Ilford MGRC Warmtone Pearl Packaging

[Richard Jepsen]

11/27/23 I ordered subject paper from B&H. The item arrived and was packaged in the traditional brownish box. Today I took delivery of recently ordered paper and it arrived in a white box with a very dark blue info sticker.

The B&H paper was fresh. What is the significance of the white box. Is this older paper?

 

[pentaxuser]

What does it say on the box and could you give us a picture of it. I can't see anything on the Ilford Harman site with possible exception of Kentmere paper that resembles your description?

pentaxuser

 

[MattKing]

In particular, what does it say on the label.
@Harman Tech Service may be able to chime in.

 

[Sal Santamaura]

HARMAN is probably standardizing on one box color to economize. Within the last few weeks I received a fresh box of 8x10 Multigrade Warmtone semi-matt fiber and it, too, was in a white box.

 

[mshchem]

11/27/23 I ordered subject paper from B&H. The item arrived and was packaging was in the traditional brownish box. Today I took delivery of recently ordered paper and it arrived in a white box with a very dark blue info sticker.

The B&H paper was fresh. What is the significance of the white box. Is this older paper?

Where did you order the "white box" paper from? Could just be a cost reduction or substitution by Ilford. Good idea to ask Harman.

 

[Richard Jepsen]

I ordered the Ilford warmtone paper which came from Freestyle in California. They filled the order within 7 days.

it would be nice to know how to determine the date of manufacture or shipping from the factory.

 

[pentaxuser]

The boxes seem to make no mention of it being Multigrade Deluxe which is what Harman designated its new MG paper to be i.e. the stuff most users still called it MGV as opposed to the former MGIV so that's a puzzle as well. Apart from this there is a remarkable resemblance to boxes of the non warmtone MGRC which are this blue on white colour combo

So if this is all Harman's work it suggests that the non warmtone RC box is now being used for all RC be it warmtone or not and the word Deluxe has been dropped?

I can see no mention of these changes on the Ilford Photo Harman Technology website

pentaxuser

 

[Ian Grant]

The label is correct, so what difference does the box colour have to do with it, if you think it affects the paper inside then please send it to me

Multigrade Warmtone papers were never MGIV or Deluxe, they are a different emulsion.

Ian

 

[MattKing]

The boxes seem to make no mention of it being Multigrade Deluxe which is what Harman designated its new MG paper to be i.e. the stuff most users still called it MGV as opposed to the former MGIV so that's a puzzle as well.

The Multigrade Warmtone and Cooltone papers were newer and more recent emulsion formulations than the old Multigrade IV RC papers. They already incorporated some or all of the improvements that were later incorporated in the new Multigrade Deluxe papers.
The only papers that were replaced by the Multigrade Deluxe RC papers were the normal tone, Multigrade IV RC papers.

 

[pentaxuser]

So what do you make of the OP's pictures of his box of blue and white Warmtone paper, Matt? Are these changes made by Harman that it has yet to show in its website

If you had received this box when ordering Warmtone paper which you had expected to be in the usual red-brown box brown what if any would be your concerns?

Thanks

pentaxuser

 

[GregY]

So what do you make of the OP's pictures of his box of blue and white Warmtone paper, Matt? Are these changes made by Harman that it has yet to show in its website

If you had received this box when ordering Warmtone paper which you had expected to be in the usual red-brown box brown what if any would be your concerns?

Thanks

pentaxuser

Why would i be concerned, if the label identified the warmtone, fb, glossy paper that i typically order?

 

[Ian Grant]

The label is identical to those on the brown boxes. Packaging changes flogging a dead horse here. It will be fresh Ilford are an ISO 9002 company which means tight stock control, stocks were low while they were upgrading their coating line for Phoenix. Maybe they were short of brown boxes but there's no need for baseless conspiracies.

Ian

 

[Lachlan Young]

MGWT has been steadily transitioning to the standard white boxes over the last few years, from the most popular products to the least. The old brown/ maroon boxes are likely at least 12-18 months old from when they were last produced.

 

[pentaxuser]

Richard, my conclusion from the replies is that you have nothing to be concerned about. Harman, ít would appear, has been progressing to the white boxes for some years and other than the colours which have changed, the crucial aspect is that the labels say what is inside the box which is what counts

Usually on most posts there are those who may be concerned or are at least curious about what are changes but other than you and I this is not the case. That tends to be a good sign in my book

No doubt if you were to contact Harman, you'd get an answer confirming that all is in order and may even get to know why the changes were/are being made

If you do contact Harman. let us know what it says

pentaxuser

 

[Sal Santamaura]

...it would be nice to know how to determine the date of manufacture or shipping from the factory.

We used to be able to do that. Searching PHOTRIO will result in threads discussing how to decode the letter/numbers on paper box labels. Unfortunately, several years ago HARMAN changed its coding and, as far as I know, no one has posted a new "decoder ring."

 

[MattKing]

Richard, my conclusion from the replies is that you have nothing to be concerned about. Harman, ít would appear, has been progressing to the white boxes for some years and other than the colours which have changed, the crucial aspect is that the labels say what is inside the box which is what counts

Usually on most posts there are those who may be concerned or are at least curious about what are changes but other than you and I this is not the case. That tends to be a good sign in my book

No doubt if you were to contact Harman, you'd get an answer confirming that all is in order and may even get to know why the changes were/are being made

If you do contact Harman. let us know what it says

pentaxuser

If they check in, @Harman Tech Service will alert them to this thread.

 

[Richard Jepsen]

Thanks for your thoughts. Looks like the color box is no concern.

it still would be great to decode the date of manufacture.

 

[Light Capture]

Deciphering Ilford Paper Code

Does anyone know if there is a way to decipher the code on a box of Ilford paper? Is it just an emulsion number, or does it also tell you the date and place of manufacture?

www.photrio.com

Not sure if this is correct interpretation for date codes but I used it for fresh paper and chemistry bought over the years and it has always shown relatively recent dates for newly purchased supplies (within 2 years).

 

[Sal Santamaura]

Deciphering Ilford Paper Code

Does anyone know if there is a way to decipher the code on a box of Ilford paper? Is it just an emulsion number, or does it also tell you the date and place of manufacture?

www.photrio.com

Not sure if this is correct interpretation for date codes but I used it for fresh paper and chemistry bought over the years and it has always shown relatively recent dates for newly purchased supplies (within 2 years).

Nope. As I wrote just three posts earlier:

We used to be able to do that. Searching PHOTRIO will result in threads discussing how to decode the letter/numbers on paper box labels. Unfortunately, several years ago HARMAN changed its coding and, as far as I know, no one has posted a new "decoder ring."

 

[pentaxuser]

We used to be able to do that. Searching PHOTRIO will result in threads discussing how to decode the letter/numbers on paper box labels. Unfortunately, several years ago HARMAN changed its coding and, as far as I know, no one has posted a new "decoder ring."

Yes that's my recollection as well but did I recall that Harman said that it was happy to reply to enquiries about age of paper if the code was given to it or was that just my rose coloured spectacles?

pentaxuser

 

[Sal Santamaura]

Yes that's my recollection as well but did I recall that Harman said that it was happy to reply to enquiries about age of paper if the code was given to it or was that just my rose coloured spectacles?

pentaxuser

I don't remember that, but, if it's so, perhaps inquisitive PHOTRIO members ought keep asking HARMAN the question, then ship answers received off to Bletchley for decoding.

 

[pentaxuser]

I don't remember that, but, if it's so, perhaps inquisitive PHOTRIO members ought keep asking HARMAN the question, then ship answers received off to Bletchley for decoding.

Whether there is anybody remaining there who can decode may remain an ENIGMA, Sal

pentaxuser

 

[cmacd123]

Yes that's my recollection as well but did I recall that Harman said that it was happy to reply to enquiries about age of paper if the code was given to it or was that just my rose coloured spectacles?

pentaxuser

I know the last batch of ilford FILM I got had the emusion code in a different format stating with two Letters. older stuff started with two digits.

 

[Harman Tech Service]

Hi Richard,
it was getting very expensive to order small quantities of the burgundy boxes so we went over to the same white boxes that are used for all our other papers. The contents are unchanged, just the box colour!
Batch codes are now sequential, PFxxxx for Paper (Finishing) and FFxxxx for Film (Finishing).
Regards,
David

 

[pentaxuser]

Thanks for the reply David

pentaxuser