are the rough edges of pages found in older editions of books. A totally different feeling when holding and reading a book...seems more craft made than machine made.
I also miss the old Everyman books that actually could fit in a pocket.

 

[Don_ih]

The postcards would have to be available on a decent heavy weight paper.

Ilford postcards were on Portfolio RC, which is about the heaviest they have. I still use them in the postcard exchange (still 3 days to sign up).

Of course, almost no one sends postcards so Ilford stopped making them. 4x6 Portfolio is available (special order) from Ilford, without the printing on the back (which is useless, anyway, but makes it feel more authentic). Pretty expensive now, though.

 

[BobUK]

"almost no one sends postcards" I was saddened when I found out my niece now only sends a text instead of a birthday card to her father. Progress?

 

[jtk]

fwiw I like the way deckle edge prints feel. In the "old days" deckle edges simply made it easier/nicer to handle prints.

For the most part I print on 11X17 paper and store in Itoya archival folders. 11X17 is ideal for critical viewing. If it's a good photo it deserves to be that big.

Still, I'd like to make sets for other people to casually handle... 5X7 deckle edge might be appealing. Might use watercolor paper from Moab.

I've ordered the easily installed/removed deckle accessory blade for my very precise-cutting Carl rotary printer.

 

[glbeas]

Theres a real difference between deckle and pinking shears. Pinking has a perfect sawtooth pattern whereas deckle blades are done with an irregular profile.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Yeah, I understand your thinking.

It's just a pet peeve of mine. I'm not a fan of things that are made to look like something they're not. I rather dislike fake wood, fake stonework, mansions with fake Roman columns, etc. Sometimes there's no really good way around it or it's the best of the worst (we have PVC flooring we once talked about, and yes, it's a faux wood pattern - not a fan of it, but the alternatives were more problematic still).

I think when it comes to photography, particularly darkroom photography, what attracts me to it is the possibility to work with 'genuine' materials. Real paper for instance.

Again, it's my personal issue. Don't let anyone be held back by it.

One should always take care of their pet peeve. Keep it well fed and exercised. Never neglect a pet peeves as it will then turn around and bit you.

By the way, how is your pet peeve?

 

[koraks]

It's doing alright, as you said, I feed it regularly. It's now curled up on the sofa, most likely micturating on it.

 

[Sirius Glass]

It's doing alright, as you said, I feed it regularly. It's now curled up on the sofa, most likely micturating on it.

 

[jtk]

 

[mshchem]

Well this is excellent information for Ilford, sounds like, at best there's a tepid demand for deckle edged paper. I have a Carl branded cutter, I have a deckle blade. Time to get in gear.

 

[Anon Ymous]

It's doing alright, as you said, I feed it regularly. It's now curled up on the sofa, most likely micturating on it.

Oh, I just learned another verb.

 

[AgX]

fwiw I like the way deckle edge prints feel. In the "old days" deckle edges simply made it easier/nicer to handle prints.

Interesting thought, or rather perception. I have to think about it.

Anyway, this thread made me consider something I long time did not think of.


But how do you think about deckle edged prints far larger than album prints?


And what about non-straight, non-deckle edged prints?

 

[Don_ih]

But how do you think about deckle edged prints far larger than album prints?

I cut a 5x7 with a deckle blade in a rotary cutter and thought it looked pretty .... inappropriate?