Robert,
The rolls are actually 60" wide, not 40" wide. Regardless, they are large, and will easily accommodate any size film that people want to cut.
The issue that I see is that Ilford appears to be doing exactly the opposite of their press release from several months ago. Anyone else recall the press release where they mentioned coating glass plates? While I don't believe that the ULF market is terribly large, it is certainly larger then the glass plate market. Apparently, they have a very short memory.
Worse, if Ilford decides to stop selling master rolls, and also stops cutting ULF sizes, then they have completely turned their backs on the people that will be continuing to purchase film into the future. There's no doubt that the 35mm and MF sales of B&W film have been dropping over the last few years, but the market for LF and ULF films is actually growing. If Ilford doesn't see that this will be about all they will have left in another decade, then they are bigger fools than I thought.
I understand the possibility that they were selling the master rolls at a loss, and that needs to be corrected, but I don't see the logic in discontinuing the sale of master rolls a long as they are priced at a sustainable level.
For example, if they sold a master roll that has enough film to produce 20,000 sheets of 8x10 or so, and if they determined a fair profit margin on the roll, why not sell it? It won't cut into their profits, as long as it is priced appropriately. They could sell 20,000 sheets of film without all the packaging and hassle associated with 25 sheet boxes, and end up with a good profit that complements their packaged film sales.
They could feasibly sell the film at a higher profit per square foot than the 35mm sales and end up with a substantially better bottom line due to the lack of complex packaging and shipping requirements necessary for film by the roll.
If they sold master rolls and disconntinued the ULF sizes, it would make perfect sense. They would never have to do a special order, and the loyal Ilford film shooters out there would still be able to get the film that they want in the size they want.
When I heard the news, I began stocking up on FP4 from PhotoWarehouse, as I use cameras that may be difficult to get film to fit in the future. I figure I need to place one more order from them to last me for a good long time. Once I run through that film, I'll have to search out a place to cut film down for me, as the format I use (10x12) is not common enough to ever have sheet sizes available from the regular channels.
---Michael
