Kentmere Fineprint VC: both thumbs up!

timeUnit · Mar 20, 2007

Hi!

I'd like to praise Kentmere's Fineprint VC fibre paper -- a wonderful acquaintance!

I used it for the first time this weekend and produced a print that is one of my absolute best! A 35mm shot on Tri-X EI800, printed on the glossy version of Kentmere Fineprint VC (9.5 x 12 / 24 x 30), developed in Dektol 1+2, which gave a slight warm olive tone. After a 5 minute bath in KRST 1+9 (it was a bit exhausted) the blacks are very, very deep and the shadows have a slight reddish cast, while mids and highs are on the warm side of neutral.

The print was at about G3, with some burns at G4. I'll post a scan in my gallery in a while.

Go Kentmere!

PS. What I particularly like is that it's so responsive to developers and toners, without being over the top. Forte for instance can be really difficult to handle in that respect. Also, the glossy surface is beautiful.

Jerevan · Mar 20, 2007

Ditto. I like Kentmere, though I like the semi-matt varmtone stuff the most. Looking forward to try Kentona for some contactprints in the near future.

abeku · Mar 20, 2007

Thanks timeUnit! I haven't tried Kentmere yet, The Fineprint VC seems to be a very interresting paper to me. Have you tried to bleach it? If so, is there a change in colour?

timeUnit · Mar 20, 2007

Havn't bleached it yet, I'm afraid. The highlights were too perfect for such abuse. ;-)

Silverhead · Mar 20, 2007

Yeah, Kentmere definitely rocks. Can't wait to see how the Art Classic II turns out. And I loooooooove Kentona...if they made it in VC I probably wouldn't print on anything else.

timeUnit · Mar 20, 2007

Here's the scan. The real print looks lots better...

http://flickr.com/photos/timeunit/428649897/

JLP · Mar 21, 2007

The Swedish gang
Looks very nice Timeunit is that a 35mm shot?
(Edit) Kentona is also nice if you like the more creamy color base. It has a very delicate surface and does not like hot water in the wash, the coating will buble very easy.

jan

brian steinberger · Mar 21, 2007

Silverhead,

They do make Kentona in VC. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...731&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

Brian

JLP · Mar 21, 2007

Brian, i think it is a mistake from B&H, if you look closely at the label it is a DW 2
Freestyle also sell the Kentona as a graded paper.

jan

patrickjames · Mar 21, 2007

I am going to pipe in with my surprise at this paper too. I bought some and had it laying around and finally used it tonight and I am really impressed. I have been looking for new papers since Agfa and then Forte went belly up and this one might be it for me. I am interested in the warm tone too, but is it just the same emulsion on a warm base or is it truely warm tone?

Patrick

Monophoto · Mar 21, 2007

I've had mixed results with Kentmere Fineprint VC. It is a very responsive paper with a wide dynamic range. But it is also much contrastier than the paper that I have been using almost exclusively for many years (Arista FB-VC), and it takes a bit to recalibrate those brain cells. Also, it is distinctly cooler in tone - not unpleasant in a final image, but awful if the contrast is also off.

Ultimately, I think its a good paper and I just need to spend more time learning how to print with it.

timeUnit · Mar 21, 2007

JLP,
Thanks! Yep Tri-X, Zeiss Ikon, Voigländer Heliar Classic 50 mm f/2. EI 800. I actually found Tri-X too fine grained!

Patrick,
Fineprint VC Warmtone is almost the same emulsion, but with some kind of dye in it (at least accordning to Tid Rudman in The world of Lith Printing), on a cream base. It's not that far from Agfa MCC 118, a tad bit less shine in the surface.

Bruce Osgood · Mar 21, 2007

As I understand it, Freestyles' Arista II VC FB Fingrain is re-branded Kentmere VC FB Finegrain. I hope it is because I've setteled on it as my replacement for Forte.

I am using the Evan Clarke variant of Ansco 130 as the developer and find it EXCELLENT in terms of shadow seperations and highlights. An untoned dry print has the look of a selenium toned print.

I have not directly compaired Artista II to Kentmere but the cost savings plus shipping of Freestyle versus the covenience and premium cost of B&H plus tax will keep me ordering from Freestyle for a while longer.

patrickjames · Mar 21, 2007

Bruce, I am interested in the variant of Ansco 130 you use. I tried "the google" and came up empty. Could you share the formula?

Patrick

Dave Miller · Mar 21, 2007

patrickjames said:
I am going to pipe in with my surprise at this paper too. I bought some and had it laying around and finally used it tonight and I am really impressed. I have been looking for new papers since Agfa and then Forte went belly up and this one might be it for me. I am interested in the warm tone too, but is it just the same emulsion on a warm base or is it truely warm tone?

Patrick

The toning characteristics of the two papers differ, which is a puzzle since the emulsion appears to be the same. Having said that they are both very nice papers.

patrickjames · Mar 21, 2007

How are they different Dave?

Patrick

Dave Miller · Mar 21, 2007

The warmtone does not respond so well to bleaching, or selenium, but seems more responsive to gold toner. Bleach-back for example only alters the contrast of the warmtone, and not the colour as it does with the standard paper. Exposure, filtration, and development time are the same.

Bruce Osgood · Mar 21, 2007

patrickjames said:
Bruce, I am interested in the variant of Ansco 130 you use. I tried "the google" and came up empty. Could you share the formula?

Patrick

E. Clarke's ANSCO 130 - To make Two Liter Stock
Dilute 1 + 1

Distilled Water 52-c To Make: 1400 mL
Metol 4.40 g
Sodium sulfite 100.00 g
Hydroquione 22.00 g
Sodium carbonate - Anhy: 160 g 187.20 g Mono
Glycin 22.00 g
1% Benzotriazole 30.00 cc

ADD COLD Water to make Liter 2000.00 mL

Tom Stanworth · Mar 24, 2007

I am also going to experiment with this paper having had a few surprise prints off it ie just messing about and resulting in a print that was far better than expected. It is also super flat too. quite thin, but super flat which is no bad thing!

I will be trying it next to Ilford MG as the new staple. I also agree with the response to selenium, it is easy to get a super Dmax and some nice purple blacks without the eggplant leaping out from nowhwere.

Its all down to teh British paper manufacturers now!

jstraw · Mar 24, 2007

The double weight is very thin?

jmailand · Mar 24, 2007

Ive been using Photo Warehouse's Ultrafine Premium Varigrade FB VC paper. Their website says the paper is made in England http://store.ultrafineonline.com/ulprfibava.html. I was wondering if anybody know if this is the same paper as Kentmere Fineprint VC. I doesn't strike me as Ilford because the paper feels thinner. (I used to work in the paper packaging business, so I'm pretty good at judging paper thickness by feel.) The paper dries very curly, a lot more than Ive ever seen with Ilford product. It prints a nice tone, this sound simular to paper being described in this thread. I know Ultrafine used to use Ilford paper and Film but Ilford has stopped
rebranding. Just curious if anybody knows for sure were Photo Warehouse/Ultrafine gets their paper.

James,

Ben 4 · Mar 26, 2007

Paper Thickness

Kentmere's Fineprint VC, which I've been using as my main fiber paper for the better part of the past year, is a bit thinner than Ilford Multigrade. But I would still describe it as double weight paper. I have not found the thickness to be a problem, nor have I had problems with excessive curling.

jstraw · May 5, 2007

I have my first experience with this paper and I'm infatuated. It looks just great.

Beyond how it looks, I love how it handles. Comparing it to MGIV FB, it's flatter out of the box, it doesn't curl into a tube in the holding bath, it dries a lot flatter and it dries faster due to being thinner. I think it's a better candidate for mounting with corners.

Richard Jepsen · May 5, 2007

I too found Kentmere Fineprint FB to be a fine paper; although fast, contrasty, and for my taste too high a gloss. Does Kentmere produce a FB paper with a finish similar to Multigrade IV?

Renato Tonelli · May 5, 2007

I'll chime in to say that I've been happy with Kentmere as well. I tend to prefer glossy paper for most of my stuff and I tend to veer towards higher contrast. I also like the fact that Freestyle imports it in the 12x16 size as well. I have some Kentona but so far I have not tried it out.
Now that I think of it, I wish that someone imported Ilford Multigrade in 12x16; I've seen offered by vendors in Europe.

Kentmere Fineprint VC: both thumbs up!

timeUnit

Jerevan

abeku

timeUnit

Silverhead

timeUnit

JLP

brian steinberger

JLP

patrickjames

Monophoto

timeUnit

Bruce Osgood

Membership Council

patrickjames

Dave Miller

patrickjames

Dave Miller

Bruce Osgood

Membership Council

Tom Stanworth

jstraw

jmailand

Ben 4

jstraw

Richard Jepsen

Renato Tonelli

Kentmere Fineprint VC: both thumbs up!

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